Nicodemus

September 10

John 3:9-21

The Savior of the world

Nicodemus, a respected leader and teacher who should have known about spiritual things, could not understand the truths Jesus spoke about.

So Jesus explained it this way; “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert to bring healing to those who looked up at it, so God’s Son must be lifted up [on a cross] to bring healing to the world.

God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him will not die but have a new life that never ends. For God did not send His Son to earth to judge and to punish, but that every person can be saved through Him.”

Did Jesus come to save our planet?

God, who created the world and everything on it, carefully watches every tiny part of His creation and keeps things going. He wants us to do our bit too by looking after our little part of this huge planet. We should care for animals and birds and plants, and be careful not to litter or waste.

However, when it says that God loved the world and sent Jesus to save it (verse 16-17), it doesn’t mean that He sent Jesus to save this round planet we live on. The word “world” means all the people living on earth—the Eskimos, the Indians, the Africans, the Chinese, the Europeans, and everyone else living on the different continents of the world.

The Bible tells us that the world will come to an end one day when God finally destroys it (2 Peter 3:10-12). God would not destroy something He loves, so we know that when we read, “God loved the world,” it means that God loves every single person in the world—including you!

Verse for today

But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:13