God is love (1 John 4:8). God is loving (Ephesians 2:4). John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is an amazing Bible verse. God loves us (the world) so much, that He gave, in other words He sacrificed His one and only Son for us so that we might have eternal life. This is a wonderful Bible verse.
John 3:17 is also a great verse, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” God sent Jesus to earth 2,000 years ago and He lived a perfect and sinless life. Then Jesus suffered horribly at the hands of the Romans and died on the cross. He rose from the grave on the third day. Jesus did all of this in order to save guilty sinners – like you and me. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us believers that we might be seen by God through the righteousness of Jesus on Judgment Day(2 Corinthians 5:21). This is another wonderful Bible verse.
Let’s continue on to John 3:18, “He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” This is not a very warm and fuzzy Bible verse. It says that unbelievers are condemned already. People who aren’t following Jesus as their Lord and Savior are already condemned. That’s like saying a criminal is in court and he has already been found guilty. He will have to pay his debt to society.
Now let’s look at John 3:36, “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.” To those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, this verse is great news. We are told we will be granted everlasting life. After we die, we will live forever!
But to unbelievers, this is not a pleasant verse at all. In fact, it is down right scary. The wrath of God abides on you. The wrath of God is against you. God is angry with you because of your sins. You have broken God’s Law, the 10 Commandments. If you die in your sins (as unbelievers, as someone who is not following Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior), then God’s wrath will be poured out against you for all eternity. You will spend forever in torment in a very real place called Hell. God’s wrath against sin must be paid for.
God’s wrath has been satisfied by Jesus Christ on the cross for guilty sinners who repent by turning away from their sins and put their trust in Jesus, who surrender their lives fully to Him. If you are not a follower of Jesus, then you will pay for your sins yourself and that punishment is eternity in Hell. This is so serious. Please don’t put this off. Get right with God today! Turn away from your sins and ask Jesus to be the leader of your life from this day forward.
Then when you hear that God “so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” will take on a whole new meaning for you. It will be real. It will be personal. You will know that Jesus died on the cross for you, to take away your sins, to cleanse you from your sins. Oh, how beautiful John 3:16 will be to you after you are truly saved. Please, please, surrender your life to Jesus Christ today and receive the full love of God – the forgiveness of your sins and everlasting life!
Nice blog Dennis, I have felt this way also……the full context of the verse has such far reaching implications……My Pressy minister always extends the JN 3:16 part to include 3:17 but everytime he has done this recently I say and don’t leave out the other third of the point 3:18….If we love them we need to tell them the whole deal…get them lost and then bring them to saving knowledge…YES!
Interestingly Hamish also quotes the “on that day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess”…great but I add that will be everyone but what side of the “fence” will they be standing on…because this confession is not just talking about the saved doing this….we have to warn those inside and outside the church…..”the path is wide”….is talking about “believers” on the wrong road…they don’t know it, they enjoy a watered down, deathly Jesus & Gospel and Satan still marks out that “path” as heaven not HELL.
God is not just loving but LOVING & JUST!…keep up this calibre in your blogs brother it is terrific and essential to wake up the dead….