He Gave His Only Son

"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NIrV)

Today, we continue our study of John 3:16 by looking at the next phrase "that he gave his one and only Son". But first let's reflect back on our summary of the first phrase. God loving, longing for, and wanting to be with, those that He had created and was taking care of, is the reason for...

• that again emphasizes that what was said before (God so loved the world) is the reason for what is following
• He gave is the Greek word δίδωμι which of course means to give. This certainly implies that God gave freely. He wasn't compelled or forced to give, He gave because He wanted to.
• His is the Greek word αὑτοῦ which implies possession or ownership. God did not give anything that He didn't have the right to give. He was free to give because He possessed.
• one and only is the Greek word μονογενής which means only born. An only child (especially and only son) would be quite valuable. The only born child would be quite precious to the parent.
• Son is the Greek word υἱός which does mean son. In the Jewish society of the day, the only son would be the sole heir to all of the belongings of the parents. Without an heir all that a parent owned when they died would be distributed to more distant relatives and the father's family line would end.
• So, God freely gave his only heir, the one who would inherit all He had...

So, who was God doing this for? We'll find out tomorrow.