The Gospel of John-17 – The Gospel that Confirms the Love of God

John 3:16–21.

 

"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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." Amen.

 

Before we examine the Word, let us turn to Romans 5:6–8.

 

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Amen.

 

The Purpose of Love Beyond Understanding

This is truly the marvelous gospel of salvation. In this world, there are those who lay down their lives for what they believe. Some even dare to face death for misguided convictions. We, too, sometimes sacrifice our lives for those we deem most valuable. However, to die for someone who not only has no value but is actually an enemy is so beyond our reason that it is simply astonishing. The reason it feels nearly impossible to understand or explain God's love is that we, by nature, lack such a heart.

 

Brothers and sisters, could we lay down our lives for a lowly ant? Could we give our lives, with deliberate intent, for a stray dog passing on the street? Because we cannot imagine such love, it is so difficult to grasp God's love. Yet, today, the Lord clearly shows us the content, reason, and ultimate purpose of the love He has bestowed upon us through this passage. The purpose of love revealed in John 3:16 states, "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." In other words, His great purpose is to rescue us from the path of perishing and grant us eternal life.

 

Why Knowing the Disease is Hope

If we contemplate the passage from Romans 5, which we read earlier, in connection with today's text, we can see that God sent His Son to die while we were still sinners. What, then, was the specific condition of our state as sinners? According to John 3:16, it was a "state of perishing." The solemn truth is that the essence of our state, while we were still sinners, was that we were destined to perish. In truth, sermons like this are rarely welcomed. I understand well that the expressions of those listening darken, and I, too, wished that this text were a more pleasant and hopeful story to bring you warm comfort. However, the declaration of this text is firm: the fact that we were sinners means we were beings facing the crisis of perishing.

 

I deeply empathize with how arduous and exhausting life in a foreign land can be. There are countless hardships to endure while living in an environment where one must listen to a foreign language all day long. In such a weary daily life, having to hear the old-fashioned, seemingly stale talk of being a "sinner" might make life feel even more depressing and dark. You might ask for a bright, hopeful, and empowering message, questioning why there are not more encouraging stories in the Bible, like Abraham receiving blessings or Joseph becoming a prime minister. Why, then, must the Bible begin with such a dark and somber story?

 

Let us imagine this: suppose we have contracted an incurable disease. Is it happier to know that one has a terminal illness, or to remain ignorant? If there is no possible cure, it might be better not to know. It might be easier to live in ignorance until the end of one's life. From the moment one recognizes the disease, deep agony and conflict begin, and the fear of approaching death makes every day difficult and depressing. However, if there were a perfect cure for that disease, the situation would change entirely. In that case, ignorance would be the greatest tragedy. One must diagnose the disease accurately to be healed.

 

Even if the disease is painful and tiresome, realizing that I have it is no longer despair once I know there is a cure. Rather, ignorance is the disaster, and facing the disease directly becomes hope and salvation. Because we possess a certain cure that can heal us 100% if only we know the name of the disease. Therefore, realizing the wretched state we were in is proof that we possess the most certain hope. Addressing the problem of sin, then, is not an attempt to make you depressed or to burden you with the yoke of guilt. This is the prelude to proclaiming the most glorious hope that a saint can enjoy.

 

The Definition of Eternal Life and Personal Communion

When we look at the phrase "shall not perish but have eternal life" mentioned in the text, we see that the perishing defined by the Bible is the opposite concept of eternal life. As we shared last time, the essence of eternal life is not simply existing for an infinite amount of time—what we often call "immortality." The term "eternal life" contains a far more profound meaning. In John 17:3, Jesus Himself defines eternal life: "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

 

What, then, does it mean to "know" here? It is not merely the acquisition of information. While we often speak of "knowing" a celebrity by being familiar with their appearance or history through media, "knowing God" in the biblical sense transcends such intellectual knowledge. Possessing information that God is omnipotent, spirit, and omnipresent is not true knowledge. In the biblical sense, knowing God means whether one has deep, personal communion with Him—that is, what kind of practical relationship one has with God.

