The Way & Means by which God Loves Us: John 3:16-17
John 3:16 is possibly the most well-known verse in the Bible, or at least the most well-known Bible reference. Though we see it waved around at sporting events and posted on signs all over, it is a fair guess that most people don’t know what it says or what it means. Yet, John 3:16-17 gives as succinct a summary of God’s love and humanity’s sinful state and desperate need of God’s saving grace in the Bible. These verses and the surrounding chapter explain the gospel simple enough for children to understand.
The verses describe for us the way and means through which God loves the world. When 3:16 says “God so loved the world” it doesn’t refer as much to the amount or intensity of God’s love (though his love is great and immense), but the way God has demonstrated his love for the world he created and how far he has been willing to go to save men and women from eternal death.
God’s love as shown in Christ has the power to take away our condemnation and make us God’s children. The only Son of God suffered rejection and death so that we can be accepted and live.
As we prepare this month to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior, I encourage you to read John 3:16-17 with fresh eyes. Don’t let familiarity allow you to rush over it as you reflect on it in your own quiet time and share it with your children. Try asking these questions of the passage as you read it to re-discover the truth revealed.
- What does this teach about who God is? What does this tell me about who Christ is?
- What instruction does this passage place on my life? What am I called to do in light of what this passage teaches me about God?
- How have I failed to obey the instruction in this passage? How can I repent of my disobedience both intentional and unintentional, the “things I have done and the things I have left undone”?
- How can I ask God to be my help and strength to better obey his commands and instructions in prayer?
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
-Drew Phillips, Chaplain 
Covenant Classical Schools & Daycare
To learn more about Covenant Classical Schools visit www.ccslion.com
