Dear Friends,

Hallelujah! It’s here! This is the last post in my 15-month attempt to rightly divide John 3:16.

The bottom line: This verse tells us how to be overcomers. Do you want to be an overcomer? Then, my dear friend, please read on…

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Important stuff that we are not discussing today

I spent the past year talking about all the problems in Bible interpretation that arise when you insist that :

• Every instance of “saved” refers to salvation from the lake of fire
• Every instance of “everlasting life” refers to your home in heaven
• Every instance of “world” refers to every human being that has ever lived.
• Every instance of “perish” refers to going to hell

I’m not rehashing that today, but all the links are in the Part 2 outline above.

What does “love” mean in John 3:16?

I think that “love” is actually the first word in this verse that get commonly misinterpreted.

Here are the first four words of John 3:16:

“For God so loved…”

Ok, what do we know so far? God loved somebody. Now, think about this before you read any farther; is it Biblical to claim that ANY of this group of people that He loved could end up in the eternal torments of hell?

As I and other like-minded individuals have asked in the past: If God is ultimately tossing a bunch of people that he loves into a lake of eternal torment….if you don’t believe that eternal, scorching damnation is an expression of hatred…then what would hatred look like?

So, I am taking exception to the idea that God will say the following to some of the people that he loves in John 3:16:

[Mat 25:41 KJV] 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

I don’t think God is going to say that to people he loves!!! Here is what I believe about God’s love:

[Rom 8:38-39 KJV] 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Again….if going to hell does not equate to a separation from the love of God, then what would?

So…the people in Romans 8:38-39 are NEVER EVER EVER going to hell. It’s impossible. So, that is how the love of God works.

So, when we read John 3:16, I suggest this approach to you: The objects of God’s love are set. They’ve got it made. God loves them….so, He is not going to torture them forever! Can’t we agree on that, my friends?

Further reading: A brutally long debate I had with a well-studied Christian who did in fact believe that God loves people who are in hell. For what it’s worth, he eventually bowed out of the debate (link at bottom of post).

Also, if you disagree with my thoughts so far, the next section might address your objections…

What does “world” mean in John 3:16?

OK, this is a biggie. Does God love every human being that ever lived?

The Biblical answer is no….but I already went through that in great detail in Part 2a and Part 2b (Iinks in series outline above).

So, what group of people is Jesus talking about? Let’s return to Romans 8, which I quoted in the previous section to show that people God loves cannot go to hell:

[Rom 8:38-39 KJV] 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, who does God love? Who is the “us” in Romans 8:39?

Back up a few verses:

[Rom 8:33 KJV] 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s ELECT? [It is] God that justifieth.

God loves his elect people forever and they can never be separated from that love! Now, that is good news.

As far as why Jesus did not simply say “elect”, it is quite possible that he was letting Nicodemus know that this election thing was not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles.

An executive decision

So, “world” in John 3:16 is referring to God’s elect (chosen) people.

Don’t worry, I’m not saying God looked to see who was good and then chose them. No, we were all depraved and in equal need of grace:

[Rom 3:10-12 KJV] 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

The election under consideration is quite different from a political election; there is no campaigning here. There was nobody trying to convince God to choose them. Biblical election is more similar to electives in college, although this comparison is still of course imperfect. Let’s go straight to the source to learn more about God’s choosing:

[Eph 1:4-5 KJV] 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having PREDESTINATED us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

[Eph 1:9, 11 KJV] 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: … 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being PREDESTINATED according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

I’m seeing a pattern here, are you? God elects people based on His purposes. His will. His pleasure. He did not look out in time to see who would get on board with God.  How did God decide whom to save, if we were all equally depraved? It was according to his good pleasure. Want more specifics on that? I do too, but it was an executive decision.

In other words, God is not accountable to us….and this is one question He has decided not to answer for now. I can live with that. This is one of the lessons of the story of Job…whenever you start thinking God is accountable to you, that he owes you an answer on something, you are getting too big for your britches.

[Job 38:1-2 KJV] 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

[Rom 9:20 KJV] 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus?

What a wonderful “world”

To further convince you that “world” in John 3:16 refers to God’s elect, to a group of people who are absolutely saved, who are in no danger of hell fire, I submit these verses for your consideration (and note I am staying in the same book of John for this):

[Jhn 1:29 KJV] 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

[Jhn 4:42 KJV] 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard [him] ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

FYI, I checked, the Greek word is the same in the above two verses and in John 3:16.

So…I just pasted two verses that say that Jesus takes away the sin of the world, and also that he is the savior of the world. Ask yourself: could the “world”s in these two verses still be going to the lake of fire? My answer: no way in hell! Jesus is their savior, and he takes their sin away. That seems quite sufficient to me.

