God loved us so much, he sent Jesus to help us - John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16, NIV
More About This Verse
Meaning
God is perfect and without sin; he hates sin and cannot be in relationship with anyone or anything that is sinful. This is where Jesus comes in. Jesus existed in relationship with God long before we were ever created. But God loves us and wants to be in relationship with us so much that he created a way for us to be blameless and free of sin: God sacrificed Jesus to choose relationship with us. Jesus didn’t just die for our sins: he became our sins, taking on all of God’s wrath and punishment that we deserved.
Jesus—the creator of the universe, the King over all, one with complete authority and power—willingly sacrificed himself for us. That is incredible! God made the ultimate sacrifice, and Jesus did all the work. All we have to do believe. Confession of sin and belief in Jesus is a free ticket to direct relationship with the God of the universe. That is amazing!
If you want to know Jesus and have that direct relationship with God, visit our Follow Jesus page with next steps.
EXPLORE THIS PASSAGE MORE
We get the most out of each verse when we understand them in context. So, feel free to dig a little deeper into the meaning of this verse with these resources:
The Message version says this verse this way:
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” (John 3:16, MSG).
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