The Fourth Sunday of Advent - Love

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16, KJV

Love. It permeates the Word of God. If you enter "love" in the search field of Bible Hub, it returns 1118 verses. 1 Corinthians 13 is called "The Chapter of Love", because it helps define what love truly is. On this, the Fourth and Final Sunday of Advent, we light the Fourth Candle, the Candle of Love. For Christmas is the time when God became Man in the person of Jesus, a tiny, helpless baby born in a place of humility. It is the time when God provided to us - to ALL of us - a means to become one with him again: to become his children. 

How many of us can recite John 3:16 by memory, or identify it as soon as it's read? Or how about when we used to see the multi-colored wigged man at NFL games with the big "JOHN 3:16" sign? Other than the 23rd Psalm, John 3:16 is probably the best-known and most often recited scripture in The Bible. And we most likely tend to quote or think of the well-known KJV translation at the beginning of this post, with its poetic wording. But I wish to share with you two other translations that say the same thing in a way that is not only easier to understand, but for me, changes the entire perception of how God loved the world, that He loved us: 

"Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life." - John 3:16, ERV

Wow! For me, the archaic "For God so loved the world" just doesn't present to me the vastness of God's love. But being told that "God love the world so much that he gave his only Son..." does. When we are kids we often ask our parents how much they love us, and our parents may hold their arms open wide as a way of illustrating how much love they have for us. But when I read that God loved the world "so much" that he gave his only Son - that he sent Jesus to be the bridge between ourselves and Him - well, that has a greater impact on me. 

Another translation has "For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16, CSB. This translation shows us that God's way of demonstrating His love for us was the giving of His Son. That, too, is powerful. 

As we approach Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, let us not forget the measure of God's love for us, demonstrated in the giving of His Son. And let us believe and hope in the promise of everlasting life through Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Soli Deo Gloria