John 3:17

John 3:16 is a verse almost all Christians can recite from memory.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Lately, I have begun to think we need to commit John 3:17 to our memory bank as well.  I am concerned that we have lost our perspective on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

“For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world,

but in order that the world should be saved through him.” (John 3:17 ESV)

Did you get that?  “God did not send his son to condemn, but to save.”  The word condemn seems to pack a punch, so I was curious.  I went to the dictionary and this is was I discovered:

Condemn: 

To express unfavorable judgement or strong disapproval, or 

        To pronounce to be guilty, to sentence to punishment.

          

I confess that I do that all the time.  I might get on a crowded DART Train to head into the City of Dallas.  There are two seats available; one next to a young man with multiple tattoos and body piercings and another by a senior citizen reading a book.  I will probably pick the older adults.  I must admit a real bias toward people with excessive (okay, in my opinion) body art, but have I condemned the young man?  Have I unfavorably judged him?  Taking it a step further; have I pronounced him guilty and in the process possibly sentenced him to “eternal punishment?”  Granted, I do not know the man’s situation, or have any idea where he stands in his faith walk, but have I in the process somehow written him off as a lost soul?  

In the case of the young man above, my encounter was brief and probably insignificant, but there are countless opportunities to relate to people who are spiritually lost or confused.  Some of those might be Millennials who work beside us, or live in our neighborhood.  The opportunity is there to reach out and get to know them.  In the process we might become Jesus in their lives, but if we prejudge them I fear we have condemned them without even getting to know them. 

“Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”  He calls us daily to do the same.