By: Travis Stockelman

I have to confess, I love the Gospel of John.

I really like Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but I love John. Some of the first verses of Scripture that I memorized came from John 1 and John 3. It is probably the Gospel that I have read more than any other. I have also read more books on John’s Gospel than I have on all of the other Gospels combined. Did I mention that I love John’s Gospel?

John’s Gospel just provides an amazing explanation of the love that God had for us and demonstrated toward us in Christ. In particular, I love the opening lines of the Gospel of John. Let me tell you why!

I believe that the opening lines of the Gospel of John, especially the first five verses, add a force of impact to the fact that Christ died for us.

John’s Gospel opens by telling us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The Word of God, Christ, existed in the beginning with God. There was never a time when He was not. There was never a time when He did not exist, and there was never a time when He was not in perfect relationship with God.

In fact, this is stated clearly in verse 18. John writes, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”

What the Greek implies here is a perfect, face to face relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. There is not a stronger image for a perfect relationship between two parties. This is the kind of loving relationship that God has with Jesus Christ. And yet, God loved us enough to send His Son into the world to die for our sins.

As we prepare to travel down this road toward Lent together, we should remember how much God loves Christ and then remember that God was willing to send Christ to die in our place because He loves us.

Understanding the love of God for Christ makes it even more powerful to think that God sent Jesus to die for us. God loves you that much! God loves me that much! And there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. As we go throughout the rest of this journey, let us reflect on the love of God for Christ and for us.