One of the most widely known and quoted verses in the Bible can be found in John 3:16(NKJV). It states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Our Heavenly Father’s love for everyone is unconditional and limitless. It’s not limited to a certain group or to those that appear to deserve it. God extends His love to the entire world, and this extraordinary truth is foundational to the Good News of Jesus Christ as well as to our continued life of faith.
Our Heavenly Father didn’t just express His love in Words; He gave the life of His One and only Son, Jesus Christ, to save each of us. This emphasizes the sacrificial nature of God’s love. In our modern times, the idea of sacrifice is lost on many. Most have extricated it from how they view and define love, but when we do this, we are no longer participating in love. We’ve turned it into something that is selfish and unfulfilling. God teaches us that love requires sacrifice, and He demonstrated it by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this cruel and dark world, giving us the ultimate expression of love and grace.
2Corinthians 5:19(NLT) affirms: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” God had a plan of reconciling or making us right with Himself through our precious Lord Jesus. He settled the relationships between Him and us through Christ, making it possible to have forgiveness of sin and a fresh start with Him. Nothing in life is more important than this. He’s given us this incredible gift of salvation, and it’s not dependent on what we can do for God but what He wants to do for us. It’s free to anyone that believes in Jesus Christ and acknowledges him as Lord and Savior.
John 3:16 shares another crucial and reassuring truth with us: God wants us to live with Him an eternity; this is His heart and it should be our greatest, most endearing joy. The treasure of living eternally in Christ is extraordinarily Good News! In all of existence, there are just two destinies: life or death. The two realities stated in this verse: perishing or having eternal life are spiritual realities. If the Lord should tarry, eventually our physical bodies will slowly deteriorate and return to the dust from which they were made. However, perishing refers to spiritual death and separation from God. Eternal life is the gift that God offers to those who believe in the Lord Jesus. It’s not just life that lasts forever, but life in communion and oneness with God through Christ.
2Corinthians 5:19-21(NLT) states: “19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
As people, endowed by God with free will, we each have a choice to make, one that shapes our spiritual journey. God hopes everyone will say yes to the incredible gift of salvation made possible and graciously offered through the life, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. But sadly, not everyone does. Many opt for different paths or beliefs, turning down God’s offer despite His love and the immense sacrifice made on humanity’s behalf. It’s a bittersweet reality that not everyone embraces His love and heeds the call to faith.
The essence of eternal life and joy is at the heart of our Christian faith. John 3:16 captures this beautifully, reminding us of God’s immense love and His desire for us to have oneness with Him forever through Jesus Christ. It’s a gift available to everyone, reflecting the perfect and giving nature of God’s love and His incredible grace. But, again, as life unfolds, not everyone chooses to accept this gift. The journey of faith is marked by the individual choices we make, shaping our spiritual path and ultimately determining our destiny. Some embrace the promise of eternal life with joy, others turn away, missing out on the abundant love and grace God extends to humanity. Let this remind us that as we navigate life’s complexities and uncertainties, God’s invitation to faith remains open. He beckons us to experience the depth of His love and the overwhelming generous promise of spending an eternity with Him. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
“Eternal Life, Eternal Joy”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.