"For God So Loved..." - Russ Vickers

“For God So Loved”

By Russ Vickers

God’s redeeming love is seen in John’s Gospel account. We read in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17 - ASV). 

The redeeming love of God is traceable to the garden of Eden. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). From Eden to Calvary, God ceased not to keep before the world His promise, and to keep awake in the hearts of His people the hope of the promised Redeemer. The sacrifices, altars, ordinances, law, and the prophets were to keep alive in the hearts of men the promise. The promise which found full fruition and expression in Christ, the gift of God’s wonderful love. 

At God’s appointed time, Jesus came into the world. “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5). Paul, no doubt, had John 3:16 in mind when he penned these words. Many sermons had been preached from these words. This is one of the golden texts of the Bible. It’s content has never been exhausted. It’s message never grows old. What matchless love! Love stooping to redeeming a sinful world. These words reveal many things to us. 

The words “for God so loved the world” show how great His love for us is. The greatness and grandeur of God’s love is in its all-inclusiveness. All of humanity has opportunity to be redeemed. His love includes the entire world. A world in hostility to Him. A world that is helpless because of sin. A world that is hopeless without Him. 

Redeeming love is a great gift from Him. The words “that he gave his only begotten Son” show how great this gift truly is. The Son of the living God sent His only begotten Son to us. He was humbled with a lowly birth. He was tempted as we are. And He was crucified in a shameful death upon a Roman cross like a criminal. 

Redeeming love is seen in the phrase “that whosoever believeth on him.” God’s grace is truly amazing! The hints of God’s grace had been seen in all ages. But now it has been manifested to humanity. We are assured of this grace through passages such as these. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). And “Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

The grace of God’s love is seen in His provision for all men “that whosoever.” In the freeness of salvation, freely given to us without anything on man’s part. In the simple terms upon which its benefits are received. Belief is one of the steps to salvation.

God’s redeeming love is guaranteed in the phrase, “should not perish, but have eternal life.” Guaranteed security and guaranteed possession. How marvelous the redeeming love of God is! And how simple it is to obey the gospel (Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Baptism). How simple it is to enjoy the benefits. To reject God is to condemn the soul to everlasting punishment in hell for all eternity. We should never take the redeeming love of God for granted, nor should we reject it!