“...God So Loved the WORLD..."

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” I know the first thing you might be thinking is wow…this is so over used…but hey! That used to be my exact thought until I really looked into it and realized that this most definitely should be in the extremely used category. This verse has so much meaning, but unfortunately the more people hear it the more they tune it out.

John 3:16 has such a special meaning. It is a verse of love, an unconditional love no one can measure up to. It also doesn’t separate anyone, but it brings everyone into an equal unity. “For God so loved the WORLD…” How much more straight forward can that get? His love was so great that He GAVE His one and only Son. “…He gave His only begotten Son…” Just think about that for one moment. He CHOSE to give His ONLY son because His love for us was that great. Everyone knows that a parent would do anything to save the life of their child and here God was, choosing to GIVE His only son. Then He goes on to say that, “…whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” So after He gives His son for us, He makes a promise that says that anyone who believes in His son shall not perish but live eternally. I may not say, “I promise,” but we know it is a promise because in Matthew 5:37 it says, “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” It also states that lying is wrong and against what God has taught many times throughout the Bible. Another way we will know God is making a true statement He will keep is because there is not one time in the Bible God goes back on His Words or is false about something. Otherwise the Bible would be dead, but it is living and active after being under attack for many many years.

I know that it is so easy to drown things out when you constantly hear something over and over. I know for me, the meaning of this verse was being drowned out because it began to be something I heard all the time. I encourage you to really search the meanings of Bible verses, each verse is so very important and helps you understand the other verses in such a deeper way. Remember that God so loved the WORLD, not just one person. He CHOSE to GIVE His one and only son, and then promised eternal life for those who believe in Him. Take some time, journal your thoughts, and dig deeper into the Words of the God who created you.