Today is day 14 of the #iheartBible challenge that I’m hosting. If you have joined up, hooray! I’m glad you’re here. If you want to join up, then awesomesauce! Check out the challenge post for details and join in on the linky so we can all read one another’s posts during the challenge. I love Jesus and blogging, so I’m glad to see people joining in. We’d love to have you join, too. It’s never too late!
Today’s verse is John 3.16. Read it below in its context (Why do I care about context?):
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
This is one of the most popular Bible verses in the world. Why? Maybe because it focuses on love. And who doesn’t want love? I think we pretty much all do.
And this verse is a major part of the foundation of the Gospel. In fact, this whole verse is a large part of the Gospel.
But back to the verse itself, though.
I can’t think of something someone can do to show they love me than to save me from going to Hell. Before Jesus came to the world and died, people relied on sacrifice to cover their sins–but their sins weren’t forgiven. Also, only priests could have a relationship with God; and the rituals people went through to have their sins forgiven had become a habit and were interfering with the relationship between man and God.
So, Jesus had to come to solve the problem. He came, died, and rose again so that we could have our sins forgiven. Forgiven. Like, forever. All of our sins. This means that we can be saved from Hell irrespective of our works, so long as we believe in Jesus.
That’s love. Real love.
Believe in Jesus and be saved from your dark destiny.
Love,
