Friday, April 30, 2021

More on the Particularism to God's Love in John 3:16

  

The Venerable Francis Libermann, C.S.Sp., commenting on the text in St. John (3:16)—“That whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting”—writes: “It is to be noted that our Lord says, that all who believe in Him and not believe in His name, for the latter expression signifies but a belief in the Person of our Lord, or in the doctrine which He preaches—a belief which can coexist with very indifferent conduct. Those who have this kind of belief should not place a false confidence in the Cross of our Savior: it will condemn instead of saving them. There is required a faith in Him (in eum, not in ipso—in Latin it is the accusative, not the ablative, case)—a term which signifies union and adhesion to the soul to our Savior. This implies an estrangement from sin and the putting of a supernatural principle and motive into one’s activity. For if the soul is truly united to our Lord by this perfect and real faith, then its action is united to His and the Savior is the principle of that action.” (Edward Leen, Why the Cross? [New York: Sheed and Ward, 1938; repr., New York: Scepter Press, 2001], 47 n. 14)

 

Further Reading


God's Love being conditional and unconditional

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