Loved

Loved

John 3:16-21

I didn’t grow up with a very refined sense of culture.  I was more of a meathead who only cared about sports. If it involved a ball and a field, I was all in. Plays and musicals were not my kind of fun.  I may have been dragged to a few as a kid, but if so, I must have blocked them out. But one of the first plays I actually remember seeing was on New Year’s Eve in 2004, about six months after Ellen and I got married. Wanting to do something special, I took her to see Les Misérables. Still more of a meathead, I didn’t expect much, but I was captivated. The story grabbed hold of me and honestly, has never really let go.

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean is a man treated like a hardened criminal for stealing bread for his family, and instead of being reformed in prison, he was shaped by those years with bitterness and shame. After being released from prison, with nowhere to go, a kind bishop, Bishop Myriel, takes him in, feeds him, and gives him shelter. Valjean repays that kindness by stealing the bishop’s silver, and fleeing in the night. Hugo writes of Valjean, 

"He had just committed a monstrous theft, a theft of the most despicable kind—he had robbed the man who had shown him kindness."

He’s caught and brought back by the police. But instead of condemning him, the bishop shocks everyone by extending mercy. He tells the officers that the silver was a gift, and then gives Valjean even more. That single act of undeserved mercy transforms Valjean’s life. Valjean was caught and condemned, but instead of receiving judgment he was loved with mercy. The Bishop said to Valjean, "Do not forget, never forget, that you have promised to use this silver to become an honest man. Jean Valjean, my brother, you belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul I am buying for you; I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God."

The rest of the story becomes a portrait of redemption, sparked by love freely given to one who didn’t deserve it. It is one of the great pictures of redemption in all of literature. 

That’s a glimpse, just a faint one, of the kind of love we find in John 3:16. The bishop redeemed him with silver; Christ redeemed us with His blood. Valjean’s freedom cost the bishop his treasure; our freedom cost Jesus his life. For God loved not the good or the grateful, but the guilty. He gave His Son not to reward us, but to redeem us. The mercy shown by that bishop points us to a far greater mercy: the holy love of God who sent His Son into a dark and condemned world so that sinners like us could be made new.

Just as that act of mercy changed the course of Valjean’s life, the love of God revealed in John 3:16 has the power to change ours. This passage shows us the depth of divine love, the tragedy of human darkness, and the invitation to step into the light of Christ.

God Loved the Condemned World (John 3:16-18)

John 3:16 is the most well-known Bible verse in all the world. It is the gospel in a sentence. We never move on from John 3:16. And although we often see this verse standing alone, it is important to put it in its context. Nicodemus, the man, comes to Jesus at night not yet understanding how one enters the kingdom of God. Jesus tells him that he must be born again by believing in Jesus as the Messiah who would be lifted up from the earth on a cross to rescue a condemned world from their sin. John 3:16 is most likely a commentary from John the Evangelist on the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. The beginning of John 3:16 connects this paragraph with the previous section. “For,” is a connecting word explaining in more depth Jesus’ words to Nicodemus. John 3:16–18,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

Remember how strong Jesus’ words were in the previous section to Nicodemus. He said, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God….unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus states the problem and the solution.  

First, let us focus on the problem. The world is condemned. The end of verse 18, “whoever does not believe is condemned already.” Before we get to the solution, we have to see the problem. We cannot see and cannot enter the kingdom of God because we belong to the world. John uses the word world very carefully. When he says, “For God so loved the world,” he does not mean a morally neutral or spiritually receptive world. He means a world set against God, a rebellious creation that has exchanged the truth for a lie. In John’s writings, the world represents the realm of sin, darkness, and unbelief. It is humanity organized in opposition to its Creator. 1 John 2:15–17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 

This is the world that God loved. Not a world of beauty and innocence, but a world of rebellion and pride. God’s love shines not because the world is lovely, but because His heart is merciful. When John says, “God so loved the world,” he is declaring that the holy God set His affection on those who had turned their backs on Him. The shocking wonder of John 3:16 is that God loved the condemned. This love is sovereign, costly, and undeserved. He loved those who robbed him of his glory, those who committed a monstrous theft, a theft of the most despicable kind, stealing from the One who showed them nothing but kindness. 

We can’t understand John 3:16 unless we understand John 3:17-18 and how we are loved in our unloveliness. Do you understand how sinful you truly are? Every one of us has sinned against the God who made us. We have taken His good gifts, our words, our bodies, our time, our desires, and used them to serve ourselves rather than Him. We love what He hates and ignore what He loves. Sin is not just something we do; it is what we are apart from grace. We stand guilty before a holy God, condemned not because He is unfair, but because we have rebelled against His rightful rule. The problem is that we are the world and the world stands condemned. And since the problem is so big, it makes the solution to it so marvelous. 

