THE WORLD’S GREATEST TEXT: JOHN 3 : 16
John 3 : 16 is the apex of gospel truth. No other statement in the Bible so adequately sums up God’s redemptive purpose in Christ for humanity. Volumes have been written on it. Countless sermons have been preached on it. Its each and every word has been weighed, examined, marveled, and dissected.
Millions of Adam’s fallen race have found their way to heaven by discovering John 3 : 16.
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.
The text of John 3 : 16 revolves around 10 words:
God
Loved
World
Gave
Son
Whoever
Believes
Perish
Have
Life
These 10 words say it all. The number 10 in Scripture symbolizes completeness. These 10 words in John 3 : 16 explain the completeness of salvation provided by God through Christ. These words sum up the redemptive work of Christ.
You can actually group these ten words into five pairs.
(1) God and the Son
· The Giver and the Gift
· The Author and the Finisher
· Self-existing and Eternal
(2) Loved and Gave
This pair shows us the benevolence of God; love is the prerequisite for giving such a gift, and the gift is the proof of such love.
(3) World and Whoever
All the people without exception and each person individually as though that person was the only person in the world. Think about that. God would have sent Jesus even if you were the only person on the planet.
(4) Believers and Have
The hand of faith stretched out in confidence to the giver and the hand drawn back in contentment with the gift; the trust and transfer complete.
(5) Perish and Life
The desperate lostness of those who die in their sins and the unending life of those who die in the Savior; two eternal destinies, hell, and heaven, with a great gulf fixed forever between banishment and bliss, the difference between the broad road to destruction and the narrow road to everlasting life.
John 3 : 16 is the hub of all revealed truth. It sets before us a glimpse of the heart of God. The love that is stronger than death, the love that will not let me go, the love that suffers long, the love that never fails, the love that passes all understanding.
The entire verse, 25 words, centers on the Son. God has no plan that does not center in His Son. There is no purpose in time or eternity that does not center in the Son. When our minds are focused on the Son, we are in harmony with the mind of God.
John 3 : 16 shows us God’s plan for salvation, whoever believes in Him. Jesus is the One who saves people from their sins, writes their names in life’s eternal book, and secures them an eternal home in glory.
The key word is believe, but not just any believe. You must believe in the Son. You cannot believe in good works to get to heaven. You cannot believe in the Republican or Democratic parties and get to heaven. You must believe in the Son of God.
The only sin God cannot forgive is the sin of refusing to believe. The greatest insult one can hurl at God is not believing on His Son.
John 3 : 16 reveals the will of God. God is not willing that any should perish. God’s desire is that none perish. God’s desire is for everyone to have eternal and everlasting life through Jesus Christ. Hell is for the devil and his demons not for someone God chose and sent His Son to rescue.
1 John 2 : 2
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
The gospel invitation is extended to all.
The sinner should tremble at the word perish. It reveals the other side of God’s character. Yes, He is a God of immeasurable love, but He is also a God of infinite holiness. Even though Jesus died for the sins of humanity and that forgiveness was offered to all, God, in His holiness, cannot overlook the rejection of His Son. Perish means to destroy, and a person that rejects Christ is destroying his or her soul. Our souls are immortal, and if you reject Christ, God will allow your soul to perish in hell for eternity.
But God does not want you to perish. He wants all to come to repentance. The invitation in John 3 : 16 is universal hinging on belief in the Son. Those who believe in Him become partakers in eternal life. Those who believe in Him will not live to perish in hell but engineered by God to live forever in the heavenly city.
John 3 : 16 begins with for God and ends with everlasting life. It begins with the One who has no beginning, and it ends with that which has no ending, everlasting, eternal life.
Dear friend, have you believed on Him for eternal life? It is not too late to do so. If you have questions about accepting Christ, you can reach out to me at jclendenin37@yahoo.com or by leaving a comment to this blog on beechgrovebruceville.org
The blog is titled More Than Just Sunday, and this entry is The World’s Greatest Text.
Do you want eternal life through Jesus, or do you want to perish in hell?