by Simon Bartlett
John 3:16…Almost everyone who is anyone can quote this verse… It is quite a profound verse and is a neat summary of the gospel. But that is the problem: too neat. There is something that I learned within evangelism that is quite helpful when witnessing. It is not sufficient enough to just tell people that God loves them. Although this is a significant message incorporated inside the gospel, it is not the point of the gospel.
Humans need to realise that although God has an everlasting, unconditional love for them, their relationship with him is not necessarily perfect. God does love each and every one of us but he cannot stand our sin. OUR SIN is the major problem with our relationship with God. John 3:17, talks about Jesus not being sent into the world to condemn the world but to offer salvation. But pointing out sin is the work of the Holy Spirit and helps us to realise what we have done wrong. God speaks to us through a still small voice. People need to hear that God loves them. There is a problem if that is all they hear, because if I were to tell you that I loved you, you would assume that everything between you and me is absolutely fine and it probably would be. But when we tell people that God loves them we are pointing them in the wrong direction. We need to show them that God does love them but there is a problem called sin that needs to be dealt with so that this relationship can flourish, grow and develop into a personal, loving and caring relationship.
Lord help us to proclaim your gospel with a full and comprehensive understanding of your love and the way our relationship with you is broken and how it can be fixed through your son’s amazing sacrifice on the cross.
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