Does God so Love the World?
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." What a great single-verse summary of the gospel! But even though this one verse stands true on its own, there is still a context that we must consider. Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee who recognized by the miracles He did that Jesus was sent from God: "This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him" (John 3:2). But Nicodemus didn't get the things Jesus taught, even though Jesus referenced the prophets to show they wrote about Him. Jesus said, "Aren't you the teacher of Israel and you do not understand?" So He gave another example: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him has eternal life...