WHY WOULD GOD LOVE THE WORLD?

Prof./Evangel. Michael Howard, MACS

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (Jn. 3:13-17).

My brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross this Sunday, let's focus on an important theme. The text above is a familiar text for many. We see "John 3:16" plastered on cardboard at many sports arenas around stadiums. Here, John expressed God's love towards us by explaining that God loved the world so much that God gave Jesus to the world. The theme I am inviting you to reflect on is God's generosity.

Reflect with me on God's generosity. Our God is gracious. God's first act of kindness towards us is actualized in the creation narrative in Genesis. God gave us birds, fish, fowls, the sun, the moon, etc., removing chaos so man and woman could live peacefully in a garden. And after each gift of creation was created, God called it good. The Palmist recognized God's generosity and said, "The LORD withholds no good thing

from those who walk without reproach" (Ps. 84:12).

Further reflection on the scriptures reminded me that God has given us blessings upon blessings. Paul said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens..." (Eph. 1:3). We have blessings that come from God's storehouse, God's heavenly throne. And if these blessings come from God's heavenly divine realm, how blessed are we to receive God's generosity?

However, here is the good part. Why would God love this sin-sick world? Our God is generous. The Holy One extends generosity towards us to save us from damnation. Who wants to live in eternal hell? Please underline the last verse in our text above. Jesus came to save the world, which means everybody. There is no exclusive language here. Jesus did not come to condemn the world. God sent Jesus to save us. God, through Jesus, knowing our sins of disobedience, allowed Jesus to experience sin. Isaiah said, "We have all become like something unclean, all our just deeds are like polluted rags" (Is. 64:5). Our sins are like polluted rags. Do you like polluted rags? Jesus dipped our polluted rags into the sea of forgiveness, making them white as snow so that we may have life abundantly (Jn.10:10).

"You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins..." (Micah 7:19).

Thank you for engaging with this blog. Should you find the content enriching, consider subscribing to the Eat the Scroll Ministry for updates on our newest blog posts. Feel free to like and share this blog with someone you know. Prof./Evangel. Howard