For God so loved the condemned world, the world that spit on his grace and rejected him, the world that craved glory for themselves, he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Let that sink in. Imagine you were Valjean thrown at the feet of the man you just robbed in the dead of night. Fear and dread fill your heart, knowing you are going back to prison, to the shame and pain of a hardened criminal, but instead you receive the greatest gift known to man: undeserved love. And this love is not God just giving us something he doesn’t need, God gives us himself. He gave his only Son. 

Jesus was sent into the world so that the world could be saved through him. The world’s salvation only comes through judgment. God loved the condemned world by sending his Son to be condemned. Jesus was sent into the world to bear the condemnation that we deserved. The sinless Son of God took upon Himself the guilt of sinners. On the cross, He became our substitute, standing in the place of the condemned world. Though He was righteous, He was treated as guilty so that the guilty could be declared righteous. Isaiah said it long before, “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6).

At Calvary, the Judge of all the earth stepped down from His bench and took the sentence upon Himself. The wrath that should have fallen on us fell on Him. He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. Jesus was condemned so that we could go free, forsaken so that we could be forgiven, slain so that we might live. But the story did not end in the tomb. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead, proving that the payment was accepted and the curse was broken. The resurrection is God’s declaration that justice has been satisfied and salvation is complete. The One who was condemned now lives to offer eternal life to all who believe.The love of God is not seen in our worthiness, but in the cross of His Son, where justice and mercy met, and where the condemned world was offered redemption through faith in Him. Let me say that again, where the condemned world was offered redemption through faith in him. 

Friend, if you are not a Christian, don’t miss this offer. You stand condemned because of your sin, but Jesus came to save you. The Bible says, “whoever believes in him,” should not perish but have eternal life; he is not condemned. Notice there is no qualifier to the whoever. Whoever is the most inclusive salvation one could offer. Whoever includes any and all kinds of sinners: those who are greedy, sexually immoral, liars, violent, gluttonous, self-righteous, addicted, prideful, bitter, jealous, gossiping, covetous, lazy, unbelieving, or blasphemous. The list doesn’t ever end. The reach of Christ’s love is longer than the record of your sin. His love reaches to the bottom of your sinful well. The only qualifier is not who can come but how one comes: whoever believes in him.

Friend, Jesus loved the world in his life, death and resurrection so you could be saved. You cannot see the kingdom of God unless you are born again. Unless you believe in Jesus Christ. Please turn from your sin and shame and experience the undeserved love of God in Christ. Don’t be like a diseased patient who spits in the doctor’s face when he offers you saving medicine. Receive salvation by believing in Christ today.

Church, I said earlier that we never move past John 3:16. Do you realize that His love for us never ends? It never runs out. God does not love us once at salvation and then move on; He continues to pour out His steadfast love day after day. His mercies are new every morning. He loves us when we are faithful and when we fail. He loves us when we serve Him with joy and when we stumble in weakness. The same love that saved us keeps us, sustains us, and sanctifies us. The cross is not only the beginning of our faith but the anchor that holds us in every season of life. Christian, you are not merely someone God once loved, you are someone God still loves, with the same redeeming, unrelenting love that sent His Son into the world to save you.

Church, pause and let this settle in; God did not love a future, cleaned-up version of you. He loved you when you were at your worst. He set His affection on you when you were still in rebellion. Before you ever prayed, believed, or repented, He loved you. Romans 5:8.

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Beloved, he died for you.

Some of you walk in here feeling unworthy of His love. You yelled at your kids this week, you failed again in temptation, you feel cold in prayer or it is hard for you to trust him with your future. But His love doesn’t rise and fall with your performance. The cross settled that once for all. His mercies are new every morning, and that includes this morning. Romans 8:38–39,

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For God so loved the world that he gave us his Son and God so loved his people that nothing can separate us from that love. Church, you are loved with an everlasting love. Nothing can un-adopt you, un-redeem you, or un-love you. You belong to Him, and He delights to call you His own.

So what do we do with such love? We rest in it. We return to it when we fall. We remind each other of it in the gospel week after week. Because when we lose sight of God’s love, sin begins to look appealing again. But when His love fills our hearts, obedience becomes joy and repentance becomes freedom.

