Do you remember what Jesus identifies as the mark of his followers? That mark is love. Love identifies who we, followers of the crucified and risen Jesus, are in this very moment.
One can’t go into a large game of any sort without someone holding up a placard that says “John 3:16.” One need not even be a Christian to know that Bible verse.
But some time back, I finally saw someone waving a poster that read “John 3:17.” That verse reads: “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
The word “saved” is related to the Greek word soteria, meaning health, healing and wholeness. In other words, Jesus came into the world to bring it health, healing and wholeness. And as followers of Jesus, we are the means through which that salvation can be accomplished. We can be the bearers of health, healing and wholeness. Now.
This message is excerpted from the Bible study “Salvation now” by Anna Madsen in the July/August 2023 Gather magazine.
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