[Kevin]

Originally Posted by byHismercy

I don't share these beliefs. For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 byHismercy

You cannot find a church that is so perfect without a single error. Regarding with John 3:16, this is what I do with such a beloved passage:

My exegesis of the passage:

◼ John 3:16 NASB
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 — οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν (κόσμον) ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν ἵνα (πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων) εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν

κόσμον (kosmos) ~ world

In John’s context the word kosmos (κόσμον) has the implication of *both* Jew and Gentile...The Jews would have believed that there was a limitation to them only, but John clarifies here that it is not *only* that Jesus died for the believing Jews but also for the believing Gentiles...

πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων (pas ho pisteuon) - Whosoever/Whoever Believes

πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων denotes particularity in that pas (everyone/whoever) of that particular group who believes will not perish. There is a specificity to faith, there are people who believe and those who do not believe and this is perfectly consistent with God's electing grace and perfectly consistent with the free offer of the Gospel. The verse means “all the ones engaging in the action of substantive adjectival participle believing” will be saved. In English this means “whoever” is definite and specific to believers.