The Most Well-Known Bible Verse

March 8, 2020

Hope Lutheran Church

Pastor Mary Erickson

John 3:1-17

The Most Well-Known Bible Verse

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

It’s perhaps the most famous Bible verse ever. You see it on placards in end zones at football games. It’s spray painted on overpasses along the interstate. John 3:16 is known like no other verse in the Bible. More people likely have it committed to memory than any other verse in the Bible.

There’s a reason for this. Because it’s a gem of a verse! “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have life eternal.” This single verse boils down the entire gospel message into one simple sentence. That’s why this verse is so awesome.

Let’s walk our way through the verse. It begins with God’s love for the world. There’s no trace of vengeance in God here. God isn’t described as a vengeful or angry God. This isn’t a God who demands tit for tat. The description is just the opposite, in fact.

This verse begins with God’s love. God loves. And God loves the world. When John says “world” he isn’t referring to beautiful landscapes, colorful sunsets and adorable baby animals. How could you not love those things? It’s easy to love the lovable.

But from the outset of his gospel, John portrays the World as opposed to God and hostile. In the first verses of his gospel, John describes creation. God brings the world into existence through the Word, the Word of God. This Word will then become flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. But despite bringing the world into existence, John says the world isn’t appreciative of God. John says the world “knew him not.”

John understands that the world is at odds with God. If given a choice, the world will choose to follow its own will rather than God’s will. When we pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” that desire is utterly in contrast to the ways of the world! The world wants to choose its own path and follow its own desires.

We want to put ourselves in the center. We don’t want to put God in the center of our universe. We don’t want Jesus to be seated on the throne. He’s not our Lord of lords and King of kings. We have other intentions for that seat.

So to sum up, the world is opposed to God. And THIS is the world that God loves! One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Romans chapter five. Paul’s words are a direct reflection about God loving a world hostile to God. Here’s what he says:

“While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man – though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

John 3:16 is the gospel in a nutshell. And this good news tells us that God loves an ungodly world. God loves us even when we are opposed to God! God didn’t run it past the world before acting. God just did it! God’s love for the world prompts God to act. God sends the Son in love, whether the world agrees to it or not.

This is like what we as Lutherans do with our children in baptism. The various Christian denominations have differing traditions as to baptism. Some traditions pour a little water over the head while others completely immerse the person under water. Some traditions wait until a person has reached what’s called the age of discretion. Then that individual can choose on their own to be baptized. But in the Lutheran tradition, we tend to perform baptisms on infants. We don’t ask our children whether they want to be baptized or not. We just do it! And it’s a shining example of what God has done for us. God so loved the world that God sent Christ Jesus. The world was not polled in advance. God just acted. It was an act of love. I can’t remember my baptism. And I can’t remember a time when God didn’t love me.

So God loves. And God loves the World. And in between these two thoughts is a very small word not to be overlooked. John 3:16 says, “For God SO loved the world.” That word “so” means “thus,” or “in this manner.” What follows describes God’s love of the world. How do we measure God’s love? We can’t use a yardstick. It’s not something we can appraise with a scale or a measuring cup. For God so loved the world… that He gave his only begotten Son.