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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
D.L. MOODY
I have never been able to preach from that text. I have often thought I would, but it is so high that I can never climb to its height, I have just quoted it and passed on. Who can fathom the depth of those words: “God so loved the world”? We can never scale the heights of His love or fathom its depths. Paul prayed that he might know the height, the depth, the length, and the breadth of the love of God, but it was past his finding out.
ERWIN LUTZER
Yes, God loves the world, but what is even more remarkable is the special love He has for those who are His—the Father’s very gift to the Son. Jesus prayed, “The glory that you [the Father] have given me I have given to them…I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:22, 24). Loved from before creation, loved from the eons of eternity! Believers are loved unconditionally; both in eternity past and eternity future.
Not so the rest of the world. We must also remember the last verse of John 3, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (3:36). If we say God loves the unconverted unconditionally, we would negate the wrath of God.
Where do we see the clearest display of the love of God? At the cross. Where do we see the clearest display of the wrath of God? At the cross. There Jesus sacrificially bore the wrath of God for all who would believe on Him. This should motivate us to share the gospel, urging people to come to Christ.
PRAYER
Father, thank you for your boundless love through Jesus. May I share the gospel so others find refuge in Him.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How does the gift of God's only Son demonstrate the cost and magnitude of His love?
How is God’s love for those in Christ different from His love for creation in general?