For God So Loved the World (Part 2)
“whoever believes”
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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (ESV)
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I once heard a story about a man who was struggling in life, had doubts about God, and somehow found himself in a church service.
During that service, a little girl was called upon to read the Scripture.
She read this verse.
But she had a sort of lisp when she read it, such that she really emphasized the word “whoever.” Yet that lisp made all the difference to that man because it was the first time he realized that it was talking about him.
Of course, he gave his life to Jesus that night.
It’s no small thing that we have a verse like this — quoted from Christ — about the amazing offer of grace that God gives to the world whom He loves.
It’s a large comfort in the tough days of life.
If you remember the context, Jesus is talking to a receptive Pharisee named Nicademus. Unlike most of His encounters with the religious leaders, Nicademus asked questions because of genuine interest, not to try and trap Jesus.
The gentle truth coming from Christ here is for people who are genuinely interested.
Something else:
This word “believe” is perhaps not a strong enough word to convey the meaning of the Greek. It’s actually a verbal form of the word for “faith.” Sometimes I like to think of it as “whoever faiths in him…”
It’s one thing to believe that Jesus of Nazareth existed; but quite another to faith in Him as God.
Whoever faiths in Him has eternal life.
That’s amazing grace.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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