A Reflection on John 3:14-22 with Some Personal Additions - - "Release from Condemnation"

John 3:17 “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn . . .” (NIV)

I grew up going to Sunday school and Vacation Bible School, so at an early age I learned John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV)  Whenever I read the story of Jesus and Nicodemus I am drawn inevitably to this verse as the climax of their encounter. But not everyone is.

Some years ago a young man came to me for baptism. He had made a profession of faith elsewhere and now wanted to join the church. As we talked about his faith we reviewed John chapter three. For him it was a first reading. I expected him to focus on verse 16 as I always had, but he was touched by verse 17 and the good news that God and Christian faith were not about condemnation.

Of course, the passage does teach that condemnation exists, but this condemnation we bring on ourselves as we turn away from God. The clear message of John 3 as my young friend realized and helped me to see in a new way is that God does not want to condemn but to save. We condemn ourselves, and alone we cannot lift the weight of our mortality and moral failure.

Paul, the greatest theologian of the church, struggled with his morals. He failed. He felt condemned. One can almost hear his plaintive cry in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am!” (NIV) Paul asked the fundamental question: “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (24) His moral failure combined with the realization of his mortality brought down a weight of condemnation that he understood himself to deserve.

In words that ring even more loudly than his words of anguish Paul wrote that there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1, NIV) God’s presence in Christ and the message of the cross and the good news of the resurrection and the promise of Christ’s return, all combine to assure us that our sins are lifted off of us. Eternal life will replace mortality, and all will be made right in Christ. “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17 NIV). That is the message of the church.

*******

Moral Philosophy. Judy finds great articles and sends them on to me. Here is one she found through our friend Laurie McNeil about a growing distinction that educators are drawing between fact and opinion. The article appears in the New York Times; it was written by Justin P. McBrayer, an associate professor of philosophy at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. The subject is "Why Our Children Don't Think There are Moral Facts."

Grandchildren. Sweetie Pie (age 5) and I are writing a book together about one of the adventures of Freddie and Fiona. We make up the story together, but she does the illustrations alone. Judy has told us that it should be published; Sweetie Pie asked what “published” meant, and Judy told her that we could sell the book. Her reply, “I don’t want to sell it. I want to keep it!” (So do I! And honestly, it’s not ready for prime time--not by far, but writing it is great fun for Sweetie Pie and me.)