John 3:16 and the Feminization of the Church! – Part #5

“Which View of Christ Are We Believing?”

By Richard Allen – June 1, 2026

I know that I’m on dangerous ground talking about this subject, but a ‘love of the truth’ (2 Thessalonians 2:10), compels me to “contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). So, let me affirm right from the start that John 3:16 is part of God’s inspired word and important for us to ‘believe and understand.’  For those who ‘only desire to experience an emotional response to Biblical Truth’ – it may be a shock to learn that the ‘quantitative view’ of John 3:16 – which is, that God loves every man, woman and child who has ever been born – is not taught in the Bible!  In the context of John’s Gospel, this wonderful verse means that “God loves all kinds of people: Jews and Gentiles, Male and Female, Slave and Free, Rich and Poor!”  This right view is the ‘qualitative view’ of John 3:16.  First, let me observe that God’s love is a ‘particular love,’ meaning that His love is deliberate and directed toward ‘His Elect Children’ – the Church!  Second, it is extremely hard to build a case for God’s ‘universal-redeeming-love,’ the quantitative view from the Scriptures – Old or New. Liberal denominations – especially ‘Unitarian-Universalist’ churches teach this. While they are wrong, at least they are consistent. They reason: “If ‘God Is Love’ – and He loves everyone – then He is not going to send anyone to hell!” The typical response from most Evangelical Christians is: “Yes, God loves each and every one of them, and He sent Jesus to die for them all – but they refused to make a decision to accept Him as their personal Savior!”  This is also a view nowhere found in Scripture. Believing there are millions in Hell for whom Christ atoned, is not Biblical!

Just so I’m not overstating this point, I also freely acknowledge that ‘God’s Merciful Love’ is a concept taught throughout Scripture. One verse that is often quoted along with John 3:16 – to prove God loves everybody – is from The Sermon on The Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:43-46).

From the verses above, the argument can be made that: “If Jesus calls His followers to ‘Love all men’ – even our enemies, can God do any less than love ‘all the vessels of wrath He is preparing for destruction?’ ” (Romans 9:22). I’m very aware that this is a weighty discussion, and one that gives all of us discomfort. In many ways, John 3:16 is the ‘sacred cow’ of Evangelicalism. Again, being honest with the ‘text of Scripture is not an option for those who truly "love the Truth'of Scripture’ is not an option for those who truly ‘Love the Truth' (2 Thessalonians 2:10). The problem for ‘modern Christians’ is, we’ve traveled this Feminized Road of ‘God’s Universal Love’ for so many generations that: “We no longer believe that God Himself personifies what Love is – but rather, LOVE ITSELF IS GOD!  A careful study of Scripture reveals there are three types of Love that God displays toward mankind:

1.) Benevolent Love, 2.) Beneficent Love and 3.) Complacent Love. Here’s a brief description of these three types of Divine Love from R.C. Sproul:

“Benevolence is derived from the Latin prefix bene, which means ‘well,’ or ‘good’. . . The love of benevolence is the quality of good will toward others. We are all familiar with Luke’s account of the nativity of Jesus in which the heavenly host praises God declaring: “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:8-14) . . . . Like an earthly judge weeps when he sends the guilty for punishment, God rejoices in the justness of it but gets no glee from the pain of those justly punished . . . Beneficence, is closely linked to the love of benevolence. The difference between benevolence and beneficence is the difference between disposition and action. I may feel well-disposed toward someone, but my goodwill remains unknown until or unless I manifest it by some action . . . In Matthew 5:43-46, Jesus enjoins the practice of love toward one’s enemies . . . . To love our enemies is to be loving toward them. It involves doing good to them . . . His sun and rain are given equally to the just and the unjust. We see then that God’s benevolent love and His beneficent love are universal. They extend to the whole of humanity. . . God’s love of Complacency is not universal, nor is it unconditional. Sadly, in our day, the glorious character of this type of divine love is routinely denied or obscured by a blanket universalization of the love of God. To announce to people indiscriminately that God loves them “unconditionally” (without carefully distinguishing among the distinctive types of divine love) is to promote a perilous false sense of security in the hearers. God’s love of complacency is the special delight and pleasure He takes first of all in His only-begotten Son . . . .By adoption in Christ, every believer shares in this divine love of complacency. It is the love enjoyed by Jacob, but not by Esau. This love is reserved for the redeemed in whom God delights.” [ https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/abundant-love]

