God’s Invitation to Humanity

Teaching Topics:

Definition of invitation:

  1. Act of inviting
  2. A spoken or written request for someone’s presence or participation
  3. To attract to another.

It comes from the Latin “invitationem”, meaning to invite, treat, entertain, be pleasant toward. It is a social event for a personal reason: dinner, wedding, party, celebration, graduation. Any invitation has a meaning behind it.

God’s invitation to humanity was to social creatures who were wanted by the Creator. God created us to be in relationship with Him and He had to invite us back to Him after sin disrupted the fellowship. The Lord both spoke His request and put it in written form – The Bible. Ultimately, it comes as a vocal duet from the Holy Spirit and the Bride of Christ, after the invitations have been sent back.

Who is the sender? For God so loved the world … is in the past tense, meaning His love predated each of us; it is an eternal pool of devotion, which, if we look into it, we’ll see ourselves in His eyes.

Who is the receiver? The world; the Greek word “kosmon” meaning the universe, the inhabitants of the world. The word literally means “something ordered, His ordered system of creation, the external description of the Creator.” It is the word from which cosmetic is derived; treating the face as a whole, yet has individual parts. God doesn’t hide our sin behind a false wall. He gave us Himself and showed us His face.

What did He say in the invitation? That He gave His Only Begotten (“Mongenes”, one of a kind, a unique one), the Son of God, the definite article. There is no one like Him and you will need His name to get into the celebration hall. Isaiah 9:6 has a parallel story. At the same time a child was being born, a Son was being given. Ultimately it is a gift exchange; He gave everything; we give ourselves, which is nothing in comparison.

R.S.V.P.: “Respond so very promptly” is in this invitation. The word “faith” is the Greek word “pistis” from “peitho”, meaning trust, belief, persuasion, and confidence. We’re social beings. How fabulous that the Creator, who made us this way, knew how to find us.

Where is the celebration? First in the heart and then in His home. The verse ends with the fact that those who believe and put full trust in Him shall not perish, which is the Greek word “apollumi”, which means “to destroy, lose.” It comes from two words: “apo” meaning “away from” and “ollymi” meaning “destroy”.

God does not want you to perish. It would break His heart that you went away from Him. Instead, He wants you to have everlasting life or unending life.

God’s invitation is enveloped in His loving arms of grace. The fingers that wrote the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross for you and me. Accept the invitation as is. There are no amendments.