John 3:16

John 3:16 is probably the most well-known verse in the entire Holy Bible. This verse was spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ and summarizes the Gospel in very simple terms.

For God so loved the world…

In the context of a perishing world of sinners, God was motivated by love. Despite every right to demonstrate His wrath in sending you and me straight to hell upon the first act of sin, He is reaching out in love, not only to you and me, but to the whole world. Don’t despise His love.

…that He gave His only begotten Son…

God’s love is beyond all love and it was demonstrated by action, for “He gave His only begotten Son”. The Son is the Lord Jesus. This giving did not stop at Bethlehem, rather this giving goes all the way to Calvary where the Lord of Glory was crucified for our sins. He bore the punishment that you and I deserve. God gave His Son.

…that whosoever…

God has not put any limit on the Gospel. God’s offer of salvation is to all. No one is too short or too tall, too simple or too sophisticated, too bad or too good to be saved. Everyone has sinned and therefore everyone needs God’s deliverance from eternal judgment and God’s gift of everlasting life. Thanks be to God that His offer is to ‘whosoever’. Whosoever means God’s offer is to everyone. Whosoever means that anyone can be saved.

…believeth in Him…

The requirement that God places on everyone is that they place their faith in His Son. We have no difficulty placing our faith in a chair when we go to sit down, or in a car when we need to drive somewhere. But what about going to heaven? Many are deceiving themselves when they place their faith in themselves thinking they are good enough to be accepted with God. In the Bible, God has declared us guilty and unacceptable. In this most famous of Bible verses, God declares that eternal life is found only when we place our faith in His Son, the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

…should not perish…

“Should not perish”, or in more modern English, “shall not perish” or “will not perish”. Implied in this part of the verse is a warning. For all those who continue in their sins and reject the Saviour will indeed perish. Neither our sins nor our sinful nature can enter into God’s heaven. But this is the absolute marvel of God’s offer, for those who place their faith in His Son, although they deserve to perish, they will not perish. They are saved. They are delivered from the awful destiny of hell.

…but have everlasting life.

Everlasting life is something to “have”, a possession. Those who have believed in the Son of God have it. Those who don’t believe in the Son of God don’t have it. The only difference between someone that is perishing and someone that has eternal life is this and this alone, where their faith is placed for eternity. If you have not done so already, we invite you to place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Take Him as your own today and be saved through the truth of John 3:16!