“16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

— John 3:16-18

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

— John 3:36

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

— John 8:24

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace and mercy from Jesus Christ to you.

The Apostle John told us very clearly that God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son for whoever believes in Him to have eternal life, and God did NOT send His Son into the world to condemn, but to redeem the humanity, the world. Jesus came to make salvation possible. Like two sides of the same coin, salvation for all who believe means judgment for those who do not. Believing in Jesus is the only way to be delivered out of the authority of darkness that the righteous God will judge for purging out sin and darkness.

John also recorded what Jesus warned people with. Jesus said that whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned ALREADY, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Jesus accomplished the redemption and salvation work for humanity according to the righteous requirement of the righteous God. All God requires on the fallen and sinful people is to believe in His Son and to receive His Son’s accomplished salvation work. Whoever believes will be saved and have the eternal life. Salvation is from God’s Son Jesus Christ but condemnation and perishing is for the unbelievers.