Sproul’s explanation above clearly explains the difference between what I call: ‘God’s Merciful Love’ (Benevolence  and Beneficence) and ‘God’s Particular Love’ (Complacency). in our day, we use the word Complacency in    a totally different sense. But it’s clear that ‘God’s Particular Love’ is a ‘Redeeming and Saving Love.’ Even in a human sense, we always seek the ‘highest good’ for those whom we genuinely love, and with whom we have a genuine relationship. The problem with the Feminized John 3:16 type of Love is, that it completely undercuts the power and purpose God has invested in the Salvation of the Righteous!  He doesn’t just wish them well or give them ‘platitudes of well-being,’ No, He works out every detail and then executes His plan to save them – and bring them safely to Himself!  By making ‘God’s Particular Love’ simply a general feeling of ‘well-being,’ is to empty God’s Love for His Church of all meaning. It’s this emptied, generalized, general love for all that is the enemy of the Biblical Gospel. The picture seen above, shows the ‘Pretty-Boy Jesus’ image that has evolved in the ‘Western Church,’ that is, the European and American Church.  And I’m not just talking about the ‘swooning Jesus’ of Roman Catholic art, I’m talking about the John 3:16 Jesus of Love, Love, Love!  I call this false picture: ‘The Love God.’  While this may sound harsh, just consider this: Today’s Gospel portrayal of Jesus would make ‘Madison Avenue Marketers’ blush. The slick sandy brown hairdo, blue -eyed, smiling Jesus is a far cry from the ‘Man of Sorrows’ portrayed in Isaiah Chapter 53. And as many commentators have noticed for years, this Chapter in Isaiah is depicting the ‘suffering Christ’ during His Passion. Isaiah makes it clear that the real Jesus was not a 2-dimensional ad, manufactured to entice gullible customers to buy the product (belief).

“There was nothing special or impressive about the way he looked, nothing we could see that would cause us to like him. People made fun of him, and even his friends left him. He was a man who suffered a lot of pain and sickness. We treated him like someone of no importance, like someone people will not even look at but turn away from in disgust. The fact is, it was our suffering he took on himself; he bore our pain” (Isaiah 53:2-4).

The above picture is not good marketing for the Christ of the Bible. Only someone whose ‘eyes are opened by the Spirit’ will see any attraction to Him. But the ‘Pretty-Boy Jesus’ is a great ‘sales pitch’ for the Feminized John 3:16 Love God. This Jesus is so non-threatening that unbelieving men and women can feel secure in their sins. Why not, He loves me!  Anytime we have a Gospel where the most important (and dominant passage) in the whole Bible is John 3:16, something is amiss. Consider this: The word “Love,” does not appear in the Book of Acts at all!  How is this possible? John 3:16 was already in the vocabulary and understanding of the Church – yet ‘Not one time does anyone ever tell unbelievers that ‘God loves you, and has a wonderful plan for your life!’  Or, ‘God loved you so much, that He gave Jesus to die for you. Won’t you please let Him save you?’  The modern Gospel cannot be presented without telling unbelievers that ‘God loves them.’ And yet, we have “ZERO Examples” of any Evangelist, Minister or Christian worker ever telling unbelievers ‘God Loves you, and wants to bless you!’  When Paul appeared before ‘unbelieving Athenians’ in Acts Chapter 17, God commanded all men everywhere to believe and submit to their ‘Creator God!’

The two passages that are most often quoted by proponents of the ‘Love God Gospel,’ 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4, do not teach that God is not willing for unbelievers who reject Christ to be lost. Remember, ‘Context is King’ when it comes to interpreting Scripture.  Here’s 2 Peter 3:9 in context from a newer translation:

“Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving all of us space and time to change” (2 Peter 3:9).

Both the First and Second Epistles of Peter are addressed to the "elect exiles of the Dispersion" (1 Peter 1:1). This is clearly written to the Church!  The context is clearly God’s delay in His return – and Peter was encouraging believers in Jesus – those ‘elect exiles in the Dispersion’ to be patient. God is not slow, He is unwilling for any of His elect to perish! This is the proper use of confirming and encouraging the Body of Christ! We can and should talk of the Love of God every time we gather. What we shouldn’t do is ‘give the Children’s bread to the dogs’ (Matthew 15:26). The next passage should move us once again to patiently read the context – making sure we understand who the “All” are whom Paul says God wants to save:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

The context makes it clear, Paul is directing the Church to make petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving – for All Kinds of People: Including Kings and those in Authority!  Again, the way All is used consistently in the New Testament is “all kinds of people, male and female, slave and free, rich and poor, as well as kings and slaves!” This is the genius of the Gospel – ‘The New Man in Christ,’ born of the Spirit, renewed by knowledge and changed into the image of Christ:

“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:8-11).

Soli Deo Gloria!