Bible Verse: “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
Scripture Reading: John 3:1-21
It would be impossible, or irresponsible at the least, to write a week of devotionals and not touch on what is arguably the most famous verse in the Bible…or at least the most famous reference.
John 3:16 is well-known for a reason. Even by itself, it is a beautiful verse expressing God’s love for His Creation, the lengths He went to prove that love, and what happens to those who embrace that love. There is a great deal of meaning packed into these few words.
But this verse has a hinge to it. There is a pivot point between what is and what could be, and it is one of John’s most repeated themes in his Gospel (hint: you can also look at John 6:29, John 11:25-26, and John 20:29).
Do you see it? The one condition that has to be met for the verse to be applicable?
It is absolute truth. There is no question about that. But it isn’t automatically personal. The open invitation to everlasting life rests on belief. Whoever would have eternal life must believe in the sent Son of God.
Belief is a tricky thing. We can believe in all sorts of ways.
We can believe in the sense that we have some information that we can’t quite call to mind, but sounds familiar—“I believe her plane arrives at 3:45.”
We can believe with a sense of deep-rooted anticipation and wishful confidence—”I believe I can lift “X” kilos over my head!” (to be fair, that number is probably a lot lower than I believe it is).
We can even believe based on track record—”I believe the sun will rise tomorrow” (it always has, so why wouldn’t it tomorrow?).
But none of these ways of believing is what John is referring to.
The belief that leads to eternal life exceeds these kinds of belief. Believing on the Son that God sent is an active belief. It is a belief that leads the believer to do something.
And that something is more than believe (it’s not a logic circle). Believing in the Son (Jesus) involves our minds, our hearts, and our wills. Believing in Jesus changes the way we think and act. If it hasn’t, it is fair to ask if we truly believe in the Son (James 2:14-26).
Prayer: Father, thank You for sending the Son so that we might be able to believe and have eternal life. Help me live a life reflecting true and active belief in who He is.
Reflection: What part of your life has changed the most since coming to believe in Jesus? What part of your life is still changing?
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