One of the heavenly things made known in John 3:16 is that God has an only Son, which is big news. Start with the little word so. Its actually the first word in the sentence in the original Greek of John 3:16. On the Person of Christ, and 2. WebJohn 3:14-18 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever goes on believing in him may have eternal life. However, it should be noted that Thayer was a Unitarian, who denied Biblical Inerrancy, Total Depravity, the Divinity of Christ, and consequently the Trinity (George Shafer. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. John 3:16 is perhaps one of the most frequently quoted passages, especially when it comes to salvation. Is it possible to create a concave light? Kingdom, Covenants & Canon of the Old Testament, Your Kingdom Come: The Doctrine of Eschatology, He Gave Us Scripture: Foundations of Interpretation, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. WebJesus makes a very strong statement in John 3:16 that declares anyone who believes in Christ will not perish and will have eternal life. II, p. 35. Dr. Joseph R. Nally, Jr., D.D., M.Div. The Father and the Son have worked out the way of salvation, and it is a plan wherein people will be saved by looking up. for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Proverbs 23:7. and When we see the word believeth in John 3:16 it refers us to entry G4100 in the Strong's Concordance. 29, iii. Killing a child born deformed, thinking they're doing them good by not allowing them go through life in a deformed condition. John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 1:5: Was this "day" a day in eternity-past that the Father and Son relationship began? But the only way youre right is if the voice of God sounds forth equally in the words of Jesus as in the words of his apostolic evangelist, if what the Scriptures say, God says., The Doctrine of God: The message of the verse is about the universal love of God for the cosmos, which only makes sense with a strong doctrine of creation in place (insert an implied doctrine of creation here). So the expression, "for in this way," points back to something previously stated. Did John the Baptist clearly preach that both faith and works are essential for salvation? Why is it a false dilemma? Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? denotes that something "goes on" happening, whoever goes on believing in him may have eternal life. or by His standard? The man by the pool of bethesda was made whole and had no idea who Jesus was or whose Son he was. - Numbers 21:8. He is also the kind of God who has a unique Son, meaning he is God the Father not father with relation to a world which is his offspring, but Father with relation to a Son who is unique, only-begotten (whether the word monogenes is best rendered that way or not), and so intimate to the Fathers being that he is give-able. Whats the grammar of "For those whose stories they are"? To believe in Jesus means to trust Him, to entrust and commit ourselves to Him, to lay hold, to lean, and to rely upon The Doctrine of Sin: Within 3:16 itself, a very dark shadow is cast by the giving of the Son which is parallel to the lifting up of the bronze serpent in the wilderness. It would be worthwhile to expound on the biblical meaning of each of those words, but I would like to do something else: show how John 3:16 carries an entire systematic theology within itself, implicitly. and much Love, Peace, and Joy are created. not perish, but have eternal life. whoever believes in him may have eternal life, whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life, The rule is that the present tense of a verb denotes duration, i.e. These are final and irreconcilable. upon a pole, and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, And thus, his Definition 5 of Greek Reference 2889 defines "kosmos" as potentially referring to "the inhabitants of the earth", "men", and "the human race" in "Jn. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. the death penalty due for our sins, and Jesus obeyed Him (see For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.. iii. (Luke 11:8 NKJV). This is where much error has divided the Churches. So I want to give a thorough presentation so that confusion can actually end. The Answer outrigh Why do academics stay as adjuncts for years rather than move around? (Romans 7:5 NKJV), You will know them by their fruits. Consequently, the message is more important than the messenger. That avoids the issue at hand. Especially when you consider Matthew 3:16-17, where God declares Jesus to be His Son. Theres something here to offend everybody, so take your pick. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 1 John 5:1 - "and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." We can understand faith by understanding the reason why it was needed. Webstudy. So we need to believe the messenger and return to him always for clear interpretation of his message. WebThey say this: God cant elect certain ones to salvation because John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that gave His Son so that WHOEVER believes in Christ would have eternal life. That He is God the Son who loves God the Father and us so much that He came and paid the death penalty viii. To top it off, have you ever noticed that its not clear who is the speaker in John 3:16? 