GOD’S PROVISION FOR SALVATION
Simple Yet True
(John 3:16)
In 1905, Albert Einstein theorized that E = mc2. He was suggesting that the amount of energy (E) associated with an object is a function of the mass (m) of the object times the square of the speed of light (c)—and he was eventually proven right. Besides proving that a small amount of mass can produce large amounts of energy, Einstein’s formula established something else: Profound truth can exist in the simplest of expressions.
As it turned out, E = mc2 was the key that unlocked the modern atomic age. Today nuclear reactors all over the world hum along because a solitary scientist arranged three letters and one number in the right order. To be sure, Einstein’s discovery was based on profound truth, the complexity of which most people could not begin to understand. But it is the statement of the truth that is so striking in its simplicity.
Even though Einstein’s discovery is a model of “complex simplicity,” it pales in comparison to the profound truth of John 3:16. When the Gideons organization began printing Bibles and placing them in hotel rooms and hospitals across America, they chose John 3:16 as the verse to print in the world’s major languages on the inside covers of their Bibles. If a non-English-reading person picks up a Gideon Bible, that person’s eyes will find at least one verse in his or her native script. And this verse, for all its simplicity, is profound enough to do what not even Einstein could do—change the eternal destiny of a human soul.
But John 3:16 is no theory waiting to be proven. It is a promise from God Himself: Anyone who believes in the person of Jesus Christ will receive the gift of eternal life. If we stumble long over the “how?” and the “why?” of this statement, we may miss the “who?” And the “who” is so clear—whoever believes in Him.
If you have already believed, then don’t miss this: Eternity is now. The eternal life God promises begins when we believe, not when we die. So for now, and for eternity, the most profound promise of salvation is found in the simplest verse. And if you have not believed in Christ, today would be a perfect day to do so.
God’s Promise:
His greatest gift is the simplest to receive—only believe.