6 Truths about Jesus’ Coming into the World

John 3:16 is one of the most pivotal verses in all of Scripture, stating: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believers in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The love with which Jesus loved the world is remarkable. He came into, as we will see, a hostile world of darkness. He came into a world where people were not looking for Him or longing for Him. Yet, He drew people in through His miracles and messages of hope. But not all realized that they wore a burden of sin — some had darkened hearts that did not see. But Jesus makes it clear: He came because of love. He came because He loves the whole world and does not desire to see any perish.

2. He Came without Condemnation

John 3:17 goes on with: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

Not only did Jesus come into the world with a message and heart of love, He also came without condemnation. He gave opportunity, time, and allowance for thought and reflection — for people to respond to His teaching. He came preaching good news of the forgiveness of sins. And, though He met many sinners, He did not condemn any one of the them to hell. He witnessed to His remarkable power to save. He came with a heart of salvation. And this is the message we believers carry with us today — not a message of condemnation, but of salvation.

3. He Came with a Message of Exclusivity

John 3:18 teaches: “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Jesus states that He is the one who determined where people will spend all of eternity. Everyone’s future hangs upon his or her beliefs in Jesus. Only Jesus will send people ultimately to their eternal destinies. And, those who do not believe in the message of love and salvation He came to bring will stand condemned because of their own beliefs. Jesus came to die a sinner’s death so that sinners might live. But not all will believe they need this salvation. Not all will believe in the sacrifice that Jesus made. Belief in Jesus is the measure by which the world will one day be judged and is the basis now that marks a Christian from a non-Christian. Salvation is found exclusively in Jesus.

4. He Came to a World of Darkness

John 3:19 says: “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

Jesus gives us one deeply disheartening reason that many will not follow Jesus: they love evil. People want to go their own way. They don’t want light. They want to live in the dark. They want to run and rule their own lives. They want to transgress boundaries that the Scriptures have set in love for the people of God. Despite the brokenness that sin causes and the death it leads to, still, people will be entranced by sin and love their deeds of wickedness. They won’t want to surrender the lordship of their lives to someone else. They won’t want to repent and change their minds about sin.

5. He Came into a World Hostile to the Light

John 3:20 says, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

So, not only are people enraptured by their own sins, the deeds of darkness into which their lives have fallen, they will stand hostile to anything contrary to a self-run life. They will not want to approach the light in humility that Jesus loves. But rather, they will want to stay away from the light, keeping their evil deeds close. The problem is, not exposing ourselves to Jesus means we are stuck in our sins and hostile to the ways of God. Jesus’ way is for us to come to Him in humility and poorness of spirit, recognizing our lostness without Him. He then takes us by the hand and kindly shows us our sins that we may honor Him with our lives and be free—taking the free gift of salvation that He offers.

6. He Came to Teach the Truth

John 3:21 gives hope and direction: “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his worlds have been carried out in God.”

Those who have been exposed to the light, with the grace of Jesus at hand, will see that deeds hostile to God cannot ultimately stand. Ultimately, there will be judgment and condemnation for evil. For, God is good and just. But those who have looked with Jesus at their sins, turning from them to trust Jesus’ forgiveness, want to walk in the light. These are the people who do what is true, who want the standards of Scripture in their lives. They are the people who walk with God on this earth.

Jesus came into the world, and He caused great hope for some and aroused great hostility from others. Jesus came for those who knew they were weak, poor, helpless, and hopeless without Him. He came for those who knew they were like sheep without a Shepherd. He came in love for the whole world, even while knowing that many would love their evil deeds more than Him and would stand in hostility toward Him. Jesus comes to bring great change in our lives. We go from self-focus and self-rule to a spirit of humility and service to God that welcomes truth in our deepest parts.

Jesus makes clear in these verses that we must choose how we are to respond to Jesus’ message of love and salvation. Jesus did not come with condemnation, but with hope and light and life and truth and love and compassion and help. He came to give His life so that people could be saved from themselves, from evil, and from death. We must reply to Jesus’ outreach toward us with hearts that are soft and listening to Him. We must respond to the light that He has set in our lives and draw near with lowliness of spirit. We must determine that nothing is greater than Jesus—no lifestyle, manner of living, or sense of control in our lives is greater than having and knowing Him.

When we do respond to Jesus with humility and welcome the light of His truth and love into our lives, the result is beautiful. We have the salvation of our very souls and lives that are turned around by seeing Him for who He is, the sacrificial Lamb of God who gave Himself for our souls.

More from this author
Jesus Longs for and Desires His People
12 Encouraging Truths for When You’re Low
The Place of Change and Shadow in Our Theology

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Lianna Davis is author of Keeping the Faith: A Study in Jude and Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss. She is also a contributor to We Evangelicals and Our Mission with Cascade Books. Lianna is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She lives in Illinois with her husband and daughter. You can learn more about her writing at her website.