Inseparable - John 3:16-18

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” - John 3:16-18

    When we at first read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12), we hear Christ teaching us how we are to behave as believers. His teachings are recognized and respected by most rational human beings around the world. When Christ teaches us the two greatest commandments in Matthew 22:36-40, we again hear Him declare what our purpose and duties are as believers. In neither instance does He ever mention HIS purpose for coming into the world. Both of the above mentioned instances describe Christ’s teaching. In a word, “love.” Love is the core of Jesus Christ’s teachings to the world: love of God and love for our neighbors. But His message differed from His purpose!
    Christ came into the world so that by his death we could have eternal salvation. He came to die for us. His death was the propitiation demanded by a just God for the sins of the world.  No mere mortal could ever have accomplished what Christ did by His death on the cross. As our title verse states, “He did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world.” God’s purpose was not to have his Son come down to convict and condemn mankind. The conviction of men was reserved for the Holy Spirit. The condemnation, as our verse tells us, was already in place. It has been in place since Adam and Eve ventured forth from the Garden of Eden at the command of God. No, God didn’t send His Son to condemn us; He sent Him to save us.
    So on one hand Christ is teaching us how we are to behave towards God and our fellow men. On the other hand He has a more dire mission to accomplish: his own death as a substitutionary payment for the sins of the world.  So, yes -  Christ’s teachings were important enough for Him to spend the last three years of His life drumming them into us. If His teaching were unimportant then he could have just as easily come into the world and immediately died for us. But it was not so. Christ spend endless hours teaching both His disciples and the crowds that came to hear Him speak. He was, as I implied earlier, an accomplished teacher of men. Yet, His teachings are not he reason He came to us; our redemption through belief and faith in Him is!
    So to understand - Christ’s teachings and commands in Matthew 5:3-12, Matthew 22:36-40, and His final command, Matthew 28:19-24, were all vitally important to us as believers. Though His teachings represent the sinless obedience of His life and set forth the example we are to follow it is His death which atones for our sins and gives us the assurance of our salvation. In His life we find the example of sinless obedience to God. In His death we are blessed by grace with our redemption and salvation. The one we must strive for; the other is a gift from God. Both are entwined in what we call belief, and belief leads to faith in God. Belief and faith: different yet inseparable. Should we ever attempt to separate the two than we are no better off than the demons. “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble!” - James 2:19.
    Faith implies belief in and assent to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May our actions always be seen in such a light.