@Angelina Great summary of the Gospel, right? :)
Well, it is no doubt an incredibly beautiful Bible verse, but this verse only tells us of the Purpose of Christ. John 3:16, however, does not tell us what the Belief is, and what takes place within the Heart of a person when True Salvation begins.
The most Powerful set of passages . . . within the entire Bible, rest within Colossians 2:9-15. For it is in this set of passages where Paul speaks of how the Old Testament teachings of the Lord giving us new Hearts and Spirits, that it will be Himself who performs this Holy Operation of Christ. These seven verses show us the Work of Christ, which is necessary for Salvation. I was in the "church" for nearly 50 years before the Lord woke me up and taught me . . . that the Church is not teaching the most important passages within the Entire Bible.
These seven verses teach that the Sinful State, or Condition of a person, must be removed. This is Circumcision of the Heart. Without this Hope Operation of God, a person will remain under the Curse of Adam and Eve . . . the entire and core problem of the Bible. Verse ten states that because of this Operation, and the sending of the Holy Spirit, and having their sinful debt paid, that person is THEN made whole and complete in Christ. Having been Circumcised of this Curse, Jesus publicly humiliated Satan and his minions, for they were defeated the moment that the Curse of Adam and Eve had been lifted, for it is through this Curse that fear, shame, and guilt are birthed. And, they are birthed by the Devil.
Until a person receives the Circumcision of Christ, that person's Father will remain to be the Devil until that person tears out his Heart and offers it to Jesus.
Until we decide to take our heads out of the sand and recognize that Colossians 2:9-15 is the utter Key to understanding nearly every page of the Bible, Holy Truth will remain elusive (though we won't realize it). The two best translations for understanding the Doctrine of Circumcision, are the NLT and KJV. Putting the two together is eye-opening. Here they are, beginning with the beautiful NLT translation.
Colossians 2:9-15 NLT - "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
Colossians 2:9-15 KJV - "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And
ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also
ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off
the body of the sins of the flesh
by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith
of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, hath
he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and
took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 [And] having
spoiled principalities and powers, he
made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."
These seven verses are so critical, for they provide the answers to nearly every critical point of the Bible. Do yourself the biggest favor in the world, and read the Bible according to a timeline, chronological order . . . you will be blown away after a decent study of Colossians 2:9-15. The first clue that you will likely see is the answer to why Adam and Eve were booted out of the Garden as soon as the Lord answered Himself regarding the eating from the Tree of Life.
Genesis 3:22-24 NLT - "Then the LORD God said, "Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!" 23 So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."
The most important Bible verses to know are, without a doubt, Colossians 2:9-15. Studying them will unfold the entire Bible. And you will be shocked.