This week's sermon: "This Is the Judgment: Light Has Come into the World"

Our sin and God's grace interact with a twist. John 3:16-21 says that unbelief is our fault, but belief is a gift of God. There's a kind of asymmetry to Jesus' words in this text—those who don't believe have themselves to blame, but for those who do believe, the credit goes to God, not to themselves.

Jesus did not come to a neutral world. He didn't come to make neutral people positive, but he came to those already dead and guilty to make some alive and free.

Those who don't come to Jesus in faith magnify his justice, while those who do come magnify his grace. In fact, Jesus says, that is why we come: "that it may be clearly seen that [our] works have been carried out in God" (John 3:21). Believers love it when their lives display God's free grace.

David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Twin Cities, and works as executive pastoral assistant to John Piper. He and his wife Megan have twin sons (Carson and Coleman) and live in Minneapolis. David is co-editor (with John Piper) of Thinking, Loving, Doing, most recently, and Finish the Mission, forthcoming. Yep, he plays rec softball and went yard in his last game.