This presentation introduces John 3:16-21 as encapsulating the Bible's central message, aiming to add "color" to this familiar passage. It begins by illustrating that humanity was on a path leading to certain death due to sin, a backdrop essential for appreciating the good news. Referencing the Old Testament story of Moses lifting the bronze serpent, it explains that just as looking at the serpent saved people from the venom of fiery serpents, so too must the Son of Man be lifted up. This "death" includes spiritual, physical, and an ultimate eternal death, characterized by God's judgment, wrath, pain, anguish, and darkness.

God, however, has made a new way. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world," emphasizes how God loves—by giving. He gave His only begotten Son. The Greek word for "only begotten" (monogenes) is highly significant, meaning "from another" and signifying that the Son is eternally from the Father, not created. This clarifies that when God gives His Son, He gives Himself, the highest and most intimate form of love, leaving no separation. Rejecting this gift is a rejection of God Himself.

The ultimate goal of this giving is that "whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life". Eternal life is the opposite of eternal death, bringing peace, rest, joy, and light. Jesus emphasizes "whoever believes" to expand the scope of salvation beyond merely the Jewish people, challenging the Pharisee Nicodemus's narrow understanding. Accessing this new way is solely through belief; it is not something one can earn or contribute to, as human works cannot overcome the infinite debt of sin. Those on the path to eternal death reject the "light" because their works are evil and they do not want them exposed. Conversely, those who "do what is true comes to the light" are evidencing a work carried out by God in their hearts through the Holy Spirit, enabling them to turn from eternal death to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.