Which of these statements is true? God forgives the sins of the whole world. God only forgives those who believe in Jesus.

The answer to the question is that they are both true. Jesus' simple gospel teaching to Nicodemus uses both ideas. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son” (John 3:16-18)

If you remember what you learned in catechism class, you may recall the terms universal justification and personal justification. The first means that God justifies the whole world for Jesus' sake and declares all people forgiven. The second means that God justifies only those who believe in Jesus as their Savior.

Rich and poor

It may be helpful to look at it this way. Imagine that a multi-billionaire lives in your community and he loves to give away money. He has decided to put a million dollars in the bank for every man, woman, and child who lives in your town. The only notice given will be an ad in the local paper that invites you to pick up your money at any time.

Everyone in your town is a million dollars richer. A third of the people see the ad and believe what it says. They run down to pick up their money. A third of the people think that the advertisement is nothing more than a bank gimmick. That's unbelief—and they will not benefit from their new wealth. And the last third doesn't get the paper and never hear about their money! That's unbelief, too—the unbelief of ignorance. You can be rich and poor at the same time.

Forgiven and not forgiven

You can also be forgiven and not forgiven at the same time. God in his rich generosity and mercy has justified the whole world for Jesus' sake. That's universal justification. Some believe this because the Holy Spirit has convinced them that this is true. They believe that they are holy in God's eyes because God has forgiven all their sins. They are justified before God. By faith, they have made God's forgiveness their own.

Some refuse to believe this. Even though God loves them and has declared them holy for Jesus' sake, they remain in their sins because of their unbelief.

And some have not heard the message. That's why we send missionaries into the world with the gospel. That's why we tell our friends and neighbors. If you lined up at the bank to get your million-dollar windfall, wouldn't you tell your neighbor about it by nightfall?