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John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(KJV)





For:
Because there was a reason, because there was a need,
because there was a glorious plan of redemption.
In order to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind about
God’s eternal purpose and our eternal destiny.

God:
True God. God the Father.
Creator of man. Giver of breath.
Sustainer of life. God of reconciliation.
Author of salvation. God of redemption.

So Loved:
Not “will one day love”, but “has loved” “does love” “now loves”.
Agape love, deep love, true love. Divine love. Perfect love.
Love demonstrated. Active love. Not just “feeling love”, but “doing love”.
Love that wants the best, does the best, gives the best. Holy love. Sacrificial love.
Love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love that never fails.

The world:
Those who are near and those who are afar;
those of every color, every race, every tongue, every tribe, every nation.
The Jew and the Gentile. The lost, the needy, the hungry, the devastated,
the crushed, the bruised, the broken. Those in darkness, desperation, and despair.
The condemned, the sinner, the rebel.
The sick who need a physician; the guilty who need pardon;
the transgressor who needs forgiveness;
the prodigal who is far from the Father’s home.

That He gave:
Giving God! Freely bestowing—giving grace, giving mercy, giving life.
Not small portions. Not just enough to get by. Giving in abundance.
Outpouring. Overflowing. Overwhelming.

His only begotten Son:
Jesus Christ. Son of God, Son of man. King of kings. Lord of lords.
The Word made flesh. Emanuel. God with us. Wonderful! Counselor! Mighty God!
Everlasting Father! Prince of Peace!
God giving all that He could give. God holding nothing back!
The Creator coming to His creation;
the Lamb of God coming to be offered as a sacrifice for sin;
the Redeemer, shedding His blood to bring us back to God.
 
That whosoever:
An open door, an open invitation—to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Big or small, rich or poor, famous or unknown, old or young, male or female.
You and I.

Believeth in Him:
Not “work for”, not “try hard”, not “earn”.
By faith. Believing with the heart.
Not a reward to earn, but a gift to receive. Trusting in His mercy.
Counting upon His provision. Receiving His life.
Leaning upon His grace. Yielding to His Lordship.

Should not perish:
Not lost. Not condemned. Not cast out.
Not destroyed. Not in eternal darkness. Not separated. Not alone.

But have:
Blessed assurance! Being sure. Being certain.
Not “guessing”, not “wishing”, not “pretending”.
Not “I hope so”, but “I know so”.
Without a doubt, I am His and He is mine.

Everlasting life:
Forgiven. Saved. Redeemed. Possessing His life.
Eternal life. Kingdom life. Blessed hope!
Glorious end! Never-ending story of His amazing grace!

Roy Lessin

Entryway Into the Heartland

This is John 3:16:
“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!”

When I read these words, I realize these words are to Scripture
what the Mississippi River is to America—
an entryway into the heartland.

Any serious consideration of Christ must include them!
God so loved the world.

We’d expect an anger-fueled God.
One who punishes the world, forsakes the world—but loves the world?

This world?
And He loves us so much that he gave his ...

declarations?
Rules?
Dicta?
Edicts?
No!

The mind-bending claim of John 3:16 is this: God gave his Son–
his only Son. Scripture equates Jesus with God.
God then, gave himself.
So that whoever believes in him shall not perish!

Max Lucado
From: 3:16 The Numbers of Hope

God So Loved the World

Can a holy God overlook our mistakes?
Should a kind God punish our mistakes?
From our perspective there are only two equally unappealing solutions.
But from God’s perspective there’s a third.
It’s called “the Cross of Christ.”
The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.

How could he do this?
In a sentence: God put our sin on his Son and punished it there.
“God put on him the wrong who never did anything wrong,
so we could be put right with God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 MSG).

Why did he do it?
Because “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” (John 3:16 NLT).
Aren’t you glad the verse doesn’t read:
“For God so loved the rich”? Or “For God so loved the famous?”
No we simply (and happily) read:
“For God so loved the world!” And you are included in that love!

Max Lucado
From: He Chose the Nails

~~~~

When does eternal life begin? -

For the believers, eternal life begins
not only after their own life ends,
but with the beginning of their
relationship with Christ.

Jesus Christ is resurrection and life
to you personally.
In Him you already have eternal life -
and death behind you.

You may still die, but you
may never be dead!

John 5:24; 8.51; John 11:25f

Hans-Joachim Eckstein

https://www.ecksteinproduction.com/
https://www.facebook.com/eckstein.hans.joachim/



Eternal life does not begin with death; it begins with faith.
Samuel M. Shoemaker