 

"Knowing God" is an intimate relationship, like a father knowing his child and a child knowing his father. Just as a father cannot fail to recognize his own child and a child cannot forget his father, there exists an unbreakable spiritual bond between God and His children. Thus, "becoming a Christian" is not merely learning the ropes of church life or mastering religious norms like how to give an offering or the posture of prayer. Becoming a Christian means being invited into and entering the glorious and marvelous place of communion established by God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

The Characteristics of Those Who Walk in Darkness

We sometimes attempt to explain the identity of a Christian with a sense of moral superiority, saying, "I am a little better now than I was before I believed in Jesus." However, the mere fact that one strives to live a little more ethically and nobly than before cannot be the decisive mark of a true believer. Even the appearance of accepting church teachings and faithfully following its rules cannot be concluded as the essential characteristic of a follower of Jesus. We must clearly understand this point. When the Gospel of John expresses those who perish as "those who do evil," we often think only of those who commit heinous crimes. That is, it is easy to assume that only those who live by committing vicious sins are the ones who cannot see God and die in darkness, and that being a Christian is simply being a person who does not do evil.

 

However, the "evildoer" pointed out by the Bible does not merely mean those who do bad things by our ethical standards. At times, people far more moral than us by worldly standards can be included in this category. Those who do evil as defined by the Bible are those destined to perish, and here, perishing signifies a state of spiritual ignorance of God and Jesus Christ. Does this mean that everyone who does not believe in God and Jesus Christ is perished? Yes. That is the solemn truth proclaimed by John 3:16 today.

 

This is a very significant issue in our lives. If the Bible labels the state of not knowing God and Jesus Christ as "doing evil," we stand at a solemn turning point where we must look back at ourselves. The Bible does not call those who do evil merely moral lawbreakers but calls them "those who walk in darkness." This implies that the person is trapped under the spiritual governing domain of "darkness" and is living as a subject of the kingdom of darkness.

 

From Self-Centered Darkness to God-Centered Light

Just as one born in Korea becomes a Korean and one born in America becomes an American, we were born in the kingdom of darkness and lived as subjects to that system. Since there was no other option in this world but the kingdom of darkness, we had no way to escape on our own. None of us began life in the Garden of Eden; everyone without exception was born in the territory of darkness. Therefore, we were all fundamentally not children of light, but people who belonged to darkness. Living in darkness means more than just committing ethical sins; it signifies a fundamental state of deficiency, living without knowing God.

 

Because they do not know God, those who belong to darkness try to define and serve God in their own way. They define for themselves, "God must be love." While the Bible certainly proclaims that God is love, there exists a vast gap between the love we imagine and the love the Bible reveals. The love of God expected by those in darkness is merely the image of a benevolent grandfather. They call it love when He simply accepts us whenever we come to Him and always leads us to paradise.

 

However, if God’s love remained at such a level, there would have been no reason for Jesus to come to this earth or suffer the agony of the cross. Because it would suffice to simply lead us to heaven at a single word of apology. The adjective "holy" must accompany God's love. God is "holy love." Furthermore, those in darkness invent a "God of miracles." They expect a God like a vending machine who solves all the difficult problems of my life and responds instantly whenever I press the button I desire.

 

This is a phenomenon that appears because we are bound by darkness. It is believing that even God must exist thoroughly for the sake of oneself. If a God cannot be utilized by me, they deem Him not a God. Therefore, those who belong to darkness have no genuine interest in God's will, longing, or His work. They focus all their attention on how comfortably I can live on this earth. No matter how much it is wrapped in noble language, the idol of "I" is firmly seated at the center. The Bible defines this state as "not knowing God" and declares it a decisive characteristic of a "person who walks in darkness."

 

The Happiness of Darkness That Does Not Know Itself

As we share this message, you might perhaps think in one corner of your heart that it is "unfair." It may be a counter-argument that there is no one who does not care for themselves as a human being, and is it not a natural principle to center all things on oneself while living life? The statement that this life would be of no use if "I" did not exist is extremely reasonable. However, because we do not know God, paradoxically, we do not even realize who we truly are. Not knowing our own identity, we do not know what happiness is truly necessary for us.

