For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
This is arguably the most well-known verse in all of Christianity. Why? Perhaps because it so succinctly captures the core of the Christian faith: the gospel. It tells us who God is, what He has done for us, and what our response should be to what He’s done for us.
God – Holy, righteous, just, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, good, merciful, gracious, loving (Ps. 50:6, 99:9; Eph. 2:4)
World – Humanity: imperfect, having a sin nature, and therefore separated from God and deserving of judgment (Ro. 3:23, 6:23)
Son – Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, took the deserved punishment of sin on our behalf on the cross and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1-5; Ro. 5:8)
Believes – Trust in what Jesus Christ did on our behalf is the only response we’re to have for salvation (Eph. 2:8-9)
Everlasting life – Belief/faith/trust in Christ’s work changes our destiny from eternal death separated from God to eternal life together with God (Ro. 5:1; John 5:24)
This verse is great to have on your wall as a reminder of what God and Jesus Christ has done for you and it can serve as a wonderful jumping off point to share the good news with someone else. Good news such as this is worth displaying and sharing!
