No Anger, Just Love || John 3:16-18 || Mid-Week Midrash #4

Scripture – John 3:16-18

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. 

Midrash

The Message translation puts this classic verse in a new light for me. The Message incorporates John 3:16 with the following two verses, which makes this passage more powerful. God gave his son so that anyone who believes will live an everlasting life. God didn’t send him to accuse any of us, but instead to help make the world right again. Let me say that again. God did not send Jesus to ACCUSE us. God sent Jesus to HELP. We often hear the word conviction and be like, “Ope. God called me out again.” The phrasing can be accusatory, but let’s re-frame it. God didn’t call me out. Instead, God pointed out an area that I needed help in. With this re-frame,  God fulfills what He planned on doing. I want you to look around and see those areas that you feel called out in. TikTok does an excellent job of that, at least for me. In those areas that you’re called out, talk with God. See how you can strengthen your weaknesses. God uses anything to convict us. Remember, God doesn’t ACCUSE us but instead wants to HELP us.