John 3:16 is most likely the most widely known verse of all scripture, but it is not thought about as a key verse to be used to convey the Christmas message. Yet, it contains an abundant amount of truth that we see in the story of the Messiah that came to earth as a baby in the little town of Bethlehem.

This verse first gives us a motivation for Jesus being sent to earth to be a Savior.

The verse starts out with “For God so loved”. God is looked at by many as this evil force just wanting to penalize mankind for our sins, but the truth is that He loves His creation and has made a way for us to be delivered from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death.

We also see who God has a love for; it is “the world”, meaning all of us as part of His creation who needs a remedy for our sin problem.

Then we see the act of sacrifice given to us as a free gift when it states, “He gave His one and only Son”. We can’t buy salvation nor earn it. This is the example of the greatest gift ever given.

We see what we have to do in order to receive this gift when it states, “whoever believes in Him”; it is simply trusting or having faith that by asking for forgiveness we will obtain it. It is believing in the ministry of Jesus and willing to be a part of it.

Finally, we see the outcome of choosing to follow the Savior. This verse says it this way, “shall not perish but have eternal life.” In other words, receiving this gift will keep us out of hell and makes a way for us to spend eternity in heaven.

The good news is that we get to choose whether or not we receive this gift.