THE ENTIRE GOSPEL IN A NUTSHELL

[Pearl]

#1 - "The Most Often Quoted Verse in the Bible" - John 3:16
=================================

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

If we ever memorize a verse of Scripture, it will most likely be John 3:16. It is the verse most often heard in the simplicity and beauty of a little child's voice proudly reciting it from memory. It is the one verse showing up on large placards at football games and other major sporting events. Those signs are located where television cameras cannot avoid its message. This is the one verse that has been spoken by many older saints as they breathed their final breath.

It is the entire gospel in a nutshell.

Angel Martinez, the late evangelist who had memorized the entire New Testament, referred to John 3:16 as salvation’s formula and observed that it contained four very insightful truths. It is the gospel in one verse. It reveals to us salvation’s cause, its cost, its condition, and its consequence.

Salvation's Cause
=================
"For God so loved the world"

The motivating factor behind God’s redemptive plan for every man and woman is His love for us. He not only loves us, He so loves us! Later, the apostle Paul sought to describe this love by speaking of its "breadth, and length, and depth, and height" (Ephesians 3:18 kjv), “God is love” (1 John 4:16), and this deep emotion is what brings about the possibility of our redemption; knowing Him in the intimate relationship of Father and child. God’s love for you is the motivating cause of salvation. "For God so loved . . ."

Salvation's Cost
================
"that He gave His only begotten Son"

Our salvation, the free pardoning of our sin, and the promise of abundant and eternal life in Christ did not come without cost. Freedom is never free; it is always bought with blood. From the early chapters of Genesis, there is a scarlet thread woven throughout the pages of Scripture revealing the blood atonement. It climaxes in the final and complete sacrifice for sin on a Roman cross outside the city gates of Jerusalem. Jesus not only spoke of His love
for us, "but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Our salvation in Christ came at a great cost: God "gave His only begotten Son."

Salvation's Condition
=====================
"that whoever believes in Him"

Salvation is not spelled “d-o,” but “d-o-n-e.” Many people, however, think their own good works are the pathway to eternal life. Consequently, they do this or do that,
or they don’t do this or don’t do that, all in order to earn salvation. But our salvation is
done. It is already purchased for us with the blood of Christ on the cross. Our part is to believe, to transfer our trust from ourselves and our own efforts to His finished work on the cross of Calvary.

To believe does not mean to simply give intellectual assent to the claims of Christ. It means to transfer our trust to Him alone for our salvation. The most pointed
question in the entire Bible is asked of the apostle Paul by a Philippian jailer: "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Paul’s immediate reply follows in the next verse: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” I believe in George Washington, but I don’t believe on him; I don’t trust my life to him. Salvation's condition is through faith--and faith alone--in the finished work of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

Salvation's Consequence
=======================
"should not perish but have everlasting life"

What a consequence! What a promise! Those without Christ are perishing, but those in Christ have the eternal promise of "everlasting life." This comes not from our own
human efforts, morals, or good deeds, but the promise is to those who realize that God’s love reaches down to us, was made possible through the payment of Christ, and is received by grace through faith alone; believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

An unknown, yet wise old sage once explained John 3:16 like this:

For God . . . the greatest Lover /
so loved . . . the greatest degree /
the world . . . the greatest company that /
He gave . . . the greatest act /
His only begotten Son . . . the greatest gift /
that whoever . . . the greatest opportunity /
believes . . . the greatest simplicity /
in Him . . . the greatest attraction /
should not perish . . . the greatest promise /
but . . . the greatest difference /
have . . . the greatest certainty /
everlasting life . . . the greatest possession

As you memorize this old and oft-repeated verse this week, meditate on the
fact that love is always something you do and remember that “God so loved the world that He gave.” Yes, God knows you, loves you, and has a wonderful plan for your life.

 

[Pearl]

@amadeus @Nancy @Rita @Mayflower @Hidden In Him @Heart2Soul plus any others you can think might like the thread.

 

[amadeus]

@Pearl

From Life to death and back to Life again!

First Life:

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gen 2:7

And then death:

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Gen 2:17
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Gen 3:6

And then Life again:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

 

[Rita]

Thank you for the OP Pearl, good post xx

 

[Nancy]

Great post Pat!
The beauty in simplicity is so hard to see for many.
I like how Angel Martinez broke the verse down. A whole sermon could be made from John 3:16.

In Him!

 

[Karl Peters]

I love the verse ""For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

Yet is there not a huge problem with it - or should I say there can be a huge problem with our understanding of it - and it seems to come from the meaning of believes in Him - does it not?

