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in the Gospels
by Jon Zens
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One of the most common assumptions in modern evangelicalism is that the word “world” (kosmos) in the New Testament means “every man, woman and child on earth.” Equipped with a Western mind-set we read into the word “world” a numerical meaning. “World” equals “everybody in it.” One of the most commonly referred to verses in the Gospels is John 3:16, “....for God so loved the world....”
However, if you check the use of kosmos in a concordance, it will be readily seen that many times it is used in a very limited sense. For example, in John 12:19 the Pharisees said, “...look how the whole world has gone after Him.” The phrase “whole world” obviously refers to a very small number of people compared to all who were then on the earth.
Among the Jews, the Hebrew phrase “whole world” was used often with reference to a relatively few people. This is evident in a citation from Horaoit, Fol.33. 2 – “When Rabbi Simeon Ben Gamaliel entered into the synagogue, the whole world stood up before him.”
Further, to the Jewish mind, the word “world” primarily designated those who were “outsiders” — the Gentiles. “World” equaled that which was non-Israelite.
These considerations help us to understand the background of the New Testament usage of the word “world.” The New Testament writers had to constantly combat the exclusivistic outlook of first century Jews. The universal language of the New Testament arises from the Abrahamic covenant promise, “...in you shall all nations will be blessed.” The salvation of God is no longer restricted to the nation of Israel. The gospel is the power of God to salvation “to every one who believes, whether Jew or Greek” (Rom 1:16).
This worldwide salvation promise was denied by the Jews. They believed the nations were only destined to judgment. Alfred Edersheim points out the “enmity.”
“To the orthodox Jew, the mental and spiritual horizon was bounded by Palestine. It was ‘the land,’ all the rest of the world, except Babylonia, was ‘outside the land’. . . the very dust of heathen soil was supposed to carry defilement, like corruption or the grave . . . the contempt for all that was non-Jewish will in great measure explain the code of legislation intended to keep the Jew and Gentile apart. Painful as these details are, they might be multiplied.” (Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah, p. 85 ff.)
Many times, then, gospel universalism was predicted in the Gospels (cf. Matthew 3:9, 4:16, 8:5-12, 10:5-6,12; 12:15-21; 15:21-23: 21:33-46; 24:14, 26:13; 28:19).
The gospel extending beyond the borders of Palestine was fulfilled in the Book of Acts (Acts 1:8; 2:5, 39; 3:25; 10:9-15; 13:44-48; 22:21-22; 24:5; 26:20, 23).
Gospel universalism was then theologically interpreted in the Epistles (Romans 4:13-17; 9:24; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:8; Ephesians 2:11 - 3:12; Colossians 1:26-27; 3:11; Revelation 5:9,7:9).
All of this can help us to understand passages where “world” is used. In John 3:16, the word “world” appears in a context where a prejudiced Jew was approaching Jesus. It is foreign to the text to force a numeric meaning into
“world” when Nicodemus is simply being instructed that God*s love is no longer confined to the boundaries of Israel. The rabbis had condemned the nations to hell with no Messianic hope. Jesus now teaches that God*s love is worldwide.
Also, in John 4:42, the phrase “the Savior of the world” was not intended to mean “the Savior of every single person in the world,” but simply that this Jesus was a Savior of people outside of Israel. The Jews hated the Samaritans. Hence, these “outcasts” were surprised and delighted to see that this Jesus was for them too!
In Romans 11:11-15, we can see how “world” is used interchangeably with “Gentiles” (nations). “World” here signifies people who are non-Israelite. Paul is not at this point thinking numerically (every person), but historically in terms of the advancement of the gospel among the nations (Matthew 24:14). Hence, we see an historic progression from Israel alone having the truth to the gospel spreading from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
When it is said that world in 1 John 2:2 teaches that Christ died for “everybody,” they need to consider the setting of the phrase “whole world” in that age. The rabbis of Christ*s time debated whether Gentiles would benefit from Messiah*s coming. Most concluded that the worst calamities would befall them, including hell. Rabbi Jochanan in the Talmud said:
“Woe to the nations of the world, who are lost, and they know not that they are lost; while the sanctuary stood, the altar atoned, or was a propitiation for them; but now who shall be a propitiation for them?”
Can you better understand now why John said that Christ was a propitiation for people worldwide, some “...from every tribe, language, people and nation” (Revelation 5:9; 7:9)?
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