Salvation
It would be difficult to start any compilation of encouragement from God’s word without leading off with John 3:16, sometimes called “the Golden Text of Scripture.”
Arguably the most widely known verse in the Bible, it is filled to overflowing with encouragement, helping us to understand what God did, who He did it for, and why He did it. The freely offered gift of eternal life through His Son is available to all who believe. And to better understand what is meant by belief, examine the rest of John 3. It is not a mere mental agreement that Jesus is the Son of God but is something far more profound and personal.
We can let our sorrows smother us. Or we can use them to strengthen us. The choice is ours – let the moment define our eternity or let eternity give us perspective on the moment. And sometimes, it’s good to compare our afflictions to what Paul described as “light” – later in 2 Corinthians, Paul spells out what he’s gone through for the Gospel (2 Cor. 11:23-28).
As wonderful as it was when we first had faith, the end is far better than the beginning. We rejoice beyond our capability to express ourselves, because though we do not see Him, we know that He is more real than anything our senses can describe to us. Thomas asked for and received physical proof of the resurrected Lord – but Jesus called us blessed who believed who have not seen (John 20:29).
Immediately prior to John 3:16 are these verses referring to an incident when, after the people of Israel were very discouraged, Moses made a bronze serpent and lifted it on a pole that anyone bit by a snake might look at it and be healed (Numbers 21:4-9). In the same way, Jesus would be lifted up on the cross to heal us; if we will seek Him and look to Him, if we will believe and continue in our belief, we shall not perish.
God loves us and doesn’t want us to be lost. He has nominated us to obtain eternal life through the death of Jesus. And for those of us who choose to be cleansed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14), whether we are alive here on earth, or die physically, we always live with Him.
Small verse that packs a powerful punch. God does not make promises like we make promises – as Mary Poppins characterized them, “Pie crust promises – easily made, easily broken.” People make and break promises all the time – sometimes because we never intend to keep them, sometimes because circumstances prevent the fulfillment of them, and sometimes because we change our mind. God is not like us. He does not lie, He does not change His mind, and He is aware of all circumstances so He knows that His promises will always be fulfilled. And so we abide in the truth, rejoicing in the future that is solid and sure!
Always. We shall never be separated from our Lord and there shall be no death, nor tears, nor pain, nor temptation, nor an end. We call “happily ever afters” fairy tales, but there is one real story that actually will come true. Jesus has promised to return and take His brothers and sisters to dwell with Him forever and ever and ever and ever and ever…
Three wonderful levels of our relationship with Jesus are shown here: 1) Jesus comes alongside us when we need help, 2) Jesus will plead our case for us, and 3) Jesus has already paid the price for the penalty that we have earned and are due. He is our comforter, our defender, and our atoning sacrifice – all in One – and not just for us, but for all who will believe!
A faithful saying that we need to do more than just accept – we must understand the profound depth of the truth that the Divine Nature left heaven, became flesh, lived, died, and lived again in order to save us.
And when we realize the amazing love and forgiveness God the Father has shown us by the reality of His Son’s sacrifice, we should want to make the mission statement of Jesus (Luke 19:10) ours as well.
We don’t deserve it; we can’t earn it. But God freely gives us the priceless gift of eternal life. Eternal life is for those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:26-27). And for those who have the Son, they have an abundantly joyful life, both now and in the life to come.
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