John 3:16, God So Loved the World

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, the most popular verse in the New Testament, summarizes the gospel, grounding it in God’s love—not just ordinary love but sacrificial, heart-breaking love. John Calvin wrote, “The true looking of faith is placing Christ before one’s eyes and beholding in him the heart of God poured out in love.” The depth of God’s love is stressed in that he gave the most precious of gifts. In God giving up his Son, there is a clear reference to the cross and to the incarnation. 

In saying this, Jesus may also be referencing the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son Isaac. As we find so often in the Old Testament, the story of Isaac foreshadows what God will do in the New Testament. In asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, God tests his faith and teaches him about obedience. At the last-minute, God provides a ram as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac.  

In giving up his only Son, God provides a substitute sacrifice for the sins of the world, so that all who believe in him would escape eternal death and receive eternal life. 

Whereas the world is fallen and in rebellion against God, the great wonder is that God embraces it in love. Where do you need God’s love right now in your life? Where does the world need his love? Take time to pray for yourself and for the world.