THE Apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote what has become one of the most well known and celebrated verses in the entire Bible, John 3:16. Take a look at that section, beginning in verse 16 and continuing through verse 21. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His onlySon that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life, for God did not send Him Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned but whoever does not believe is condemned already because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment; the light has come into the world and people love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God."  

In Scripture, we learn that the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—covenanted together in eternity past to design the exquisite plan of salvation. You see the beauty of that covenant in that passage. It’s one of the most beautiful texts in the Word of God and speaks of God’s wonderful deliverance of sinners—offered solely through the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Three main points stand out in the first part of that text. 

First you see what we’ll call “The Father’s Plan” in verse 16. When you survey John 3:16, you cannot help but see the divine motive in the plan of redemption. The motive is this: the love of God. “For God so loved the world.” That is, by the way, the greatest motive of God.  The Bible says plainly that God is love. It also teaches that God at times manifests wrath against sin; but Scripture never says that God is wrath.  In his essential character, He is love personified.  That beautiful attribute—God’s love—motivates His redemptive plan. God loves sinners.   

God’s love does not mirror our own imperfect love. For example, we love our spouse, our children, and our parents.  But those loves are temporal. In contrast, the love of God is eternal. There was never a time in eternity past when God did not possess perfect love for His children, for He is a God of love.  

Intrinsically, love characterizes God, not only love within the Father, but the Son and Holy Spirit as well.  God’s love explains why we’re here today—why we’re assembled here in this place hearing the Word of God, singing the songs of the saints, and enjoying the privilege of being heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Because of His love, we are kings and priests unto God. We enjoy that status because of His abundant love.

Secondly, you see in that passage not only God’s motive but also His action. Love moved God to give the greatest gift of all: His own Son. He didn’t withhold from us His greatest gift, but sent us His only Son. The greatness of God’s sacrifice is magnified by the fact that He is the only Son. God was motivated by love, pressed by love to send His only Son. His Son, Who did not have a place to lay His head; a son who was ridiculed, a Son who was murdered, a Son who suffered a cruel death on a cross—all because of His great love toward sinners. 

What rebels we are, and yet God did that for us—vile, wretched sinners, filled with wickedness and deceit. Because of that truth, when we adopt the attitude of Paul, who said “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death,” we are closer to God than at any other time. When we recognize the greatness of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, motivated by the Father’s love, and express that recognition with humble, heartfelt worship, God is glorified. 

Jesus spoke of that great, motivating love in John 17 when He said to His Father, “You have loved them, even as You have loved Me.” Isn’t it amazing that from all eternity, God set His love upon His own Son, and yet loves us in the same way? That’s a remarkable truth, Christian.  

Thirdly, you see in that passage a sublime, yet simple means of deliverance: faith. Note the simplicity of that truth: “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The one element we must possess in order to attain heaven is faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith, trust, confidence; believing the Gospel; believing specifically in the object of the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ. That’s the means of deliverance. Faith—and faith in Christ alone.  

When we experience seasons of fear, doubt, trials, and tribulations, that truth will elevate our hearts.  When we give thought to the proper object, which is Christ, we’re lifted up and encouraged, because we’re looking toward the proper object. You see, you must not stop at just the concept of faith. You must go further. Faith must have the perfect object and that perfect object is Christ. 

That is the grace and the mercy of God. Again, sublime and yet so very simple. Think about the people in hell, suffering the intolerable wrath of God for this reason. They would not believe. Their judgment and condemnation is irreversibly fixed because they would not believe in the only acceptable object of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Many churches are moving away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our day. Therefore we must endeavor more than ever to lift high the Lord Christ Jesus Christ, Who said, “If I be lifted up I will draw all men to myself.” That’s our mission, to lift high the risen Savior.   

Many doctrines emerge from the pages of Scripture, but when we disconnect them from Jesus Christ in the pulpit, they are worthless; dead doctrines that serve only to build up egos instead of fueling love and devotion to Christ. God intended for doctrine and theology to bring us to a person: Christ. Christianity without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is satanic.  It makes no difference how theologically minded a person perceives himself to be. Until he possesses a relationship with the person of Christ, he is simply a lost theologian. Many theologians who knew about Christ populate hell. You can read about them in Matthew 7. The knew about Christ, but they didn’t know Christ personally. Knowing Christ is eternal life (John 17:3).     

That’s the sublime, simplistic plan: believing in a person, the person of Christ, the One Who became the God-Man and bridged the great gulf of iniquity between God and man. That vital truth introduces the remainder of the passage—the intention of Christ’s Coming. We’ll take a look at that next time. Don’t miss it!