11:1 ESV). To the Questioner's Answer! There is no doubt in the verses in question that the object of belief is Jesus Christ. The question seeks to sort out any difference between believ means in this manner and is actually the first word of John 3:16, a more literal Appendix 2: Are the teachings of the gospels, including the "hard sayings", for us? 12)," namely "His children among mankind," "the community which has been created in Christ from eternity," or "those who are chosen and loved by God," i.e. Why do academics stay as adjuncts for years rather than move around? For to truly circumcise the flesh we trust in the "Word" instead of our own Bodies. Download our eBooks to read on your computers, phone, tablet, or eReader. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22 NKJV). He responded to my question by asserting that he knew John 3:16 very well and that John 3:16 was all the Bible he needed. Browse, sort & search all Bible Study resources. Reuss, Histoire de la thologie chrtienne au sicle apostolique, ii. Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 8b) of believers only, Joh_1:29; Joh_3:16; Joh_3:17; Joh_6:33; Joh_12:47 1Co_4:9; 2Co_5:19. Having the exact right belief about the Trinity is not as important as loving our neighbor and ourselves, without blaspheming the Holy Spirit. seems able to use no preposition when it means "believe the message" or "believe what I say" (John 12:38, 4:21, 5:45), so the presence of the (any) preposition is something different. WebJohn 3:16 Lexicon: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ; [Westcott on Jn. WebWhat Does World Mean in John 3:16? lix. The Holy Spirit lifts up Jesus Christ always as that reproof of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8). If you find some, send it to me. ", pp. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. 14). Among the N.T. The Greek text of the passage you mention is as follows: 3:15-16 (SBLGNT) 15 . Somewhere in the tension between the universal scope of the world and the particular results among whosoever, salvation reaches the chosen. Can You Trust Your Lexicon? Just as the Orthodox Bible translates anointed in the OT and transliterates the same word in the NT. Yes you would, because your message represents you. Because the Lord gives such commandments, such a message that it is impossible to fulfill it without Him working in depths of our hearts, for His commandments necessarily implies synergy of our efforts with His grace or activity in us (Colossians 1:29), as He Himself explicitly states that without Him we are unable to perform His commandments (John 15:5), just like a twig that is cut from the vine is unable to bear fruits, so also we cut from Christ cannot bear any fruit, i.e. Jesus, who is God the Son (see Is it possible to rotate a window 90 degrees if it has the same length and width? It doesnt mean the planet earth. , , , . Between those accomplished past tenses of Gods determinative action on the one hand, and on the other hand the future tense of the life which believers will have and which those who perish will not have, we have the present moment when Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he must be born again. Who is His only Son (John 3:16)? denotes that something "goes on" happening. However, the question appears to assume a literalist perspective which should not And he has made this known especially in Scripture, which brings us to, The Doctrine of Scripture: Jesus is arguing from Scripture, citing the book of Numbers (as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up), affirming the unity of Old and New Testaments, and implying with regard to the Old Testament its historical veracity and its openness to typological interpretation. A man who does not know that he is dying will look upon his salvation with only casual interest but the one who knows that he is dying looks with knowledge. If you believe in someone you follow them. WebSuch as in John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should notperishbut have everlasting life. It strikes me that the phrase might be more important; "believe in him" which is translated from "pisteuwn eis auton." The same phrase appears two @Mac'sMusings I say: "Unlike contexts where is used to describe a human being and. 21-24). This passage, as well as those seen in the first chapter of this study, is in the present tense. He is a judge whose wrath threatens destruction, and a savior whose love brings life that has no limit short of eternity. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. I, for one thought that Jn 3:16 was something that John wrote, not something Jesus said in a conversation with Nicodemus! If you do follow the pointing word to the recommended object of attention, you see vast expanses of doctrine opening up in front of you. He seemed condent that he was saved by Jesus because he believed in Jesus. The Fruit of Function and Dysfunction is not an actual fruit. A demonstration using John 3:16. Think how much we lose when we unconsciously dumb this verse down to How much God loves the world (present tense, emphasizing magnitude) rather than what it wants to show us: Here is how God loved the world! Since the Word received life in John 1:3-4 per the UBS Greek text, can the prologue also support the Word was eternal? Understanding that the present tense in Greek indicates duration, i.e. How does the phrase "Only God is good" in Mark 10:18 demonstrate that the use of in respect to Jesus does not violate the Shema? