The heart of the good news is not a complicated system or a list of religious achievements, but the astonishing truth that God so loved the world that He gave His unique, beloved Son, Jesus, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. This love is not sentimental or abstract; it is sacrificial, costly, and purposeful. God’s love is measured by the extent of His gift—He gave all that He had, His very own Son, to a world that was not neutral or deserving, but lost, dark, and dead in sin.
We considered the story of Nicodemus, a deeply religious man who, despite all his knowledge and moral standing, needed to be born again. Jesus made it clear that new birth is not achieved by human effort or religious pedigree, but by looking to Him in faith, just as the Israelites looked to the bronze serpent in the wilderness and were healed. The Gospel is not about what we can do for God, but about what God has done for us in Christ. The only way to see the kingdom of God is to look to Jesus, to trust in His finished work on the cross, and to receive the life He offers.
This message is for everyone—no one is excluded from the invitation. The “whoever” of John 3:16 is as broad as the world itself, and yet the way is as narrow as Christ alone. The Gospel is wide enough to include the worst sinner and yet exclusive enough to exclude even the most moral person who refuses to believe. Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save. Yet, many will choose darkness over light, preferring to hide rather than be exposed and healed. The call is to come into the light, to let Christ’s love and sacrifice transform us, and to share this life-giving message with others. Our responsibility is not only to receive this gift but to proclaim it, knowing that God uses our witness to bring others from death to life.
