John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:16 is a verse you have probably heard before. If you grew up in Sunday school or youth group, you probably know a few songs that go along with it as well… Regardless, the meaning behind this verse is the most important thing you can ever learn. Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sin so that you can live forever with Jesus in Heaven. He sacrificed His entire life for you because He knew that you couldn’t. How does that make you feel?
John 3:17 is just as impactful because it goes further to tell us about God’s intention regarding Jesus’ sacrifice.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
The Gospel goes further than knowing that we get to go to Heaven when we die. The Gospel extends to every aspect of our lives. Today, right now, and always. The Gospel tells us that we can’t do it. Ever. Everything that we have is a gift from God. Think of how many things we mess up as humans. Relationships with our parents, friendships, life choices, career or school choices, our relationship with God. We mess it up all the time, but that is what makes the Gospel so impactful. God knew that we would continually mess up, so He sent His Son. NOT to make us feel an immense amount of guilt so that we shape up. No, so that we feel overwhelmed by His grace and are motivated to change because we know that when we inevitably mess up again, Jesus is still there holding on to us, asking us to rest in His peace and forgiveness and then try again. The Gospel frees us to be able to live confidently while being confident that we will make mistakes, because we are, again, confident that we are forgiven.
Allow the Gospel message to bring you peace and to encourage you to turn to God in all things and spend your life not looking at the bad things you have done, but instead at the opportunities, you have to grow closer to God and become more like Him.