Reading: John 3:16

Verse 16: “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”.

Today’s passage is well-known. People write the reference on signs and hold them up at ball games. The verse is on zillions of t-shirts, magnets, coffee mugs, hats, and so on. “For God so loved…” is right up there with “Our Father who art in…” in terms of recognition and memorization. There must be a reason. There is: this verse is the gospel of love in one verse.

“For God so loved the world…”. At the core of God is love and God loves nothing more than his children. He is the best father one could ever imagine. He would do anything for his children. So as God looked down on the earth, He knew it was time. He had once walked in the garden with Adam and Eve and God knew it was time to come and walk among us again. So God took on flesh and became incarnate. He loved us so much that He left heaven and took on humanity.

“He gave his one and only son…”. God has only come in the flesh once. He came knowing that it would end with a cross. But a new covenant had to be established and only his son could do it. It was a sacrifice that he was literally willing to make. As the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, Jesus demonstrates not only obedience but the love of the Father as well. Yes, as He walked among us He revealed what God’s love looks like lived out. But ultimately Jesus came to defeat the power of sin and death. It is step one in reclaiming the world for God.

“That whoever believes… eternal life”. If we believe in Jesus as the Lord of our life, then we have the gift of him being Lord of our eternity as well. Not only does He dwell in us through the Holy Spirit, making this life so much better, but He also makes our relationship everlasting. This life is not all there is. Eternity awaits us all. I imagine when one gets to heaven, a first question will be, “You left this for us”? And He will say, yes, yes I did. He loved us that much. Thanks be to God. Amen.