His Only Begotten Son

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, NKJ)

John 3:16 is probably one of the most, if not the most, well known verses in the Bible. If you watch a major sports event on TV, you'll invariably see somebody holding up a John 3:16 sign. But have you ever really thought about what it means...what it means from a personal perspective?

God loved the world (i.e., us) so much that he allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to die a horrible death, so that we could be saved from dying an eternal death. Not we would be saved, just that we could be saved. There was no guarantee that we would be saved from eternal death; Christ's death just gives us the opportunity to be saved, the decision is ours to make (...whoever believes in Him...). In other words, Christ's death could be all for naught, depending on our decision.

God did this because He loves us (...God so loved the world...). His love for us goes deeper than any love we can imagine. Far deeper than any love we are capable of expressing.

Let's make this personal. If his death would save the life of another one of your children, would you be willing to allow your son to die? That is a tough question. Hopefully, you will never face that situation. How about allowing your son to die to save the life of your spouse? What about a member of your extended family (maybe a cousin or an aunt or uncle)? I think most of us would say, no! What about your neighbor? I think the answer again would be no. What about a total stranger? I think the answer would be a definite no. What about a child molester in prison? I think the answer would be more like: "Are you kidding me, absolutely not!"

What if your son had to die a horrible, torturous death in order to save some one's life? I doubt any of us could tolerate seeing our own flesh and blood child, whom we had nurtured and loved since infancy, being tortured. Yet, this is what God did. God allowed His Son, the Son He loved (...a voice came from heaven: You are my Son, whom I love... [Matthew 3:17, NIV]), to die for thieves, murderers, and child molesters. God allowed His Son to die for you, a sinner! He did this because He loves you, the thieves, the murderers, and the child molesters more than He loved His Son! Have you thanked Him lately? Maybe you should. Why not now?

Heavenly Father, I thank You for sacrificing Your Son so that I can live with you for eternity. I thank You for Your Son's blood, the blood that cleanses me from the dirt of my sins. I thank You for the mercy You have shown my by not giving me the judgment I deserve. And I thank You for Your loving grace. In Jesus name, Amen!