People Loved the Darkness (John 3:19-20)

And since we have experienced this love, we must walk in the light. The man, Nicodemus came at night, in part because he loved darkness. Remember John 3:1-21 comes on the heels of Jesus clearing the temple at the Passover where man believed in Jesus for they saw his signs but did not truly believe Jesus as the Messiah. John 2:25 says it clearly, Jesus “knew what was in man.” Jesus knows what is in you which is why he came for you. John concludes the section revealing the danger that continues to lurk in our hearts. John 3:19–20,

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

People loved darkness rather than the light because their works were evil and were afraid of being exposed. What did Adam and Eve do after they loved darkness in taking and eating the fruit in their rebellion against God in the garden, they hid because they knew that they were exposed. 

John gives us a vivid picture of sin. When we sin, we love darkness over the light. When we do wicked things, we hate the light. We don’t come to the light because of fear of being exposed as evil. Sin always drives people towards secrecy. But Jesus knows what is in the dark. He sees you. He sees your sin. He knows the wicked things you do and are doing. He knows what is in your heart. If he already knows it, then stop trying to hide it. Come to the light. 

This love of darkness is not just something that happens out there in the world; it still lingers in us. Even as believers, there are corners of our hearts that would rather stay hidden than brought into the light. We would rather cover our anger than confess it, justify our lust than repent of it, and excuse our pride rather than humble ourselves before God. We are tempted to believe that if others really saw us, they would turn away, forgetting that Christ already sees it all and still loves us. 

Beloved, let me encourage you to analyze your life and see how you may be loving darkness over the light. Here are seven possible ways you may still love darkness as Christians, even after experiencing the light of Christ:

We hide our sin instead of confessing it. Rather than bringing our struggles into the light through repentance and accountability, we cover them up, hoping no one will notice. We fear exposure more than we desire freedom. James 5:16, 

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 

And Psalm 32:3–5,

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Confession brings healing. Sin grows best in the dark, just like mold. When hidden away, it spreads quietly, feeding on secrecy and shame. But when the light shines on it, it begins to dry up and die. Mold cannot survive where the sun breaks through, and neither can unconfessed sin survive in the light of God’s truth and grace. Bringing our sin into the light through confession does not destroy us; it frees us. The light of Christ exposes what is harmful so that He can cleanse and heal what has been decaying in the dark.

We justify what God condemns. We find ways to excuse attitudes, habits, or desires that God’s Word clearly calls sin. We rename pride as confidence, greed as ambition, or bitterness as “being honest.” Jesus said to the Pharisees in Luke 16:15 who were lovers of money, Luke 16:15, 

‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’” 

Why try to justify ourselves?  1 John 1:8, 

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

When we are confronted with our sin, admit it. Don’t justify or excuse it. 

We feed our minds with darkness. Through what we watch, listen to, or dwell on, we quietly welcome influences that dull our love for Christ. The light of truth grows dim when we keep our hearts entertained by the world. Hear these exhortations of Scripture: 

Matthew 6:22–23, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

Psalm 101:3, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.”

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things.”

Beloved, we must set our eyes on that which is in the light. Do an inventory of your eyes and ears. What do you listen to? What do you watch? And what does it reveal about what you love? 

Do you see the pattern, church? Darkness always hides, always deceives, always substitutes the lesser for the greater. Whether we hide our sin, justify it, or feed it through what we watch, it all grows from the same root; loving the dark more than the light.

We neglect God’s Word and prayer. When we drift from Scripture and stop communing with God in prayer, our hearts naturally move toward darkness. The less time we spend in His light, the more comfortable we become in the shadows. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, 

Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”

When believers neglect the Word, we starve our souls and dull our sensitivity to sin. The psalmist reminds us Psalm 119:105, 

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path

Walking in darkness often begins with simple neglect, choosing distraction over devotion, until the light of fellowship with God grows dim. But when we return to His Word and speak with Him in prayer, His light breaks through again, restoring clarity, conviction, and joy.

We treasure the world more than we long for heaven. Our hearts are easily captured by the temporary pleasures and possessions of this life. We spend more energy building earthly comfort than pursuing eternal reward. The Apostle John warns, 1 John 2:15,  

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” 

When we love the world more than we love God, our eyes adjust to the darkness and we lose sight of eternity. Paul reminds us to “set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). The light of Christ calls us to loosen our grip on what will fade and to fix our hearts on the glory that will never end.

We cling to unforgiveness instead of extending grace. Even though we have been forgiven much, we sometimes hold on to bitterness and resentment toward others. We replay offenses in our minds, justify our anger, and resist the humility it takes to forgive. Yet Scripture is clear, Ephesians 4:32,

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Unforgiveness thrives in the shadows of pride and pain, but grace can only grow in the light of the gospel. When we refuse to forgive, we step back into the darkness from which Christ rescued us. But when we forgive as He forgave us, His light shines through our lives and restores peace to our hearts. Living in unforgiveness is walking in and loving the darkness over the light. 

