I had a meeting at work the other day for my annual performance review. I went in feeling okay about my performance and results over the course of the year, but I still had some apprehension about what my supervisor might say. No matter how much confidence we have in ourselves, moments when we know we are going to be evaluated can produce fear, anxiety, and concern.
For people first learning about Jesus, John 3:16 is about God sending his son so that we could have eternal life was really good news. But that good news was probably followed quickly by the thought that anyone sent from heaven must be coming to judge and condemn. It would be like the biggest performance review ever…will we measure up, will we be shown a video of all of our sins, will Jesus just reject us completely because of our failure?
But then comes the amazing news of John 3:17. Jesus was not coming to conduct a performance review or judge us. Rather by His grace, we are saved, not condemned…through faith, not our attempts at good works.