Bible Reading: John 3:16-17 AMPC – “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.”
Many of us struggle with the concept of God’s love in today’s world, and I believe it’s because our distorted understanding of love. Society has reduced love to a mere passionate feeling, often equating it with the idea that if you can’t imagine your life without someone, you love them. However, love goes much deeper than this. Many parents who are willing to sacrifice for their children possess a more profound understanding of true love. At its core, love is sacrificial—an unselfish willingness to give up what is most precious to you.
To comprehend the profound nature of God’s love for us, we must first understand the dire consequences we would face if He hadn’t intervened. Going back to the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve, they lived in paradise, free from pain and suffering, with God meeting all their needs. However, they succumbed to the deception of Satan, disobeyed God’s warning, and ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2-3). This act of disobedience introduced sin into the world, leading to its just consequence—death, not just physical death, but spiritual death, a separation from God.
As descendants of Adam, we all inherited sin, making it impossible to overcome in our human effort (Psalm 51:5). Our sin condemns us to death, a just consequence. Despite facing this judgment, God, out of infinite love, offered us another chance for reconciliation. He sent His beloved Son as a living sacrifice to atone for all our sins. Therefore, because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, all we need to do to reconcile with God is to repent of our sins and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Rejecting God’s offer of reconciliation through belief in Jesus Christ exposes one to the just judgment of a sinful nature, resulting in eternal death and punishment (Matthew 25:31-46). Believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour allows us to acknowledge His sacrifice and partake in its blessings, namely, eternal life. Accepting Christ into our lives breaks the bondage and control of our inherited sinful nature from Adam. We receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, which guides us down the right path and empowers us to reject our sinful nature and obey God’s commands (Romans 8), leading to eternal life in Him.
Although we deserved death due to our sinful nature, God, in His infinite mercy, displayed the greatest form of love by providing a way out of condemnation through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ into your life, I encourage you to do so today by confessing your sins, acknowledging Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and accepting Him as your Lord and personal Saviour. Pray from your heart, as there’s no specific way to say this prayer; all God desires is for you to speak to Him from your heart.
A helpful Bible passage to guide your prayer is Romans 10:9-13: ‘If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with our mouths that we believe, and so we are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.” That Scripture says “anyone” because there is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is the Lord of all and gives many blessings to all who trust in him, as the Scripture says, “Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.”’
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