There is no contradiction. In 1 John, the reference is to the world system that rejects God—the world Satan invaded at man’s fall and blighted with lust and pride and all other evils. Later John will say, “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). The Greek word for “world,” kosmos, has different meanings in the Scriptures based on the context. In his Gospel, John is telling us that God loves all the people of the world, sinners though they are. In his Epistle, John is telling us that we must be careful not to fall in love with a wicked and godless world system, which would be a form of idolatry. His message is to love the world’s people but not its program.

Just as the world carries shades of meaning, so does the word love. C. S. Lewis wrote of four different kinds of love: friendship, affection, erotic love, and sacrificial love.7 And it’s here that many people get confused. We know that God loves us, and we need to understand just what kind of love that is.

I happen to love the United States of America. I’m deeply thankful to be an American, and I can tell you sincerely that I love America with all my heart.

But I also happen to love my new grandson by the name of Levi. And my love for Levi is not at all the same kind of love I have for America. As much as I love the United States of America, my love for Levi is far deeper, far more emotional. I love him with all my heart—and then some. That may not make logical or mathematical sense, but I know what I mean.

God loves every individual in this world with the same profound devotion with which I love Levi. The whole truth is, God’s love is far deeper and more profound than even my love for Levi simply because His love is perfect and infinite, as no human love is. No one loves you the way He does—not your spouse, not your mother, not your child. No one.

God’s Love Is Expensive

… that He gave His only begotten Son…

Only begotten means “unique”—one and only.

James Montgomery Boice explains what Jesus’ uniqueness means to us: “Jesus is the unique Son of God; there is no one like Him, no one who is His equal. Therefore, because Jesus Christ is the very image of God, and because there is no one like Him, when God gave Jesus, He gave the best gift in the universe.”8