Photo: Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. United States. ©1998-2023 R. John Anderson
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” – John 3:16-17
«Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que dio a Su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que cree en Él, no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna. Porque Dios no envió a Su Hijo al mundo para juzgar al mundo, sino para que el mundo sea salvo por Él». – Juan 3:16-17
The “good news” (Luke 2:10; Acts 13:32; Rom. 10:15) of the gospel “message of truth” (Eph. 1:13) is that God in grace out of love and “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9) has provided a way for us to stand before Him on Judgment Day with our sins forgiven, declared holy and blameless (“NOT GUILTY” of sin, righteous, and justified) and receive the gift of eternal life with Him in heaven. That way is through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, “Jesus of Nazareth” (Mark 1:24; Acts 10:38) “the Christ of God” (Luke 9:20) “the Messiah” (Matt 1:1, 16-17; John 1:41), your “Redeemer” (Tit. 2:14), who was born of “a virgin” (Matt. 1:25; Luke 1:27), who was both fully man and fully God (John 1:14; Php. 2:5-8), who lived a perfect and sinless life while being tempted in all things as we are (Heb. 4:15; 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2:21-24) and who died (gave His life willingly, John 10:15-17) on the cross (Matt. 20:28; 26:28; Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:7; Php. 2:8). God tells us that He will accept His Son’s death as an atoning sacrifice (full payment) for our sins (all of them) if we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; 1 John 1:7; 2:2; Rev. 1:5). “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly [the lost, those who are in sin]…God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom. 5:6-11) and “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Amen.
