One of the most familiar and most often quoted
verses in the Bible is found in John 3:16.
In the King James Version of the Bible it reads, “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.”
Years of sermons have been offered from this one verse because it reveals
so much, yet such a simple truth. Follow one line of thought.
This version of this verse contains 25 words
which can easily be seen in three slices.
The first 12 words tell us about God and what He
did for us. “For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten” is a message about the love of God for every
created man and woman. One of the
identifiable characteristics of authentic love is the willingness to give. God demonstrated this kind of love by the
fact He gave His only begotten or ‘one of a kind.’ Of all that He could give for mankind, His “one
and only” demonstrates His unending love for us. He gave His best so that we could know His
best. This is what He did.
The last 12 words tell us what WE MUST do if we
are to know and receive His love. Those
words are; “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.” The very reason Jesus
(God’s only begotten) left heaven, came to earth, died on a cross, and rose
from the dead, was that we might receive forgiveness for our sin and a home in
heaven when we die. Look at the decision
which every person is given. The
scripture says, “That whoever believes in him gets everlasting life” but only
those who ‘believe’ get to receive. The
call is to believe. It is a decision
which ever individual must make.
When one makes this decision-their life, their
focus, and their eternity is changed.
This brings us to the ‘center’ of this verse, which is the center of
God’s plan, which becomes the center of one’s life. The 13th word is “SON” and speaks
of Jesus, God’s only begotten or one of a kind.
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