John 3:16

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I read on another thread that Protestants misinterpret John 3:16. I didn’t realize there were different thoughts on this. I thought it meant what it said! I realize people sometimes throw in that it can’t be what it says because Satan then could be saved. But that is a different situation. Lucifer and his followers rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven. Of course they believe who Jesus is, they knew God in heaven, but they will not be saved. I always thought belief was more than mental knowledge, that it meant knowlege as well as acceptance from the heart of who Jesus says he is and what he did to save us from our sins. Are there different thoughts on what this verse means?
 
Well, the difference is that Protestants interpret this verse to mean that all we need is faith to be saved, and if that’s all Jesus ever said on the subject of salvation, their interpretation would be correct. But in other passages, Jesus states the need to keep His commandments (Matt 19:17, John 15:10) and in Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and the goats, He says we will be judged according to how we have loved our fellow man (which doesn’t make sense if we’re saved by our faith alone).
 
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Veritas41:
But in other passages, Jesus states the need to keep His commandments (Matt 19:17, John 15:10) and in Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and the goats, He says we will be judged according to how we have loved our fellow man (which doesn’t make sense if we’re saved by our faith alone).
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Matt. 19:17 may have been taken out of context. This conversation Jesus is having is with a young man who thinks he can earn his salvation by keeping the law perfectly. Jesus’ point to him is that no one is good enough to keep the commandments perfectly because only God is good and perfect. Jesus point is the one you refer to in John 15:10 and Matt. 25:31-46 - that loving others as ourselves is the second greatest command and the first is to the love God with all our heart, mind and soul Matt. 22:37-40. If we believe in Jesus, our lives should be so transformed that we love God and love people but begins with true belief. Thank you for your reply.
 
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thogg85:
I read on another thread that Protestants misinterpret John 3:16. I didn’t realize there were different thoughts on this. I thought it meant what it said! I realize people sometimes throw in that it can’t be what it says because Satan then could be saved. But that is a different situation. Lucifer and his followers rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven. Of course they believe who Jesus is, they knew God in heaven, but they will not be saved. I always thought belief was more than mental knowledge, that it meant knowlege as well as acceptance from the heart of who Jesus says he is and what he did to save us from our sins. Are there different thoughts on what this verse means?
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The problem with the common Protestant interpretation of this verse is that it is usually taken in isolation, and thus the conclusion is drawn is that all you need is faith to be saved. To really gain an understanding of it however, you have to look at the context, which in this case is the whole of John chapter three. There you will find themes of the necessity of baptism (John 3:5-8), the importance of faith (verses 16-18, 25-31) and the necessity of obedience (verse 19-21, 25-36, especially verse 36). Baptism, faith, and works-- you need it ALL to be saved.
 
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thogg85:
Matt. 19:17 may have been taken out of context.
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How is that so?
16 Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
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17 He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
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18 He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, " ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’"
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20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
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21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
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22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
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Not only is Jesus telling this young man to follow the commandments given to the Jews by Moses, but He is also telling him to follow what He, Christ, commands. You can’t just highlight certain commandment from Christ and go with the ones you’re most comfortable with (which is illustrated beautifully in Matt 19:21-22).
 
What the typical Protestant (not a blanket statement) fails to realize is that “Belief” includes “Obedience”. Just look at John 3:36, which takes place immediately after Jesus meeting with Nicodemus. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.”

In this statement someone can believe in Jesus and have eternal life, or disobey and suffer God’s wrath. You see how belief and disobedience are mutually exclusive? There is NO WAY you can believe and disobey, for you can’t have eternal life and God’s wrath, now can you? In ancient Israel, to believe in someone’s words, you have to be obedient to those words as well.

So just believing in Jesus will not bring grant you eternal life, but believing and following his commands will give you eternal life.

Notworthy
 
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thogg85:
I read on another thread that Protestants misinterpret John 3:16. I didn’t realize there were different thoughts on this. I thought it meant what it said! I realize people sometimes throw in that it can’t be what it says because Satan then could be saved. But that is a different situation. Lucifer and his followers rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven. Of course they believe who Jesus is, they knew God in heaven, but they will not be saved. I always thought belief was more than mental knowledge, that it meant knowlege as well as acceptance from the heart of who Jesus says he is and what he did to save us from our sins. Are there different thoughts on what this verse means?
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One view I have seen among the calvinist type protestants is the idea that Jesus didnt die for the sins of the world but a select few.
 
