John 3:18

Condemned already. As those who believe in Christ are justified by virtue of their faith in Him, so those who do not believe are automatically condemned because of their lack of faith. That some should reject Christ was never the Father’s will, and those who do so thereby bring judgment upon themselves. It is the absence of saving faith that results in condemnation. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). This condemnation was not the object of the Saviour’s coming into the world, but for those who do not believe it is one inevitable result of His coming. God has predetermined that those who believe shall be saved and that those who do not believe shall be lost, but He has left it to every man to choose whether or not to believe. In this sense the case of every believer and every unbeliever, every saint and every sinner, was settled when the plan of salvation was first laid, but it was left to every individual to choose whether he would be a saint or a sinner. This is Bible predestination. In the final judgment, sentence will be passed on men individually, as, long ago, it was passed on them collectively. See on John 3:19; 5:29; Eph. 1:3-12.

The name. See on ch. 1:12.

Only begotten. See on ch. 1:14.

Son of God. See Additional Note on Chapter 1; see on Luke 1:35.