Please notice the word "whoever." In Greek, that word means... whoever! If you inhabit the world, the cosmos, then this verse is for you. It does not say that He died for a certain few, but for all who will believe. "Whoever" is you and me. In fact, you can put your name in where it says "whoever". Of all the verses in the Bible, this is the one I pray for my grandchildren most often. No one but God hears me when I am alone with them simply praying
John 3:16 over them, which I think is one of the best things I can do for them.
"Believes": Believe is the operative word and correct response. To believe in Jesus, as Billy Graham explains, is much more than mental assent; rather, it is a commitment of your life. My favorite verse in the Bible is
Romans 10:9, which instructs us to simply believe in our hearts.
Ephesians 1:19 tells us that God will unleash His awesome power on every soul who truly believes, who reaches out to Him in child-like faith.
"Shall not perish": Jesus addresses the negative first. He says you will not perish, and by "perish", he means perish in hell, a doctrine that He taught about frequently. Some then, like today, are repulsed by the idea of hell and do not believe it to be true. It is only repulsive if it is not true. But if it is true, then there is a heaven to enjoy and a hell to avoid. Atheist Penn Jillette, of the Penn & Teller magic duo, says, "How much do you have to hate people to believe in hell and not share with them?" But do not miss the point; Jesus is saying you will
not perish if you only believe in Him.
"But have everlasting life": You will have eternal life in heaven with Him! We will live eternally with Him with a new resurrected body like His after His resurrection. The souls of all mankind will live forever in one of two eternal habitats. There are two words in Greek for life; one is
bios, which is physical existence, manner of life, or livelihood. It is the root for our word biology, the study of life or living organisms. The other word is
zoe, which is the word in
John 3:16. This is life in its deeper, more spiritual sense, and deals with both quality and quantity. This abundant life begins at the moment of belief, and it extends all the way into eternity. In other words, we do not have to wait until we die to enjoy this life that Jesus offers. When we believe in Him, receive His forgiveness for our sins, and are born again, we enjoy an abundant life here on earth, in which we live for God, enjoy His presence in our lives, and participate with other believers in His church on earth. In
John 10:10, Jesus said He has come to give us an abundant life. (Source:
Holy Bible—Baptist Study Edition, p. 1497-1498.) Here is one good description of the word
zoe: "life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed." (Source:
BlueletterBible.org)
Receive Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. I invite you to pray this prayer of salvation: "Thank You Jesus for dying for my sins and rising from the dead; I turn from sin to You for salvation by faith. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."
Welcome to the family of God! Reach out to me at
dforshee@dfea.com if you prayed this prayer of salvation. I would love to encourage you in your walk with Christ.
Spotify
Stitcher
YouTube
