March 9

The Gospel

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and onlye Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 BSB

This verse is like a miniature Bible because it contains the entire gospel. It reveals the source of our salvation—God’s love. It shows the measure of this love—God gave His only Son. It explains how redemption was accomplished—through the sacrifice of Christ. It tells us how to be saved—by believing in the Son of God. It tells us who will be saved—anyone who believes in Christ. And it describes what salvation is—freedom from perishing and the gift of eternal life.

Anyone who truly believes that God loves them is saved. The realization of this wonderful truth brings life to the soul. There’s a story of a child from Luther’s time who had been taught to see God only as a harsh judge. Her home was stern, and God had been presented to her in a way that caused fear. She had never heard of God’s gentleness or love. One day, in her father’s printing shop, she found a scrap of paper with part of this verse on it: “God so loved the world that He gave…” The rest of the words were torn off, but even this fragment was a revelation to her. God loved—loved the world—loved it enough to give something. She didn’t know what He gave, but just knowing that God loved changed everything for her. From that moment, her understanding of God was transformed, and she began to think of Him as someone who loved her, which brought her great comfort.

We have the full verse, and we know that God is love, and that He gave the most valuable gift in the universe. This knowledge should fill us with overwhelming joy.