John 3:16 and the Feminization of the Church! – Part #7

The Impact of Misinterpreting John 3:16 - “The Church Imposes Rules On God!”

By Richard Allen – June 15, 2026

At the end of my last Blog, “John 3:16 and the Feminization of the Church – Part #6,” we learned several lessons from Jesus’ interaction with the “Rich Young Ruler.” This prompted me to ask: “How did this ‘Feminized Gospel’ become the ‘default position’ of most Christendom?”  I postulated that the Enlightenment had a profound impact on the thinking of Christianity in Western cultures and clearly set the stage. When ‘man is the measure of all things,’ we bring God down to our level and to our thinking as men. Scripture warns us:

“You sit back and gossip about your brother; you slander your mother’s son. While you did these things, I kept silent; somehow you got the idea that I was like you. But now My silence ends, and I am going to indict you. I’ll state the charge against you clearly, face-to-face. All you who have forgotten Me, your God, should think about what I have said, or I will tear you apart and leave no one to save you” (Psalm 50:20-22).

The long-term consequences of the Enlightenment, coupled with ‘thinking God is like us,’ that is, believing that God thinks like a man, has led fallen men into making ‘Rules for God!’ I don’t say this flippantly, as I have actually heard these Rules coming from pastors and Christian teachers over the past 50+ years in the Church. If you build a strong foundation of Biblical Theology, the structure you build on it will be sound. But if you start with a ‘misinterpretation’ of John 3:16, somehow believing God Loves Every Man, Woman or Child who has ever lived – you are on a very shaky foundation – which will fall the minute you ask any of the tough questions this misinterpretation spawns.

Let me start by making some quick observations. First, when someone says he / she believes “God so loved the world” – meaning every man woman and child – then, does it follow that God Loves the current world’s population, or those who have been born since Christ’s death on Calvary? Does it include those who died in Noah’s Flood? Second, those promoting the “Love God Gospel” are so sure that Jesus universally atoned for each and every man’s sin, they create serious contradictions in their thinking. Consider that even in our day of mass communication, 40% of many people groups – still haven’t heard the Gospel – according to the Lausanne Report in Christianity Today. These souls never have had the chance to believe or reject the Gospel. Does that make them immune from ‘the wrath that is to come?’  We must acknowledge there isn’t a verse in the New Testament proclaiming that “rejecting Jesus’ death made men condemnable!” Romans 1:16-18 makes it clear that rejection of Christ’s atoning sacrifice is NOT the ground upon which men are held accountable. Paul says that God’s wrath being revealed is because of Man’s Sin!  Christ died on Calvary’s Cross – not to make men liable to God’s Justice – But to Save Them!  John 3:16 – and the Rules flowing from it – as our ‘moderns’ interpret it, create several Contradictions in God’s purpose and nature. Third, in Romans Chapter 3, God confronts us with a Biblical Antimony.  This is ‘an apparent contradiction’ of His purposes and nature:

“God appointed Jesus to die in our place to take away our sins, and turn away God’s wrath. We receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus’ blood. This showed that God always does what is right and fair, that he is righteous, as in the past when he was patient and did not punish his people for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he does what is right – so he could judge rightly and declare any person righteous who has faith in Jesus. Christ’s sacrificial death shows that God is both just in punishing our sin, and merciful in saving undeserving sinners” (Romans 3:25-26).  

These verses reveal the tension is between God’s Mercy and His Justice. To Paul, the Gospel presented an Antimony, an apparent contradiction that 1.) God has to be Just, and act consistently with His own Holy Nature and Character, and 2.) Yet, He has chosen to show Mercy to Fallen Sinners in Jesus Christ by forgiving them. This is a wonderful contradiction – one that is contained in Holy Scripture. Sadly, the ‘Love God’ interpretation of John 3:16 has also created Rules for God that dictate man-made contradictions. These contradictions all come from ‘human reason,’ not from God’s Word. Here are two False Foundational Modern Rules that God must obey: 1.) God has to Love all of His Creation, and 2.) God cannot force anyone to Believe, Love or Submit to Him. Men have to believe ‘freely’ by making a personal choice!  Neither of these concepts are taught in Scripture. Scripture actually contradicts both of these points.

1. Does God Love Everyone? – Here are samples of Bible verses that say the exact opposite:

• “The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity” (Psalm 5:5).

• "GGod judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11).

• "The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:5).

