John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

I am sure every Christian is familiar with John 3:16. Its the amazing news that Jesus tells us about how much God loves us.

I asked this question during a group meeting one evening. I asked if that was enough to be saved? Is doing what is stated enough to have eternal life? I got several answers, some saying that is not enough and we have to live our lives right as well. Some says we have to obey the 10 commandments as well in order to have salvation.

But to me, John 3:16 is enough for salvation. Jesus himself said it so. Believe in Him and you will have eternal life. Afterall, no good works can earn you a place in heaven.

So, is that all that is required? Some people might say but that sounds too simple? Other might say that is too easy or too good to be true.

Do you remember meeting your girlfriend or the times you both went dating? haha! I dun know but i imagine you would always want to see her everyday. Even if it is only for a while right? You just want her to be part of your life everyday. Then when you know what she likes to eat or wear, you will start buying her things or doing certain things you know she would like. Seeing her smile makes it all worth and all the time, you feel its hardly any trouble at all.

I know my cousin's boyfriend waited like 5 hours for her. haha! She was working and he was waiting at her workplace for 5 hours so he can go and accompany her to have dinner and then send her home. =) So nice right? My cousin was so touched by his actions and it made her love him even more. But my question is what makes someone do all that or behave like this? I know that Singaporeans cannot even wait for 5 minutes, let alone 5 hours. So, why would this guy wait 5 hours and yet felt happy doing it?

Well, it is all because of love. Love makes people turn 180 degrees. Love changes people. Love makes people do things willingly. Love makes people value others more than themselves.

So back to my question earlier. Is John 3:16 enough?

Well, if you believe in Jesus and what He did on the cross for us, then you believe that God loves us so much. Then, when you realise how much God loves you and what He has done for you, it humbles you. The Bible says God loves us first and because we believe that, we cannot help but love Him back for all He has done for us. So, if you love God, you will turn 180 degress. You will change your lifestyle. You will see things differently and you will want to do all that is good. Its automatically done. You dun have to force yourself to do it, you dun have to remind yourself to do it but you just want to do it. Like my cousin's boyfriend, willingly, he will wait 5 hours for her. He just wanted, compelled if you like, to do it. If he could turn back time, he would still do it and still wait 5 hours for her because he loves her.

So, that is what it is to believe and like John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Salvation is given freely. Will you accept God's love and the salvation that He has given to us?

Praise God!

Amen