16For 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.–John 3
This is the rare verse of the Bible that many people are familiar with. They have seen “John 3:16” held on signs by people at football games on TV. If you are not a follower of Jesus and you asked a follower of Jesus what their favorite Bible verse was, you wouldn’t be surprised if they said, “John 3:16.” The verse is just too famous.
Let’s unpack all four parts:
- FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD. It all starts with God’s love. God loves you so much that He decided to save you, to not let your sin and shame be the last chapters of your story.
- THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON. Your sin was a problem and God dealt with it by sending perfect Jesus to die in your place. Jesus bore the wrath of God that your sin deserved. Again, this is because of God’s love for you.
- THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM. You the sinner must trust that what Jesus accomplished on the cross actually paid your debt. To trust is to place faith. This means that the object of your faith is now Jesus where it was once you. In Jesus, you received the greatest possible blessing. Now you live your life in faith by denying yourself and following Jesus. You have to acknowledge that you are unable to save yourself in your own power!
- SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. The context here is the afterlife. Placing your faith in the work of Jesus reconciles you to God. This means that when you die, you won’t be separated from God. That separation the Bible calls Hell. The place of everlasting life the Bible calls Heaven. This is the great hope of the Bible.
How do you respond to God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice? Are you ready to trust Jesus alone for your salvation? Use what I bolded above to pray to God and after you do so, reach out to me. Let me know. Just comment or respond to this email. Eternity is at stake. This is the most famous Bible verse for a reason!–JMB
Joel M Bradshaw 
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