“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Gospel of John
The Gospel of John is full of contrasts. The writers of the Gospel of John thought more so in terms of "black and white" than the other Gospel writers. These contrasts are very evident in the rather lengthy discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus where Jesus is doing most of the talking.
In this discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus, Jesus says: "Unless one is born from above, they cannot see the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh: What is born of Spirit is Spirit." Jesus is also telling Nicodemus: "When we speak, we speak only about what we know, and when we witness, we witness to only what we have seen. If you do not believe me when I speak about earthly things, how are you going to believe me when I speak about heavenly things." Isn't it true: We speak and act on what we know.
In this Gospel narrative, Jesus speaks of the contrasts between what we "love" and the resulting "judgement". We can love the darkness (sin and unbelief), or we can love the light (God's truth, beauty and goodness). If we love only what is earthy, following only the base instincts of survival, then we live in darkness or ignorance. Our refusal to live by the Spirit leads to our own condemnation. If our love is guided by what is true, good and beautiful, then we choose the light; we choose to live by the Spirit.
What we love shows what we prefer and value most. Do you love God above all else? Does God take first place in your life, in your thoughts, affections and actions?
These sharp contrasts in John's Gospel are very helpful in defining the two sides of the equation. They help us see with greater clarity the importance of the decisions we make. Do we choose life, or do we choose death?
However, we have to be very careful not to slip into "all or nothing thinking"; to think that our lives fit perfectly into these black and white frames. We are a work in progress, and because we are in transition, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to help ourselves and help others in the journey that we are all on. For this reason, it is important that we examine and use the whole Gospel.
Jesus also said in the Gospel of John:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
We have Christ to be our ally, to speak and act on our behalf. Our belief and surrender to Christ becomes our light, not only to guide, but to fill our lives with His presence, with His Spirit. His purpose is not to condemn, but to save, and he commissions us to be agents of this mission to others.
So we will not always fit neatly into that package of either perfectly accepting the new life of Christ or completely emerged in darkness and death. We are a people in transition. As we journey towards the light, we begin to see that our strength can only be found in Christ, in choosing Christ, and allowing His Spirit to transform us by a New Birth. That is why Jesus also said: "I have come, not to call those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."
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