The Holy Bible and Christianity
“For God So Loved The World” is a verse from the Holy Bible. This article explains why that verse is central to the entire Bible.
The Holy Bible is our Creator’s way of letting us know who He is and what His attributes are. Further, it teaches us how the universe came in to existence and how we (mankind) came in to existence. And it teaches us that there are consequences for breaking the Creator’s law. And most importantly, for our eternal life, what the remedy is for breaking His law.
Men physically wrote the Holy Bible, but God inspired every word (instead of men logically deducing them). Ancient prophets and historians wrote the 66 sacred books that make up the Holy Bible. They wrote it over the course of approximately 1500 years. The 66 books written over 1500 years comprise one cohesive narrative.
Christianity is the only religion where God reaches down to man. All other religions require man to reach up to God through their own efforts. In Christianity, God came to earth as a man named Jesus, which means ‘God saves.’ People also called him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’
Mankind’s condition:
After God created the earth, He created the first two humans, Adam and Eve, and placed them in a garden. God cautioned Adam and Eve that their behavior had a boundary – God told them “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (It is important to understand that this command is allegorical – it has much deeper meaning than initially meets the eye.) Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Further unfortunate is that ALL of mankind since has been sinful. God tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We all do, think, and say bad things, which the Bible calls “sin.” Though mankind differs greatly in the nature and extent of our sinfulness, there is absolutely no difference between the best and the worst of us, in the fact that “all have sinned.”
Christianity is not a system of laws (do’s and don’ts) that we do to appease God. Rather, it is based on a relationship with God that is constructed by believing in Jesus/Immanuel and the work that He did to ‘save’ us from the consequences of our sin (see below). Christianity looks to the Holy Bible as the singular source of truth. Jesus/Immanuel told us “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” = Holy Bible, John 14:6
God’s solution for our sin:
It is important to understand that even though our sin is treachery in the eyes of God, He still loves mankind very much.
God wove His solution to our sin as a golden thread through all 66 books written over 1500 years. His solution to our sin is truly magnificent – it sets mankind free from all human effort to make restitution for our sins and get God’s approval. God’s solution is that God Himself paid the full price for our sins. This solution is summarized in the Holy Bible in the book of John chapter 3 verse 16 where it says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes upon Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
Believing in Immanuel/Jesus is the solution for our sin. The promise that we will ‘not perish but have eternal life’ in John 3:16 is a Divine gift that presents the most central truth of Divine revelation.
Forgiven and reconciled
Would you like to receive God’s forgiveness? We can’t earn salvation; God saves us by His grace when we have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. All you have to do is acknowledge your sinful condition, believe that Jesus/Immanuel died for your sins, and ask His forgiveness. Jesus Christ knows you and loves you. What matters to Him is the attitude of your heart, your honesty. We suggest praying the prayer below to accept Christ as your Savior.
PRAY NOW “Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Please guide my life and help me to do Your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Let it be so.”
What now?
- BibleGateway.com is a tremendous resource for developing an understanding of God and His message to us. I would recommend you start here: John 1 NLT – Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word – In – Bible Gateway. I encourage you to take your time. Don’t get frustrated if something doesn’t make sense to you—keep reading and return to the parts you didn’t understand at a later date. As I said above, God wrote all 66 books of the Bible as one cohesive whole, and He made it immensely deep in meaning. It is a book like no other.
- On YouTube, you can find Jon Courson, a gentleman who teaches about Jesus and His plan of salvation. If you scroll through his videos you should find one that piques your interest.
- Consider watching the video below.
“For God So Loved The World” is what sets us free from our sin debt.
I will be diligently praying for anyone that visits this page. Please listen for God – you won’t hear an audible voice but God will direct your thoughts and activities to give you an awareness of who He is.
Related content: Sins Forgiven