 

Those of you sitting here today might recall the past and think, "I was like that once too." However, reflect deeply on the essential characteristics of those who still dwell in darkness. Not knowing themselves properly, they cannot even discern what is most beneficial for them. The highest happiness we often crave is a state where every day is comfortable, always joyful, and living without any difficult problems or worries.

 

If you truly wish to meet people in such a state, I recommend visiting a psychiatric ward. From what I experienced when I did hospital ministry in the past, the people in the world without the fewest worries were actually those who had completely lost their reason. They have no agony regarding death or life, and they are not swayed at all by the criticism of others or surrounding situations. Is this the happiness we truly desire? Probably no one would consider that true happiness. Yet, we often mistake such ignorant peace for happiness. This is the tragedy born because we do not even realize who we truly are or what we truly need.

 

The Confession of Being a Sinner Revealed in the Light

If we have examined "those who do evil" and "those who will perish" until now, we must pay attention to how the Bible defines the opposite concept, "those who possess eternal life." Today's text, verse 21, states, "But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." The Bible does not merely call the opposite of an evildoer a "doer of good," but labels them "those who follow the truth." This refers to those who walk in the light—that is, people who belong to the domain of light, not darkness. The Bible clearly declares that we have moved beyond the stage of simply confessing, "I believe in Jesus and am going to heaven," to being "beings who have been rescued from the power of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the light, the kingdom of Jesus Christ."

 

Even when we lived in the kingdom of darkness in the past, we likely accumulated good deeds and tales of virtue in our own way. However, the mindset and interests we held in that kingdom often tenaciously remain in our inner selves even now that we have moved to the kingdom of light. Nevertheless, the Bible says that those who belong to darkness and those who belong to light are fundamentally different from the start. The first characteristic of one who belongs to the light is clearly recognizing that one was a being thoroughly enslaved to the domain of darkness in the past. Here, the confession of being a "sinner" does not mean simply having many moral flaws. It is realizing that my entire thought process and path in life was a life buried in the self-assurance that I centered everything, lived as I wanted, and that I was the best.

 

In the days when I did not know God, I lived life thoroughly centering on the self and always acting against God. Is it not truly amazing that even the good deeds we performed had the result of rejecting God as their motive? The fact that helping others and performing charity could be an act that opposes God is a truly unfair yet solemn truth that originates from the nature of a sinner. We feel it is unfair because we have established the standards of good and evil by ourselves and are intoxicated by the fact that we met those standards. This is no different from the heart that directly rejects and ignores the sovereignty of God.

 

Therefore, "walking in the light" does not mean living more cleanly and morally than others. That may be nothing more than adorning the self. Because the form only changes, but the essence of loving the world remains as firm as ever. Walking in the light is facing squarely what kind of distorted life pattern I lived in the past. It is not the pride of having perfectly corrected one's life, but the humility of knowing who I was. And through that knowledge, it is confessing that my affiliation has completely changed and that I now dwell in the kingdom of light.

 

God’s Forgiveness Found Under the Light

What is the reality one faces first upon entering the kingdom of light? It is the fact that when brilliant light shines upon my soul, my self-esteem and ugly reality, which I wanted to hide, are blatantly exposed. This is why there are as many frustrating things as there are joys in believing in Jesus. It is because God shines His light to reveal our weaknesses, our sinful nature, and the filthy things within us one by one. We witness not only the fruits of the sin that are exposed, but also the deep-rooted nature within us that transforms everything into a form of sin. It is amazing how skilled we are at hating others without ever being taught, and there are countless times we are horrified by our own image.

 

School life in America seems to have a slightly different aspect from the atmosphere in Korea. If there was a romance in the middle and high school days in Korea where we shared affection between teacher and student and forged friendship, life here can feel a bit dry. One day, when my child returned from school, they unleashed complaints about their history teacher and math teacher without distinction. When I reprimanded them, asking, "Is it not too harsh to speak ill of your teacher?" the child casually retorted that it was the most enjoyable part of school life. Do not misunderstand. It is not that I taught them this. This is the raw nature of a human being. Are you an exception? Do we not also feel a strange pleasure in conversations where we tear others down? Forgetting that the dagger will return to me when I criticize others, we indulge in the pleasure of that moment.

