Can someone explain the meaning of John 3:16 to me?

[NotWorthy]

You are right. The terminally ill and the desperately poor are wealthy in their cross! That’s why I believe, with John Paul II, that suffering is better than money, when it comes to merit. I even advise the terminally ill and the desperately poor, to drop their suffering into the church basket, instead of coins. When attached to the Cross of Christ, their offering is of far greater value than that of those who give millions! As far as “giving more,” I agree with you that those who have should give more. But remember that the greatest thing we can offer is not money, but love. This and not “coin” is what the poor widow really gave! She loved God enough to risk her life for Him! That was done out of love! Every good did should be out of love for God, and every act of faith! That was done out of faith as it should be - a faith motivated by the Cross, a faith in the value of the Cross (we discussed this earlier). This was not the “faith” Luther was talking about. This was the poor widow’s faith, the Martyrs’ faith, Mary’s faith! This was pure “works” - works of love for God without which faith is dead!

Amen!!! And yes, that was my point, that the person in your example, just like the woman with 2 cents, gave their all. I remember being in a recent car accident and laying in the helicopter on the way to the airport with two broken legs. I offered my suffering up to God, wishing to unite it in some way with Christ’s suffering, all the while acknowledging that I really had no idea how to do this, and praying that this may teach me many of the things that I did not know.

 

[Dogface_Soldier]

1. God loved the world (his creation) so much
2. That he gave his only begotten Son
3. That whoever believes in him shall not die
4. But will have eternal life.

well, that’s not exactly what the text says. let’s set aside for the moment the meaning of “is believing” (though certainly there is a lot to be discerned there). the passage is in the subjunctive, not indicative mood. The subjunctive is used to express probability, condition, purpose, opinion, etc. Young’s literal translation “for God did so love the world, that His Son – the only begotten – He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during”. Both “perish” and “have” are in the subjunctive, expressing conditionality. More interesting is that “might not perish” is in the aorist tense, but “may have/might have” is in the present tense, not in the future. The conjunction “hina” is used early in the passage, which usually indicates purpose. But in the subjunctive, the expression of purpose does not negate the conditionality. Compare the two sentences in English: “I opened the door, so that he might come in” vs. “I opened the door and he came in”. English does not (really) have subjunctive verbs, but you can see how the former sentence does not indicate at all that the person came in, only that the subject opened the door and that the person could come in. Something to think about in addition to “is believing”.

 

[Luke65]

well, that’s not exactly what the text says. let’s set aside for the moment the meaning of “is believing” (though certainly there is a lot to be discerned there). the passage is in the subjunctive, not indicative mood. The subjunctive is used to express probability, condition, purpose, opinion, etc. Young’s literal translation “for God did so love the world, that His Son – the only begotten – He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during”. Both “perish” and “have” are in the subjunctive, expressing conditionality. More interesting is that “might not perish” is in the aorist tense, but “may have/might have” is in the present tense, not in the future. The conjunction “hina” is used early in the passage, which usually indicates purpose. But in the subjunctive, the expression of purpose does not negate the conditionality. Compare the two sentences in English: “I opened the door, so that he might come in” vs. “I opened the door and he came in”. English does not (really) have subjunctive verbs, but you can see how the former sentence does not indicate at all that the person came in, only that the subject opened the door and that the person could come in. Something to think about in addition to “is believing”.

Excellent post! Very informative, and it makes harmonizing all of the relevant Scriptures that much easier. Especially the part about “may have eternal life” being in the present tense, since Jesus tells us: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no [eternal] life in you.” (John 6:53 NIV) And then: “‘Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.” (v.64)

 

[adriancombe]

well, that’s not exactly what the text says. let’s set aside for the moment the meaning of “is believing” (though certainly there is a lot to be discerned there). the passage is in the subjunctive, not indicative mood. The subjunctive is used to express probability, condition, purpose, opinion, etc. Young’s literal translation “for God did so love the world, that His Son – the only begotten – He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during”. Both “perish” and “have” are in the subjunctive, expressing conditionality. More interesting is that “might not perish” is in the aorist tense, but “may have/might have” is in the present tense, not in the future. The conjunction “hina” is used early in the passage, which usually indicates purpose. But in the subjunctive, the expression of purpose does not negate the conditionality. Compare the two sentences in English: “I opened the door, so that he might come in” vs. “I opened the door and he came in”. English does not (really) have subjunctive verbs, but you can see how the former sentence does not indicate at all that the person came in, only that the subject opened the door and that the person could come in. Something to think about in addition to “is believing”.

