One of the most well known verses in the Bible reads,
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)
This is the first in an extended series of posts, meditating on this precious promise. Let’s begin by setting our verse in context.The balance of the paragraph reads:
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:17–21)
Unmistakably, this is good news, outrageously good news! God sent Jesus to save us, not to condemn us. God is after us. He pursues us. He reaches out to us. He wants us to say, “Yes!” to him.
In verse 18, the setting shifts to the courtroom, and the verdict is announced: those who are condemned are condemned by their own choice. Why? Because they choose darkness where unbelief and evil walk together hand-in-hand. In the Gospel of John, light and darkness are rich metaphors for belief and unbelief, life and death, good and evil.
What’s at stake is the salvation of all people, and the outcome hinges on belief, trusting in a person, “God’s one and only Son.” People condem themselves by choosing evil and rejecting Jesus, God’s offer of restoration.
It’s against this backdrop that “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.”
So, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isa 55:1).