 

The reality that we are exactly such beings is exposed without filter under the light. But at that very moment, an indescribable reversal occurs. Even though my ugly reality is completely exposed, I am overwhelmed before the presence of God, who loved me nonetheless and led me into this kingdom of light. Is it possible that He has no intention of correcting our faults? By our common sense, He should immediately call us to account for our mistakes and remake us cleanly, but God treats us in an entirely different way.

 

Already Received Forgiveness and Turning Repentance

This is what happened at the session meeting of the Nasung Nampo Church. As the moderator, there are many issues for which I must take responsibility, so there are times when I feel unfairly treated. After I vented such feelings, the elders, the youngest of whom was me, told me, "With a heart that thinks it is unfair, problems cannot be solved." At first, I simply accepted it, but after contemplating it deeply, the statement was truly correct. At my level, I would be satisfied only if I exposed every minor mistake and washed it clean as if in water, but I realized that true ability lies in the "spiritual discernment" to read the big picture of when God's church will receive glory, even in all those situations. This precious wisdom learned through veteran elders truly resembles the heart of God.

 

When we are stripped bare before God, we cannot help but be horrified as we face the dirty reality hidden within. However, the more marvelous fact is the love of God, who accepted and forgave us even when we were still sinners, in our filthiest state. When we finally experience that grace, the hymn "With no world, no self, only the redeeming Lord is seen" bursts forth as a true confession. It is not because I am better. Because I know I have already received immeasurable forgiveness, I can finally face the filth within me and repent. We do not become clean by repenting; rather, because we have already been made clean in Christ, we finally offer an answer in the name of repentance.

 

Think about it logically. There is no law that grants an unconditional acquittal just because one confesses sin in court. It is justice to pay the corresponding price for sin if one acknowledges it. Confessing sin before God does not itself become an unconditional indulgence either. Since Jesus Christ has already paid the price, our confession is received before God. Therefore, those who walk in the light live a life of repenting while honestly confessing their sins. The life of a believer is not complex. Only repentance and faith—these two are everything. Repentance is not necessarily weeping and wailing. Remembering the forgiveness God has bestowed and turning the direction of one's life, resolving never to stay in the place of that sin again—that is exactly the repentance the Bible speaks of.

 

The Believer’s Life That Proves Itself in the World

Walking in the light is the act of distinguishing oneself from the world of spiritual darkness. However, this does not mean shunning the world and living in seclusion. Many mistake fleeing from the world as the proper duty of a Christian. Having mystical experiences is a blessing. However, if one is buried in that experience itself and turns away from reality, it is not true faith. Sinking into a deep spiritual world that only one knows and denying reality while lost in religious ecstasy is not faith, but escape.

 

Brothers and sisters, never flee from the world. Also, do not hide within the fence of the church to avoid the weariness of the world. It is not proper to raise your voice in the church and try to be acknowledged while putting on airs. The church is not a place of refuge to flee from the world and establish one's authority. Rather, walk boldly into the world. And prove by your life that you do not belong to this world. The world is keenly watching how you live now.

 

Show that you are a person who is not shaken by the temporary happiness offered by this world and a person who is not swayed by the values forced upon you by the world. The world will constantly fluctuate, but show that you are a being who stands firmly on the rock. We are not beings who live directing ourselves toward the world, but people who live hoping for the kingdom of God. Like a person who has planted roots on the rock called Jesus, prove your identity with a life that does not shake.

 

The Rubber Band of Faith Running Toward Jesus

A true believer is a person who realizes that God's providence is inherent in all events that happen to them. The latter part of verse 21, "so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God," means exactly this. One who knows that the countless ups and downs of my life are the work God has performed is the one who is "coming to the light." The one who discovers God’s work through their life moves their steps toward Jesus Christ, who is the light, because of that overwhelming emotion.

 

The more the world shakes, the more they run toward Jesus because of that anxiety. When the world beckons with sweet happiness, enticing you to "live satisfied with this," paradoxically, even that hand of temptation becomes a motive to run toward Jesus. These people return to Jesus repeatedly through all things, like a person tied to a rubber band. Whether wounded, fallen, or amidst joy or sorrow, they seek only the Lord. Because they realize deeply that there is no place other than the Lord to receive true happiness and comfort.

