Good Shepherd Lutheran

That’s Amazing!
John 3:16 is the most familiar and beloved verse in the whole Bible. You probably memorized John 3:16 in Sunday School or at church as a child. Or maybe you just remember the signs behind the goal posts at NFL football games. But no matter how you remember this verse, it’s the most succinct summary of the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
What an amazing and heart-lifting promise! God loves us. And God showed his love for us by giving us the one thing that was most precious to him.
I thank God every day that he sent his Son to die on the cross for our sin. He’s given us his Son, because without him we could never have had salvation. Without sending his Son, there would be no eternal life.
“But maybe you say, “You don’t know how bad my sin is.” No, I don’t, but God does, and he knew it two thousand years ago when he gave us this wonderful promise. In fact, listen to Romans 5:8: “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” God doesn’t save us after we get rid of our sin. He saves us in our sin, just as we are.
He doesn’t wait to save us until we’ve cleaned up our act to be good enough for him. He doesn’t wait to save us until after we’ve made ourselves holy or religious. It’s just the opposite. He saves us in our sin, just as we are, and then he saves us from our sin, to make us what we ought to be! You can’t get a better deal than that!
Picture this. A dying thief on one of the three crosses of Calvary who said to Jesus in faith, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) And what was Jesus’ answer to this incorrigible thief? “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
That dying thief was given the promise of an eternal life with Jesus on the basis of only one thing: his faith in Jesus Christ!
So, aren’t you glad that John 3:16 is true? God did love the world, and that means God loves you. If you were the only person on earth, God would still have sent Jesus to die just for you. That’s how much he loves you. Salvation is a free gift for everyone.
And that means God’s offer of salvation is by grace through faith alone; not by religion, or works, or how much penance you’ve done. No, it’s like this. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
John 3:16 is true, and that’s amazing!