“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
– John 3:16-17
These verses are some of the most commonly quoted verses in our Bible, but there is nothing common about them. When is the last time you have read this passage of Scripture and really grasped what Jesus was saying? Honestly, for me, it had been too long.
The Good News is Good News.
Think about this… We as humans have continually and perpetually rebelled against God. From our beginning until now, human history is full of murder, pride, idolatry, and rebellion. Think of all of the most deplorable things that you know about our world today. Think of the news reports. I think of picture that just looked at depicting the mass executions of our Egyptian brothers and sisters in Christ. These things are absolute atrocities. God, seeing all of these things and more and being perfect in every way, being holy, looked down on us and loved us. He loved the unlovable.
In the midst of all of the sin and rebellion, He would have been completely just in condemning us. BUT, He sent Jesus instead. Why? Surely Jesus would be sent as a judge, right? Well, not yet. This verse in John says that Jesus was sent to the earth over 2,000 years ago to provide salvation to underserving people. God, who had every right to send His Son to the world to condemn it for its sin, instead lovingly sent Jesus to provide salvation from the well deserved condemnation.
Here is my point: Our message as Christians is a message of great news for all people! We are not the bearers of bad news that our world thinks us to be. Our message is ultimately a message of love!
The truth is that Jesus will return, and on that day He will come as a judge to rightly condemn the world for all of the sin and atrocities that have been committed in rebellion against Him because He is a just God. (1 Peter 4) But thanks be to God, not only is God just, He is also the justifier. Where there should have been condemnation, God has provided a way to be saved through Jesus Christ. This is the good news! This is the life changing news for all people regardless of background, culture, and nationality. This is the gospel.