Have you seen the sign that is held up at sports events quoting the biblical verse, John 3:16,” which states; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It is a timeless message for Christians all over the world. It is so well known that it might be easy to overlook what the verse really means. Look at the verse again and slowly read the words carefully. It says that God loved the world so much that He came to earth in Jesus to be one of us, live like us and have the same experiences and challenges as us. Then God’s only Son died and rose for us so that whoever believes in God will spend all of eternity with Him. See that word- whoever? Do we really believe that whoever believes in God no matter what denomination, color, creed, and gender or faith practices gets to spend eternity with God? Too often it seems the as long as people look like us, believe like us and practice their faith just like us, “they” will be saved. Too often it feels more like a competition of “us” verse “them” or who is right or wrong when it comes to faith. |