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.

From my youth, and for several years after, John 3:16 has been the cornerstone verse for all of Christianity.  However, today, if you ask an acknowledged Christian to recite it, many can’t.  It still is a foundational verse for me, and I would like to share some thoughts about it.  To do so, let’s break it down:

For God so loved the world …     Year after year, throughout the ages, human beings have wondered about the existence of God, let alone whether or not he cared for them.  What makes John 3:16 so special is that it was spoken by someone who knew firsthand about God’s love.  Jesus was well aware that his Father loved all that he had created.  But they weren’t getting it.  At this point in history the only people left who believed in the one true God were being oppressed by the government, and their own religious leaders were making matters worse.  They needed to know that God had not forgotten them, that he has always cared for them and loves them still.  In case you overlooked it, he did say that it was the world that he loved.  To me that means everybody.

that he gave his one and only son …     The closest in the godhead to God the Father is his son, Jesus.  He is like his Father in every way, his heart beats in sync with God’s, and he was the very best representative of God’s love — for it was his love also.  He looked not only on the oppressed with love, but on all who were created in the image of God.  He wanted to come to earth as much as his Father wanted to send him.  Both knew the outcome of his mission.  He would suffer an excruciating human death, made more difficult by a heavy heart.  But he sealed forever with his blood the teachings that would bring us life, and conquered death that he might see sons and daughters break free from sin and follow him.

that whoever believes in him …     What does it mean to believe?  It means to regard someone or something as true, true enough that you are willing to follow with your whole heart and life.  Believing that Jesus really lived is a start.  Believing that he was truly God’s son is better.  Believing that his words are the very words of life is best.  He has given us everything we need to know in order to have a relationship with him and his Father, who is also our Father.

shall not perish …     Perish means to be destroyed, ruined or wiped out — to die (possibly violently) — or to die before your time.  None of that sounds good.  And God doesn’t want it for us.  He wants better for all of us.  And he always gets what he wants.  The plan that he has for us is that we all reach perfection and return to him as righteous sons and daughters.  For any to perish would be for him to deny us as his children, and that’s not about to happen.  We were born from him, and we shall return to him.

but have everlasting life …     Who doesn’t want to live forever?  Most people are probably afraid of death for a number of reasons.  They don’t want to experience the pain of dying.  Or they’re afraid of the unknown, if there should be something of an afterlife.  Others don’t want to end relationships that have become a part of them in this lifetime.  But many others would be terrified to think that their miserable lives would go on forever.  Even those of us who have ups and downs, peaks and valleys, would only value a continuation of life when things are going really well.  But I think that eternal/everlasting life is more than just no end to time.  Jesus prayed to his Father, “Now this is eternal life:  that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

There is hope for tomorrow.  Trust and obey.  There’s no other way. 

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