We fear man more than we fear God. We fear being exposed more than we fear the Lord. Rather than walking in honesty and repentance, we hide behind appearances, afraid that others might see what God already knows. Others chose to stay silent about their faith because they want others to think well of them. John writes in John 12:43, that many did not confess faith, "so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

Loving darkness can look like wanting to blend in when Christ calls us to stand out.

Each of these reveals that even redeemed hearts still wrestle with the shadows.But the good news is that the same light that first saved us continues to shine on us, calling us out of hiding and into honest, joyful fellowship with the God who forgives and restores. 

My hope for our church is that we would not love darkness over the light. I have been so encouraged in recent weeks how many of you who are struggling with sin have confessed it and brought it to the light. It is painful. It is hard. Yet it is freeing. I am so proud of you for taking that step and admitting your struggle. May God bring you healing the light of his presence. 

Have you Loved the Light? (John 3:21)

If we love the light, meaning if we love Jesus, we will live in the light. We will display his glory in how we live. John 3:21

"But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” 

True belief in Christ always results in a life that moves toward the light. We come into the open, not to prove our righteousness, but to display God’s grace at work in us.

Loving the light means living honestly before God and others. It means refusing to hide, choosing to confess rather than conceal, to forgive rather than resent, to serve rather than seek comfort. When we walk in the light, we are not boasting in ourselves but in what God has done. Our good works, our repentance, our growth in holiness all become evidence that His Spirit is alive in us. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14–16, You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

When we walk in the light of Christ, His brightness shines through our lives and draws others to Him. Your kindness toward a difficult coworker, your patience with your children, your honesty in the face of temptation, and your forgiveness of someone who wronged you. All of these become beams of gospel light in a dark world. People notice when Christians live differently. They may not understand it at first, but they will be drawn to the Source behind it. Our goal is not that others would see our goodness, but that through our lives they would see God’s grace. When we love the light, we help others find the way out of darkness and into the joy of knowing Jesus.

Think of Nicodemus, who first came to Jesus in the dark, afraid and confused. Yet by the end of John’s Gospel, he is standing in the light, helping to bury the body of Jesus (John 19:39). That’s what the love of God does; it brings people out of hiding into faith. The man who once sought Jesus in secret now honors Him in public. That same love can bring you out of the shadows today.

As we close, think back to Jean Valjean standing before the Bishop. He was guilty, caught, and should have been condemned. Every eye in the room expected judgment. But instead of chains, he received mercy. Instead of punishment, he was given that silver that changed his life forever. The bishop’s words echoed grace: “It is your soul I am buying for you; I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.”

That is what God has done for us in Christ. We were caught in our sin, condemned under His law, standing guilty before the Judge of all the earth. Yet instead of casting us away, God sent His Son to bear our sentence and buy our souls for Himself. The silver that redeemed Valjean was precious, but the blood of Jesus is infinitely more. He took our place so that we could be set free, forgiven, and made new.

Victor Hugo described what happened to Jean Valjean that night he received mercy from the Bishop. Hugo captures something profound in the soul. He writes,

Jean Valjean wept for a long time. He was not weeping because of his humiliation, but because he felt that he had been loved more than he deserved. He said to himself, ‘The bishop has bought my soul to God. I no longer belong to evil, but to good. I will do my best to become an honest man.’ He felt that he must henceforth be a different man, that he must make of himself a new Jean Valjean.

That’s the power of grace. Love undeserved becomes love transforming. Valjean’s life from that moment was marked by mercy, integrity, and compassion. He was not trying to repay the bishop, but he had been changed by love shown to him. Hugo was trying to show that Valjean, like all of us, needed to be born again. 

And that is the call of John 3:16–21. God’s love does not simply pardon; it transforms. It takes condemned sinners and makes them new creations who live for His glory. Like Valjean, we can say, “I no longer belong to evil, but to good.” We were once slaves to sin, but through Christ, we have been redeemed to live in the light of His love. We were bought with a price.

So church, let us go and live as those who have been bought back by grace. And friend, if you have not yet believed, the same offer stands for you today. The Savior who loved the condemned world is ready to forgive and make you new. Step into the light of His love, and let His mercy write a new story in your life.

Jesus is the true and greater Bishop, the One who did not simply give silver, but was betrayed for it. Jesus gave himself to those who rejected him. He stepped into the darkness we loved, bore the judgment we deserved, and rose to bring us into His light forever. His love does more than forgive; it transforms. It takes the condemned and calls them beloved, the guilty and makes them righteous, the lost and brings them home. So as we leave today, may we live as those who have been loved beyond measure. Let us proclaim to this dark and dying world that there is still mercy at the cross, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”