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. p. 676 sqq." Beza Greek New Testament 1598 , , , . Copyright 2023 The Scriptorium Daily Administrative Editor: Fred Sanders, To Be a Pilgrim: Reading Allegory Rightly, Faculty Favorites Outside Our Curriculum, Tell Pale-Hearted Fear it Lies (Fear in Philippians). John 18). : bombing a church in the name of Allah. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. For So Loved God the World, the verb is in the emphatic position, so as His son, I mean His only begotten One He gave. fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and The word literally means something of the exact same meaning. 2983 /lambn ("accept with initiative ") emphasizes the volition ( assertiveness) of the receiver. It is in this sense (at least) that Jesus is begotten of God the same as Christians are. I have other sources that show the knowledge of Good and Evil means Function and Dysfunction, yet since I do not want to have to convince people of that source. What does everlasting life (John 3:16) mean. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life John 3:15. J. Sidlow Baxter wrote a whole book on this verse, published under the title The Best Word Ever (and released in America as God So Loved). Fred is a systematic theologian with an emphasis on the doctrine of the Trinity. Father, forgive them. What is meant by so in John 3:16? 16, 17; I John ii. So my friend that says Having the exact right believe about the Trinity is not as important as loving our neighbor and ourselves, without blaspheming the Holy Spirit. iii. WebSo that everyone who believes in the Son may not perish, but have everlasting life. God replied "I AM, Who I AM." ]; cf. As the reader will notice both the abridged and unbridged versions of Thayer defined the Greek word "kosmos" as referring to "any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort." How can I check before my flight that the cloud separation requirements in VFR flight rules are met? On the answer that says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ncdu: What's going on with this second size column? Against such there is no law. Even more clearly than for Paul, the kosmos is for John not only the whole of creation, but more especially mankind as the object of salvation (i. It all begins with Gods love. once it is used to describe Isaac (Heb 11:17) and is translated unigenitus, only begotten. This refers to the German Theologian, Prof. Dr. Ludwig Diestel (1825-1879), on page 676 [or 429, depending on the edition] and those following [sqq], of Johann Herzog (1805-1882)'s Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (1868), which says: The Johanine writings must be treated separately. 17), for the world is essentially opposition to God (I John ii. I understand what youre saying but that interpretation is not consistent with Johns choice of words, which imply that anyone can make the choice to believe and receive eternal life. Do you see what I mean? Can Martian regolith be easily melted with microwaves? Having the exact right believe about the Trinity is not as important as loving our neighbor and ourselves, without blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Westcott and Hort / {NA28 variants} , / ' . Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. An Example of a Graceful Wife when he Its a great big pointer word. Berean Greek New Testament 2016 , , . What happened on the day the son was begotten in Psalm 2? (houtos), the original Greek word In John 3:16, a verse that is often described as a summary of the Gospel message, agape is the word used for the love that moved God to send his only son for the worlds redemption. I would like for group members to discuss the usage of the Present Tense of the word "believeth" in John 3:16. For that reason, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth. Why not just take the considered advice of respected lexicons like Barclay Newman and BDAG? WebThe present tense in Greek. So when you connect the dots, help us to see how you do it. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Believing in Jesus means to trust him daily and to have a relationship with God that leads to strong faith. WebJohn 3:16, NIV: 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. 7:7-8, Romans 10:13, 1 Tim.2 3-4, 2 Peter 3:9. The Greek word translated world in John 3:16 is kosmos, which, according to Thayers Greek Lexicon, means the inhabitants of the earth, men, the human race. The This God is an intervener, a wonder-worker, a healer of his chosen people. When seeing that the air Conditioner is broken the man trusts in the word and prays "Can we get a new Air Conditioner?" Some researchers quote Thayer's as giving "a" definition of the term "world" as being potentially for "believers only" while yet others, also quoting Thayer, say his definition does NOT say for "believers only." What is meant by the world in John 3:16? Some people call love all manner of things this days e.g. p. 676 sqq. What does everlasting life (John 3:16) mean? You may object that it doesnt matter who is speaking, and you may be right. To have Heb. He is the author of all the teachings here, and all materials are available free of charge! 