“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (v. 17)

We have rehearsed John 3:16 to the uttermost (and rightly!).

And, among some of us, our recital incorporates later verses of the same discourse: that condemnation falls to those who don’t believe, that people love darkness and not light, that salvation only comes to those who receive the gift of the Son.

All of that is as true as John 3:16.

It’s just not exactly good news.

That’s why I highlight John 3:17 specifically. I don’t want the goodness of the Good News to get lost in all the bad news.

Does the Gospel make condemnation as plain as salvation? Yes. But is condemnation God’s point? Of course not! Why else would He prepare, from before the beginning of everything, to give the inimitably costly gift of His Son? Jesus—the point of it all—isn’t given so that we will know for sure the reality of condemnation. He is given so that, at the sound of His name and the call of His Spirit, there will be salvation!

We need to comprehend both sides of the equation—but don’t get caught ignoring v. 17. Yes, there is bad news. Let it magnify just how good the Good News is.

— Tyler