John 3:1-21.
Nicodemus, part of the Jewish ruling council, comes to Jesus at night and learns about being born again and God's great message of Love for each one of us.
V. 16 God loved(s) the World, and everyone in it. God operates from a primary motive of love. I John tells us that God is Love. That is the basis for his character and all his actions. He loves the world. He loves all the people in the world.
God gave his only son, sending him to the earth in human form, appointing him to be the sacrifice to take away our sins. Jesus came in human flesh. He spoke these words to a man who was seeking the way to eternal life. Jesus, the son of God came to live among us so that God’s justice could be satisfied once and for all time paying the debt that we incurred by sinning against God.
SO THAT by believing in him, trusting in him, surrendering our lives to him, we might not die but live forever. The Bible tells us that God does not want anyone to perish. He does not want for us to experience total and complete separation from him.
V. 17, then Jesus says something we often forget, “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Contrary to what is often pushed into the public eye through the media, the Gospel message is not condemning it is a liberating message. And that salvation, that liberation depends solely on faith, trust and belief in Christ.
V 18: Those who are condemned stand condemned because they refuse to put their trust in him. We don’t need to tell people that they are under judgment; we need to tell them that they can have new life in Christ. That is the message that Jesus taught. Most people know they are doing wrong and that they are under judgment. That is why they don’t want to come into the light!
Those of us who are in Christ need to love the light.
The sinful hate the light because their deeds are evil. They fear being exposed!
The righteous ought to love the light because check out what it says in verse 21: "What he has done, has been done through God." When we step into the light as believers in Christ, people may see the past mistakes, the bad choices, but they also see God at work in our lives. They see that the changes in us, the new way of life, the new re-born life we live is only by the grace of God and his working in us. Love the light. Share the hope of new life in Christ. Don’t be afraid of what others will think, trust the Lord to glorify himself through you as you reach out to others in need.
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