THE GOD WHO GIVES

“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

“The clearest picture of who God is will always be found in what He was willing to give.” — PG

There are verses in the Bible that feel familiar enough to almost lull us to sleep. John 3:16 is one of them. We learn it early. We quote it often. We see it on signs at football games and printed on bumper stickers. And because of that familiarity, we can accidentally downgrade it into something small, simple, or even juvenile.

But John 3:16 is not entry level Christianity. It is high voltage truth. It is shock therapy for the soul. It does not matter how old you are, how long you have walked with God, or what season of life you are in. This passage still has the power to arrest your heart and reset your understanding of everything.

There is no bigger reality in Scripture than this. This is not a soft verse. This is the foundation of our faith. It is the greatest rescue mission of all time. Heaven did not send advice. Heaven sent a Son.

No verse has been memorized more. No verse has been preached more. And no verse is more profound than John 3:16. It is simple enough for a child to quote and deep enough for a theologian to drown in. The reason it never gets old is because it is not about information. It is about revelation.

It begins with one word that changes everything. God.

Many people say they reject God, but most of the time they are not rejecting Him. They are rejecting a distorted version of Him. Some were taught that God is angry, short tempered, distant, or disengaged. Others were taught that God is obsessed with control, quick to punish, and slow to love. The tragedy is that most people are not running from God. They are running from a misrepresentation of God.

Religion often paints God as someone to fear. Jesus reveals God as someone to know.

Scripture tells us that no one has ever seen God fully, but Jesus has made Him known. Humanity cannot discover God through observation, philosophy, or effort. God is not figured out. God is revealed. Jesus is not one messenger among many. He is singular, unmatched, and unique. Scripture says He is the express image of God. If you want to know what God is like, you look at Jesus.

Every miracle corrected a misconception. Every interaction revealed the Father. When people thought God avoided sinners, Jesus ate with them. When people thought God punished the sick, Jesus healed them. When people thought God rejected the broken, Jesus restored them. When people thought God condemned the guilty, Jesus forgave them. Jesus did not argue theology. He embodied it. If your picture of God does not look like Jesus, it is incomplete.

That is why Christmas matters. Christmas is not God visiting earth. Christmas is God entering it. God did not shout love from a distance. God stepped into pain. God carried suffering. God wore flesh. Immanuel does not mean God tolerated us. It means God came near us, for us, and with us.

If God were angry, Christmas would be unnecessary. If God were distant, Christmas would be pointless. If God were cruel, Christmas would be impossible. Christmas only makes sense if God is love and desires relationship. And that leads us to the next phrase. God so loved.

God did not love selectively. God did not love cautiously. God did not love conditionally. The object of God’s love was not the church. It was the world. Not the cleaned up world. Not the redeemed world. The broken world. God loved us at our worst, not our best. Love moved toward us before we ever moved toward Him. Presence is always more significant than presents.

One of the most powerful descriptions of love in Scripture says that it has width, length, depth, and height. That is not poetry for poetry’s sake. That is revelation. God’s love has dimension. It reaches farther than religion would allow. It stretches back before your failure and forward beyond your future. It goes lower than your lowest moment and lifts higher than you could ever climb on your own. There is no pit God’s love cannot reach. There is no height His love cannot raise you to. God’s love looks over and overlooks.

Scripture says we love Him because He first loved us. God did not wait for repentance to love you. Repentance happens because love showed up first. Love came down long before we ever looked up. And then comes the word that changes the universe. Gave.

Love that does not give is incomplete. God’s love did not stay emotional. It moved into action. God opened His hands. His giving was intentional, not reactionary. Grace is not earned. Grace is received.

The manger proves God is generous.
The cross proves God is extravagant.

Scripture calls Jesus an indescribable gift. That word means beyond explanation. Heaven gave something language struggles to define. I once heard someone say that if Christmas were only about receiving, God would have stayed in Heaven. But Christmas is about giving. God did not give from surplus. God gave from Himself.

Jesus was not an angel. He was not a prophet. He was not a created being. Jesus belonged to God. God did not outsource salvation. God did not delegate redemption. God stepped in personally. This was not a transaction. This was self giving love. The manger carried divine ownership. God did not give something external. God gave something eternal.

And then Scripture tells us He gave His only. God gave the one Heaven could not replace. There were no extras. No backups. No substitutes. True love is revealed when you give without reservation. The cost always reveals the value.

God gave His only to enable relationship. The core reason for human existence has always been God’s desire to walk with people. Jesus did not come to build religion. Jesus came to restore relationship. If you want eternity with God later, you must know God now. Perfect love came to imperfect people.

Jesus said He did not come to condemn the world but to save it. That means because He gave, your past can be forgiven. Because He gave, your life has purpose. Because He gave, your future is secure.

If you cannot smile at that, check your pulse. Because He gave, there is no condemnation. Because He gave, fear lost its authority. Because He gave, adoption replaced slavery.

God is a giver! Salvation for the lost. Hope for the hurting. Freedom for the bound. Beauty for ashes. Peace for the anxious. Rest for the weary. Strength for the weak. Wisdom for the seeking. Joy for the brokenhearted. Purpose for the called. Light for those in darkness. Life for the dead. Victory for the overwhelmed. Righteousness for the sinner. Eternal life for those who believe. This is not juvenile Christianity. This is the heartbeat of Heaven. God did not just love us. God gave Himself for us.

Live This Out Loud
Let Jesus redefine God for you
This week, ask yourself honestly where your view of God came from. Invite Jesus to correct any distorted picture. Let Scripture shape your understanding, not past wounds.

Receive before you try to repay
Grace cannot be earned. Take time in prayer to thank God for what He has already given. Let gratitude replace striving.

Give what you have freely received
Look for one way this week to reflect God’s generosity through kindness, forgiveness, or compassion. Giving flows naturally when love is understood.

My Prayer
Holy Spirit, I come to You in the name of Jesus, and I ask You to show me who God truly is, teach my heart to receive love without fear, reveal any lie that has distorted my view of the Father, and ignite gratitude for the gift of Jesus. Stir my soul to live from what has been freely given, not from what I am trying to earn. Release joy, peace, and confidence as I walk in the fullness of Your love. Amen.

“May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times more and bless you as He has promised.” — Deuteronomy 1:11

Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly,
PG