6; (a statement due to the Alex. That is a better way of translating the Greek word eis, which is the same one in John 3:16. Its primary meaning isnt so much, but in this way, or thus. The verse doesnt say God loves the world so much that he sent his Son, rather it says Look at this, this right here is the way God loved the world: he sent his Son. God loved like this! So the word 'believe' in John 3:15-16 is used in the application of what the Son of God Taught. I disagree with that because our words represent who we are. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Add the Greek word for "he believes" and read this out loud several times. 2983 lambn (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning " actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) properly, to lay hold by aggressively ( actively) accepting what is available (offered). And it points to a past action, an event already accomplished. 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 John 3:16. i. xvii. WebThe twenty-five words in the Greek text of John 3:16 are what Harris calls the most famous sentence in all literature. When you see your leader like that, you follow, you believe. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Its Against such there is no law. The rule is that the present tense of a verb denotes duration, i.e. What did John mean by "believe" in John 3:16? It is one I enjoy. everyone who fails to meet Gods standard of perfect holiness. You can also download them to your computer, phone, or tablet. The word "world" in John 3:16 is the population of persons currently are or in the future to be imparted the work of God unto salvation that is faith/belief in Lord Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent ( John 6:29 ). Why does James use the verb (1:18 - 'begat') not ? For ( gar) [i.e. Welcome to Bible Hermeneutics SE and thank you for your contribution. His teachings made the Bible clear and easy to understand, and impacted millions of lives. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.. How do you even know what love is without understanding the Trinity. What is the correct English translation from Greek and meaning of Hebrews 1:6? Web214 views, 7 likes, 2 loves, 3 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Galatia Baptist Church: Galatia Baptist Church was live. And, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. If you do well, will you not be accepted? One of the most surprising twists of John 3:16 is that we are told God loves the world. This is consistent with other statements on salvation, such as Matt. Sign up for our free daily newsletter. The term necessarily extends to the love of ones fellow humans, as the reciprocal love between God and humans is made manifest in ones unselfish love of others. What Is the Difference Between 'Man' And 'Son of Man' in Num 23:19? And John 3:16 says whosoever believes has everlasting life. TRANSCRIPT. In other words, the Son is of exactly the same nature as God the Father. To believe in Jesus is to accept what God the Father says about Jesus, and what Jesus says about The Kingdom of Heaven as true, and then act up on Why did Ukraine abstain from the UNHRC vote on China? that something goes on happening can really revolutionalise the way we understand many passages. What if I dont feel like a sinner? Lk 10:27 (NIV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.. That English verb can refer to simple intellectual assent, but it can also be quite strong and refer to the exact same mental/volitional combination that the Greek This is again discussing humans born of God. If you preorder a special airline meal (e.g. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, Get justice for me from my adversary. 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. (Luke 18:1-5 NKJV), I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is very specific and its definition, by Jesus of Nazareth, is the attribution of devilish energy to the work of the Divine Person of the Spirit. i. Disconnect between goals and daily tasksIs it me, or the industry? John 3:16 - Might be a reference to Moses? In any case, "monogenes" is not used as a title but a descriptor and the meaning is consistent between Christ and humans - unique. It reaches them by faith in the Son, and it has the character of life. WebHe Gave Us Prophets The Prophetic Wisdom of Hosea The Apostles' Creed We Believe in God The Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity We Believe in Jesus We Believe in the Holy Spirit What Is Man? Jesus may well be the speaker, but the narrator of the Gospel may also be intruding his voice here (as he does elsewhere). He explained that because the word believed is in the past tense, it means that Abraham was saved the instant he believed God. Since the Cause of Death came from Adam, Understanding How will teach us about Faith. I have received this same basic response from various individuals through the years. That which is causing death must be clearly seen and in order to be clearly seen it must be lifted up. The word 'believe' in John 3:15-16 Does the word 'believe' in John 3:15-16 mean to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, or to believe in the message There was no manipulation of the definitions for the sake of a theological bias. The entire body of truths delivered by Jesus Christ and his inspired disciples constitutes the true Christian faith. Christian faith is based on the complete Word of God, including the Hebrew Scriptures, (1 Tim. