Indeed, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:17
The verse of the day, John 3:17 is the lesser known of that portion of John Chapter 3. The verse prior to John 3:17 is the well known and beloved verse also known as “the Bible in a nutshell”:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
In my study Bible, it says that “John 3:17 continues the message of John 3:16 which “links Jesus’ death with God’s love for the world. God gives Jesus in love to all people and whoever believes in this gift will receive eternal life. Verses 17 and 18 reinforce that the incarnation is about the possibility of new life, not judgment.” (The New Interpreter’s Study Bible New Revised Standard Version).
The Easter message of God’s own Son’s suffering and death on the cross and then His resurrection is explained in full in these verses and the reassurance we have in God’s perfect love for us is made evident.
John U. Leventry, Jr.
