Great passages from the Bible (conclusion)

Today we conclude our look at some noteworthy Bible passages.  These verses are among the most treasured words that are contained in the Good Book.

One favorite is the Golden Rule, spoken by Christ in Matthew 7 verse 12: in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.  When speaking of rules, we think about restrictions on freedom.  But God’s Law, more than anything else, is a beacon of wisdom that urges our best behavior.  In Romans chapter 13 Paul says, Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.  That’s what the Golden Rule is about: love.  Love others in the same way that you want to be loved.  When loving concern motivates our words and deeds, our conduct honors the God who is the source of all love.

In John 11 verse 25, Jesus spoke these words just before He raised Lazarus from the dead: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. This verse is a favorite because we all share the same fear—we are all terrified of death.  We cringe at the thought of saying goodbye to a loved one for the final time.  We dread facing the reality that sooner or later, death will finally come for us.  It is wonderful to know that death is not the end, that Jesus overcame its’ power when He stepped alive from His own tomb on Easter morning.  Thanks to Christ, death is only an interruption of life, not its end.  Thanks to Jesus, we can look forward to a grand reunion with all the believers who have passed on before us.

But of all the contents of the Bible, no words are more deeply loved than these; in John 3 verse 16 Jesus said, God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. These few words carry more hope and comfort than a library full of books.  Even though God hates sin, He still loves us—loves us so much that He sent His own Son to the cross, where Jesus suffered and gave up His life on our behalf.  Sin demands corrective action; by taking the punishment we deserve for being sinful, Christ made our forgiveness a reality.  The only thing God requires of us is to trust Jesus when He says friend, your sins are forgiven (Luke 5:20). If we are not so foolish as to reject this gift or treat it as unnecessary, we have the promise of eternal life with God in paradise.  More than any other verse in all of Holy Scripture, John 3:16 summarizes the peace and hope that is ours through Christ.