In history, it is apparent the sooooooo many extremely bad things have been done in the name of Christ or Christianity, and even from Christian on Christians, of which both groups of Christians feel they believed in Him!!!

So the gospel is not just one verse, and for me, if I was to choose one verse to represent the gospel (the good news) I would choose:

Rev 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

And let me give some reasons:

First might be the fact that faith comes from hearing a word from the Lord who is Jesus Christ.

Paul discusses this in Roman 10 asking "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?" Jesus Christ (God the Son) is an omni-present being who is just standing there knocking with His voice, but if we don't take the time to actually listen for His voice and open the door, then we are not going to believe in Him, and certainly don't actually put our trust in Him. So Paul explained that faith comes from actually hearing Him!

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

One group of Christians attacking and killing other groups of Christians, and indeed many other notorious things that have been done in His name were not a result of people hearing Him, though they said they believed in Him. To based the gospel on Jn 3:16 seems to give people that right in their own mind to interpret that verse as they would - meaning they can deceive themselves at to thinking they believe in Him when they don't even hear from Him today!!

So a personal story from me to illustrate the point further:

As a child my parents took me to good conservative Christian churches. I was made to memorize one verse when I was that child. The verse was indeed John 3:16. They told me that if I believed in Him I would be saved. They also Baptized me according to their tradition, which they liked to do and it seemed good to me at that time. Yet I had never heard His voice. Him and I had never talked. He, as far as I could tell was either in a far off place called heaven to return some day. That was my belief in Him for the first 40 years of my life. If anyone had asked me if I believed in Him, I would have told them yes, and I was even Baptized to prove it.

I remember the day that changed. I was going through a divorce. So I was sleeping downstairs in what I called me office. The sun had barely start coming into the room when I suddenly woke up. I sat up then a voice suddenly said, "READ YOUR BIBLE". Those three words hit me hard. I began to shake and I check my arms and legs to make sure I was ok. I then got a vision of my Bible sitting behind my time clock. I turned to look and it was there, which amazed me because I never read it. I was something my mom had given me, and should have been deep in a box in garage or a closet. So it was that I read the Bible - as opposed to depending on that one verse they made me memorize!!!!

If I seem to take the deception in the OP a bit personal, please understand that the deception had been very personal to me. THE GOSPEL IS NOT THAT ONE VERSE!!!

I read the Bible and found out that the "GOOD NEWS" was that I could personally get to know Him. We could talk, and we do. Everyday called "Today" I now talk with Him - meaning I tell Him things and He tells me things because He has a voice that can speak to me in words, which comes through His Holy Spirit to my spirit. We talk. He tells me He loves me - quite literally I hear Him say, "Karl, I love you", most everyday.

Yes that verse says God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, but it does fully explain that us have the Son, Jesus Christ, means that we have Him now to talk to us, teach us, give us wise counsel, instructions, and to tell us that He loves us. Try reading the whole Bible!

 

[Pearl]

Rev 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

It's a great verse but it says nothing of the love of God and the cost of our salvation. As the OP says John 3:16 is the gospel in a nutshell.

 

[Karl Peters]

It's a great verse but it says nothing of the love of God and the cost of our salvation. As the OP says John 3:16 is the gospel in a nutshell.

That verse says listen to Him you is with you, and if you have heard Him have you not heard Him tell you personally "I love you"?????

I hear that from Him on most days, and the verse c (Jn 3-:16) can you tell you "I love you" but only that He loves His creation. The verse is not personal - it gets personal with Him once you start actually listening to Him and opening up to Him!!

So when someone writes about what a verse says to them instead of what He personally tells them, I know something about them instantly. I know the the verses of the Bible mean more to them than He does! And He told the Jews:

Jn 5:39,40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

Do you still not understand?? If you are stuck on a Scriptures instead of Him, are you not searching the Scriptures' because you think that in them you have eternal life instead of realizing that they Scriptures testify about Him and you are unwilling to come to Him?

Yes - God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, but if you are thinking that Jesus was given, died, and then taken away, then you just don't understand!! God did not just give His Son to die and go away, the Father gave us His Son so that via His Holy Spirit you can have Him in your life and talk back and forth with Him "Today" - which includes Him personally telling you He loves you and backing that up with both deeds, and words like "I love you", and "Read Your Bible", then He helps you understand what is written. The first understanding that He gives you is that He is with your so that the Word of God we preach is found near you, even in your heart, or perhaps on you lips if you are not paying close enough attention to His Holy Spirit as He speaks to you!