So, if you believe that some people are in fact going to hell, and you believe that Jesus being someone’s “Saviour” means that person is going to heaven, then you should agree that the “world” in John 4:42 above does NOT refer to every human being that ever lived. And if we can agree on that, then I hope you can admit the same thing about the “world” in John 3:16.

I am not inventing ad hoc meanings of the word “world” in the Bible. Rather, I have set forth a solid Biblical precedent for the meaning that I am proposing in John 3:16.

So, it’s a wonderful thing to be part of this “world”. This “world” is not potentially going to heaven. They’re going. And that’s that!

“Election” is nothing to be afraid of

At this point, I am simply going to paste in every New Testament instance of the words “elect” and its derivatives. This will be a lot….but the overwhelming number of verses is part of my point. Namely:

• Election is not an obscure Bible concept, but rather appears within the first four verses of:
  • Titus
  • I Peter
  • I Thessalonians
  • II John
• It is not isolated to a couple of passages
  • Rather, I got 20 hits in the New Testament alone
• It is not a topic that should be reserved only for mature, well-studied believers who want to geek out on doctrinal minutia

“Elect”:

[Mat 24:24, 31 KJV] 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect. … 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
[Mar 13:22, 27 KJV] 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect. … 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
[Luk 18:7 KJV] 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
[Rom 8:33 KJV] 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? [It is] God that justifieth.
[Col 3:12 KJV] 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
[1Ti 5:21 KJV] 21 I charge [thee] before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
[Tit 1:1 KJV] 1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
[1Pe 1:2 KJV] 2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
[1Pe 2:6 KJV] 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
[2Jo 1:1, 13 KJV] 1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; … 13 The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

“Election”:

[Rom 9:11 KJV] 11 (For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
[Rom 11:5, 7, 28 KJV] 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. … 7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded … 28 As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, [they are] beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
[1Th 1:4 KJV] 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
[2Pe 1:10 KJV] 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

“Elected”:

[1Pe 5:13 KJV] 13 The [church that is] at Babylon, elected together with [you], saluteth you; and [so doth] Marcus my son.

Are you afraid you are not part of the elect? That God is about to cast you into the pit? Then that fear shows you are part of the elect, born again family of God, because people who are still in their depraved state could not care less about threats of hell fire!!!

[Rom 3:18 KJV] 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

What does “perish” mean in John 3:16?

This “perish” refers to a slow process of inner death that occurs inside of a disobedient (or perhaps unevangelized) child of God who has already been born again by the direct work of the Holy Spirit.

Consider these parallel passages:

[1Co 8:11 KJV] 11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother PERISH, for whom Christ died?

[Rom 8:12-13 KJV] 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall DIE: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

[Jas 5:19-20 KJV] 19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from DEATH, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Notice, he says “brethren” or “brother” in all 3 cases. This is not talking about people in danger of hell fire! It’s talking about the temporal consequences of straying off of God’s path for us.

John 3:16 is in the same context. It’s a temporal perishing, not eternal.

What does “have everlasting life” mean in John 3:16?

Yes, it’s natural to think of heaven when we read the words “everlasting life”. But Paul did not instruct us to just go with the most natural meaning, the most obvious interpretation, the first thought that pops into our heads.

[2Ti 2:15 KJV] 15 STUDY to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And neither did Peter:

[2Pe 3:16 KJV] 16 As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Notice, Peter did not say the people misinterpreting Scripture were necessarily evil. What was their problem? They were “unlearned and unstable”. They did not approach the Bible with an appropriate attention to detail. They were practicing drive-thru theology.

Laying hold

So, let’s see if we can, through careful study, avoid the endless doctrinal inconsistencies that I detailed in Part 2; namely, what could “have everlasting life”, in John 3:16, mean besides going to heaven? First, back up one verse:

[Jhn 3:15 KJV] 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

“Eternal life” in this verse is translated from the same two Greek words that are used in John 3:16 for “everlasting life”. In turn, those same two Greek words (and same English words “eternal life”) are used here:

[1Ti 6:11-12 KJV] 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on ETERNAL LIFE, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

[1Ti 6:17-19 KJV] 17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on ETERNAL LIFE.

First notice that verse 11 addresses a “man of God”. So, right off the bat, we know Paul is not giving instructions for how to get saved! Timothy is already saved. And yet, Paul tells him to “lay hold on eternal life”.

The next passage makes the point again. Rich people are instructed to help the less fortunate, and one of the purposes for these good works is “that they may lay hold on eternal life”. So, unless you accept works-based salvation, I think you will agree that the laying hold on eternal life in this passage is not a way to go to heaven. Rather, it is talking about a quality of life that we can experience here on earth.

