For God So Loved The World (J12)

For God so loved the world, women and men,
He gave us His only begotten Son,
Who paid the grim debt we owed for our sin,
Though Jesus was innocent of sin done!
That whoever believed Him Son of God
Would not stay dead, but live, and live ever,
Imperishable, eternally to trod,
In heaven with God, perishing never!
All this given free, no matter the sin;
Life comes through Christ, and is by God’s free grace;
Love like this cannot come from hearts of men—
Only from the heart of God—that is the place!
Jesus did not come to the world to condemn;
He came to save those who believe in Him!

“ ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.’ “ (John 3:16-18) (The complete text of the poem and commentary is John 3:9-21).)

Continuing our series in the gospel book of John the apostle, we resume with the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus the Pharisee at night. Jesus relates perhaps the most important scripture passage in the whole Bible. John 3:16-18 gives the clearest and most straightforward explanation of how a person is to be saved; also, how persons are condemned. It is known that Nicodemus believed in Jesus, for later he spoke up for the Savior when He was on trial before the Sanhedrin for His life. Doing so brought scorn on him from the Chief Priest.

These verses explain that God loved the people of the world so much that He sent His only Son here to live as a man, and that whoever believes that Jesus was (and is) the Son of God is saved to eternal life in heaven as a part of God’s family, and those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God are condemned to live forever in torment, and must live without God. Jesus gave His life as a propitiation for our sins, although He lived innocent of sin. After three days in a tomb, He resurrected Himself and lives today as the Lord and King of the universe. To every person that believes in Jesus, God sends the Holy Spirit to indwell; The Spirit helps the believer to live without sin. However, we know that every believer continues to sin after he believes, and yet he continues to be saved despite his additional sins. God’s grace is freely given to make salvation sure for the believer.

“Believing in His name” means believing sincerely that Jesus lived as both man and God simultaneously; that He told the truth in the scripture above; that He was resurrected from the grave after three days; and that He continues to live today in heaven. If you believe this, you are saved already and your soul will go to heaven when you die.

"That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the grave, you sill be saved.” (Romans 10:9)