John 3:17 NIV
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Many people can quote John 3:16. Many more have held up signs and posters with the verse on it. Tim Tebow even painted it on his eye black one or two games. But how many people can quote this verse?
As a young man, I was in a group called the Royal Rangers. It was a group for boys and young men that developed leadership and camping skills as well as spiritual discipline. One of the requirements for advancement was to memorize John 3:15-17. I think more of us should learn these three verses but especially this one.
God choose to send His Son - His choice to use His Son as the ultimate sacrifice to help us receive salvation from the death grip of sin. If there is anything worth celebrating about the birth of Christ, then it is this sobering thought. Jesus was born to bring peace to the world not condemnation.
What does condemnation mean? It is to judge, to pronounce judgement, to rule over in judgment, and to separate out and point out. For all the wrongs we have committed, Jesus came to tell us that we can be at peace if we will ask for forgiveness.
How often do we return the favor? When we have been wronged, how do we react? Like Jesus bringing peace or like the world - judgmental and condemning and unforgiving? I am trying to be sensitive to the conditions our world faces currently but I am wondering if Christian leaders are teaching this and if Christians are following it. Do we give others a chance to ask for forgiveness?
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