John 3:16

John 3:16 states, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever belieth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  I am sure most of us have seen a sign at a sporting event that says John 3:16.  For the lost of the world, this may really mean nothing.  It refers to a scripture verse that many may not know, and some may not even know it is a scripture verse.  I am not saying there is anything wrong with this, but when we witness, we need make sure that people understand what we are saying.   This is our message to the world, that needs to be presented in a way that they understand what is actually being proclaimed.  As we look at this verse, we should be amazed that God still loves the world.  That includes everyone in the world.  He loves even those who are actively working against Him. He loved the world enough to send His only begotten Son to die for everyone, each and every individual.  I have read a translation recently that left "begotten" out.  It no longer says the same thing without it.  We are told through Christ we become sons and daughters of God, but we do not become God.  Jesus, the only begotten Son is the only One Who can make that claim.  Whosoever belieth in Him means none are excluded, if they believe He is their Savior.  That does not mean someone else's Savior, but the Savior of each person individually who would be His. Everlasting life means simply that, life that will never end.  We do not have eternal life, one without beginning or end, since Jesus as God alone is without beginning.  We were born and had our beginning, but Jesus always was.  This does not mean we should avoid saying eternal life, only that we should recognize the difference.  It is only one short verse, but it is the key to salvation.  If we do not believe God did this for us, the rest of the Bible is immaterial.  It is only through belief in this verse, John 3:16, that we are restored to God.