Still - There is nothing new under the Sun. There are still those searching the Scripture because they think in them they have eternal life, yet don't understand that believing in an eternal omni-present being means you have the opportunity to personally get to know Him, if you just seek His words by faith!

So if I was to pick a single verse it would be about personally hearing from Him!! If you do start listening to Him you will understand that He loves you soon enough, because He will tell you so.

So perhaps a verse like:

Mat 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

Is best!! After all when the Father spoke that was how the Father put His gospel message!

 

[Marc RL Ministry]

#1 - "The Most Often Quoted Verse in the Bible" - John 3:16
=================================

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

If we ever memorize a verse of Scripture, it will most likely be John 3:16. It is the verse most often heard in the simplicity and beauty of a little child's voice proudly reciting it from memory. It is the one verse showing up on large placards at football games and other major sporting events. Those signs are located where television cameras cannot avoid its message. This is the one verse that has been spoken by many older saints as they breathed their final breath.

It is the entire gospel in a nutshell.

Angel Martinez, the late evangelist who had memorized the entire New Testament, referred to John 3:16 as salvation’s formula and observed that it contained four very insightful truths. It is the gospel in one verse. It reveals to us salvation’s cause, its cost, its condition, and its consequence.

Salvation's Cause
=================
"For God so loved the world"

The motivating factor behind God’s redemptive plan for every man and woman is His love for us. He not only loves us, He so loves us! Later, the apostle Paul sought to describe this love by speaking of its "breadth, and length, and depth, and height" (Ephesians 3:18 kjv), “God is love” (1 John 4:16), and this deep emotion is what brings about the possibility of our redemption; knowing Him in the intimate relationship of Father and child. God’s love for you is the motivating cause of salvation. "For God so loved . . ."

Salvation's Cost
================
"that He gave His only begotten Son"

Our salvation, the free pardoning of our sin, and the promise of abundant and eternal life in Christ did not come without cost. Freedom is never free; it is always bought with blood. From the early chapters of Genesis, there is a scarlet thread woven throughout the pages of Scripture revealing the blood atonement. It climaxes in the final and complete sacrifice for sin on a Roman cross outside the city gates of Jerusalem. Jesus not only spoke of His love
for us, "but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Our salvation in Christ came at a great cost: God "gave His only begotten Son."

Salvation's Condition
=====================
"that whoever believes in Him"

Salvation is not spelled “d-o,” but “d-o-n-e.” Many people, however, think their own good works are the pathway to eternal life. Consequently, they do this or do that,
or they don’t do this or don’t do that, all in order to earn salvation. But our salvation is
done. It is already purchased for us with the blood of Christ on the cross. Our part is to believe, to transfer our trust from ourselves and our own efforts to His finished work on the cross of Calvary.

To believe does not mean to simply give intellectual assent to the claims of Christ. It means to transfer our trust to Him alone for our salvation. The most pointed
question in the entire Bible is asked of the apostle Paul by a Philippian jailer: "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Paul’s immediate reply follows in the next verse: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” I believe in George Washington, but I don’t believe on him; I don’t trust my life to him. Salvation's condition is through faith--and faith alone--in the finished work of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

Salvation's Consequence
=======================
"should not perish but have everlasting life"

What a consequence! What a promise! Those without Christ are perishing, but those in Christ have the eternal promise of "everlasting life." This comes not from our own
human efforts, morals, or good deeds, but the promise is to those who realize that God’s love reaches down to us, was made possible through the payment of Christ, and is received by grace through faith alone; believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

An unknown, yet wise old sage once explained John 3:16 like this:

For God . . . the greatest Lover /
so loved . . . the greatest degree /
the world . . . the greatest company that /
He gave . . . the greatest act /
His only begotten Son . . . the greatest gift /
that whoever . . . the greatest opportunity /
believes . . . the greatest simplicity /
in Him . . . the greatest attraction /
should not perish . . . the greatest promise /
but . . . the greatest difference /
have . . . the greatest certainty /
everlasting life . . . the greatest possession

As you memorize this old and oft-repeated verse this week, meditate on the
fact that love is always something you do and remember that “God so loved the world that He gave.” Yes, God knows you, loves you, and has a wonderful plan for your life.

Even demons don't dare deny the son of God and have eternal life but not in paradise unless they repent and follow Jesus Christ. Most quoted and most miss-understood verse in history is John 3:16 you do not perish in hell...

 

[Karl Peters]

Even demons don't dare deny the son of God and have eternal life but not in paradise unless they repent and follow Jesus Christ. Most quoted and most miss-understood verse in history is John 3:16.

Yes!!!

