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John 3:16-17

16          For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

17          For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

God Sent Jesus to Us, for Us

God loved the entire world. I know the Bible focuses on the Israelites for most of the narrative, but Jesus’ point us to how His message and salvation is for all people. The love comes from the Old Testament, where God’s covenant with Abraham promised blessings to all people. God giving his one and only Son shows what the relationship is between Jesus and him. It fulfills the prophecy we learned about in Isaiah 9:6, and this sacrificial act connects us all the way back to the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.

God gave Jesus to all that believe in Him. To believe refers to confessing and believing in Jesus for salvation. The belief is not about accepting the intellectual side of the matter. It’s about trusting and relying on Jesus as our Savior and our Lord. Those that believe in Jesus shall not perish eternally. Christians receive eternal life through our belief in Jesus. Now this perish is just death, but it’s an eternal separation from God. Having eternal life refers to a quality of life in a relationship with God. It’s not focused on an unending existence. Eternal life begins when we commit our faith to Jesus and allow it to continue into eternity.

How We Can Be Inclusive

The offer of salvation is extended to all people. Man and woman. Jew and Gentile. Rich and impoverished. The list goes on. The Gospel message is available for all people. However, I hear that a lot of Christians are some of the most judgmental people out there. People that push their religion on people at inopportune times or in moments that aren’t socially appropriate. People that cast their “concern” for potential sinful behavior that we see in others as a way for them to express care, and when it comes with judgmental and condescending tones. Different churches will keep people from serving within the church if they don’t live up to a moral lifestyle. If the Gospel message is open to all, why is the church making it hard for certain demographics to feel welcome and loved, able to receive it? From my experience, it’s the current division of conservative and progressive values that are happening within the church. The current conservative mindset can stick closer towards the legalisms and rules of being a Christian, boldly calling out sinful behavior, and creating a focus of “repent or burn in hell.” The current progressive mindset can stick closer toward the love and ministry of Jesus, not focusing on the sinful behavior of a person, and working towards building community. (Now this may sound biased, but I promise you – I say this from a neutral perspective.) I believe with all things – there’s a balance. There’s a way to discuss the legalisms of the Bible while focusing on how that legalism come from the love and compassion of Christ. There’s a way to discuss the sins of the world, without dwelling on how the behavior impacts us, and how we can work to overcome the sin. There’s a way that works toward focusing on repentance and also focus on how to work towards being more Christlike within a loving community of people.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: I know I talked about a conservative vs. progressive mindset here, and that can get highly emotional. How would you explain why the church can be a hard place for new visitors to join?

Sent to Love, not Judge

The concept of God sending Jesus shows the pre-existence of Christ. This highlights the divine and eternal relationship with God. Jesus wasn’t sent to judge the world, but to save it. While the law, as given in the Old Testament, highlighted sin and condemnation, Jesus’ goal was to offer a path to reconciliation with God. God is full of mercy and patience. God doesn’t want any of us to be separated from Him. Salvation is accomplished through Jesus alone. There is no other name that we can be saved by. Jesus is ready to save everyone – all who believe in Him.

Be Someone’s Saving Grace

As followers of Christ, our goal is to share the message of salvation to everyone. To share the true reason for the season with all that may not have heard it or understood it. The message of the bible is not one of condemnation. If you didn’t know, condemnation is the expression of very strong disapproval. Christians will tend to do this with certain secular things like music, movies, and TV shows; and it also leads into certain areas of life like sexual orientation, gender identity, and abortion. I’ve often believed that we should not look at each other to condemn how they live because it’s not something that we would do or we believe others should do. We need to view it through the lens of what works for the greater good in the moment. What would allow the maximum quality of life opportunities for all people? We need to allow the true judgment to reside with God and God alone. We can point things out (with love) but we are not judge, jury, and executioner as some Christians tend to hold on to. The more we can have the calm and rational conversations, the better we do. The more we can avoid the name calling and back-biting, the better we can keep a personal view of things. The more we can be a reflection of Christ instead of imagining that we are God Himself, the better we can serve God.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you share this saving grace this holiday season?

Next part: Understanding God’s Unconditional Love || Curious About Christmas || Part 11