The Lodestar

Apostle John was Jesus’ beloved disciple. Moreover, all that he wrote was about love—God’s love for humankind and the believers’ love for each other. God’s love for humankind is not an abstract concept; it is evident in the sending of Jesus Christ to the world to bear humanity's sins on the cross.

However, each time John mentions God’s love, he points out the response that it demands from the one God loves. God loved the world so that “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The people whom God loved should love others. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

God’s love is not without purpose. God loved us so that we have eternal life. God’s love and our lives are intertwined. This verse affirms that God loved us “so that we might live through him.” God-loving humanity means that those who believe in Jesus Christ may have eternal life (John 3:16).

Eternal life is not only about length but also about quality. In Greek thought, eternal life refers to the quality of life that the gods have. Jesus promised this to those who believe in him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47).

All those who believe that the cross is evidence of God’s love for humanity and have accepted it must also realise that they live on a higher plane. For them, life on earth is the starting point that meanders through the hills and valleys, but still, it is dignified because they are on the road to eternal life.

This sense of destiny is the secret of the dignity of Christian life—we have received love to have a new quality of life.

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