God

While many may refer to various so-called 'gods' in the world (even if they don't name them as such), there exists only One, True, Living God. He is the triune God who has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The One who vowed to reverse the curse through Abraham's offspring, the holy God who bestowed the law upon Moses, the God who promised an everlasting throne to a descendant of David, the God who inspired the prophets and orchestrated all of history to bring salvation to the world through the Incarnation of God the Son.

In John 3:16, "God" specifically denotes the Father, the One who sent His Son to redeem humankind. In this context, He is not a vengeful deity in the heavens demanding blood atonement; rather, He is the loving Father who redeems sinners through the voluntary sacrifice of His Son. This is the God depicted in John 3:16.

So Loved

It is no surprise that John expressed this. He refers to himself as “the beloved disciple,” not out of arrogance, but due to his awe of God's love. In his first letter, he emphasizes, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16) on two occasions. In context, when he mentions that God "so loved," he highlights the manner in which God loves the world. This phrase does not emphasize the sheer magnitude of God's love, although His love reaches to the heavens. Instead, John 3:16 centers on the manner of God's love for us: He loves us in this way... by giving His Son for us.

Yet, in John 3:16, God offers His utmost. He gives solely out of His love, demonstrating in such a way that the entire world recognizes God's goodness and truth, mercy and power. He gives His Son, and embedded in this notion is the understanding of God “giving Him up” to die on Calvary. The gift of the Son extends beyond the incarnation; He gave His Son to undertake the work of dying for humanity. Thus, God's gift sets the benchmark for every other gift. To comprehend His gift is to understand true love, and to accept this gift is to embrace eternal life.