Jesus Loves Me

March 12, 2019 (Tuesday)
Karl Barth was one of the best known and most highly respected theologians of the Twentieth Century. Born in Switzerland, he spent much time in Germany teaching and writing books of theology. When he refused to swear allegiance to the fuhrer, he was fired. He later returned to Switzerland. When asked in 1962 (on his one visit to America) how he would summarize the essence of the millions of words he had published, he replied, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
If I were asked to state the essence of my faith, I think I would say the same: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
John 3:16 has been called, “The gospel in one verse.” Indeed it is. What does it say (as if you didn’t already know)? It says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NASB).
“Jesus Loves Me” is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827-1915). The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called Say and Seal, written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819-1885), in which the words were spoken as a comforting poem to a dying child.