The Forgotten Verse

Susan Irene Fox

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

This verse is so popular, it has, perhaps become one of the most quoted verses in the Western hemisphere. During the 2011 Super Bowl, one Christian foundation attempted to buy an ad that had John 3:16 as its focus, but the ad was rejected. To this day, people hold up signs around televised football stadiums that simply say, “John 3:16.” You can find the chapter and verse on bumper stickers, necklaces and bracelets. You can even buy it on a refrigerator magnet. But has all this mania cheapened the message.

And have we become so focused on that verse as a slick mantra we’ve conveniently forgotten the context in which the verse was said and the verse that directly follows?

©The Bible Series

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