3:16: The Numbers of Hope

"For 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.
John 3:16

There is no more powerful expression of the Good News of God revealed in Jesus Christ, than in this verse. The mystery hidden from the angels throughout the ages and revealed only through Jesus Christ and to those who believe in Him.
Read this book and pass it on. It will remind everyone who reads it why becoming a Christian has or can change their life and the lives of the people around them.

"A twenty-six-word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions." Max Lucado http://www.maxlucado.com/316/

"You find it displayed on billboards and at sports' games. John 3:16. Perhaps the best-known verse in the Bible, its 26 words encapsulate the fundamental truth of Christianity, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son ...." In 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, bestselling author Max Lucado delves into this "hope diamond of the Bible" phrase by life-changing phrase. Concluding the study, a 40 day devotional snapshot of Jesus' life, taken from Max's writings, grounds the verse in the greater context of who Jesus was. Whether you're a newcomer to the Bible or a veteran believer, explore the implications of God's parade of hope: He loves. He gave. We believe. We live."
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=901935&p=1025023

The verse is an alphabet of grace, a table of contents to the Christian hope, each word a safe-deposit box of jewels. read it again, slowly and aloud, and note the word that snatches your attention. “For 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.”

God so loved this world? Heartbreakers, hope-snatchers, and dream-dousers prowl this orb. Dictators rage. Abusers inflict. reverends think they deserve the title. But God loves. And he loves the world so much he gave his:
Declarations?
Rules?
Dicta?
Edicts?
No. the heart-stilling, mind-bending, deal-making-or-breaking claim of John 3:16 is this: God gave his son . . . his only son. Not abstract ideas but a flesh-wrapped divinity. Why? so that “whoever believes in him shall not perish.”

Jn 3:16 According to the United Bible Societies Handbook

"The purpose of this verse is to indicate that
the work of Christ and the salvation he offers have their origin in the will and
action of God himself.

In Greek, the tense of the verb loved points
to a specific action in the past; that is, to God's giving of his Son.

Many languages have various words which may
be translated "loved." They generally refer to different types of interpersonal
relations: parents to children, children to parents, chiefs to people, people to
chiefs, affection between spouses, sexual love, love of possessions, etc. It is
convenient to have a term for "love" which may be applicable to many different
interpersonal relations. When it is not possible, the usual practice is to refer
to God's love as like that between parents and children. The equivalent meaning,
therefore, is "God loved the people of the world just as a father loves his
children." In some languages, the more appropriate term for this kind of
affection would imply the love of a mother for her children, and this meaning
likewise can often be adapted.

In this verse the world must be understood in
the sense of "the world of men" (see Jn 1:10).

The adverb translated so much in TEV refers
more to the manner than the degree of love. That is, it would explain the way in
which God showed his love for the world rather than the intensity or extent of
his love, for example, "Here is the way that God loved the world: he gave his
only Son...." However, almost all translations render this adverb as TEV
does.

All modern translations read only Son rather
than "only begotten Son" (KJV). This same word is discussed in Jn 1:16.

The verb translated die (so also NEB, NAB) is
a characteristic Johannine word. It is used in contrast to eternal life both
here and in Jn 10:28. In the theology of John's
Gospel there is no third alternative; The final destiny of a man is either
eternal life or eternal death. TEV translates this same verb was lost and be
lost in 17:12.

It is important to indicate clearly that
everyone who believes in him refers to the Son, not to God. It may be necessary
in some languages to say specifically "everyone who believes in God's Son" or
"if anyone puts his trust in God's Son.

"There is probably no way of avoiding the
difficulty in the expression may not die but have eternal life. It has been
misinterpreted to imply that if people simply believed in Jesus that they would
never experience physical death. This meaning is not that intended by the Gospel
of John. He does use here a bold rhetorical figure as a means of contrasting
spiritual death with spiritual life. Any explanation of this contrast should be
left to teaching or to a marginal note; it should not be introduced directly
into the text."
(from the UBS Handbook Series. Copyright © 1961-1997, by United Bible Societies.)


CHRISTIAN BOOKS.COM Puts it this way.
"If 9/11 are the numbers of terror and despair, then 3:16 are the numbers of hope. In his new book, best selling author Max Lucado leads readers through a word-by-word study of John 3:16, the passage that he calls the "Hope Diamond" of scripture. It's more than a book, it is a mission of global proportions that invites Christians around the world to unite around the central message of our faith, embodied in the words of John 3:16. Join Max Lucado as he unpacks this timeless message - phrase by enduring phrase.
"http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=901935&p=1025023

HERE ARE MORE RESOURCES

-An Excerpt: http://maxlucado.com/316/pdf/316_chapter1.pdf

-Videos: http://maxlucado.com/316/resources/video

-Text Messages and Podcasts: http://maxlucado.com/316/updates

-YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/group/maxlucado

-YouTube 3:16/Max Lucado Group: http://www.youtube.com/group/maxlucado

-More Praise can be read at: http://maxlucado.com/316/about/comments.php

Additional 3:16 products, including a CD featuring top Christian musicians, study guides, church kits: http://maxlucado.com/316/products