Understanding John 3:16

Choose Eternal Life, or Eternal Death

John chapter 3 verse 16 is arguably the best known and most widely discussed verse in the Bible. And most scholars maintain that these are the words of Jesus, not John. The verse is very concise and gives an individual a serious challenge when read sincerely. It means we can choose eternal life through belief in Christ, or we can consciously reject Christ’s salvation and face the consequences. As discussed below, the consequences appear to be eternal death, as distinct from eternal life. Here’s the verse in several translations:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, NKJV)

For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Saviour] shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16, AMP)

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.  (John 3:16, MSG)

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. (John 3:16, GNT)

Understanding the Different Concepts in John 3:16

1. The Reality of God

Is the God of the Bible real? Who, or what, are we trying to relate to? Let’s take an example. When Moses asked the name of the entity he was conversing with, he got the reply; “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). “I AM” implies a Being having continuous existence, and so clearly, “I AM” is stronger than the statement “GOD IS, period” (although the latter is in itself useful). So Moses was relating to a Being having self-contained existence, requiring no external justification from humankind.

Formally, we could describe “God” in John 3:16 to be an objective reality independent of any external philosophical arguments as to whether God is there, or not. As mentioned, God IS, period. But where do we go from there? Can this objective reality be verified? Can we be certain there really is an objective reality which we call God? The answer is probably only via subjective realities of God, that is, what we see of God depends upon the observer and the situation.

Knowledge of this objective reality comes through the human senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell,  and the Bible gives examples of this through different subjective realities of God. Examples are the voice from the burning bush, the sight of the heavenly baby at Bethlehem, the voice from heaven at Christ’s baptism, and the vision of Christ at His transfiguration. A really good example of the subjective reality of God is when Jesus said to Philip:

He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9)

2. God Loves the World

John 3:16 refers to a loving God, and specifically it describes God’s ultimate and sacrificial love for His creation (for simplicity let’s use personal pronouns for God (He, His …). Jesus, a subjective reality of God, was sacrificed in order to reconcile sinful people to God. Yes – God sacrificed Himself for our sins! As the word says,

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:13)

Jesus is described as “the only begotten son of God” signifying a one-of-a-kind relationship to God, rather than a biological birth. Jesus was begotten, not made, and so shared God’s divine essence. For example, Jesus was there with God before the creation of the world (John 1:2, 17:5).

3. Whoever Believes in Him

John 3:16 says it is important to “believe in Jesus”. This “belief” is far deeper than simply acknowledging that Jesus lived as a good man on earth. Some Christians argue a better understanding would be to say: “whoever believes in Him – and serves Him well” (as in Matthew 7.21). Here, believing involves first receiving Him as Saviour and Lord, and then forming a deep trust and confidence in Him. Believing implies an active, ongoing faith, whilst “whoever” means this human-divine relationship is inclusive and open to all.

4. Should not Perish

This is where John 3:16 gets serious. What does “perish” mean in this context? Jesus explained it like this:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27,28, NKJV)

So, to perish is seen as the opposite of having eternal life. Jesus said that if a person hears the gospel (as in John 3:16) and then rejects it (does not believe), they do not have eternal life. They will perish! There is no middle road. It is a binary scenario. Read John 3:18, 36.

How does a person perish?

To answer this question it is necessary to briefly examine the biblical view of a human being. The Bible claims we are not just flesh and blood. The apostle Paul sees each person as triune, having body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The body is the mortal part of a person which reacts to the physical world, and the spirit is a person’s innermost being which can connect directly with God. The soul encompasses the mind, will and emotions, and is immortal, continuing after death, link. But it is deeper than that.

The soul is a person who possesses life. According to Genesis 2:7, God made Adam into a living being:

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Heb: nephesh, Strongs 5315, KJV)

The point here is that man became a living soul, not that he received a soul, link. The soul is a person; “nephesh” refers to the entire human being. In this way, Adam could have a loving relationship with his Creator. The Psalms cry “Our soul (our whole being) thirsts for God” (Psalm 42:1,2). It is interesting that the vast majority of US adults across a wide range range of worldviews (from Christian to Hindu to Agnostic) believe humans have a soul [pewresearch, 2023/24].

If the soul has life, it can also die or be lost

Without our souls, we are nothing — we are lifeless. God created Adam a perfect person – a perfect soul. But when he sinned he died spiritually (Genesis 2:17, Romans 5:12). Adam lost his loving relationship with God – he lost life – he became a lost soul. As in Adam, today the sinful soul is subject to death in the sense that they will eventually die and return to dust (Genesis 3:19).

The soul who sins will die (Ezekiel 18:20)

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

The loss of the soul is catastrophic

According to the Bible, to lose one’s soul does not mean annihilation or complete obliteration; the person continues in some form. But where? Jesus had the answer:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell . . . where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. (Matthew 10:28, Mark 9:46)

This is how a person perishes: the soul perishes, eternally, in hell. Punishment is everlasting (Matthew 25:46). The Greek term for perish is “apollumi” and can mean:

• ruin or destroy
• lost – separated from the source of life’s purpose
• final separation from God
• final state of conscious suffering

In John 3:16, “apollumi” is used to describe the fate of those who reject God’s offer of salvation. It serves as a warning of the ultimate consequence of persisting in sin and turning away from the path of righteousness. The Apostle Paul also stressed the dreadful eternal state of those who consciously reject the gospel. He looked towards God’s judgement at the end of this age:

. . . when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those . . . who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord . . . (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) 

5. The Challenge: Whoever Believes has Eternal Life

As mentioned earlier, John 3:16 presents a serious, life changing challenge to individuals. When they hear the gospel (which is clear and concisely given in John 3:16) they are presented with a binary choice: to believe it, or to consciously ignore or reject it. Jesus put it like this:

Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Saviour and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Saviour and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. (John 3:18, AMP)

The Saved: The sincere believer who by faith accepts reconciliation with God through the sacrifice of His Son is promised eternal life. Such a simplistic yet profound promise invariably has to be accepted in faith. But, from that point in time, irrespective of their understanding, they are a living soul and spend their lives eternally with God. Their eternal destiny is secure. Their name is securely kept in Christ’s Book of Life (Revelation 3:5), and they will live with God on the new earth (Revelation 21:1-3).

Go deeper at After Death

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