There is a saying that you catch more bees with honey than you do with vinegar. That saying comes to mind for me as I think about John 3:17, because sometimes, as Christians, we can lean a little more towards the judgement of God rather than the love he has for us.
This verse tends to get lost behind the more popular preceding verse of John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but live forever.” And while that is true there is more. Jesus came out of God’s immense love for us and desire for us to come into relationship with Him and it is because of love that he doesn’t come condemning us. There is no proverbial big stick that Jesus holds over our heads as he points out every single thing that we have ever done wrong. He comes in love, that despite all our sin he still wants us because we are precious to Him.
And as we share this wonderful Saviour with the world we share a love that doesn’t condemn and belittle but a love that restores and redeems.
by Kalesha Peters
