God’s Heart For All People
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NASB
The verse above is the essence of the Gospel. The Gospel means good news, and it’s God’s plan to save us from eternal separation from Him.
Our imperfections separated us from God’s perfection. And because of that, we could not have a personal relationship with Him. Knowing that we could not get to Him on our own, God sent Jesus to us to make things right. Jesus did what no one else could do—He lived a perfect life, He died for us, and then He conquered death by coming back to life. It’s His resurrection that led to our reconciliation with God—and that’s good news!
Here are a three key things to remember about the Gospel:
God Loves Everyone
John 3:16 doesn’t say that God loved some of the people in the world. It says He loves the world … that means everyone who inhabits it. God’s heart is for all people. The Gospel is for everyone.
God Wants Everyone
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 NASB
Jesus has promised to come back for His people—and God always keeps His promises. We might grow impatient waiting for Him to return, but we can take comfort in knowing that His waiting is for our benefit. He wants to give everyone an opportunity to know Him personally.
God Sends Everyone
The last thing Jesus told His followers before He returned to heaven was to go and make disciples everywhere. We aren’t all called to other countries, but we are all called to share His good news with everyone we know.
There are people who need the love and hope we have in Jesus. So if Jesus is our Savior, then let’s live like it. Let’s offer our praise to God for who He is, and worship Him through the way we live our lives. Let’s ask Him to help us see how much He loves everyone.
As we patiently wait for God to return, let us purposefully live each day for His glory.
That’s why we’re here.
“These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your's also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. ...