The Salvation of the World

In the Gospel of John, a respected religious leader came to Jesus by night. Why the clandestine meeting? Because the religious leader, a man named Nicodemus, could hardly risk his reputation among his peers by being seen with the rabble-rousing rabbi from Galilee. It would have ruined him, so he came secretly.

Under the cover of darkness the two men had a conversation – captured in John 3 – that provided for us one of the most practical and beautiful explanations of Jesus’ life, work, and mission. Picking up at verse 16, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible, Jesus said, “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!”

This…