Introductio

  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. John 3:16-17

These words of Jesus spoken to Nicodemus that fateful night are among the most quoted if not
THE most quoted verses in all of Scripture. Those of us who grew up in church had John 3:16
memorized, before we knew of any other verses. And understandably so, for in this wonderful declaration
from The LORD Himself, we are shown the full measure of God’s love. “For God so loved…that He
GAVE”. And what did He give? His One and Only Son to die for our sins… in our stead. No one has
ever loved like God loves. But we must also remember that it is not love that saves us. God loved the
world, but we know that all the world will not be saved. So love alone will not save the world. This love of
God, that gave us this wonderful gift of His Son, can only be realized by faith. For it is through faith in
Jesus that the love of God is accepted and manifested in marvelous grace.