John 3:16, 5of7

~ Be His Valentine ~

The person who first noticed the following acrostic is unknown to me.

V  ~  For God so loVed the world,

A  ~  that He gAve

L    ~  His onLy

E    ~  begottEn

N  ~  SoN,

T    ~  That whosoever

I    ~  believeth In Him

N   ~ should Not perish

E   ~  but have Everlasting life. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that …

… the very Creator of the universe loves you and wants to be your Valentine!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

John 3:16, 4of7

~ The Greatest Gift ~

The author of the following is unknown to me.

John 3:16  ~  THE GREATEST GIFT

For God  ~  THE GREATEST LOVER

so loved  ~  THE GREATEST DEGREE

the world  ~  THE GREATEST COMPANY

that He gave  ~  THE GREATEST ACT

His only begotten Son  ~  THE GREATEST GIFT

that whosoever  ~  THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY

believeth  ~  THE GREATEST SIMPLICITY

in Him  ~  THE GREATEST ATTRACTION

should not perish  ~  THE GREATEST PROMISE

but  ~  THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE

have  ~  THE GREATEST CERTAINTY

eternal life  ~  THE GREATEST POSSESSION

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

John 3:16, 3of7

~ A Different Rendition ~

The author of the following is unknown to me.

FOR GOD the Lord of earth and heaven

SO LOVED and longed to see forgiven

THE WORLD in sin and pleasure mad,

THAT HE GAVE the greatest gift He had—

HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON—to take our place

THAT WHOSOEVER oh, what grace!

BELIEVETH placing simple trust

IN HIM the Righteous and the Just

SHOULD NOT PERISH lost in sin

BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE in Him.  

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

John 3:16, 2of7

~ The Gospel in a Nutshell ~

The person who first noticed the following acrostic is unknown to me.

G  ~  for God so loved the world,

O  ~  that He gave His Only begotten

S  ~  Son, that whosoever believeth

P  ~  in Him should not Perish

E  ~  but have Everlasting

L  ~  Life.

~~~~~~~~~  

This well-known verse contains a summary of the entire Bible. It contains the entire Gospel—the Good News! The good news is that salvation of mankind has been provided at the Cross of Calvary. Because of the Cross all who trust in the substitutionary death (Christ’s death to pay the penalty of our sin which is our death) are redeemed (bought back). We were created by our Creator. Sin entered and separated us from our rightful owner. Our owner/Creator bought us back / redeemed us.

Consider what is presented in just 25 words.

The Target of Redemption  ~  All who truly believe / trust Jesus Christ.

The Source of Our Redemption  ~  God’s love!

The Cost of Our Redemption  ~  God’s Son.

The Process of Our Redemption  ~  The sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The Acceptance of Our Redemption  ~  Belief in Jesus Christ and His atoning work on our behalf.

The Result of Our Redemption  ~  Escape eternal punishment and gain eternal life with Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that…

God’s Only Son Perished that you might have Eternal Life!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

John 3:16, 1of7

~ Good News—Bad News ~

the good news:  Every year around the world millions of people celebrate Easter.

the bad news:  Millions of these same people do not fully understand who the risen Christ is and the impact of His bodily resurrection.

the good news:  Many who celebrate Easter wear new clothing.

the bad news:  Many who wear new clothing at Easter do not realize the symbolism of their new appearance in God’s eyes—If they are Christians they are viewed by God as wearing a robe of Christ’s righteousness. “Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it” (Philippians 3:8-11, The Message, emphasis added). 

the good news:  After His resurrection Jesus Christ was seen by many individuals on many occasions.  On one such occasion over 500 eyewitnesses saw Him at once (1 Corinthians 15:6).

the bad news:  Many still do not understand that the historical reality of Jesus Christ and His resurrection has more historical proof than any other event in or near the same time period.

the good news:  In “Christian” countries John 3:16 is the best known single verse in the Bible.

the bad news:  The message of John 3:16 has been fully appreciated by only a small fraction of those who can quote the verse.

the good news:  John 3:16 presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ—which has direct relevance to your life today.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that…

God’s Only Son Perished that you might have Eternal Life!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW