The Manner of God's Love

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

This week I have been thinking about the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus and this is one sentence in Jesus’ discussion that has been used probably more than any other New Testament verse in the Bible and yet remains as mysterious as the day Jesus uttered it.  Most English translations are similar to the one above – “God so loved the world…” and many who share this verse think of the “so” as “so much” or the volume of God’s love– therefore the idea would be – “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son…”  Now it is possible that this is meaning but more likely the “so” means – “in this manner” or “in this way”.  If this is the case, the verse would go something like this – “God loved the world in this manner, He gave His only Son…”   The manner in which God showed His love or demonstrated His love or communicated His love is in the sacrifice of His one and only Son.  The Son who said, “I have come to do the will of my Father.”  The Son who is the only expressed image, exact representation, the “carbon copy” of the Father.  The Son who was the only one honored by the Father when He said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”   This is the One who was in the Beginning with God, who was with God, and who was God.  This is the One who did exactly as He had been instructed by the Father and did as He saw the Father do.  This ONE is God in the flesh, God with us, God the One and Only. 

And in this manner God loves the world – He sacrificed this ONE for someone like me?  For someone like you?  For someone like the people in this world?  This does not compute in our economy.  If I had the rarest, most brilliant, largest cut, and purest diamond in the world would I trade that diamond in for a diamond or diamonds less in value?  If you had the best or perfect of anything, would you give that up for anything that was of less value?  But we see in this verse that God loved the world in this manner – He gave up the ONE who was dearest, perfect, and of greatest value for something (someone) less.  He gave His Son for us.  This is a mystery and this is glorious and this is humility and this is love and this is only God. 

When I think on the way God loved us, I am changed in every way.  How could He love a wretch like me in this way?  How could He have his most Precious sacrificed for by far less significant sinners like you and me?  From man’s economy this would not add up.  But I am so thankful for God’s economy, an economy that we may never fully comprehend.  Who is like our God and who can compare to Him?  No one will ever figure Him out and all will rejoice in Him and praise and thank Him forever more.