A short study of John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16 

Bullet point thoughts and observations: 

- God has a Son - God's Son is his only Son 

- God loves the world - "so loved" means "loved in the following manner". It does not mean 'so' as in 'a lot' or 'very much.' 

- The way God loved the world is by giving his only Son. 

- A gift is meant to be received. 

- Who did God give his son to? The world... but just giving a gift is not enough, the gift must then be received. 

- Believing in him (the Son) is how a person receives the gift of God's Son. 

- We can receive the love of God, then, by believing in Jesus, the Son of God. 

- The result of receiving God's gift of his Son is that the person who believes (receives the gift) is promised eternal life. 

- God did not give the world eternal life. God gave the world his Son. 

- Eternal life only comes to those who receive the gift of God's love. 

- Therefore, eternal life (or eternal death) is a secondary issue. God's loving gift was not eternal life, but His only Son who brings eternal life to those who believe in him. 

- God's purpose is that those who receive His only Son will live forever with Him, therefore they require eternal life. Eternal life, then, is a means to the ultimate end of possessing the gift of love that God gave, namely His only Son, forever. 

Free writing on the verse: 

We wonder if God really loves. We see the cruelty and evil in the hearts on man and think, "how can God be loving?" When calamity comes and destroys lives, we wonder how a loving God could allow all of this to happen. 

Christianity is an historical religion. We believe in things that happened in history. That is why our religious text is primarily a history book. We worship God for what he has done, and we have faith that He will do what He had promised to do. 

Our culture today places a high premium on emotions, sentiment, and politeness. Love, society says, is treating people nicely. It's not being too loud, abrasive, or mean. Love wouldn't let any harm befall the person they love, if they could prevent it. However, this is not the God we worship. 

We know that real love is about sacrificing oneself for the true good of another person. And in the gift of Jesus, God did just that, once for all time. One historical, universe-bending gift. One incredible sacrifice of love. God gave up his only Son, so that His enemies would have a chance to become His friends, his family, his many sons and daughters. It was a gift so powerful that it is still giving today. Even now, you can receive the gift of God's Son. You can believe in his gift. You can place your faith in Jesus Christ, and become one of God's children. 

What is the result of receiving such a gift? The result is that though you may suffer, though sickness, and loss, and heartache, and pain will come, and even though you will die, you will not perish forever. God will raise you up so that you can forever enjoy His gift, the gift of his Son for all ages to come. Because that is the thing with God, He will not allow those - to whom he made such a tremendous sacrifice - to lay dead in the cold earth. No, that would dishonor the Son He gave. He will raise us all up so that the glory and the majesty of His love can be forever enjoyed and praised. 

When we wonder if God really loves, we would do well to cease wondering, and instead be filled with wonder at the infinite love of God, who made such a sacrifice, so that all who believe in Jesus can live forever, enjoying Him who loved them so fiercely. 

Application of the verse to life: 

- Thank God for loving you every day. 

- Resolve to fully believe in Jesus Christ. 

- Get to know this Jesus by reading about him in the Bible. 

- When pain in your life threatens to overwhelm you, remember that you have hope of eternal life. 

- Imitate the way God loved you by loving others in the same way. Make real sacrifices for others for their true good, and not merely for your own benefit. 

- Share the good news of God's gift to others around you who have not yet received it. 

- Enjoy the gift God has given. If you live your life without drawing near to your savior who died for you, you are not fully enjoying God's gift. Draw near to Christ.