The Verse: For God

Who is this God?

John 3:16

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 starts with these words: "For God." Have you wondered who this God is? What is He like, and why does He love us? Why did He give us His Son, Jesus?

Many verses in the Bible tell us who God is and what He is like. Today, we look back to the Old Testament to learn about God.

Exodus 34:6-7 says, "6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation."

These verses are important because they are the first description in the Bible of God's attributes. Those five attributes are compassion, graciousness, slow to anger, overflowing with loyal love, and faithfulness.

In context, Exodus 33:8 talks about Moses asking to see God's glory. God answered Moses's question by giving him a vision of His love, not His power and Majesty. God's mercy, grace, compassion, faithfulness, and forgiveness passed in front of Moses. (Exodus 33:19)

Some people today believe the Old Testament God differs from the New Testament God. God revealing His character to Moses shows that the God of the Old Testament does not contrast with the God of the New Testament. God is the same. He loves His people the same way.

The God who so loved the world loves you. He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, overflowing with loyal love, and faithful. Yet, He is also just and cannot let sin go unpunished. Because of His love for us and His desire to want us to come to Him, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us so we might be redeemed. God wants us to be made right with Him.

This compassionate, loving, just, gracious, forgiving, etc. God has always been the same. He never changes and always forgives. He loves you.

Sources: NIV Application Bible, Radical, Bible Project, Enduring World Commentary