Greatest verse ever
"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
You may be able to classify John 3:16 as one of the greatest Bible verses ever. Just about anyone you talk to has at least heard of it. This powerful and wide known verse in a way summarizes the Gospel message. Let’s break the verse down into 3 important parts.
1. "For God so loved the world.." Great Love - He loves the world and everyone in it. He doesn't love the sins people do, but He loves the people. After all we are all His creations. Think for just a minute, with all the people out there in the world, He loves YOU.
2. "..He gave His only begotten Son ..." Great Gift - God gave His son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. He allowed Him to be beaten, bruised, humiliated, and then die on a cross for us! In those last moments as Jesus was on the cross God had to in a way "turn His back" on His son. He had to do this so Jesus could be the ultimate sacrifice so that we could obtain ultimate forgiveness. Having 3 children of my own I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must have been.
3. "..whoever believes in Him should not perish.." Great Faith - We must believe and trust in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. We must have faith that His sinless life and sacrifice gained for us forgiveness and salvation. Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. That comes easy for some and harder for others. It is something that we must learn to have in Him.
• "So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20
• "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
• "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 5:1
In conclusion, as I stated earlier, John 3:16 is probably one of the most widely known verses throughout the world. Both Christian non Christians have at least heard of this great verse. You see it and hear it all the time on radio, TV, billboards, etc. Can you repeat it? Or at least come close? The next time you read it, really read it and think about the great love and gift God has given to you.
Written by Joshua D. Thompson
