John 3:16 – So Loved in Him

John 3:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

It will take all eternity to mine the treasures of God’s love. “God is love” (1 John 4:16). His very essence is love. We only see love through frail human eyes. We see love in imperfect people, and they usually disappoint us with what we see. It is difficult to know love in the agape way that God loves. God doesn’t simply love people, He is love.

In 1957 the Monotones wrote and sang a song called Who Wrote the Book of Love? One line in the song goes “I’ve got to know the answer, was it someone from above”. Well, the answer is yes it was from above. God created love. He exhibited love through Jesus. He wrote the book on love. We have His book in our hands.

^“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us” Ephesians 2:4 (NASB). It’s with His great love that He loved us.

If you can realize what this verse means when it says “God so loved”, it will totally change how you see God. You will no longer see God as a tyrant causing havoc on the earth and in your life. Growing up in the church I attended, I always got the picture of God with a baseball bat ready to bop me on the head if I dared do anything wrong. That’s why I confessed my sins every Sunday night at the altar. I didn’t know that God so loved.

God is not imputing sins to your account. Jesus bore your sins. He is not making a video of your life to show everyone every sin you committed. In fact, He says ‘I will remember your sins no more” (Hebrews 10:17; Isaiah 43:25). God is not mad at you ever. When God looks at you, He sees Jesus because you are in Christ.

As you see how much God loves you, you will come to understand why He has given you so much. You are heirs with God and joint-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17).