It’s the season of love, and you would agree that many people have expectations from their loved ones. It’s something we plan for, look forward to, and maybe even scheme about—because we love this person and can’t wait to see the joy on their face when they receive our gift. It’s a simple truth: to love is to give! You cannot truly love without giving.
And so, God loved the world, and He gave—that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Now, let’s pause and reflect: what does this really mean? Gifts exchanged on February 14th are expected—it’s Valentine’s Day, after all. But why did God see the need to give His Son? What exactly are we celebrating? And perhaps more importantly:
- Why or who says I’m perishing?
- Why do I need eternal life?
The Need for Salvation
Humanity needs salvation because we are all born with a sinful nature. Let’s go back to the beginning:
- Man was created in the image of God.
- Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them.”
- This means man was originally eternal, designed to reflect God’s nature.
- Man lost this nature through disobedience.
- Genesis 2:17 – God gave Adam and Eve a clear instruction: “Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or you will surely die.”
- They disobeyed, and as a result, sin entered the world.
- Man was separated from the source of eternal life.
- Genesis 3:22-23 – Because of their sin, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden so they wouldn’t eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in their fallen state.
This separation from God changed humanity’s nature. Genesis 5:3 tells us that Adam had a son, Seth, “in his own likeness, in his own image”—not in the original image of God. This meant the human race was now spiritually dead, lacking eternal life.
Paul explains this further in Romans 5:12: “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men.” And in Romans 5:19, “By one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners.”
Why Does This Matter Today?
Now that we’ve established that sin and death have been passed down through Adam, why should this concern us in 2025? After all, Adam and Eve were the ones who sinned—not us. So why is God’s gift of His Son still relevant today?
As seen in the previous verses, we were made sinners by inheritance. The psalmist confirms this in Psalm 51:5:
“For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”
Paul also speaks of this inherited sinful nature in Ephesians 2:3 (NLT):
“… following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.”
This nature is completely different from the one in which God originally created Adam. It is sinful and spiritually dead, outside of God’s design, will, and purpose. In fact, the end of Ephesians 2:3 states that this sinful nature is subject to God’s wrath.
But any good creator seeks to fix a broken creation. When you love something, you want it to be perfect—even when it’s broken, your greatest desire is to restore it.
God created man in His perfect image, but through disobedience, man lost the very essence of that image—eternal life and fellowship with God. This was evident in Genesis 3:8, where Adam and Eve, upon hearing God walking in the garden, hid from Him out of guilt and shame.
God loves us and created us for fellowship with Him. But we cannot have that fellowship while carrying the sinful nature of Adam so He provided a way—the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Eternal life was always the Creator’s original design, and anything outside of that is a malfunction—death.
How Can I Accept This Gift and Be Saved
If we go back to the first verse quoted—John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The key phrase here is “believe in Him.” That’s it. That’s all you have to do—believe!
Romans 10:10 explains it further:
“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
In Acts 16:30-31, the jailer guarding Paul and Silas asked the same question:
“What must I do to be saved?”
Their response was simple:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
That’s it—believe and be saved. It is the only way to receive the gift of salvation—eternal life.
Now, think about the gifts you may receive today. Imagine someone gives you a beautifully wrapped box containing brand-new shoes. The shoes have been paid for, carefully selected for you, and wrapped with love. But if you never open the box, what good is it? You have the gift, but you’re not enjoying it.
The same is true for the gift of salvation. The price has already been paid. You have been bought at a price. All you have to do is receive this perfect gift!
For the unsaved, Jesus is God’s perfect gift—the opportunity to receive eternal life.
For the saved, His Spirit dwells within, we are one with Him..
In this season, beyond chocolates and roses, reflect on the greatest love story ever told—God’s love for humanity, demonstrated through the gift of His Son so that everyone might be saved and come to know the truth of His love.
“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:4 (KJV)