And isn’t it interesting that the word “have”, in American vernacular, often means something very close to “lay hold”?

“Let’s start bringing home-cooked meals to the Andersons, because Jane is about to have a baby.”

Does this mean Jane is about to possess something that she previously did not possess at all? Is a baby about to materialize out of thin air? No….it means she’s going to give birth soon, and she will be able to “lay hold” on the baby! So, the “have” in this context is not binary; it is a matter of degree. And I contend that if you reject this hermeneutical concept, large sections of Scripture will remain unintelligible to you, even as you employ the same linguistic devices in your everyday speech. Please, prayerfully consider what I am saying.

The abundant life

So, I Timothy 6:11-12, I Timothy 6:17-19, and John 3:16 are all talking about how to have the abundant life. The passages are NOT talking about how to get to heaven; rather, they describe a quality of life that you can have right now. In Part 3a, I talked about two kinds of life in the Bible: resurrection life and abundant life. I won’t rehash it all here, but I will repeat this foundational verse:

[Jhn 10:10 KJV] 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

So, I’m saying that John 3:16 is talking about how to have the abundant life. Do you want the abundant life, my friend? I hope you do.

The abundant life is scary good. Have you ever heard the word undulate? “Abundant” and “undulate” both come from unda, which is the Latin word for “wave”. What is the point? Think of waves of hope. Waves of joy. Waves of gladness that wash over all the sorrows in your life. Yes, the sorrows are there, but these waves prevail. They prevail over disease. They prevail over job loss. They prevail over betrayal. This is why the abundant life is good.

But the abundant life is scary because it means loosening your iron grip on all the times you have been hurt, all the times you have been let down, all the bitterness from past betrayals. It means letting go of that mirage you keep seeing in the distance….the one where your spouse is doing what you want him or her to do, your children are behaving themselves, your financial troubles are over, your social problems are solved, your career is on track, and your body is working the way you want it to. It can be scary to stop treating these things as the foundation of your happiness, and to start really leaning on Jesus…but, O my God, it is worth it. 

If you want to be an overcomer, then ride the wave.

[Phl 4:4 KJV] 4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.

Why the simple CRUNCH of a lion’s jaws would never do

Finally, I will offer some thoughts more specifically concerned with the context of John 3:16. Note, I am not going to get into all the parallels between the brass serpent and Jesus, although I do think that is a fruitful avenue of investigation. Also, I have some thoughts about the verses following John 3:16, but I’m not including those here for brevity. Email me if you are interested. What I want to talk about now is what John 3:16 means as a whole, in the context of the preceding verses, relying on the verse-specific word definitions that I presented above.

John 3:16 is not focused on the payment of our legal sin debt. It is focused on the method of that payment. Have you ever wondered why Jesus could not have just been deployed onto the Serengeti, and quickly killed by a random lion? Why did it have to be a crucifixion? So public! So horrible! So long and drawn out!

Let’s get a little more context:

[Jhn 3:14-16 KJV] 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be LIFTED UP: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

So, what was the reason for such a horrifying, public method of atoning for our sins? I can’t say it better than Jesus:

[Jhn 12:32-33 KJV] 32 And I, if I be LIFTED UP from the earth, WILL DRAW ALL [MEN] UNTO ME. 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

So, yeah…getting eaten by a pride of lions on the Serengeti would not have been the best way of drawing all men to Jesus. It would not have been the best way of coming a “light into the world”:

[Jhn 12:46 KJV] 46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

And, as many Christians have observed, God chose to incarnate Jesus in a vassal state of Rome (2)…thus allowing the gospel to spread via the famous Roman roads.

God loved the world in way that did not just save his elect family from hell. He wanted his family to KNOW about their salvation. He wanted them to be overcomers in this life. To stop abiding in darkness. To have everlasting life!

Nicodemus was not in danger of eternal hell fire (see Part 2c3, linked in series outline above), but he was dying inside. He was still identifying with his fellow Pharisees instead of with the disciples of Jesus Christ. He was sneaking around at night and merely referring to Jesus as a “teacher come from God” instead of the Son of God. He was, perhaps, still stuck in this phase:

[Jhn 12:42-43 KJV] 42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [him], lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

These people were dying inside. They did not “have everlasting life” in the John 3:16 sense. They were not heeding Jesus’s earlier statement in John 12:

[Jhn 12:25 KJV] 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

See the connection? There’s that “life eternal” again!

But, praise God, there is evidence that Nicodemus eventually laid hold on eternal life.

[Jhn 19:39-40 KJV] 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound [weight]. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Are you dying inside?

Then believe, and live.

Links:

(1) Debate about hell between theformofthefourth and wisdomlover (click here, then scroll down)

(2) Vassal Judean state of Rome