“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16–17 (NIV)
In John 3, we find Jesus in a clandestine conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and influential Jew (John 3:1). Nicodemus was trying to wrap his well-educated, powerful brain around the fact that the Savior of his people didn’t look like, act like, or teach like Nicodemus thought he should. What Nicodemus was really wrestling with was the gospel.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Nicodemus, probably because I’ve stepped into the ring and gone a few rounds with the gospel myself. There is a tiny corner of my mind and heart that gets it: I am a sinner, deserving of eternal separation from a holy God. Through his death on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for my sin and made a way for me to be reconciled to the Father (Rom. 6:23). But I struggle to convince my whole self that the gospel can be this simple. Surely, I need a lot of good works to save me. Maybe if I run myself ragged, involving myself in every possible ministry, I will please God.
These are the things I tell myself. It’s what we see when we read between the lines when Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can anyone be born when he is old? … Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” (John 3:4).
A few short verses later, we see Nicodemus finally collide with gospel truth: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (3:16–17).
When I try to create a list of requirements for my salvation, I do so out of fear and forgetfulness—like Nicodemus. But God loves us so much! That’s why he sent Jesus here—not to condemn us but to save us. May these words from our Savior never grow stale in our hearts and minds.
Reflect:
Read John 3:1–17. Has over-familiarity numbed your reaction to John 3:16? Read it again with fresh eyes: What aspect of this passage is the Spirit drawing your attention to?
Pray:
Pray by meditating upon this Scripture verse. Speak the verse slowly, pausing after each phrase to listen to God and to let the meaning take root in your heart.
Erin Davis is a devotional contributor to the She Reads Truth Bible. Taken from the She Reads Truth Bible (www.SheReadsTruthBible.com), general editors Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams. Scripture quotations within the devotional text are from the Christian Standard Bible translation. Published by Holman Bibles, used by permission.
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