The idea for this post came from my younger son Joshua who always quotes John 3:16 and 17 together. Sure verse 16 is a good verse, but if you stop with that verse you missed the whole point!
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:17
This is the reason! If you stop with 3:16 you are taking the verse away from the context. God came to save the world – not to condemn it. But the message continues in verse 18.
18Whoever 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.
John 3:18
This is an alert: you are in grave danger and stand condemned unless you have put your trust in Jesus. The world teaches that all paths lead to God and that all religions are valid ways to God. That’s not what Jesus taught.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 7:14
The way is narrow, but the door is open for all right now. Time is running short. Jesus said few find the way, not because God’s hiding the way – it’s really clear and simple.
31So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8
If we want to be his disciples we have to camp out in the Bible.
Dictionary.com defines abide as a verb (used with object), a·bode or a·bid·ed,a·bid·ing.
- to put up with; tolerate; stand: I can’t abide dishonesty!
- to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting: to abide a vigorous onslaught.
- to wait for; await: to abide the coming of the Lord.
- to accept without opposition or question: to abide the verdict of the judges.
- to pay the price or penalty of; suffer for.
All these definitions shed light what our relationship with God should look like. We should endure it, until His coming and accept his will for life. If we’re not suffering for Him, we need to ask ourselves are we fully committed to Him.
If we look at the Greek μείνητε (meinēte) most scholars translate that continue. This means continue in His word. Don’t stop; don’t walk away from your faith. Jesus will never walk away from us, but we can walk away from Him.
Are you camping out in His word or in something else?
Following Jesus 