by Kevin Burton
In six plus years of writing Page 7, I don’t believe I have ever quoted perhaps the most quoted Bible verse, John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV).
That’s the verse you used to on signs at football games. People in the end zone seats would hold up the sign so it would be visible when a kicker kicked an extra point.
You can see of course, why a believer would want to get that verse to the eyes and into the consciousness of unbelievers. If the gospel could be boiled down to one verse (which I don’t believe it can), John 3:16 is the one to go for.
If you read just a little bit further in John, you get to John 3:18-19. And you need to do that, because as the late Dr. R.C. Sproul said on the “Renewing Your Mind” podcast, there is more to the gospel story.
“The gospel’s only good news when we know the bad news,” Sproul said. “The gospel’s only the gospel when you understand the law and our situation under the law.”
“Here we are, dead in sin and trespasses, walking according to the flesh and the lust of the flesh and so on. Walking like those who are under the spirit of disobedience. Children of wrath,” Sproul said.
Here’s how the Apostle John put it:
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:18-19 KJV).
But it need not be that way. While there is life, God’s offer remains. This leaves man with a choice, and the question raised by a recent message from In Touch Ministries,
“God welcomes anyone at any time. Have you accepted His gift of salvation?”
The message highlights the choices made by the two thieves who were hanged at the same time as Jesus, and the immediate, irreversible, and eternal consequences.
“God’s grace is revealed in His willingness to welcome anyone at any time into His kingdom. The repentant thief who hung on a cross next to Jesus had nothing to offer the Lord—no good works, no faithful service. He couldn’t even be baptized. In his utterly helpless condition, the only thing he could do was believe. But that was all it took.”
“Although both thieves began their crucifixion by hurling verbal abuse at Jesus (Matt. 27:44), as the torturous hours passed, one of them had a change of heart. His railing against the Savior turned into defense of Jesus, admission of his own guilt, and a plea for a place in Christ’s kingdom (Luke 23:40-42).
“What was it that turned this mocker into a believer? Scornful onlookers accused Jesus of being exactly who He was: the King of Israel, the Savior, and the Son of God (Matt. 27:42-43). As the condemned man watched and listened, he turned in faith to the only One who could save him—the One dying for him,” the message reads.
“On the hill that day, one man died in his sin, one Man died for sin, and the other was saved from his sin.”
“The two men crucified with Jesus were faced with a choice, and the same is true today: We can accept or reject Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, and what we choose makes an eternal difference.”
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