Pentuple vertical opposed digits!!!

Thanks Dogface Soldier!!!

Piggybacking…

Of course the problem is, the verse says, ‘so that they might’…not ‘therefore they do’

The verse reads like this in Greek:

οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον

This (or similar) is what it would have to say to be a support for sola fide

οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν διο πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀπόλλεται ἀλλ’ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον

Those little words in red make all the difference.

Also, one needs to see John’s Gospel holistically as a sacramental progression. Belief (ch. 1-3), baptism (3) Eucharist (6) - and even then only John is faithful to follow Him to Calvary so they still need Confirmation, which is of course not until Acts, so John hints at it ch. 20 vs. 22.

 

[djeter]

After a passage by Pascal, Kreeft brackets John 3:16 with Romans 6:23 and says “They are so simple that anyone except a theologian can understand them.”

We Need Only Know The Two Great Truths About Our Present State: Sin And Salvation
*We cannot conceive of Adam’s state of glory, or the nature of his sin, or the way it has been transmitted to us. These are things which took place in a state of nature quite different from our own and which pass our present understanding.

Knowing all this does not help us to escape. All that it is important for us to know is that we are wretched, corrupt, separated from God but redeemed by Christ; and that is what is wonderfully proved to us on earth. *
Pensées 431

We need to know only the two great truths about our present state (sin and salvation) not the two great truths about our past state in Paradise (innocence and Fall). We need to know the before-and-after difference faith makes, not the details of the before-and-after difference the Fall made.We need to know what happens when we are baptized, not what happened when Adam ate the apple. We need not know how our Titanic sank, only how we can be saved.

Therefore God tells us about the first only in myth and mystery and symbol, but about the second in clear repetitions and exhortations, No one who reads the New Testament with an awake and open mind can miss it. John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”)and Romans 6:23 (“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”)are so simple that anyone except a theologian can understand them.

So like many others on this thread have already told you, Dr. Kreeft seems to adjure: “Keep It Simple”

dj

 

[kepha1]

Works of the law and good works are different words with different meanings.

Rom. 3:20,28; Gal. 2:16,21; 3:2,5,10; Eph. 2:8-9 - many Protestants err in their understanding of what Paul means by "works of the law” in his teaching on justification. Paul’s teaching that we are not justified by “works of the law” refer to the law of Moses or to any legal system that makes God our debtor. They do not refer to good works done in grace with faith in Christ. This makes sense when we remember that Paul’s mission was to teach that salvation was also for the Gentiles who were not subject to the “works of the law.” Here is the proof:

James 2:24 – compare the verse “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” to Gal. 2:16 – “a man is not justified by works of the law,” and Rom. 3:20,28 – “no human being will be justified in His sight by works of the law.” James 2:24 appears to be inconsistent with Gal. 2:16 and Rom. 3:20,28 until one realizes that the Word of God cannot contradict itself. This means that the “works” in James 2:24 are different from the “works of the law in Gal. 2:16 and Rom. 3:20,28. James is referring to “good works” (e.g.,clothing the naked; giving food to the poor) and Paul is referring to the “Mosaic law” (which included both the legal, moral and ceremonial law) or any works which oblige God to give us payment. Here is more proof:

Rom. 3:20,28; Gal. 2:16 - Paul’s phrase for “works of the law” in the Greek is “ergon nomou” which means the Mosaic law or Torah and refers to the teachings (legal, moral) and works (ceremonial) that gave the Jews the knowledge of sin, but not an escape from sin. We have further proof of this from the Dead Sea Scrolls which provide the Hebrew equivalent (“hrvt ysm”) meaning “deeds of the law,” or Mosaic law. James in James 2 does not use “ergon nomou.” He uses “ergois agathois.” Therefore, Paul’s “works of the law” and James’ “works” are entirely different types of works. Again, they could never contradict each other because the Scriptures are the inspired word of God.

Rom. 3:29 - Paul confirms that works of the law in this case refer to the Mosaic law by rhetorically asking “Or is God the God of the Jews only?” It does not mean “good works.”

Rom. 4:9-17 - Paul provides further discussion that righteousness God seeks in us does not come from Mosaic law, but through faith. But notice that Paul also never says “faith alone.”

Rom. 9:31-32 - righteousness is pursued through faith, not works of the law. Again, “works of law” does not mean “good works.”

