When I was young, I used to think that John 3:16 had something to do with football after seeing people holding signs at games with that verse written on them. The signs with the John 3:16 verse were made popular by a guy who showed up to many major sporting events and positioned himself strategically to get on TV. He was trying to spread the Gospel in his own unique way and it worked. The verse basically sums up the Christian message in saying, “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish, but might have eternal life.”
I was talking with someone once who had the opinion that God only loves certain people. God doesn’t just love some of us, He loves everyone. As a parent, I can relate to this. If my kids did something very bad, I would be disappointed and hurt, but I would still love them and want them to change their ways. There is a lot of talk about the pain that a soul goes through when it goes to Hell and is eternally separated from God. However, have we ever thought that God might suffer the pain of loss for that person as well? After all, God will not get to be with that soul for all of eternity. I would think that it would feel like a child who decided to leave the family in order to pursue personal desires.
God could have sent His son to wipe out all of the evil from the world and punish those who sin. However, this would have meant punishing all of us. We are all guilty of sin and evil, but God didn’t want to condemn us. He sought to save the whole world through Jesus. It’s so easy to retaliate and administer justice, but it’s much harder to rehabilitate people, correct the mistakes of those who committed wrong, and change the world for the better. God wants to save as many people as possible, because He loves each and every one of us.
John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be condemned…” Believing in Jesus is more than just believing that He exists. Satan also believes that Jesus exists and look where he is. Believing in Jesus means not only believing that He is who He says He is, but also believing in what He teaches and preaches. If we want to develop a relationship with someone, we first need to be able to trust that person. St. Maria Faustina Kowalska received visions from Jesus. In the visions, Jesus told her, “I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful heart.” He instructed her to have an image of Him painted along with the words, “Jesus, I trust in you,” to help the world come to see God’s mercy. When we trust Jesus, we are allowing ourselves to become more conformed to His will. He will nourish us, heal us, and lead us to Him if we let Him.