Still - John 3:16 is a wonderful verse, but it is often misunderstood. It is so often explain that God gave us His Son for a brief moment in time to take on flesh, go to the cross, forgive our sins, and become the perfect sacrifice. Yet He rose from the dead, sent us His Holy Spirit to speak His words to our spirit, so that we His sheep can hear and need to hear His voice "Today". Where it is written the God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten God, it means we can have Him (Jesus Christ) "Today"!! We can talk to Him, walk with Him, get advice from Him, teachings from Him, wisdom from Him and be loved personally by Him "Today", and because of that His sheep hear His voice "Today", including those precious words from Him saying to us personally "I love you"

The first time I heard Him tell me, "Karl, I love you." It touched me sooo much that my eyes filled with tears making if very hard to see the approaching stop sign. If indeed someone knows what I am talking about they will indeed know the importance of knowing Him personally.

 

[amadeus]

I love the verse ""For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

Yet is there not a huge problem with it - or should I say there can be a huge problem with our understanding of it - and it seems to come from the meaning of believes in Him - does it not?

In history, it is apparent the sooooooo many extremely bad things have been done in the name of Christ or Christianity, and even from Christian on Christians, of which both groups of Christians feel they believed in Him!!!

So the gospel is not just one verse, and for me, if I was to choose one verse to represent the gospel (the good news) I would choose:

Rev 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

And let me give some reasons:

First might be the fact that faith comes from hearing a word from the Lord who is Jesus Christ.

Paul discusses this in Roman 10 asking "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?" Jesus Christ (God the Son) is an omni-present being who is just standing there knocking with His voice, but if we don't take the time to actually listen for His voice and open the door, then we are not going to believe in Him, and certainly don't actually put our trust in Him. So Paul explained that faith comes from actually hearing Him!

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

One group of Christians attacking and killing other groups of Christians, and indeed many other notorious things that have been done in His name were not a result of people hearing Him, though they said they believed in Him. To based the gospel on Jn 3:16 seems to give people that right in their own mind to interpret that verse as they would - meaning they can deceive themselves at to thinking they believe in Him when they don't even hear from Him today!!

So a personal story from me to illustrate the point further:

As a child my parents took me to good conservative Christian churches. I was made to memorize one verse when I was that child. The verse was indeed John 3:16. They told me that if I believed in Him I would be saved. They also Baptized me according to their tradition, which they liked to do and it seemed good to me at that time. Yet I had never heard His voice. Him and I had never talked. He, as far as I could tell was either in a far off place called heaven to return some day. That was my belief in Him for the first 40 years of my life. If anyone had asked me if I believed in Him, I would have told them yes, and I was even Baptized to prove it.

I remember the day that changed. I was going through a divorce. So I was sleeping downstairs in what I called me office. The sun had barely start coming into the room when I suddenly woke up. I sat up then a voice suddenly said, "READ YOUR BIBLE". Those three words hit me hard. I began to shake and I check my arms and legs to make sure I was ok. I then got a vision of my Bible sitting behind my time clock. I turned to look and it was there, which amazed me because I never read it. I was something my mom had given me, and should have been deep in a box in garage or a closet. So it was that I read the Bible - as opposed to depending on that one verse they made me memorize!!!!

If I seem to take the deception in the OP a bit personal, please understand that the deception had been very personal to me. THE GOSPEL IS NOT THAT ONE VERSE!!!

I read the Bible and found out that the "GOOD NEWS" was that I could personally get to know Him. We could talk, and we do. Everyday called "Today" I now talk with Him - meaning I tell Him things and He tells me things because He has a voice that can speak to me in words, which comes through His Holy Spirit to my spirit. We talk. He tells me He loves me - quite literally I hear Him say, "Karl, I love you", most everyday.

Yes that verse says God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, but it does fully explain that us have the Son, Jesus Christ, means that we have Him now to talk to us, teach us, give us wise counsel, instructions, and to tell us that He loves us. Try reading the whole Bible!

I just read your words here and was greatly blessed by your testimony.
Give God the glory indeed!

 

[Wrangler]

THE ENTIRE GOSPEL IN A NUTSHELL

#1 - "The Most Often Quoted Verse in the Bible" - John 3:16

Outstanding analysis! Thank you so much for posting this.

 

[prism]

There is another passage I often resort to in expressing the Gospel...

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJV) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NASB) Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Instead of touching on the motive of God's love (Jn 3:16), it covers what God's love DID in saving us.

 

[Curtis]

There’s no single verse that can lead to salvation, but Romans 10:8-13 is a passage of scripture that specifically says, this is what we apostles teach on how to be saved.

Rom 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

Rom 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

Rom 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved