John 3:16

Ahoj! (hello)
How are you all on this Monday morning? I blogged this verse yesterday, but I somehow hit a button when I was selecting what I'd written so I could print it and it all disappeared. I was too tired to start all over, so here goes.
I know that you're all familiar with this verse and probably have it memorized. What I want to concentrate on is two things: God loves us and that He gave His Son as our Savior so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him. He loves us, sacrificially; unconditionally; forever. Have you thought about that recently?
There is some teaching out there that God choses some to be saved and some for condemnation in hell. So, let's look at verses 17 and 18. Verse 17 teaches that the Son didn't come to condemn, but to save. As the Savior of the world, that means: everyone who believes. How do I know this? Read verse 18: Whoever believes in Him is not codemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
Whoever believes tells us salvation is offered to everyone. Do you also realize that before you trusted Christ as your Savior, that you were already condemned? We are born with a sinful nature, we deserve condemnation. But, Christ's death, burial and resurrection, then our trusting what He has done, takes us from condemnation to salvation. It's our choice where we spend eternity.
When we were living in Czech, because we identified ourselves as missionaries, we were automatically aligned by the Czech people with the Jehovah's Witnesses. We stood condemned by the people because they didn't like the Witnesses because they would go door to door and that was not culturally sensitive. When we shared with those that asked us that we weren't J. W.'s, that condemnation melted away.
How are you identified? With Christ? Do people know that you are saved? Do they see a difference in your life? There's freedom in Christ because we have 'passed from death to life' because of Christ's death on the cross. So live like you're saved so people can see and know that they too can live a life that is free from condemnation. Romans 8:1 teaches us:Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus: Freedeom in Christ.

Not condemned,
Sandy