God, you did not send Your Son into the world to condemn me, but so that through Him, I might be saved. John 3:17
Bottom line truth - God had one purpose for sending Jesus to the world. To save you and to save me.
What thoughts does that bring to mind?
MY thoughts are thank you God for not comdemning more or giving up on me when I mess up. I'm glad you sent Jesus into the world to save me from myself. With that freedom, I have an awesome responsibility to share that message with the world.
ReplyDeleteThis verse amazes me! How deep and wide His love must be for mankind that instead of condemnation which we SO deserve, I deserve, Jesus comes to this earth as one of us, and dies a horrific death to SAVE us. That's what I call LOVE!
ReplyDeleteVerse 17 alone is probably one of the most comforting single verses in the entire bible. It's a happy, feel good message, especially as a follow up to the ultimate inspiration verse (John 3:16). The thing that's hard for me to completely swallow are the few verses immediately following this one... I'm straying from the one verse, I apologize.
ReplyDelete16"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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever 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. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
v18 says it all boils down to a choice, easy enough (despite the fact that beliefs are not simple choices). And now the rough stuff... v19-21 lays out exactly what this choice entails.
In order for us to make this choice, we have to live lives of truth. Light = Truth. The level of exposure that seems to be required makes me cringe. When I see the bible say, "Light has come into the world", I have a hard time believing it's a wimpy light. I don't think this light is a light you can hide anything in.
No greater love than this that a man lay down his life for his friend. we so desperately needed to be reconciled with our father. Jesus willingly, lovingly went to the cross. we no more deserved this than a man in the moon. BUT, he thought we did. his going was all apart of the plan of salvation... Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus... we have been set free! we are now called sons and daughters of the most high! I praise and thank GOD! our charge is not to hold this light and love that saves to ourselves but to share it with the least of these!!! praise God and thank you Jesus...AMEN!
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't God just decree salvation from His throne in heaven? Why did He send His son into the world to do this? It is not a task that had to be done - God's power could be exercised in so many other, less gritty and painful ways. But no, He came to personally dwell with us. He came into our presence, met us where we are, to bring hope and salvation rather than throwing it down from on high.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that He has brought our salvation is amazing. The joy that comes from His personal, intimate concern for us is overwhelming. While the world sits back and complains of a distant God - who does not care what happens here, who simply wound up the universe and is letting it go its own way after - we can revel in the knowledge that He has not abandoned us, that He cared enough to manifest Himself physically. If He did all that, the we can have confidence He is still with us today.