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What more could God do than he did do to take away sin? He gave his only begotten Son; Christ gave himself, that whosoever would believe on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He pledges himself to every soul who will believe, that he shall not perish. The word does not read, as too often it is misread, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life. No such thing. The next verse has the "might" in it: "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." It may be, too. When God gave his Son, in that gift he established the eternal possibility that every soul in this world might be saved. But there is where the "might" is. There is where the "maybe" is. Because, whether any one is saved, depends upon what he chooses. The Lord will not save us in spite of ourselves. He has made it possible, in the gift of Christ, for every one of us to be saved. It depends upon us whether we choose the salvation that he has given; whether we will take the cross, and adopt the means, that will make it certain to us.

But when one has chosen Christ, and believes in him, there is no "maybe" about it any more. It shall be, then. Then the verse comes in where theshall is, and reads: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not [not, "might not"] perish, but have everlasting life." Believing in Jesus Christ takes away all the "maybe" that there ever was in it, and makes it an eternalshall be. So, then, to every soul who believes in Jesus, God says, I pledge myself that you "shall not perish." To every soul in this world, wicked as he may be, God’s message is that the has made the provision, he has established the thing, and so firmly fixed it that just as certainly as a soul believes in Jesus Christ, that soul "shall not perish." That is a good offer. It is infinitely fair, and infinitely generous. It’s as fair and generous as is God.