“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
—John 3:17 (NRSV)
Have you ever started disciplining a kid (whether your own, relative, or perhaps you were bold and disciplined a complete stranger’s kid) and you caught yourself wagging your finger in their face?! I catch myself doing this quite often with my own kids – I must admit. I am not proud of it. When I realize I am doing it; I try to stop myself because I don’t want to get in their face of make them feel condemned. I just want to correct them and lovingly guide them.
This is what I think of when I think of this passage. God didn’t come to wag His finger in our faces. We weren’t made to feel badly about the brokenness that entered the world with Adam and Eve—we are also not meant to be made out to feel bad for our personal sin. Should we repent—you bet! But God doesn’t want us to feel shameful or bad about our sin. God desires right relationship with each of us. That’s you!
God desires to fix the separation that was so that we might be whole again with God. God desires for us, in turn, to love others to that they might find and follow Jesus so they will not live in brokenness but live free in Jesus Christ. As you enter into the final day(s) leading up to the celebration of Christmas – be reminded of the “why” of Jesus coming. Because God loves us and so that we could be saved through Him and be made whole. Amen.