The most familiar verse in the Bible is John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Even if you have never opened a Bible or set foot in a church, you probably know this verse.
The primary reason this verse is so well known is because it addresses universal yearnings in every human heart. It speaks of a loving God who longs to save us from evil and give us joyful, eternal life in heaven with no more suffering and tears. The verse also raises questions that affect each and every one of us at the deepest level of our being. Does such a God really exist? Is there really eternal life? What does it mean to believe in this Son of God and receive this life?
An atheist says there is no God at all. All matter came through some cosmic accident and was developed by both natural laws and chance. But, human reason tells us that matter did not occur by chance; something cant come from nothing, let alone evolve into a complex, organized system like the universe.
There are few true atheists, however. Most of us sense that there is another spiritual realm or dimension unable to be discerned through normal human physical perceptions. And, if our reason tells us that the physical universe did not come into existence by accident, a logical conclusion is that it came into existence through activity in this spiritual realm. The Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament, verifies this. It states that a spiritual being (God), In the beginning . . . created the heavens and the earth. This spiritual being was, and is, fundamental to all existence. The Bible says God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all- present. God exists. God is eternal. God is life. God is love.
Throughout the Old Testament God is given the characteristics of personality. Gods primary attributes are love, goodness, and justice. It stands to reason that a personal, loving God is the only type of Higher Power that would create. An impersonal, non-feeling Higher Force would not create; what would be its purpose? An evil Higher Power would be incapable of creating; evil seeks only to destroy.
But, if the personal Creator God is only loving, and good, and just, where did evil come from, and why does it exist? The Old Testament says that God created spiritual beings capable of choosing unity with him, or opposition. Any opposition to pure goodness (God) is evil. One of these beings, Satan, chose to oppose God and led many others into heavenly revolt. God banished them to earth. We know them as the devil, and demons.
God then created humans in his own image with the ability to make rational moral choices. Without this freedom humans would be nothing more than robots; we could not freely choose to love God or each other. The Old Testament says that Satan tempted the first humans to disobey Gods commands. Satan said the man and woman would then be like God knowing both good and evil. Thus, evil came into the world, and humans fell under sins power, separated from God.
Did God know this was going to happen? Of course. Humans free moral choice made it inevitable. And, once we humans chose evil, there was nothing we could do on our own to return to God. And, Gods pure justice demands a penalty for our disobedience: eternal separationhell.
But, God, also being pure love, found a solution to the conflict between the punishment required by justice, and loves need to restore. Gods solution, decided before creation, was to take the penalty for sin upon himself. God sent Jesus, his Son. Jesus is the Messiah predicted in the Hebrew Bible, and is the Christ of the Christian New Testament. On earth, Jesus was both God and man. Evil sought to destroy him and had him crucified, but God, the Father in heaven, restored Jesus to eternal life. Through Jesus, who died in our place, God overcame the mandatory penalty of eternal separation. Justice was served.
The Fathers love through Christs sacrifice makes it possible for human reconciliation with God; yet, John 3:16 says that we must believe in Jesus to receive this reconciliation. This belief is a spiritual transformation which occurs when we realize that we are separated from God by our sin, turn to God for forgiveness, and accept the free gift of salvation through his Son. We are born again into Gods eternal kingdom.
If you have not responded to Gods love and experienced this spiritual transformation, you will perish. By your own choice you will spend eternity apart from God and all that is good. Believe in Jesus and live!
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are God the Son the Father sent to die in my place, taking the penalty for my sin. I ask you to forgive me and accept me into your eternal kingdom. I believe now that I am saved and born again through your Holy Spirit. Praise you, Lord! Amen.
Scriptural quotations: Jn. 3:16; Gn. 1:1; 1:27; 3:5; Jn. 3:3; (New International Version-NIV). See also: Rev. 21:4; 2 Cor. 3:17; Ex. 3:13-14; Jn. 1:4; Ps. 33:22; 1 Jn. 4:16; Ps. 25:8; Dt. 32:4; Rev. 12:7-9; Ro. 1:32; Job 40:1-5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Mt. 16:15-16; Jn. 1:1, 14: Mk. 15:24; Mt. 28:5-6; 1 Cor. 15:19-22; Ro. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:18-19; 5:17; Ac. 2:38-39.