What Does John 3:16 Really Mean? - John 3

Of the 31,102 verses in the bible this verse below stands out as the most popular one.  If people are going to quote one verse in the bible it will probably be this one.  While we quote it quite often, sometimes we forget how profound this verse is.  Let's look into what this verse means and see what makes it so priceless.  

John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

It helps to break down the verse phrase by phrase.  

1. For God so loved the world.  The Jewish people thought salvation was for them alone.  This is one of the reasons the Jewish leaders hated Jesus so much because he demonstrated God's love for ALL people of ALL nations and ALL varieties of sinners.  God still loves the whole world equally and as passionately today.  Do we as his followers reflect this all inclusive love for people? 

2. He gave his one and only Son. I think we sometimes downplay the nature of what God did when he gave his ONE and ONLY Son.  Though God knew the plan of salvation it was still a gift that God willingly chose to give us.  It was not like part of Jesus stayed in heaven and another part of him left to come to earth.  God gave up His Son to show how much he loved us.  Let's not forget the great gift God gave us in sending His Son out of heaven to become one of us. 

3. Whoever believes in him.  We often think of "believing" as a purely intellectual matter. Though we want to investigate and learn about something before we believe in it, ultimately to believe in something means to "trust in" or "rely on" on and in it.  

Billy Graham's organization tells us a story which helps us understand the nature of what it means to truly believe.  

Suppose you were walking along a path and you came to a bridge which crossed a deep canyon. You might look at it and believe that it would hold you, and you might even see other people walking across it so you know it would hold your weight. But so far, your “belief” in the bridge is only in your head. When do you really believe the bridge will hold you? You only really believe it when you are willing to commit your life to it and actually walk across it.

I think the key thing is that belief is trust that leads to a commitment which leads to a way of life.  Believing in Jesus (what we call a Christian) means trusting in Jesus for your salvation and committing to following him with your whole life.  You can see it's a whole life proposition.  

4. Not perish but have eternal life.  This is not saying we won't die, but even when we die we will live forever.  There are a couple things we need to note about eternal life.  The Greek word "aion" does not just just mean quantity, but also quality.  When you know your life will not end at death, you have a better quality of life that begins now.  Eternal life begins the moment someone excercises faith.  It is our current possession.  In Ephesians we are told that we are given the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our future inheritance. (Ephesians 1:14) In the sense of this word is a downpayment on eternity.

Importantly John ends with a word about "condemnation".  Some assume that because somone doesn't believe in Jesus, God enjoys condemning them.  John is really saying here, "Those who choose not to believe and receive this great gift condemn themselves."  God can't make anyone receive the gift of His Son, just like we can't.  God has given everyone a gift in the person of His Son.  People can reject Him or accept Him. The one things that does not seem possible is for someone to be "mildly interested in Jesus".  God condemns no one to Hell, but some choose to be separated from God forever by spurning His free gift.  God wants everyone to come to him through Christ, but he allows people to make their own choices. 

Though we don't control who accepts the great gift God has given in His Son, we can certainly share the Good News with all people. Importantly we can be an example of someone who trustes in Jesus and is committted to following him daily. Does this mean we are perfect? Far from it.  All the more reason we need to rely on a Savior who was perfect and stood in our place.  Perhaps how we demonstrate Christ's love in daily life might even be more important that what we preach about him.  Let's not only know John 3:16, let's live it out!