Perhaps the most memorized and the most quoted verse in Scripture is John 3:16, "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." Let's look closely at this verse; let's break it down phrase by phrase and see what it really means. When we do, you will learn how powerful this verse of Scripture really is.
It begins: "For God so loved the world" (v. 16a). That's right! God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, loves you! You can't begin to understand what God did for you until you understand how much God loves you. Yet 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 you 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 was. He also made you to have fellowship with Him. All of this was so that God could lavish His love upon you. John tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). And 1 John 4:19 adds, "We love Him because He first loved us." 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" (v. 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.
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. You became separated from God. Remain in your sin and you will spend eternity separated from God. That is spiritual death, the "wages of sin" (v. 23a). 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" (Rom. 3:23a) and deserve the same "wages" (Rom. 6:23a).
That is where God comes in. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for you. He's 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" (v. 21a) 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. Put your 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" (Rom. 10:9b), then "confess" it "with your mouth" (v. 9a). Make confession to God. Confess your sin, acknowledge Jesus, and receive Him by prayer as your Lord and Savior. It's all about faith in your heart of hearts. Where do you stand? Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and have you ever prayed to receive Him?
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 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. And that is why John 3:16b says "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Amen.
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