He Shall Have Dominion

John 3:17 states the incarnational motive is that “God did not send
the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be
saved through Him.” In this verse’s syntactical construction we have hina
followed by the aorist, subjunctive verb sozo. Such grammatical structure
is a purpose clause. And when used of God’s actions they signify his
divine intent (cf. Jn 1:7; 1Jn 5:20; Rev 20:3), a divine intent that is by the
very nature of the case unthwartable (Isa 46:10; 55:11; Da 4:35). As a
matter of fact, this very construction occurs in John 3:16 where we read:
“He gave His only begotten Son that [hina] whoever believes in Him
should not perish [apoletai, aor. subj.].” May we suggest that some who
truly believe in him will perish? Syntactically then, we must expect the
purpose’s certain accomplishment; historically the divine will assures it.
First John 4:14 does not use the purpose clause, but does speak of
God sending Christ to be the soter (“savior”) of the world. He is not
merely to help us toward salvation, or to offer himself as the potential or
conditional Savior, if. . . . Conditional constructions are available to John.
He could use ean plus the subjunctive — suggesting the idea of a “more
probable future condition” and indicating that some uncertainty is
implied. Or he could employ ei and the indicative — suggesting the idea
of “simple condition” and expressing a wish. Though these are available,
he does not employ them in 1 John 4:14.
In 1 John 2:2 the force of the teaching does not depend on syntactical
features such as purpose clauses, but upon strong redemptive
terminology: “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours
only, but also for those of the whole world.” The word “propitiation”
(hilasmos) is one of the most potent redemptive terms in Scripture.
In 2 Corinthians 5:19 Paul employs another significant redemptive
term: “reconciling [katalasson].” Reconciliation involves the bringing back
of a favorable relationship between God and man. It speaks of actual
relief from sin’s consequence (vv. 19, 21). Notice the emphasis on God’s
action: “All these things were from God, who reconciled us . . . namely,
that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (vv 18–20). Later
v 21 states: “He made Him that knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.”
Paul also presents the idea very clearly in Romans 11:15: “For if their
being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance
be but life from the dead?” The argument Paul is presenting in Romans
9–11 involves the racial Jews’ place in the plan of God in light of God’s
calling of the Gentiles. At this juncture Paul points to their casting away
by God’s judicial sentence. Though Paul laments this judgment at
present, it is necessary in order to effect “the reconciliation of the