For God so loved the world- what an amazing thing! That would have been a radical concept in the first century. The Greek, Roman and other gods weren’t worried about human beings. In the stories told of these gods, they had their own lives, their own power, and weren’t particularly interested in the goings on among human beings, unless it was to toy with humans, punish them or unintentionally cause havoc in human lives as they went about their godly business. The main relationship between humans and these gods was for humans to appease the gods, in order to protect themselves or to win favour and blessing.
For God so loved the world – that is actually a radical concept today. While we have been told as Christians for 2,000 years that God loves us, that God is love, we still tend toward the idea that we have to appease God, earn God’s love, measure up in some way, or work hard to prove ourselves. It is so hard for us to believe that God just loves us.
An often quoted Bible verse is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that God gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.” So often this is read as judgement, in spite of the fact that the verse begins with “For God so loved the world.” The world – for God so loved the world – that’s everything and everyone. God is on our side, working for us, cheering for us, loving us. We don’t have to do anything to earn that love – God loves us! Unconditionally! Eternally!