I have cited John 3:16 a lot. It was the verse of scripture that brought me to faith in Jesus Christ. I use the NLT when I quote God’s word in my blog, but the King James Version of that verse is permanently imprinted on my mind and in my heart. “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.”
Recently my devotions took me to the story of the man who was born blind. (John 9) It is a story worth reading again. It illustrates both physical and spiritual blindness. After the religious leaders had expelled the man from the synagogues because he questioned why they doubted that his healing was from God just because it took place on the Sabbath, Jesus found him and led him to faith. I thought to myself, what a wonderful event; to be led to faith in Jesus by Jesus himself.
Then something dawned on me that I had not realized. I too was led to faith in Jesus Christ by Jesus himself. You see, John 3:16 is in red letters in many Bibles because they are the words of Jesus! It is not the opinion of a third person; it is the firsthand testimony of God’s only Son that convinced me to put my faith in Him. In a very real sense, every believer came to faith in Christ not only by the words of Jesus, but by His life, death and resurrection. The Good Shepherd has called each of us by name and we have responded to His voice.
We need to always consider the source of any information. If it comes from God’s word or His Holy Spirit, we can be sure it is true. If it comes from another source, we must understand whether it is firsthand testimony; second hand information; or simply someone’s opinion. I pray that you put my blog posts to that test as well. You will find each post is based on my personal experiences as I apply God’s word and the promptings of the Holy Spirit to my daily Christian life. I am not the authority on anything – He is. It is He who has kept this blog going for over two years now. It will come to an end only when He says it is time. I cannot emphasize enough, don’t take my word for it; experience it for yourself.