The Ultimate Sacrifice – by Kathy Clowers

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.”

Have you ever wondered what does John 3:16 really mean? I have, so one day I decided to look up the meaning of the words just to see what God was telling us. In the next paragraph, I listed the meaning of the preceding word in parentheses.

For God so loved (an intense feeling of deep affection) the world (the earth with all its people, natural features, animals) that he gave (freely transferred possession of) his only (solely) begotten (bringing a child into existence by the process of reproduction) Son (offspring, in the likeness of him), that whosoever (anyone) believeth (accept as true) in him should not perish (suffer death), but have everlasting (lasting forever) life (existence).

When you read John 3:16 using the definitions of the words, here is what you get:

“God had such an intense feeling of deep affection for the earth he created, the creatures he added, and the people he formed that he freely transferred possession of it all to the highest position in the universe (the only reproduction of himself-Jesus) so that anyone who accepts him as true will not suffer death but exist forever.”

To sum it up in one sentence: God gave everything away in order to hold onto it.

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