1 John 4:7–12 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love…
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Every person born has the light of God in them. Some choose to honor this in themselves and in others. Some do not. Blessed are the peacemakers they will see God. Carla
God loved the world presents a concise summary of the gospel message, tying the events of Jesus’ death to God’s love for the world He created. The statement is remarkable in its depiction of divine care for the entire world—not just His chosen people, Israel.
The Greek term used here for “One and only Son” is monogenēs, meaning “one of a kind.” At one time, it was presumed that the term derived from the Greek words monos (“one” or “only”) and gennaō (“to beget”). The translation “only begotten” is based on this assumption. Subsequent manuscript discoveries produced evidence that the term actually comes from monos and the noun genē (“kind” or “type”). The term monogenēs therefore refers to uniqueness and has no inherent reference to chronology or origin.
John prefers to refer to Jesus as the “Son” and God as the “Father” (John 3:35; 6:40; 17:1). Jesus’ reflection and representation of the Father is complete (14:9–10). As one sent by God, Jesus fully represented Him on earth.
Rejection of Jesus results in condemnation. The New Testament ultimately roots all salvation in faith in Christ (Romans 4:1–24; Hebrews 11:13, 26). There is no other way to achieve right standing with God.
The dualism between light and dark is a common theme in John’s Gospel and 1 John. In this context, “evil” refers to deeds that flow from unbelief. Anything done apart from faith in Christ is no better than the worst evil. Faithlife Study Bible
God’s love is not restricted to any one nation or to any spiritual elite. World here may also include all of creation (Romans 8:19–22; Colossians 1:20). At His first coming, Jesus came so that the world through Him might be saved. When Jesus comes again, He will come in judgment upon those who refused His offer of salvation.
To believe is to receive life (verses 15, 16) and avoid judgment. A person who does not believe not only misses life, but is condemned already. The idea of believing in Jesus’ name is also found in 1:12. 3:19
Condemnation refers to the reason for judgment. The light referred to here is Jesus, the light of the world (1:7–9; 8:12; 9:5). 3:20 People offer many excuses for not accepting Christ. Some cite the presence of hypocrites in the church. Others claim inability to believe some of the truths about Christ or the gospel. These are merely attempts to conceal a heart in rebellion against God. The ultimate reason people do not come to Christ is that they do not want to.
A person who comes to the light not only believes, but also openly identifies with the light so that his or her works can be seen as things done in union with God. The NKJV Study Bible
John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Ephesians 5:13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 1:4–5 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Show me the suffering of the most miserable;
So I will know my people’s plight.
Free me to pray for others;
For you are present in every person.
Help me take responsibility for my own life;
So that I can be free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others;
For in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience;
So that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration;
So that the Spirit will be alive among us.
Let the Spirit flourish and grow;
So that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice;
For they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us;
So we can change the world.
Amen.
(The following prayer is César Chávez’s “Prayer of the Farm Worker’s Struggle,” which shows how devotion to God combined with action in the movement. I am deeply touched by the simplicity and humility of his prayer. Thank you, Richard Rohr) excerpt from SabbathMoments
Our identity and salvation are not lost when we make mistakes (John 10:28; Jude 1:24-25). Our identity is hidden in Christ's perfect, finished work on the cross, and His righteousness now defines us as we rely on Him alone for our good standing before God.
When we say our identity is in our Savior, we exemplify that our worth is not determined by our job, hometown, or anything else in this world; our identity comes from the One who made the world. And when we walk in our true identity, people can see Jesus in us.
The truth is our identity can only come from the One who made us. Only by understanding whose we are can we understand who we are. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and how we reflect Him to the world around us can help others to find their rightful identity too.
Amazingly, even when we mess up, God can still use our failures to reveal Himself and His salvation. We cannot outrun God's grace, and if we trust in Jesus as Lord, our position in His Kingdom is secure. First5
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