"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)
As believers, understanding the origin of Life is not only critically important, but it is the very essence of our belief system. There is no Biblical passage that summarizes the origin of Life and its essence quite so elegantly as the one stated above. It should be regarded (in my opinion) as the Holy Constitution of Christianity, as it defines the origin, process and foundation of the Christian faith. I would recommend we all memorize this passage (if we haven’t already!) and take a moment to reflect on its profound spiritual meaning. There are 3 distinct spiritual concepts revealed in the context of this passage that I would like to emphasize as they relate to the Word of GOD as a whole. We’ll go into detail in the subsequent posts, but let’s first summarize the concepts as follows: 1. GOD's love revived us. We know well that the fall of Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, such that all mankind thereafter became doomed to eternal damnation (Romans 5:12). But the passage above tells us that it is the love of GOD that made a provision for us to receive Life again (e.g. salvation). Though we did not merit this love (or salvation for that matter) - having rejected God - He expressed an unconditional love for us “in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) 2. Jesus Christ is the expression of GOD’s love for us. The above passage says, "He gave His only Son." By this we understand that Jesus Christ is the medium through which GOD's Love was expressed towards us. Jesus Christ stands as the mediator (or reconciler) between two parties that were previously at odds – God and Man (1 Timothy 2:5). It is through Him that mankind gains a hope of salvation. Jesus died on Calvary to satisfy the debt requirement for our disobedience at the garden of Eden. This redemption has made us alive in Spirit and allows us to regain fellowship with God (1 Peter 3:18). 3. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our rebirth and adoption. The last part of the passage indicates our inheritance through the death of Jesus Christ – eternal life. The Holy Spirit serves as the seal or mark of our rebirth. He assures us of our eternal life (Ephesians 1:13). The Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus to His disciples in John 14:15-17. Notice that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be with us forever until we meet Him in heaven for eternity. We understand that the Holy Spirit is meant to empower us to live the Christian life on earth (John 14:26). I hope the significance of John 3:16 has become apparent to you now that we have dissected it and shown how it expresses the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. The passage is actually Trinitarian in nature, explaining the origin, enactment and fulfillment of the Christian life. The origin of our life is expressed in GOD’s love for us even while we rejected Him, as sinners. The enactment of life is expressed through Jesus Christ, His Son, through whom we are reconciled with God. And finally, the fulfillment of life as expressed through the gift of the Holy Spirit, who abides within us and confirms our adoption into the family of GOD. In future posts, we will expound on these concepts individually. Ultimately I hope you will come to appreciate the beauty with which this short passage simplistically yet elegantly expresses the foundation of our faith and our hope for the future! GOD BLESS Ulysses, Editor |
Today's Verse
“Behold you are beautiful my love, behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves” Song of Solomon 1:15 ESV Quotations"A word spoken by you when your conscience is clear and your heart full of God's Spirit is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin." Archives
January 2023
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