For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17 NLT
Again, he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” John 20:21 NLT
John 3:16-17 is a beautifully eloquent statement of God’s love for humans. He loves the entire world so greatly that He gave His one and only Son as the one and only perfect sacrifice who could pay for the sins of the world. God’s love was so magnanimous that He didn’t send Jesus into the world to easily identify our sins and judge us for them. He sent Jesus to be our loving, forgiving Savior. The love of Jesus is limitless.
These two verses not only show us the greatest love the world will ever know, but they also show us the way we are to participate in the mission for the world. Throughout His ministry with His disciples, He taught them through His words and the way He lived that they were to share His MESSAGE through the METHOD He gave them, the example of winning love. Jesus didn’t come pointing out their sins; He came demonstrating His love. That made Him irresistible to them. They were willing to leave everything to follow Him into a life they didn’t begin to understand.
Our situations today are somewhat different and greatly improved. Because of the passing on of the message of Jesus faithfully through the years, and primarily because we have been called to follow Jesus after His sacrificial death and powerful resurrection, we understand that His mission for coming was to seek and to save the lost. We must pick that up as our mission too. As the Father sent Him, so Jesus is sending us to the world He loves.
Likewise, as the Father sent Him to seek and save, we don’t do it as kingdom agents, looking for enemies to hunt down and bring in. We do it with the non-judgmental, attractive, irresistible love of Jesus. Yes, Jesus said correctly judging was sometimes a job for His people, but that judging was to be in the house or the family of God, to help us grow in the direction of Christlikeness. Our method to win the world is limitless love as Jesus has loved us. A meme on social media asks, “When was the last time you saw someone judged or criticized into following Jesus? That’s right, Never.” It’s only His love that makes enemies friends. It’s only His love that saves the world, one at a time.
- Whom do I judge and criticize more than I love? Lord, help me identify these people and groups, and then love them as You love me. For Your sake and for the world.