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John 3:16
= This is a very great verse in anyone’s mind. In fact, it is also one of my favorite verses. It tells of God’s love for man (the world), God’s grace (in giving His only begotten Son so man could be saved), about believing, and also about salvation.
But did you know that this very verse was also one of the most misquoted verses in the entire Bible?
Look at the verse again (
John 3:16
), get your own Bible out and read it there. Does it actually say what you remember it saying? Is this the way your Pastor, friend, or relative quoted it?
What about the word ‘should’, that’s what it says ‘should’, and NOT ‘would’. What is the difference? One is an accurate quote, and the other is not. Remember all the talking we did on ‘study’?
'Should' = yes, If we are given (hear) all the necessary information needed to believe and we do believe, there is no reason not to act (love, repent, confess, and be baptized) on that belief and be saved. That is something that we 'should' do.
Let me give you an example: It is Saturday afternoon. You are watching your favorite football team on TV. And suddenly a neighbor knocks on your door. He tells you (you are now hearing the information), that your house is on fire. And as you are standing there kind of dazed trying to sort out this shocking news, trying to decide if this is actually happening or is your neighbor just playing a joke on you? Your neighbor tells you if you want to be saved, you ‘should’ believe him. He’s not kidding. About this same time, you start smelling smoke. You turn around and see flames. OK, now you believe your neighbor was telling the truth. But, even though you now believe (accept as fact), you are still not safe! Because at this point in time, you have not yet acted on your belief and got out of the house to safety. And so you still remain in an unsafe condition UNTIL you act (get out of the house) on your belief.
That is the very idea that James was trying to get across to those that thought FAITH was all that was necessary to take care of any situation. When he said, “Faith without works is dead” (
James 2:19-20
).
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What do you think about this lesson ???
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