• "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever doesn’t obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

• "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

  
  

The Scriptures have much more to say about God Hating both the Sin and the Sinner. This is not a popular message in our current age, an age in which most concepts about God have been formed by an erroneous understanding of John 3:16. But closely connected to this is the ‘all-encompassing doctrine of free will.’ I should tell you that Free will is Not the same as Free Choice!  Scripture teaches that men are responsible moral agents who make ‘free choices.’ But the choices men make are consistent and in agreement with our fallen nature and thinking. The Doctrine of Free Will is an old heresy that teaches men are not ‘dead in their sins.’ This started with a British Monk named Pelagius in the 5^th Century. While Church Father Saint Augustine thoroughly refuted Pelagius, his teaching never went away. Dutch Theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam resurrected this falsehood during the Reformation. Knowing that Martin Luther was a champion of Pauline-Augustinian Christianity, Erasmus wrote a lengthy treatise: “On Free Will” criticizing Luther’s teaching that ‘the will itself is in bondage to sin.’ Many thought that Erasmus won the debate, affirming ‘Man’s ability to respond to the God’s Call.’  Then Luther wrote an even more lengthy and Biblical treatise on Man’s complete slavery to sin. Luther’s “The Bondage of the Will” literally crushed Erasmus’ ‘man-centered views,’ and sparked the Reformation!

The problem, as Luther skillfully answered, had nothing to do with God forcing anyone to believe, love Him or submit. The problem was with ‘Man’s Fallen Nature.’  Luther, with irrefutable logic and Biblical proof showed that ‘Man’s Will was in Bondage to Sin – Just Like Every Other Part of Man’s Being!’  Scripture teaches that ‘Men are Slaves to Sin’ until God miraculously quickens their minds and affections, Spiritually Resurrecting them from the Dead through the New Birth!  So, if a Bible Teacher ‘misdiagnoses Man’s Spiritual illness, teaching that men are not totally ‘dead in trespasses and sin’ (which is taught in both Old and New Testaments), you’ll end up with a ‘Remedy’ that is unable to treat the real disease: “Man is spiritually dead and unable to ‘make a decision,’ or ‘obediently respond to the Gospel Call!’ ”  Men and Women need the work of the Spirit in Regeneration in order to ‘Repent and Believe’ the Gospel! This brings me to the other ‘Foundational Rule for God:’

2). God cannot force anyone to Believe, Love or Submit to Him – He has to respect our Free Will!

The Enlightenment allowed new concepts of ‘Romantic Love’ to redefine Love for our Western Cultures. As a result, many Pastors and Bible Teachers began ‘romanticizing Love,’ teaching that ‘Love freely given is the highest act of our Free Will,’ choosing to sovereignly love another. Again, these are not Biblical concepts but rather ‘human philosophy’ superimposed upon Scripture. Instead of the ‘steady and permanent Agape Love’ from the Bible – which ‘sought the highest good’ of the object loved, this ‘Sentimental Love’ was applied to both men and God. Over time these two Foundational Rules for God have branched out into many other ‘sub-rules’ that the Almighty has to abide by – or He’s not being Fair!  I’ve come up with more than a dozen of these Rules for God that I’ve heard over the years, but for the sake of our discussion, I've condensed them to the following Seven Evangelical Rules for God:

Fallen Man’s Seven Rules for God:  

1. God longs to be Freely Loved, which is only possible if men freely choose to Love Him from their fallen hearts!

2. God’s Will is Well-Meaning, but Limited in Scope and Impotent of Power!

3. Man’s Will is Free, All-Powerful and Sovereign.  God cannot violate Man’s Sovereign Choice – we are Not Robots!

4. By human standards, God has to be Fair with everyone, so God’s Justice has to be qualified. If a man or woman has not heard and rejected the Gospel, they are not accountable!

5. Jesus’ Death Atoned for all men’s sin, yet He can only save those men who make a Sovereign Choice to Believe! Sadly, there will be millions of souls in the Lake of Fire for whose sin Jesus atoned!

6. In the end, God Judges and Condemns most of mankind to the Lake of Fire, but He still Loves everyone!

7. God’s Rewards or Punishments are based on how men and women choose to use their Sovereign Will (Decision)!

In my next Blog in this series, we’ll take a look at all Seven of these Rules through the lens of Scripture. I’m guessing that most of my readers who read these Seven Rules for God will immediately see a huge flaw: These Rules for God teach that Men are Saved by Their Works! The other thing many of you can already guess, is that these rules are not just coming from Believing Christians – but Unbelievers!

Soli Deo Gloria!