John 3:16-21 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Chris Tomlin – Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
• It Is Well With My Soul | Reawaken Hymns
• WELOVE – After the Dark Days [Your Kingdom, Our Home]

Resources for Family Worship (with Children)

• Gizmo’s Daily Bible Byte – 089 – John 3:16 – How Much God Loves You! – Lesson for Kids
• Whole Lotta Change | Roar VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Light of the World | Stellar VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Your Power Will Pull Us Through | Rocky Railway VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

Just as the Israelites in the wilderness were bitten by venomous snakes and were all dying, all of humanity has been contaminated by the poison of sin, enjoying sin and eventually facing God’s judgment. Salvation cannot be obtained by keeping the Law. Human nature is far too corrupted for that. Unless help for salvation comes from outside, there is no hope. That is precisely why God sent His one and only Son (v. 16). The verb “believe” is used in the present tense. Saving faith is not merely accepting a doctrine; it is living in a state of personal trust and reliance.

John the Baptist believed that when the Messiah came, He would judge with fire. This was the belief held by many Jews at the time. They expected the Messiah to come and judge their enemies. Judgment on their enemies was, in their minds, their salvation. But they, too, were separated from God and living in darkness. Every human being is someone in need of salvation.

God sent His Son to save humanity from that very condition (v. 17). “Those who believe in the Son” (v. 18)—that is, those who accept the love of God given through Him—receive salvation. But those who reject that love (“those who do not believe”) are said to be “already condemned.” When one chooses darkness, judgment is already determined.

The reason Scripture says “they have been condemned” is that although the light has come into the world, people refused to come into the light and instead chose to remain in darkness (v. 19). They do not come into the light because they fear that their evil deeds will be exposed, and because they want to continue doing them (v. 20). By contrast, those who come into the light are people who live in the truth (v. 21). “Truth” is God Himself. Therefore, to “live in God” is to live according to the truth. This is how those who have been born again—that is, born from above—live.

Meditation:

The Bible diagnoses humanity, in its natural state, as being under condemnation and headed toward destruction. We were originally created to live within God’s love, but by choosing sin, we became separated from Him. God is the source of all that is good. Truth, love, justice, beauty, joy, and peace all come from Him. To be separated from God means to be in a state of deprivation of those good things. Because of our separation from God, we have lost perfect love (agape) and now live with counterfeit versions of love. We have lost the perfect truth and live according to provisional truths mixed with falsehood. Scripture calls this state “darkness,” calls it “death,” and calls it “destruction.” When all that misery is made absolute and permanent, it is called “hell.”

God could not simply leave humanity in such a condition. That is because God is love—He is One who can do nothing but love. His love for humanity compelled Him to give what was most precious to Him. To say that He gave His one and only Son means that He gave Himself. There was no other way to make His love known to humanity. This love began with the incarnation and was completed at the cross. To believe in the name of Jesus means to receive the love of God revealed through Him. When we do so, we are restored as His children and come to live in Him. This is called “light,” “life,” and “salvation.”

Jesus did not come for judgment. God is not one who watches over humanity in order to punish. Both God and Jesus desire to save humanity that has chosen destruction. They desire to lead us to live in the light, in the truth, and in love. The problem lies in our distorted tendency to believe that there is something better outside of God.

Key Verse: Verse 16

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.

Prayer:

Thank You for leading us into the light when we were living in sin and headed toward eternal destruction. Thank You for shining upon us the light of love, the light of truth, and the light of righteousness. May that light fill us so that love, truth, and righteousness overflow within us. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: Because God loves us, He sent Jesus to bring us out of darkness and into His light—so when we trust Him, we can live in love, truth, and life.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • What do you think “light” means when the Bible talks about Jesus?
  • How does it feel when you are loved and forgiven?
  • What is one good thing God gives us when we stay close to Him?

• Youth:
  • Why do you think people sometimes choose darkness instead of light?
  • What are some “fake lights” (things that promise happiness but don’t last)?
  • What might it look like for you this week to take one small step toward God’s light?