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.  John 3:16 (ESV)

This is one of the first verses I memorized in Sunday School. It is one of the most familiar verses in the Bible. Even people who never go to church may know this verse. What I found shocking was I have misunderstood part of this verse all my life!

The misunderstanding hinges on the little English word “so.” It is a reminder to me that every word of scripture is important. A little word like so can change the way you look at a verse and it does with John 3:16. I always thought that so was used as a comparative in this verse. God loved the world to such a degree but the Greek word intends a different meaning. God loved the world in this manner. Paul will use a similar construction when he says “God demonstrated (commendeth) his love (Rom. 5:8). So John 3:16 is less about how much and more about how did God show he loved the world. The how much comes into play in the gift itself. He loved his creation lavishly by willing giving his only Son. So the manner God shows his love is the giving of his Son to die for undeserving sinners like me. Finally this giving had a single purpose. Through Christ’s death all who believe can replace death with eternal life. For us that’s a really good trade!

To tie it all up, when God showed us his love, he sent his Son to live the life we cannot live, to die the death we deserve, and to end the tyranny of sin in our lives and defeat its penalty…death Do you believe this simple Gospel fact?