I’m preaching this upcoming Sunday from John 3:16-18. It’s a marvelous passage. As I’ve spent time meditating on these three verses of Scripture, I’ve been particularly struck by verse 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.

Sound familiar? Perhaps that’s because you got so used to seeing this verse on banners and T-shirts at football games back in the 70’s and 80’s. (Note: Tebow’s bringing it back!)

For Christians, however, this verse much is more than a catchphrase at sporting events. This verse represents the very foundation of what it means to be a Christian. It describes the amazing love of an eternal, transcendent God who had every right to condemn us to eternal punishment because of our rebellion against him. Yet because of that love, he instead chose to forgive us of our rebellion by punishing his perfect Son Jesus in our place. God has saved us not because of any good we have done, but completely on the basis of his own love for us, which he displayed by inflicting our punishment on Jesus. And we receive this staggering gift of God’s love simply by believing. Amazing!

Yet as wonderful and awesome as God’s love is, the story doesn’t end there. No, the story continues with Christians—those rebels who have been saved from the terrible condemnation we deserved—displaying this same love in the way we love others. As God’s ransomed people, we are to live every aspect of our lives out of a deep sense of gratitude toward God. We love because we have been loved by God. We forgive because we have been forgiven by God. And as we live in this way, we display God’s character to the world. When people see what we’re like, they see what God is like.

As such, I think John 3:16 has some very important things to teach us not only about how God loves us, but also about what it means for us to really love others. There are so many lessons here, but I will discuss just two: Love makes costly sacrifices, and love saves from destruction.

Love makes costly sacrifices.

The most obvious lesson we see in John 3:16 is that God’s love for us is marked by deep, personal sacrifice. Because he loved us, he gave his only Son. Think about that for a moment. If you’re a parent, consider the idea of willingly handing over any of your children to sure death for the sake of saving someone who has done nothing but despise you. Well, that’s what only a shadow of what God did for us.

And that’s not mention that God sacrificed his only Son for us. Though this certainly points to the fact that God only has one Son, I don’t think that’s all it does. It underscores the unique goodness of that Son. Jesus, we are told throughout the Bible, perfectly reflects God’s own character in every way. Like the Father, the Son is eternal. Like the Father, the Son is all-knowing and all-powerful. Like the Father, the Son is perfectly wise, just, and good. Yet God willingly sacrificed Jesus in order to spare us from judgment. And Jesus, for his part, voluntarily hung on a cross to reconcile us to God.

As followers of Jesus, this is what our love is supposed to look like. So how are you doing with that? If I’m honest, I’d have to save I’m usually doing a poor job at it. How willing am I to set aside my own rights for the sake of reconciling with someone who has deeply wronged me? How quick am I to voluntarily take the bullet for someone else to accept the blame when there is conflict?

I can only do this is by remembering the enormous cost at which God forgave me. Contrary to what many people in the world believe, God does not simply forgive us because he knows we’re trying our best. No, that’s not at all how God forgives. Because of his justice, he was determined to punish our sin. And because he loved us so much, he punished our sin on the cross where Jesus died. That is real love.

Love saves from destruction.

This leads us to a second lesson: if we really love others, we work to save them from destruction. In the verse, we see that God, driven by his love for us, saved us from certain destruction that awaited us. He did this by sacrificing his Son, but there are countless ways we can, and should, work to protect and rescue others we love.

What does this look like? Well, I think the best way to get to the heart of the matter is to consider how we relate to opponents. How do you think about those who ridicule you or slander you? Do you wish them harm, or do you pray for them? And what about that co-worker who gets all those opportunities you deserve? Do you look for ways to help and encourage him, or do you look for ways to undermine him?

As Christians, we must always remember that reflecting the goodness of our God means praying and working for the good of others—even those who threaten us, hurt us or hate us.

This is Hard Stuff

I may be able to guess you’re thinking at this point: “Man, that is all so much easier said than done!”
I agree. And I don’t want you to think I’m saying these things because I think I’ve gotten it right. Following Christ is difficult, and it often feels unnatural. But I’m thankful to have a God whose love for me didn’t end with the cross. He keeps reminding me of his mercy, and he will do the same for you if you’ll trust him.

Oh, how he loves us!