<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">3)What is the world that God loved? In Romans 9, you have the following "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated". So does God love the whole world, but right here is an example of someone that God hated, so how is it the whole world then?
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IMO one of the "HARD SAYINGS" of the Bible. But if John 3:16 is looked at in context maybe simple. Jesus was talking to a Jewish religious leader who believed only Jews were going to heaven and all otheres were doomed. Jesus told Nicodemus that the Gospel was not only for the Jews, but that men from every nation would come to Him, Then He make the simple, true statement that whoever believed in Him would have everlasting life.

Yet Scripture also tells us there are those God "hates", there are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, those that cannot come to Him. There are many fine lines in Scripture that exibit now only God's sovereignty in all things including salvation, but man's responsibility. For example, every man is expected and commanded to keep and obey the Law of God. or a believers command from God to "be holy as He is holy". In the same manner all men are commanded to come to Christ, yet unless the Spirit of God "make them alive" and opens their eyes to come to Jesus they never will....