Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: John 3-4
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Such simple words. But such are the ways of the Lord. Simple. Make no doubt, God is complicated, so much so that no human can out think Him, out plan Him, out work Him, or out guess Him. Isaiah said as much: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9. But to communicate His ways, the Lord uses simple words. Words easy to understand, yet concepts that are un-understandable with purely human comprehension.
John chapter three contains easy, simple words that teach eternal truths that are impossible to totally grasp, but readily able to receive by faith. Think about the Bible like this. A person finds themselves living in a wilderness area wherein there is no other person: no church, no pastor, no past recollection of spiritual lessons and no books, tv’s, or electronic media of any sort. In this remote area this person finds a Bible. They begin to read it cover to cover. Some things are difficult to read and impossible to fully comprehend. But then they get to the New Testament, perhaps even the book of John. There they read chapter three.
They read of everlasting life, which is something they begin to desire. They may not have even known that there was a possibility to live eternally. But here it is, offered so simply. John 3:16 sums it all up for that person. God loves them. God gave His Son for them. If they believe in Him, they will obtain eternal life. Simple right!
They also read the phrase “born again” and wonder. This chapter explains it all. There is a fleshly birth and a spiritual birth. The fleshly birth is of water, the spiritual birth of the Spirit. No other verses anywhere in the Bible are needed to understand this, for it is clear in its context. The key is belief. Their belief.
The reader has already read about Moses in the wilderness raising up that brass serpent in Numbers 21. He put that brass serpent on a pole and anyone who was bitten by the serpent only had to look upon that brass serpent and they would live. Likewise, by looking unto Jesus by faith those who are under the sentence of death are allowed to live eternally.
John testified of these things, for he is recorded as saying in the last verse of chapter 3: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Again, simple words that cannot be confused unless by wrong intentions.
John the Baptist did say one thing that the modern-day scripture explainer may try to explain away. He said, …A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. (John 3:27) John who said this is the man sent from God, it could be said sent from heaven where God dwells. John 1:6, There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. John was sent from God, the Spirit was sent from God, Jesus was sent by God, and though there is no time nor space to prove it in this short devotion, the Bible, the Word of God was sent from heaven too. These all agree. Eternal life is within one’s free will to choose wherein to place their faith. For the message that came from God, from heaven, is simply this: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15)
Simple words that teach a simple truth. Simple enough for even the weakest of minds, like mine, to understand.
Dr. William T. Howe
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