Rom. 11:6,11 - justification is no longer based on “works” of the law, but on the grace of Christ. Why? Because salvation is also for the Gentiles.

Rom. 15:9-12 - Paul explains that Christ also saves the Gentiles. Therefore, “works of law” are no longer required.

Acts 13:39 - Luke also confirms this by providing that we have been “freed from the law of Moses.” This is the “works of the law” from which we have been freed.
Rom. 3:20,28 - in addition to the Mosaic law, as stated above, “works of the law” can also refer to anything that makes God a debtor to us. This is because law requires payment, but grace is a free gift from God. Therefore, faith must be behind every good work in order for it to be a work of grace. If not, it is a work of debt, and we cannot obligate God to do anything for us.
scripturecatholic.com/justification.html#justification-II

 

[kepha1]

Getting back on track with John 3:16:

The Church knows that this Gospel of life, which she has received from her Lord, 1 has a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of every person-believer and non-believer alike-because it marvellously fulfils all the heart’s expectations while infinitely surpassing them. Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, by the light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law written in the heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15) the sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human being to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the recognition of this right, every human community and the political community itself are founded.

In a special way, believers in Christ must defend and promote this right, aware as they are of the wonderful truth recalled by the Second Vatican Council: “By his incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every human being”.2 This saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16), but also the incomparable value of every human person.

The Church, faithfully contemplating the mystery of the Redemption, acknowledges this value with ever new wonder.3 She feels called to proclaim to the people of all times this “Gospel”, the source of invincible hope and true joy for every period of history. The Gospel of God’s love for man, the Gospel of the dignity of the person and the Gospel of life are a single and indivisible Gospel.

For this reason, man-living man-represents the primary and fundamental way for the Church. 4
Evangelium vitae

 

[wilbur006]

In John 3:16, the words …“that whosoever believe in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting” can never be correctly understood to mean that salvation comes from merely believing that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for all of mankind’s sins.

It is quite simplistic to think that any one paragraph in scripture defines what man must do to be saved and reach everlasting life. This kind of thinking has lead to the vast number of people who call themselves “christians”, and belong to assemblies that call themselves Evangelicals, Congregationalist or Fundamentalists, and who profess that Jesus is their “personal savior” and therefore “they are saved”. Salvation entails much more than this very simplistic view of Christ’s teachings.

John 3:16 means that we must believe in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, He allowed Himself to be crucified for all of mankind who has existed since Adam so as to redeem ourselves from Adam’s Sin. Additionally, it means that we must believe in everything that Jesus taught, as well as everything God the Father has revealed to mankind, especially as following His 10 Commandments.

Most important, we must believe that Jesus established a Church organized by a headship of a man who was given the Keys to the Kingdom, and we must belong to that One Church and believe everything that Church teaches. In-so-far as the major teachings of that Church we must believe that the headship of this Church was first given to Peter with powers to bind or loose upon earth things that the Holy Spirit desires (Matt 16:13-19; Matt 18:15-18). ). Most important, we must believe that Jesus gave this newly formed Church the power to transform mere bread and wine into His actual Body and Blood, and that we are to eat and drink of His Body; and by so doing Jesus said, “If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever”…and he also said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you”(John 6:25-35; 6:47-52, 6:54-59).

In short, the initial question for understanding the words in John 3:16 (whosoever believe in Him may not perish but may have life everlasting") very simply means that we must believe in faith everything that Jesus taught; and the most important thing that He taught is that we must belong to His Church, which is called the Catholic Church since only by it can we receive the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance that are essential fundamentals for salvation, as well as believing all the other faith dogmas taught in this Church.

St. Augustine of Hippo taught in one of his sermons regarding heretics that "…you

will not come to the same inheritance of eternal life unless you return to the Catholic
Church".

God Bless, and thanks to our God on this Thanksgiving day for all that He has given to us.

 

[arcee]

These words, so charges with meaning, summarize how Christ’s death is the supreme sign of God’s love for men. All our religion is a revelation of God’s kindness, mercy and love for is. All is summed up in this supreme truth, which explains and illuminates everything. The story of Jesus must be seen in this light. (Paul VI, Homily on Corpus Cristi, 13 June 1976).

