John 3:16 – For God So Loves Us

“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.” John 3:16

Likely the most well known verse in the Bible, this verse sums up the Gospel. It contains the answer to many of our biggest questions; “because God loves us.” It tells us about God sending His Son Jesus to die on a cross to atone for the sins of all mankind. It tells us about salvation, and that through belief in Christ we access eternity with Christ.

 Not only does God love us, He “so,” loves us. Picture hugging a beloved person in your life and telling them that you “so,” love them. Telling them that you love them just isn’t enough, you really need them to know. Now picture going even further, telling them that you love them so much that you are going to sacrifice your child so that they can go to Heaven.  What kind of love would be required for this level of sacrifice?  The  thought makes us uncomfortable. In considering this sacrifice, we realize that our love has limits.

In verses like Romans 5:7-8 we see the complete and sacrificial love of our beloved Savior Jesus; “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In John 3:16 we see the Father’s part in this complete and sacrificial love. The Father gave His one and only Son to suffer and die in an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, not because of our efforts, but because of His complete and perfect love for us. This is worth saying again – the God of the universe sent His perfect, sinless Son to suffer painfully in human flesh and die on a cross bearing the sins of the world on His shoulders so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him. When we dwell on this fundamental Gospel truth it should bring us to our knees, to songs of praise, to thanksgiving, and to obedience. When God says He loves us, He means it!

Prayer

Lord, thank you for loving us. Help us to walk faithfully in your will knowing that you love us completely.