 

To those who truly walk in the Lord, what appears is no longer their own desires, but the holy works God has performed. Because God's history is revealed, they naturally move to a life of seeking God's will. Now, at the center of life, God's work, not "my" work, is positioned. It is a natural consequence to become sensitive to what Jesus, the light, and God, the King, think and what purpose They hold. Once you become deeply immersed in pondering the will that God rejoices in, you choose the path of conflicting and agonizing with the Lord in the kingdom of light rather than the easy happiness the world gives. Because you know that the agony itself is holy joy with God.

 

Holy Conflict Experienced Because of God

Therefore, you and I are not people who stop at resolutions like, "I will not lie starting tomorrow" or "I will live loving others." We are people who refuse to lie because we know what God's heart is and what it means to stand on His side. It is not because we are morally excellent that we resist the temptation of falsehood. Honestly, we could gain immediate profit with a small lie, so why would we not feel temptation? We ponder and conflict only because of God and our relationship with Him.

 

If you feel completely comfortable while believing in Jesus, you must place your hand on your heart and look back at yourself. It is impossible for a person who truly pursues the kingdom of God to live in this world without conflict. When you have to pray for blessings for an enemy, why wouldn't a fierce conflict arise within your heart? Even if you cry out, "God, I have suffered this much, so shouldn't You now open the way and let me live peacefully?" if God still blocks the way, how could you not agonize?

 

If there is no such conflict, it is rather a strange thing. As long as we cannot discard the heart that wants to run life like an expressway on a smooth path, we seek God's will and find why He permits such trials for me. Otherwise, our lives would have already fled far from God toward the ease of the world. This holy conflict of hovering around God and asking for His will is the grace that holds us so we do not deviate from the path of faith. You know better than anyone how tempting the pleasures the world gives are.

 

God Who Makes Life a Masterpiece

The fact that God's history is specifically fulfilled in our lives makes us live a life of wonder. Brothers and sisters, I earnestly hope you engrave this Word deep in your hearts. God's work is being fulfilled even now in the midst of your lives. What life could be more blessed than this? It may look like a life full of wounds to your eyes, but to God, it is already a completed masterpiece. If God says your life is beautiful, would you dare answer, "No, God, it is a life only of wounds"?

 

When we first encounter Picasso’s painting, we might not understand at all what he drew. We might say we cannot know whether it was drawn with hands or feet, but that work is an unchanging masterpiece. It is not just because Picasso drew it, but because it is a masterpiece that possesses artistic value in itself. Between the perspective from which you look at your life and the eye with which God looks at you, which is correct? If God is fulfilling God's work in your life, that life is already a 100-point masterpiece. How, then, can we stay buried in frustration, giving up, and in sorrow and despair?

 

God tells you that your life is so beautiful, but if we answer only that it is "tiresome," this is clearly a wrong attitude. If you cannot see your own beautiful life that God has molded, earnestly ask today. Ask to realize what the essence of my life is amidst these rough years. God’s work is being fulfilled within you, so how can you retreat? When the world shakes you, rather thank the Lord for the shaking and run toward the Lord. Whatever the world does to your environment, never surrender and do not waver. All the wealth and power of the world may eventually burn and disappear, but the work of God, proved by passing all tests, will be eternal. That is the true meaning of the declaration the Bible speaks of: "Be still, and know that I am God," [to see the work of God].

 

Let us pray.

Beloved Lord, I confess that we have lived truly without fear. Sometimes we acted arrogantly and forgot Your will. Having received the grace of the Lord, who moved us from darkness to the kingdom of light, with what thought can we possibly be frustrated? On what grounds do we despair, and for what reason can we only sit down? Discouragement is an impossible thing that never suits a saint.

 

Lord, I earnestly ask that we may deeply meditate on and realize where we were saved from and where we were moved to, and how God’s history is being fulfilled within us now. I pray that the beloved saints may use this truth as a motive force to become a blessed life that runs powerfully toward Jesus Christ every day in this land.

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, we pray. Amen.