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Problems with John 3:16

There are some problems with John 3:16 that have misguided people for ages. The good news is that the problem is not with the verse itself. So…take a deep breath….breathe. I am not here to condemn it or argue against its powerful message.

What I am saying is that there are problems with how some have used it to “lead people to Jesus.” The problem is all in the presentation. We should not be lulled into thinking that the only reason we “accept Jesus” to just so that we can go to Heaven.

Heaven is not a commodity. Heaven is not a time-share program. Heaven is not this “vacation get-away” resort for the after-life. Yes, I want to spend eternity in Heaven, but that is not my sole motivation for accepting Jesus into my life.

I accepted Jesus because I finally understood who He was and all that He did for me. I accepted Jesus because I wanted Jesus. I accepted Jesus because I wanted to live for Him and fulfill His purpose for my life.

The way John 3:16 has been used almost seems like the same process Best-Buy or other retail stores have used to try and sell customers their extended warranty programs for their electronics and appliances. Just “believe these truths about Jesus” and “poof”…. “wha-lah…you’re now going to Heaven when you die.”

So, the problem with John 3:16 is that it is presented as the finish line instead of the starting line of our spiritual life. In a nut-shell, we hear it time and time again: “All is bad. I am a sinner. Jesus is the Savior. Believe in Him. All is good.” Well….that’s it?

No…that’s not “it” and that is not all. As I said before, it is just the beginning. When we accept Jesus, we not only become “born again,” but we become Disciples. We begin the process of changing and becoming more and more like Jesus while helping others to discover Jesus and accept Him as well.

Accepting Jesus is only the beginning….not the end. We don’t accept Jesus and then “go back to what we were doing” as if we don’t have to worry anymore “now that we’re going to go to Heaven.” That’s not why Jesus died on the cross.

We accept Jesus because we want to be forgiven and restored back into a loving, personal and intimate relationship with God our Father. We want Jesus because He is the Way who shows us the way. We want Jesus because He is the Truth that reveals all truth to us. We want Jesus because He is the life who gives us life. We want Jesus because He is the one who died for us so that we could have purpose, hope, and life eternally with Him now and after death.

So, what do we do? I think one of the solutions is the “other John 3:16!” In 1 John 3:16, it says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” Once we accept Jesus, we need to pour out our lives for Him and for the sake of others.

One of the most compelling ways the world can know the love of God is to experience that love through those who claim to love Him. The most compelling way to prove to the world that Jesus really is “the way, and the truth and the life” (John 14:6) is to live our lives fully surrendered to Jesus by living an obedient, holy, humble and godly life.

Salvation is not a “fire insurance policy” that guarantees we won’t go to Hell when we die. Salvation is not the finish line so that when we “accept Jesus” we can now “sit back and relax” because we have “punched our ticket” and will be “going to Heaven.”

Maybe it is a good time to step back and contemplate why we accepted Jesus and realize, once and for all, that it is much more than to ensure we get to go to Heaven. Maybe it is to realize that “John 3:16” isn’t the finish line and we’re still standing here at the starting line needing to “get going” in becoming Disciples and more like Jesus. Let us all embrace our response to John 3:16 and live fully surrendered lives for Jesus.

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