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. The spirit in a person (Job 32:8) animates them (Mark 14:38) and enables them to connect directly with God (John 4:24). At physical death the spirit returns to God who gave it (Luke 23:46, John 19:30). The soul encompasses a person’s mind (their brain), their will, and their emotions. But it has been shown scientifically (see video below) that even after brain death, a person (their soul?) can still be fully aware.
Going Deeper into the Soul
As just suggested, the soul continues after death, link, and so should be the number one priority in a person’s life.
Christ’s Soul: Maybe the best biblical example is the scenario just after Christ died on the cross. Ephesians 4:8-10 tells us that, although His body was dead, Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth, to Paradise (Luke 23:43). It seems Christ’s soul descended to Paradise. At this time, according to Jewish belief, Paradise was part of Hades. It was the place of the blessed dead and was separated from the others in Hades by a ‘great chasm’ or impenetrable barrier (Luke 16:26).
Then, just three days later, at His ascension, Christ led those in Paradise up to heaven (Psalm 68:18, Ephesians 4:8). According to Paul, Paradise is now a place to be ‘caught up to’, a place to be coveted (2 Corinthians 12:2-5), a place where we can ‘be with Christ’ (Philippians 1:23). In short, Paradise is now in heaven.
The Bible says the soul is a person who possesses life. According to Genesis 2:7, God made Adam into a living being (NKJV) or soul (KJV):
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. Without our souls we are nothing — we do not have the life God intends (John 10:10). So 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].
The video below claims there is scientific evidence for the soul. Take near death experiences (NDE’s). Even in the absence of brain function for a 30 minute surgery, a person (their soul?) could observe and describe everything that went on during the operation. In other words, the soul appears to exist after physical death. It appears to be immortal.
If the soul (or person) has life, then it (the person) can also die or be lost
In one sense, a person’s soul involves their physical body.
As in Christ: Christ’s soul was made an offering for our sin through His physical grief on the cross (Isaiah 53:10-12). At that point in time Jesus felt isolated from His Father in heaven (Mark 15:34). But then, after three days, Christ rose again as a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45).
As in Adam: 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 the person 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).
“Heaven is real and hell is real, and eternity is but a breath away . . . What you do with Christ here and now decides where you shall spend eternity” [Billy Graham]
Go deeper at After Death
Profound points and, to us who believe, wonderful.
The big question for me is what is the target audience. If it is evangelistic, I suspect many people would not be able to understand it, or wouild not have the intellectual curiosity to pursue it.
I have come across something like this in the university course I did in Liverpool, where we looked at philosophy in some depth. The prof who did it did not include the supremely important spiritual aspects, which are incouraging to us and, perhaps frightening to unbelievers.
Good points made about the soul (and spirit) continuing even while somebody is unconscious under anaesthetic. A good argument to make to someone who says they do not believe in an after life.
So… it is good stuff, but hard to understand. Good for apologetics, especially with university academics Thank you for sending it to me. It contains much food for thought.