John 3:16 is a verse many of you perhaps memorized as a child. It is one of the most quoted verses of Scripture. It is a verse that is well known, yet a verse that is packed so full of truth that we must take a closer look.
"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" (John 3:16). Note where the verse begins: "For God so loved the world." That's right! God, the creator and sustainer of the entire universe, loves you. You can't begin to understand what God did for you until you understand how much God loves you. Yet, at the same time, you can't begin to understand how much God loves you until you understand what God did for you. He paid a great price for you. He sent His Son to die for you—to take upon Himself the penalty that you deserved to pay for your sin. That is love.
God made you in His own image. He made you the pinnacle of all creation. No other creature was made in God’s image—only man. God made you to have fellowship with Him. All of this was so that God could lavish His love upon you. 1 John 4:8 tells us that "God is love." 1 John 4:19 adds, "We love Him because He first loved us." And in John 15:12 Jesus said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." The Lord Jesus loved you enough to lay down His life for you. There is no greater love. The truth is: God loves you!
Let's move on. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16a). Why? Because you need a Savior and His love for you is so great that He willingly went to the cross to provide for your salvation. So what caused the need? Sin. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And Romans 6:23 adds, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." God meant for you to have fellowship with Him, but because of your sin that fellowship was broken and you became separated from God. If you remain in your sin you will spend eternity separated from God. That is spiritual death, the "wages of sin." That is the problem.
So what can you do about it? Nothing, absolutely nothing! There is nothing you can do to earn your way back into fellowship with God. Even by paying your own penalty—death—you won't succeed. The only hope is for a substitute to die in your place. But who? "All have sinned" and deserve the same "wages." That is where God comes in. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for you. He is your substitute. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He "knew no sin," and therefore, He took your sin upon Himself on the cross and died in your place so that you might be made righteous.
That requires one thing: faith. "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" (John 3:16). Belief. Trusting in Jesus. That is what is required of you. Jesus has already paid your penalty. What will you do with Him? How will you respond to His great love?
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Faith. By the grace of God, salvation has been provided for you. You receive it through faith, which in itself is a gift God gives you. Receive that gift. Trust in Jesus. How? Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
What does your heart say? If you "believe in your heart" that Jesus died for you and that "God has raised Him from the dead," then confess it with your mouth. Make confession to God. Confess your sin, acknowledge Jesus and receive Him by prayer as your Lord and Savior. It's all about that faith in your heart of hearts. Where do you stand? Do you believe in your heart that Jesus died for you? Have you confessed with your mouth that God raised Him from the dead? Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? That is what God wants from you.
John 1:12 says, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (ESV). If you believe in the name of Jesus, that God raised Him from the dead, and you receive Him as your Lord and Savior, your fellowship with God is restored. You become His child forever. You are saved for all eternity. That is the clear message of all of Scripture.
John 3:18 says, "He who believes in Him is not condemned." Once you trust in Jesus, you no longer face the penalty of sin. The penalty has been paid. You need only believe and trust fully in Jesus. That is all. As John 3:16b says, "whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Amen.
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