For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
During Holy Week that just passed, perhaps you watched the production of The Passion of the Christ, or the older rendition of The Greatest Story Ever Told. The human soul experiences deep sorrow or a shudder over the pain Jesus endured during the scenes of His crucifixion. Truly, the cross, more than anything else, is the most powerful demonstration of God’s incredible love for all the people of the world. Matthew Henry wrote, “Behold, and wonder, that the holy God should love such a wicked world with a love of good will, when he could not look upon it with any complacency. This was a time of love indeed.”
Pastor Jeremiah Johnson recently said, “In Jesus, we are blessed by God with an excruciating gift.” He pointed out that the word “excruciating” comes from the Latin crux, meaning “a cross.” The apostle John, who was a witness to Jesus’ suffering and death, wrote, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us” (1 John 3:1). Through that excruciating death and the victorious resurrection, God has offered the whole world His invitation to be with Him eternally. The gift is available to all, but one must accept it, and answer the invitation of the Holy Giver. As Henry says, “We must yield an unfeigned assent and consent to the record God hath given in His word concerning His Son… we must give up ourselves to be ruled, and taught, and saved by Him.”
The cross and the empty tomb are proof positive of God’s love for you. Jesus died so you might live. George Bernard wrote in 1913, “In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see, for ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died to pardon and sanctify me.” If you are not already among the “whoever,” come to Christ and trust the sacrifice of love today. Pray for a revival across America, beginning in the highest levels of government.
Today’s Verse: John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Romans 5:6-15
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