 

[FiberZilla]

Acts 2:47 …"And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
I agree with James you cant have a saving faith and not have works to show for it, its like the tree analogy before it gives fruit it has to be planted on good soil being Jesus the seed being your faith if its genuine faith you’ll know if your growing in Christ producing fruit. and if you dont produce fruit/works then you were never saved to begin with or never truly believed with your heart.
Rom 10:9 “because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Rom 10:10 For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.

But i also agree with Paul when he said this…
Eph. 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
(a free salvation by God’s grace through Christ) and a call to “good works”.
and i like how the ESV clarifies the same point in vs 9. not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Isa 64:6 our works are like filthy rags if we are trying to be righteous by them.
so in conclusion we are saved by faith through Grace an action of the heart is not a work. Jesus doesnt need any help saving us he blood was sufficient. Amen

Fabulous post. Good works are strictly the evidence of a saving faith. We can do good works until the cows come home and that will not appease God’s wrath over our sin. Trying to “work off” one’s sin debt or achieve salvation through lawkeeping is a terrible mistake. It frustrates the grace of God.(Galatians 2:21)

"However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. Romans 4:5

Notice that Paul says that works are excluded as a means to righteousness. We are justified, or “made right” with God only by faith in what the son of God, Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross and his resurection. We are then called to do good works in order to bring glory to God!

There are a lot of people who claim to be saved that are under a dillusion. Those who profess a saving faith yet continue to live like the rest of the world are kidding themselves. Saving faith is always evidenced by a changed life and good works.

 

[NotWorthy]

Fabulous post. Good works are strictly the evidence of a saving faith. We can do good works until the cows come home and that will not appease God’s wrath over our sin. Trying to “work off” one’s sin debt or achieve salvation through lawkeeping is a terrible mistake. It frustrates the grace of God.(Galatians 2:21)

I know this is an old thread, but I don’t recall anyone claiming that our good works save us.

*"However, to the man who does not *work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. Romans 4:5

Notice that Paul says that works are excluded as a means to righteousness. We are justified, or “made right” with God only by faith in what the son of God, Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross and his resurection. We are then called to do good works in order to bring glory to God!

But is there some kind of “reward” for doing our works for the glory of God. I’m not saying its “earning our righteousness”. But aren’t there certain graces bestowed on those who do good things for the glory of God?

There are a lot of people who claim to be saved that are under a dillusion. Those who profess a saving faith yet continue to live like the rest of the world are kidding themselves. Saving faith is always evidenced by a changed life and good works.

I’m curious, though. Is there some benefit to us for doing these good works? I mean, I’m inspired by seeing some of the wonderful things that people do out of love for God. If these people’s examples lead myself and others toward God, is there anything that they may as a reward from God? Not an earned reward, but a reward nonetheless.

For example, I see Jesus chastising the Pharisees for leading others away from God, telling them that God will punish them. I may be wrong, but I don’t know of God instilling any curses and/or punishments on the people for wrongdoing without offering even greater rewards for doing the right thing. His blessings always outweigh His wrath.

 

[FiberZilla]

I know this is an old thread, but I don’t recall anyone claiming that our good works save us.

But is there some kind of “reward” for doing our works for the glory of God. I’m not saying its “earning our righteousness”. But aren’t there certain graces bestowed on those who do good things for the glory of God?

I’m curious, though. Is there some benefit to us for doing these good works? I mean, I’m inspired by seeing some of the wonderful things that people do out of love for God. If these people’s examples lead myself and others toward God, is there anything that they may as a reward from God? Not an earned reward, but a reward nonetheless.

For example, I see Jesus chastising the Pharisees for leading others away from God, telling them that God will punish them. I may be wrong, but I don’t know of God instilling any curses and/or punishments on the people for wrongdoing without offering even greater rewards for doing the right thing. His blessings always outweigh His wrath.

Yes, I believe scripture indicates that our good works will be rewarded in Heaven. Obviously this is not the reason we do these things. Considering the tremendous price that was paid upon the cross, we cannot help but to do our best to thank him through our actions.

 

[NotWorthy]

Yes, I believe scripture indicates that our good works will be rewarded in Heaven. Obviously this is not the reason we do these things. Considering the tremendous price that was paid upon the cross, we cannot help but to do our best to thank him through our actions.

I’m not sure I said we “do these things for the rewards”. I just said that there are benefits to doing good things for the Lord.

My thoughts on good works are that I wish to make someone happy. I love my wife and I like to do things simply to make her happy. I love Christ, and I wish to please Him even more. I know that doing these things will bring me closer to Him, which is a reward in itself.