I have seen John 3:16 spray-painted on overpasses a few times, and it is a well known verse.
"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."
Jesus spoke these words in a conversation during the night with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews at the time. Nicodemus believed in Jesus because of the miracles he performed, but could not come out openly, so he approached Jesus in private as a teacher come from God. John 3:16 is part of that conversation, and has affected many people so profoundly.
Lesser known is John 3:17, which seems to have a tough act to follow, but I am thankful for it:
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."
I condemn myself with self-loathing and insecurity. I think it is a defense mechanism of some kind, trying to win over some imagined critic, or to brace myself against some inevitable disapproval. Or maybe I have been like a whipped animal on my back in submission, putting myself down so as not to rile up the anger of people higher than me in some kind of social hierarchy. Or maybe, sometimes by putting myself down, I am fishing for some kind attention from others. I love John 3:17 because it teaches me better than that. I too, in my quiet time, want to learn from Jesus, teacher come from God.
One other thing I love about John 3:17 is that it teaches me as a Christian to never condemn (or judge, or push my beliefs onto) others, because God himself did not send Jesus to condemn the world.
"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."
Jesus spoke these words in a conversation during the night with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews at the time. Nicodemus believed in Jesus because of the miracles he performed, but could not come out openly, so he approached Jesus in private as a teacher come from God. John 3:16 is part of that conversation, and has affected many people so profoundly.
Lesser known is John 3:17, which seems to have a tough act to follow, but I am thankful for it:
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."
I condemn myself with self-loathing and insecurity. I think it is a defense mechanism of some kind, trying to win over some imagined critic, or to brace myself against some inevitable disapproval. Or maybe I have been like a whipped animal on my back in submission, putting myself down so as not to rile up the anger of people higher than me in some kind of social hierarchy. Or maybe, sometimes by putting myself down, I am fishing for some kind attention from others. I love John 3:17 because it teaches me better than that. I too, in my quiet time, want to learn from Jesus, teacher come from God.
One other thing I love about John 3:17 is that it teaches me as a Christian to never condemn (or judge, or push my beliefs onto) others, because God himself did not send Jesus to condemn the world.
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