John 3:11-17
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:16 is the most recognizable Bible verse in the world. People hold it up on signs at sporting events, it’s printed on everything from t-shirts to bumper stickers, and it’s embroidered on pillows in old ladies’ houses everywhere.
We love John 3:16 because, as Martin Luther famously said, it contains the Gospel in a nutshell. God’s great love for the world that God created became flesh and lived among us so that, through his death and resurrection, we are welcomed into eternal life in him. That’s a message you can get your head around!
Unfortunately, we seldom include John 3:17 along with John 3:16: 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.” This is unfortunate because, in verse 17, Jesus makes it clear that it is God’s intention to save the whole world through him.
Proclaiming John 3:16 with wild abandon without including John 3:17 can lead to a number of different distortions of the Gospel which can turn into heresy if they’re left unchecked. Reading only verse 16 can lead us to believe that “whoever believes in him” is more important than the universality of Jesus’ saving act on the cross. That slight distortion can then lead us into a form of works righteousness that makes value judgments about children of God based on their professed faith (or lack thereof). This can quickly devolve into Christian Nationalism, or other forms of faith-based segregation.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
This is God’s covenant and labor of love for everyone.
Prayer: Lord, make us instruments of your peace. AMEN