God so loved the World
The offer of salvation.
I was arrested for disorderly conduct when I was seventeen years old. A couple friends and I decided to turn cars sideways in their parking stalls at the local Buy More. The legal consequences of my actions did not concern me much. I was young. We were having what we thought was harmless fun. How bad could it be?
What did concern me is how my father would react if he ever found out. I feared my dad’s wrath, yes, but what I feared more than any punishment he could inflict upon me was knowing that I had disappointed him. Most boys crave their father’s love and attention and I was no different, even if I never let on. I hoped and prayed that my actions would remain a secret.
The next week a friend brought in a copy of the county newspaper. There in black and white were the names of the three hoodlums who had terrorized the local Buy More the week before. My heart sank. My father religiously read every word of that paper. There was no doubt my secret was out. I would have to face the consequences of my actions.
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
These are arguably the most well-known verses in the entire bible. These are so well known that even many atheists can quote them verbatim. Turn on any sporting event, at least in the United States, and you will see someone holding up a sign with these verses on it. They are so well-known because they are probably the most important verses in the entire bible.
When Adam and Eve lacked trust in God and disobediently ate of the tree of knowledge man fell from grace and was separated from the love of God. God did not stop loving man but man turned his back on God. This created a divide so great that man could neither cross it nor mend it. The price of disobedience was death and man had condemned himself to an eternity in hell.
But God had a plan from the very beginning on how he would mend the chasm and redeem the fallen. He would send his son to pay the price of our disobedience, taking upon himself our punishment. This salvation, although free, is not automatic. It is a sacrifice made through love and is presented to us as a choice. We can believe in the one who offered himself up for us or we can continue to turn our backs on him and face our condemnation. God has never sent anyone to hell. Hell is always a choice made by those who love themselves more than they love God.
What trips people up is the phrase, “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned”. We see the word believe and translate it as faith and think that it is enough to just say, “I accept Jesus as my Lord and savior” and then there is nothing stopping us from getting into heaven. We have handcuffed God. We can sin as much as we want because Jesus has already paid the price for those sins and because I believe in him, I am golden.
That is because our working definition of faith is ‘A belief in something that cannot be seen’. Faith is more appropriately translated as trust. Faith is what you put your trust in. That makes faith an action, an action that we must continue to do without end. Because our salvation is a choice only we can make, it is something we can freely reject at any time as well. No one can steal your salvation from you, but nothing is stopping you from walking away from it. Adam and Eve did.
Contrition is being sorry for your sins. Imperfect contrition is being sorry for your sins because you dread punishment for them and the fires of hell. This is fearing the wrath of our Father in heaven. Perfect contrition is being sorry for your sins because you fear disappointing your Father in heaven. You fear hurting the one you love the most in this life because he is deserving of more from you.
The good news is that God so loved you that he sent his son to pay the price of your failings so that you can spend eternity with him in heaven. The best proof of love is trust and you trust in Jesus by following his commandments. This requires action on your part. There are no spectators in heaven. Trust in Jesus by learning to love everyone the way he and the father love you; sacrificially. Stop living for yourself and dedicate your life to serving others.
As for the seventeen-year-old me, I was given ninety days of court supervision for my part in the great car moving caper. When the judge asked the parents if this punishment was acceptable to them my mother blurted out that she thought I should have to wash the dishes at home for the next ninety days. The judge looked bewilderedly at her, cocked his head sideways, and then told the state’s attorney to throw it in there.
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