"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)
Yes, it is John 3 day in my quarterly Gospel reading. I wrote a note some years ago that the word for, "loved," here in the Greek is in the verb form. God's love manifested in the Cross of Jesus is "doing-for-us" love. I repeat what I have said and written many times that the best translation of John 3:16 is: "For God thus loved the world: He gave...." It is very much akin to the passage in 1 John 4:9, "In this the love of God was manifested, that God has sent His Only Begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." Verbs rule.
Again, most people think it is, "God sooooooooooo loved the world." There is no degree in, "agape." When the KJV writers chose, "charity," to translate, "agape," in 1 Corinthians 13, they made a good choice. Too many think of love as all the songs and Hollywood, an emotional feeling, swooning over someone, warmth. I'm sure there is something of this in the Love of God. But if you and I and the world want to understand something of the "nature" of the love of Jesus, think of what, "charity," means. Webster's defines it as, "a gift for public benefit purposes."
So, since I am called today to fulfill, "In this the love of God was manifested...," I must not just say love, but manifest love. We could say: This is how the Followers of Jesus love the world: They give.
Father, in Jesus' Name, may my love always be a doing love. Amen.
Yes, it is John 3 day in my quarterly Gospel reading. I wrote a note some years ago that the word for, "loved," here in the Greek is in the verb form. God's love manifested in the Cross of Jesus is "doing-for-us" love. I repeat what I have said and written many times that the best translation of John 3:16 is: "For God thus loved the world: He gave...." It is very much akin to the passage in 1 John 4:9, "In this the love of God was manifested, that God has sent His Only Begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." Verbs rule.
Again, most people think it is, "God sooooooooooo loved the world." There is no degree in, "agape." When the KJV writers chose, "charity," to translate, "agape," in 1 Corinthians 13, they made a good choice. Too many think of love as all the songs and Hollywood, an emotional feeling, swooning over someone, warmth. I'm sure there is something of this in the Love of God. But if you and I and the world want to understand something of the "nature" of the love of Jesus, think of what, "charity," means. Webster's defines it as, "a gift for public benefit purposes."
So, since I am called today to fulfill, "In this the love of God was manifested...," I must not just say love, but manifest love. We could say: This is how the Followers of Jesus love the world: They give.
Father, in Jesus' Name, may my love always be a doing love. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
