Before we begin digging into this familiar verse of Scripture, let’s make sure that we clarify what this verse actually says:   

“For God so loved the world that He have His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The first thing we need to deal with is determining whether or not Jesus actually spoke these words to Nicodemus, or whether they are John’s commentary on Jesus’ encounter. Some red-letter translations of John show Jesus speaking these words, while other red-letter translations do not use red, indicating that this is likely John’s commentary on Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus. In either case, this verse is still “inspired” by God, whether spoken by Jesus or commented upon by John. By the way, if it is John’s commentary and not Jesus’ actual words, that commentary extends from verse16 through verse 21.

Regardless, this verse begins by telling us that “God so loved the world.” Jesus had to be referring to “God the Father” (the first person of the trinity), because it was the “Father” who sent the “Son” into the world of humanity in order to redeem it.

The motivation for the Father to send the Son was His “love” for a fallen humanity  that was separated from Him by sin. He sent His Son in order to redeem mankind from the penalty and power of sin. You have probably guessed that the Greek word for “love” used here is agape which describes God’s love as being both unconditional and sacrificial. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome,

“God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

God’s love for mankind wasn’t just a theological concept, but it was demonstrated through Jesus’ death on the cross! Interestingly, the Greek word “houtos,” translated as “so,” can also be translated as “thus.” In other words, God loved the world and “thus” He sent His son“ into it to redeem mankind. God’s “love” for fallen humanity “compelled” Him to send us Jesus.

Jesus also used the word “apollymi” which is commonly translated as in our Bibles as  “perish,” but in an equal number of cases, the same word is rendered as “destroy.” For those who do not “believe,” their destiny is to be “destroyed,” or to “perish.” As a side note, you should be aware that some use this same verse, a verse that offers us salvation, as biblical evidence for the “annihilation” of the souls of unbelievers after death. Regardless, this verse clearly indicates that mankind without Christ, upon their death, will never see God.

And, of course, the gift of “believing” is “eternal life.” On many occasions in John’s Gospel, Jesus spoke of providing the gift of “life” to all those who believe. For example, in the very first chapter, John speaks of Jesus as possessing “life” within Himself,

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4).

The Greek word for “life” is zoe, a word we have encountered in many of my blogs. In short, it is “spiritual” life that Jesus possessed within His own being and is willing to “gift” it to all who “believe” in Him. The “gift” is the focus of a previous book that I wrote: “The Gift that Changes Everything,” and it is also the foundation upon which this ministry got its name, “LifeConnexion Ministries.” Thus, the mission of this ministry is to “connect” people with Jesus so that He can give them the gift of “life.”

We should also note that as Jesus came to give us “life,” He also wanted us to know that this “life” lasts for “eternity.” This is why Jesus would say later in John’s Gospel,

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And whoever lives by believing in Me will never die.” (John 11:25-26).

This is where the truth of “eternal life” is intimately tied to one’s resurrection. Those who are “in Christ” will live beyond physical death, and in fact, will never really “die” but simply change their address from Planet Earth to the Father’s House.

I hope this helps with your understanding of John 3:16. But we are not done yet! Next week, we are going to dig into what it means to “believe” in Him. It’s a favorite word of John, and he used it almost a hundred times in his Gospel. I hope you will plan to join me.

Blessings to all, Jim Price