Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Did you know that the Devil has favorite Scriptures? Yes, there are verses that are most useful to him and his ministers because of those verses can most easily be "twisted" to promote their religion. The verses most loved by Satan are those that can be manipulated to make it appear that there is no need for you to receive the baptism of the holy Ghost. We know that the foundation of all of Christianity, Satan's premier religion on earth, is that one can belong to God without receiving the baptism of the holy Ghost (the baptism that makes a person speak in tongues). This wrong idea about God is the foundation of Christianity, and John 3:16 is one of those verses that can most easily be used to promote that wrong idea.
In John 3:16, we are told, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."
This is a precious and holy verse from God, but what is it saying? It is telling us plainly that the reason for the Lord Jesus' sacrificial death was to make it possible for us to receive everlasting life. And what must we do to receive it? This verse says simply to "believe in him" (that is, in Jesus). This simplicity is part of the beauty of the gospel, and it is also the reason that Satan prefers this verse above many.
Satan's ministers love this verse because they can use it do deny the need for anything but believing. "Just believe and you will have eternal life" is the kind of vain talk that the apostle John, the author of that verse, would have sternly condemned. John wrote that "whosoever believes" in Jesus "should have eternal life" because he knew that "whosoever believes in Jesus" will repent, and "whosoever believes in Jesus" will receive the baptism that Jesus gives, and "whosoever believes in Jesus" will keep God's commandments and live a godly life on this earth. Never did it cross John's mind to teach that people would receive everlasting life just because they believe the gospel is true and that nothing else is involved. John knew that James (2:19) was right when he told us that the demons themselves believe and that they "tremble" at the very thought of it (as well they should)!
John 3:16 by no means excludes the need for the holy Ghost. John understood that many things are encompassed by the phrase, "believe in Jesus". Hold on to that simple truth, and do not allow any man to steal your crown with vain words. Satan's ministers will promise you everlasting life without holiness-if you "just believe". They will promise you everlasting life without the baptism of the holy Ghost-if you "just believe". They will promise you everlasting life without keeping God's commandments-if you will "just believe". But on the Day of Judgment, they will not be able to give what they have promised to those who have "just believed" their empty doctrine.
Stay away from such men. Jesus has not sent them to say such things. They love John 3:16 only because they do not understand its meaning, and they would hate John now if he were to rise up from the grave and explain it to them.