November 7, 2023

John 3: 17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (NIV)

Too often I’m afraid we want to extend mercy only to those whom we deem deserving.*

There are two kinds of law enforcement: 1) catching and punishing law-breakers; and 2) preventing people from breaking the law in the first place. When God sent his Son into the world, he didn’t do it to make the bad guys pay. And, because he gave us free will, preventing us from breaking his law was not the plan either. So it was his purpose to save us from the consequences of our sin.

Sometimes we enjoy it when people get caught doing bad things. Have you ever cheered when someone driving like a madman gets pulled over by the police? As a child, did you ever snicker when your sibling got into trouble? Well, God isn’t like that. In this passage, Jesus himself tells us that God didn’t send his Son into the world to condemn it but to save it. Does that sound like someone who likes to see the guilty get what’s coming to them?

In the case of the law-breaker, there are ways to avoid paying the price for your crime: bribery; corruption; not enough evidence. Or . . . someone else could stand accused and confess guilt for the crime you committed. If you want Jesus to do that for you, believe in him. . . And there goes your condemnation.

If I care to listen, I hear a loud whisper from the gospel that I did not get what I deserved. I deserved punishment and got forgiveness. I deserved wrath and got love. I deserved debtor’s prison and got instead a clean credit history. I deserved stern lectures and crawl-on-your-knees repentance; I got a banquet spread for me.*