John 3:16 says, “God
so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believed in Him
would never die but have eternal life.” To an American in the South, where
multiple churches deck every town, and the word ‘religion’ passes through most
conversations casually, rolling off the tongue with a sleepy familiarity, John
3:16 can be worn-out, overused, and overlooked. Often, the regular churchgoer
has heard it so many times that they no longer hear it, while even the
‘nonreligious’ person has dismissed it as insignificant. But to me, that verse
is life. It speaks of God, the creator of all things, of a lost and broken
humanity, which has turned from God to sin, and of his beloved Son, Jesus, who
is by nature God. That verse encompasses the most life-changing truth anyone
will ever encounter. God’s love in unfathomable and unchanging, and Jesus is a
personal savior who died for each person who chooses to follow him.
In fact, the Bible
is the ultimate source for this belief. There are over twenty-four thousand ancient
documents from the Bible found in Europe, Asia, and Africa,
many of which are over two thousand years old. Out of the thousands of legitimate
manuscripts of the Bible, there are very few that aren’t identical, and even
these few examples are mostly mistakes such as the misspelling of a name or
number. God has preserved his Holy Word so that every verse can be translated
accurately. This is further proof of his love and mercy towards mankind. The
Bible is filled with detailed accounts including dates, numbers, names, and
places so accurate that even some atheistic historians, upon examining the
Bible, admitted that it was as historically accurate and reliable as any
ancient document they’d ever examined. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture
is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training
in righteousness.” That verse makes it perfectly clear that the Bible is purely
inspired by God and that each person should make the choice in their own heart
to believe what it says.
Not only is God’s
truth backed up by his infallible word; it’s also backed up by millions of
people, too many people to count. Ever since the beginning of time, humans from
all walks of life have given their all for the belief that God was their maker
and king. Many famous scientists followed Christ. Robert Boyle, Issac Newton,
Michal Faraday, and Lord Kelvin exemplify profound faith coupled with an
understanding of God’s Creation. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln loved
God and studied his Word deeply. Beyond these famous examples are countless
more. Millions of Christians have died for their beliefs. For instance, in the
days of Ancient Rome before Constantine,
Romans tortured and killed Christians brutally, insisting that they deny their
faith. But even in the face of grief, death, hatred and pain, thousands of
believers held to their beliefs and went to their graves proclaiming Jesus
Christ because they truly knew who he was; he had died for them, and he was
worth dying for. I have seen the transforming power of God in the lives of my
family and friends. I have met hundreds of Christians whose eyes shine with joy
and love, and who praise God as the ruler of their lives. God’s Holy Spirit is
clearly at work in their hearts, instructing them in an unexplainable,
undeniable way and guiding them with a still, small voice, opening their eyes
to truth, goodness, beauty, and selflessness.
Most importantly,
I’ve seen God at work in my own life. Ever since I was seven, I’ve felt a
growing realization that God is indeed real, that he loves me and cares for me
personally, and that every word of his Bible is true. The more I read the
Bible, the more I come to love it. He is a constant companion, a friend who
knows my heart - and all the evil in me - and yet loves me anyway. As I read
his Word, worship him in song, pray to him throughout the day, talk to other
Christians about him, and hear stories of his work in their lives, I am
continually reminded that God is transforming the hearts of many people, and loving
them personally. He brings me comfort when I’m upset or in pain. He steers me
away from addictions, whether they’re small bad habits or overwhelming
obsessions. He leads me into conversations with people I would never have
otherwise talked to, and he uses those conversations to lift my heart and the
hearts of others.
In summary, God
loves me and everyone else on earth with an infinite love, and the evidence for
this truth is endless. From the unchanging, unbroken certainty of the Bible, to
the countless Christians who have believed in Jesus through every hardship
imaginable, to my own experiences with God and the undeniable closeness of my
relationship with him, there is such a staggering amount of support for the
works of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that one would have to be blind to
not see that he is real. He exhibited perfect love by giving up his own Son,
the ultimate sacrifice. He died at the hands of those he came to save, in order
to grant life to anyone and everyone who chooses to follow him. This is the
truth that has changed my life and saved my soul forever, knowing that God
loves me enough to humble himself to the point of death.