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. manner God loved the world . And the following verses make the nature of sin an explicit subject of description: This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. These are the contexts surrounding John3:16. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Here is the passage together with some of its context: John 3:14-18 Many however, read the passage as if it says: "whoever believed" i.e. It clarifies the message. She continues to berate and smack him until he finally leaves to go make the payment. Did any DOS compatibility layers exist for any UNIX-like systems before DOS started to become outmoded? The theological conception is that the whole world, the entire circle of the interaction of the forces of nature and man's free will, are under the control of God, who directs all this for the salvation and bliss of his children among mankind, so that all experiences of ill also serve God's purpose. John 3:16 (see Does a summoned creature play immediately after being summoned by a ready action? "This world" is conceived in a thoroughly Jewish and Pauline spirit; it is ruled by the devil (xii. ch. Jack Kelley published over 9,000 Bible Study resources here from 1999, until the Lord called him home in the fall of 2015. John 3:16 is perhaps one of the most frequently quoted passages, especially when it comes to salvation. Baxter noted that this Best Word Ever contains at least ten vocabulary words which could practically stock a Christian understanding with everything it needs: (1) God (2) Loved (3) the World (4) Gave/Gave Over (5) Son (6) whoever (7) Believe/have faith (8) Perish (9) To Have/ Possess (10) Life. 5:19. The one definition most commented upon is "of believers only.". WebThe word literally means something of the exact same "stuff." 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because 8a) the Gentiles as contrasted to the Jews (Rom_11:12 etc). This is obviously not what the passage says. Web214 views, 7 likes, 2 loves, 3 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Galatia Baptist Church: Galatia Baptist Church was live. What human situation is presupposed by this giving and this lifting up? 33). Short story taking place on a toroidal planet or moon involving flying, Replacing broken pins/legs on a DIP IC package. excommunicated adjective acc-pl-mas they will do verb fut-act-ind 3rd-p pl you 2nd pers pron acc-pl but conjunction it comes verb pres-mi/pDe-ind 3rd-p Amen. It is both what we deserve and what He deserves. In other words, Thayer's original, unabridged, Greek-English Lexicon noted A, while deferring to B, C, D and E; while the abridged version noted A, while incorporating some examples from B, C, D and E. This accounts for the difference, if they even may be called that. Web8) any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort. once in the past. declares, All have sinned and In John 3, Jesus has just told Nicodemus that he has heavenly things to declare, because he is the one who has descended from heaven and gives testimony about what he knows for certain and has seen. Therefore, there is no contradiction in the two. With that meaning, the verse might more literally read believing into Jesus, Three times in the above five verses we meet the phrase "whoever believes in him", followed by a wonderful promise. His purpose according the text (John 3:16) is to give eternal life to everyone who seeks it, but He does not force anyone to yield to His plan. As a pointer-word, so directs your attention like an index finger toward a thing so unparalleled and singular that all we can do it look and learn. Why is it that in John 3:3 the ESV translates "be born from above" to "is born again"? For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. Sin is a particular kind of culpable ignorance, a suppressing of the truth by those who know better because they know where the light is and what it will show. translation of which would begin, In this We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. for sins in the fire of hell forever. They are essentially pointing the same direction; to the same meaning. WebJohn 3:16. The basic conclusion (you can check it out in the above or in other similar scholarly websites) is the following: as a rule, the present tense in ancient Greek denotes duration. The Answer outright can sound unbelievable, so a building of concepts is needed to be able to hold the correct interpretation. Many people read (and have been taught) that the so in John 3:16 refers to the amount of Gods love. ' . The Doctrine of Salvation: In this verse, its wall to wall soteriology. When we understand that the Word of God was made into flesh, made to be sin for us, and crucified we know Divine justice. It cannot be insignificant, however, that John 3:16 is prefaced by Jesus admonition that what is born of the flesh is flesh, but what is born of the Spirit is spirit, and that ending the section we have the remarkable statement: He whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. We might be tempted to think that there is much Path One - The Path of Unbelief (The Natural Path) is the Theological Editor at Third Millennium Ministries (Thirdmill). For prayer works because some do not want to be bothered. A literal translation. The promises of John 3:14-18 are in no way promises to people who once upon a time believed but eventually moved away without returning.