For God So Loved You

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

Here is the Gospel at its simplest, which Jesus explained to the Pharisee Nicodemus that the Messiah did not come to condemn, but to save.

The whole world is under condemnation because of sin:

"What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;" (Romans 3: 9)

and

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3: 23)

Yet in spite of our status of sin, because of Adam, God sent His Son to redeem us:

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 8)

Yet this love does not just stop at taking away all our sins:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2: 20)

Jesus gave us Himself, and with Him, we freely receive all things (Romans 8: 32)

Most importantly, though, because of God's great love for us, we become adopted children of God, too:

"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. " (1 John 3: 1)

and then

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Never should we settle for any current understanding of how much God loves us:

"17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19)

God's love for us passes knowledge, which does not mean that it cannot be known, or rather is completely foreign to us, but rather that we can never fully understand it, and should never cease to grow in grace and knowledge of Him (2 Peter 3: 18)

Oh, God so loves you, Beloved!