The Contract!

“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 AMP

God so greatly loved and prized the world: in all the versions of this verse, God's love is ALWAYS presented in terms of its value, scope and depth. In several versions, the word SO is used to explain the love of God. We use so as a subordinating conjunction to introduce clauses of result or decision. This part explains the rest of the verse. If I know and fully understand what I have been given, it will help me know how to respond, and it also makes it clear what the end result of whatever my decision is. 

The whole world is the focus of his love. No one is exempt, no matter what they may have done. It can be difficult to let go of pain and hurt but think of a God who knew what would happen to His son, yet gave him up anyway. For the first time and of course the last time, even God looked away from his son as he bore our sin on the cross. Is that a love we want to take for granted, ignore or belittle? I cannot love the people of the world more than the God who loved it this much, but I can depend on God to let his love flow in and through me to touch other people. 

The major difference between the love of God and the love the world understands is that word: GAVE. You see, life is defined by value. The problem is always with what the world calls value, and what the Word of God calls value. The world defines its value by the things that is physically acquired, but God defines value by what he gave. All who will have true value therefore must align with God's view of value. 

It was this idea of value that laid the foundation for what God gave. The physical is required for life, but the phyiscal only has true value when it is based on this foundation. Until that foundation is laid, every other thing I lay hold of is a waste of time. That he gave his only begotten Son: He could have given anything else, but so that the world will know the extent of his love, he gave his best: that which is of himself. Jesus is called God the Son, so God offered himself to the world as the path to salvation. He knew that nobody else could do it, not even the blood of bulls and goats, so he gave himself. I note that this is a one-time offer, valid for all time. No need for repeat offerings. It was sufficient the first time around to deal with the problem of the world, which is sin. The cross is the start point for the walk of eternity. If i will lay hold of all that Christ, i must start from he place of total submission to the will of God, which is the cross. 

(Whosoever believeth shall not perish): the contract ( offer and the acceptance) : in law, there is something called offer and acceptance, which makes a valid contract. When you go into a shop and see the prices of goods, once you take the goods to the checkout, you are accepting the offer of the prices that you have seen. If you go to the shops were prices are negotiable, when you make a request to pay a different price than what is advertised, what you are doing is making a counter offer, which the seller has a choice to accept or reject. We have an offer here, which is the Son of God. To accept it, I have to believe and trust in him as Saviour. 

You see, that distinction is very important. Until I accept him as Saviour, I have not accepted the offer. I cannot make a counter offer and ask God to take something different; he has already made it clear that no other offer will work, no matter how much we are willing to pay for it. That is why works does not stand alone, it is believing in him that is the key to the offer. My confessing him as my Lord and Saviour can evwn be considered as 'works' based on my faith in Christ. Taking him as provider alone is fine, but it is not enough. Taking him as healer is not enough. I have to start from the premise of salvation. Before he can be my friend, he first wants to be my Saviour and I believe that is why the word Saviour is used in this verse. 

I cannot outgive God. There is nothing in my hands right now, or at any time, that can adequately compensate God for what he has given. He has so done it so that nothing of the physical can weigh the same measure as what he has given, and the only thing that counts is the totality of my life. It is that surrender that is difficult, but it is the sacrifice that tells God that I appreciate all he has done and given me. I am saying to God: thank you for what you gave; I am giving back to you that which you came to die for. He did not die solely for me to acquire cars and houses, which is good, but he died so that I can have true life: the type that does not end. 

Shall have eternal life (the result): it is believing gives me eternal life. Is that not strange? If God makes you an offer and says that for you to get all he is, that is all you have to do, why should I make life difficult for myself? Why can't I simply take God at his word and try him out? What do I stand to lose? If I have tried other options and have not yet found peace, why not try God today? If there is anything I know, it is that no one comes to God and is cast away. The offer is to the whole world, no matter what the past could have been or what the present looks like now. Praying for eternal life and saying Amen is not really the final answer. If i shout "I receive"; without the right action, I will not get the right result. As we have seen, there is a need for a decision. That decision has to do with how I respond to the gift that has been given: the decision must be to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. He is the reason for this season. God's time of favour is here.