The Gospel of God’s Love (John 3:1–17)

October 22, 2026John 3:16: “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.”  We have the Bible—a thick book. It contains accounts of various events and the words of Jesus. During my time as a student in Dortmund, I once asked a student, “What is the most important thing in the Bible?” He replied, “The Ten Commandments!”The central theme of the Bible is the gospel of God’s love. The third chapter of the Gospel of John presents this gospel of God’s love in a summarized form.If we embrace this core point of the Bible, we find great happiness and can lead a joyful life. To introduce this main theme of divine teaching, John begins by recounting a visit Nicodemus paid to Jesus.Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin—comparable to a member of parliament.This respected man visits Jesus under the cover of night. He opens the conversation with these words:“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can perform the signs that you do unless God is with him.” (2) Jesus replies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (or: born from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God!” (3)Jesus tells him that without being born again, no one can enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asks whether he must return to his mother’s womb and be born a second time. Jesus answers him, “Truly, truly, I say to you: unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God!” (5).Jesus explains that one can only enter the kingdom of God by being born anew—of water and the Spirit. Jesus clarifies that this new birth is not a physical birth, but a spiritual one. Through faith in Jesus Christ, one can receive forgiveness of sins as well as the Spirit of God, and thus become a child of God. Whoever is a child of God enters the kingdom of God.John 1:12 describes this birth as follows: “But to all who did receive Jesus, he gave the right to become children of God—to those who believe in his name.” This spiritual birth is independent of human effort or intellect. It is a work of God, accomplished through the Holy Spirit. In this process, the Spirit of God acts independently of human will or action. The working of the Spirit can be compared to the wind: while we cannot see the wind itself, we can feel its effects. Nicodemus does not yet grasp this spiritual birth. Therefore, he asks: “How can this happen?”If Nicodemus wishes to understand Jesus’ teaching on being born anew, he must open his heart and believe in Jesus as the Son of God. With the help of the Holy Spirit, he is called to open his heart and believe in Jesus’ word. Through this, he can become a child of God. This new birth is not a human achievement. The Spirit of God acts according to God’s will—much like the wind, which blows wherever it chooses.We are to keep our hearts open, so that the Holy Spirit may enable us to believe in Jesus and receive eternal life. Jesus says, “No one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.”In other words, Jesus was God. Yet He came into this world in human form. He reveals God to us, died as a sacrificial lamb for the sins of men, and has risen from the dead. Our God is holy and just; He cannot simply ignore our sin as if it were harmless. Something had to happen so that God’s wrath against our sin could be averted. Jesus Christ died on the cross as a sacrificial lamb for our sin. In doing so, He appeased God’s wrath regarding our sin.We can now receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit if we repent of our sin and believe in Jesus’ sacrificial death and His resurrection. I would like to share the conversion story of Charles Spurgeon—an influential revivalist preacher who ministered in England during the second half of the 19th century. It was January 6, 1850; Spurgeon was not yet 16 years old. We can read his own account of this event: <On a Sunday morning… I visited a nearby church to attend a service. ... There were about 12 to 15 people in the church. …The preacher began his sermon something like this: “My friends, this Bible verse is actually very simple. It says: ‘Look to Him!’ Looking requires no effort. You don’t need to lift your feet or even your fingers—just look! You don’t need to go to university to learn how to look. …But the verse says: ‘Look to Me!’ Many of you are looking at yourselves. But that won’t help you; you cannot find peace that way. Some look to God the Father. But no—look to Jesus.”After the lay preacher had spoken for about 10 minutes, he ran out of things to say. He then looked at me… He fixed his eyes upon me and said, as if he knew all my thoughts:“Young man, you look in a very bad way.” ... He continued: “And you will remain miserable for the rest of your life—right up until your death—if you do not obey this Bible verse. But if you obey this word of Scripture now, you will be saved immediately.”… Up until that moment, I had been expecting that I would have to do fifty different things. But then I heard his cry: “Look!” What a captivating word that was for me! I looked to Jesus on the cross, as if my eyes had been set free from myself.The dark clouds vanished, and I beheld the glorious sunlight. I was spiritually resurrected. With a heart full of gratitude, I sang of the precious blood of Christ. Simple faith is purely a grace from God.> May God help you to look upon Jesus on the cross with the eyes of faith. We can view John 3:16 as the core of God’s thoughts regarding us, God loves us deeply, and for this reason, He sacrificed His Son for our salvation—so that all who believe in Him might be saved, become children of God, and enter the kingdom of heaven. The Bible says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).In this verse, “the world” refers to all people on earth; God loves both believers and unbelievers. The Bible teaches us that God loves everyone—the wicked just as much as the good. That is why He desires to save all people and make them His own children. God wishes to spare all people from condemnation; He wants us to believe in His love, accept His salvation, and enjoy eternal life. He desires for us to be filled with joy in His love. God loves everyone—regardless of skin color, language, or origin. He wants to save as many people as possible and make them His children. For this reason, God sacrificed His only begotten Son for us.The term “only begotten Son” refers to God becoming a human. God sacrificed Himself so that our debt could be paid. God saw our suffering and sought to save us. Yet, His death for our salvation involved great pain. He sacrificed His Son—that is, Himself—for our guilt. In the person of Jesus, God took our punishment upon Himself; He endured the shedding of blood, death, and hell. Through the execution of divine judgment upon Christ, we have been set free from sin and hell.  Let us return to John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”The core message of the entire Bible is the Gospel. The central theme of the Gospel is God’s love for us. When we believe in the Gospel, we are saved, become children of God, receive eternal life, and enter the kingdom of heaven. Why is this the greatest blessing for us?Is it because we have been set free from the power of death? Because we have become children of God and possess eternal life? Or because we enter the kingdom of heaven? Certainly, these are all valid reasons for our happiness. Yet, the greatest blessing of the Gospel is that God loves us deeply and is always with us—both here on earth and in the kingdom of heaven. God loves us dearly. He saves us, accompanies us, and leads us into the kingdom of heaven. That is why the 13th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians says:“2 And if I could speak prophetically, knew all mysteries, and possessed all knowledge—and if I had faith that could move mountains—but did not have love, then I would be nothing. 3 And if I gave away all my possessions to the poor and let my body be burned—but did not have love—then it would profit me nothing at all.13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:2–3, 13). While we live on this earth, the dear Lord Jesus accompanies us through the Holy Spirit until we reach the kingdom of heaven. Thus, God’s Word states in Genesis 28:15:“And behold, I am with you and will protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not forsake you until I have done everything I have promised you” (Genesis 28:15).What is the heavenly fellowship with the Lord like? The Apostle John describes our heavenly fellowship with the Lord in heaven in Revelation 21:1–4:“1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying: ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men! And He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them—their God.’ 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore; for the former things have passed away.” May God pour out His Spirit and His love into our hearts, so that we may fully enjoy fellowship with the dear Lord and make a joyful journey all the way to heaven. Amen!