John 3:16 NKJV
“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.”
Though the recorded conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus was relatively short compared to others, He said some important heavenly things. Jesus spoke about Himself as the One sent to save the world. He spoke about the Holy Spirit and His role in the new birth of salvation. The Lord also talked about God the Father. Nicodemus, a teacher of the Law, heard the Gospel message in that short moment with Jesus. As a teacher of the Law, Nicodemus had taught a lot about man’s love for God (Exo 20; Deu 6), but Jesus brought to light God’s love for man. His teaching had upheld what God said through Moses, but Jesus shed more light on what God was saying and doing through His Son (Heb 1:1-3).
At the heart of that dialogue, the Lord spoke what perhaps is the most famous Scripture in the New Testament: “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.” Herein we see the Father’s tenderness of heart to ensure that we spend eternity with Him. In other words, to God, the best thing that He has for us—who are born again and believe in His Son Jesus—is everlasting life. It is the endless life of pure delight: a life free of all the sicknesses, sorrows, and pains of this world; a life where time will surrender forever to eternity, and we will behold Jesus face to face.
When the Apostle Paul had a foretaste of that divine glory (2 Cor 12), he understood how life on earth falls far too short of the glory and delight found in heaven. As a result, the Apostle would say in part, “…I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better BY FAR” (Php 1:23 NIV). Hallelujah! Paul also encouraged God’s people, saying, “I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us” (Rom 8:18 TPT). Therefore, let us fix our gaze upon Christ, steadfast amid the fleeting adversities of this present age, as we look toward that glorious day when “…we will always be with the Lord” (1 The 4:17 AMP).
Pst. Emmanuel