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NotWorthy:
What the typical Protestant (not a blanket statement) fails to realize is that “Belief” includes “Obedience”. Just look at John 3:36, which takes place immediately after Jesus meeting with Nicodemus. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.”

In this statement someone can believe in Jesus and have eternal life, or disobey and suffer God’s wrath. You see how belief and disobedience are mutually exclusive? There is NO WAY you can believe and disobey, for you can’t have eternal life and God’s wrath, now can you? In ancient Israel, to believe in someone’s words, you have to be obedient to those words as well.

So just believing in Jesus will not bring grant you eternal life, but believing and following his commands will give you eternal life.

Notworthy
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Thank you for your reply. I agree that most evangelical salvation messages focus on belief and nothing else. We forget all that scripture says about salvation. I also have been studying Matt. 18:21-35 regarding the unmerciful servant. Jesus also tells us that we wil lose salvation if we refuse to forgive. That is another thread discussion though. All of the responses to this thread have been very helpful. Thank you.
 
One Who Perseveres Is Saved—But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved (St. Mark 13: 13 and St. Matthew 24: 13.)
 
Colossians 3: 17—And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father

through him.

Genesis 1: 3—Then God SAID, “Let there be light,” and THERE WAS light.

Rom. 10: 10—For one believes with the HEART and so is justified, and one CONFESSES with the MOUTH and so is SAVED.

Romans 1: 16—For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. 17 For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.”
 
Romans 1: 16—For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. 17 For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.”

Roman 16: 25—Now to him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages 26 but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.
 
There are many things that are needed to be saved: hope, keeping the commandments, good works, gospel, faith working with charity, and one that perseveres (just to name a few).

SAVED BY HOPE—For in HOPE we were SAVED. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance (Romans 8: 24).

Works Are a Part (Aspect/Dimension) of Faith—Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (St. John 14: 11-15).

Gospel and Salvation—For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek (Romans 1: 16).

Galatians 5: 6—For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only FAITH WORKING through LOVE.

I Corinthians 13: 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

Perseveres Saved—But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved (St. Mark 13: 13 and St. Matthew 24: 13.)
 
I John 4: 8—Whoever is without LOVE does not know God, for God is love.

I John 4: 16—God is LOVE, and whoever remains in LOVE remains in God and God in him.

I Corinthians 13: 2—And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have LOVE, I am nothing.
 
I Corinthians 13: 2—And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have LOVE, I am nothing.

I Corinthians 13: 4-7—LOVE, is patient. LOVE is kind. IT is not jealous, [LOVE] is not pompous, IT is not inflated, IT is not rude, IT does not seek its own interests, IT is not quick-tempered, IT does not brood over injury, IT does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. IT bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
 
…And let us not forget John chapter 6…“unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…”
 
I Corinthians 13: 4-7—LOVE, is patient. LOVE is kind. IT is not jealous, [LOVE] is not pompous, IT is not inflated, IT is not rude, IT does not seek its own interests, IT is not quick-tempered, IT does not brood over injury, IT does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. IT bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

St. Matthew 25: 33—He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, INHERIT the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.

Isaiah 58: 6-7—This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.
 
Isaiah 58: 6-7—This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.

Hebrews 11: 4—By FAITH Abel OFFERED to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s. Through this he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks.

Philippians 2: 12—So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.
 
Philippians 2: 12—So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.

Faith and Walk—as well as the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised, but also follow the path of FAITH that our father Abraham WALKED while still uncircumcised (Romans 4: 12).
 
I know in some versions of the Bible, in John 3:16 there is a might be saved and might have eternal life, but other translations will say will be saved and will have eternal life. Which is more faithful to what John actually wrote?
 
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thogg85:
Thank you for your reply. I agree that most evangelical salvation messages focus on belief and nothing else. We forget all that scripture says about salvation. I also have been studying Matt. 18:21-35 regarding the unmerciful servant. Jesus also tells us that we wil lose salvation if we refuse to forgive. That is another thread discussion though. All of the responses to this thread have been very helpful. Thank you.
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You’re welcome. I’d like to add just one more thing–if you read through the New Testament, salvation is spoken of in three tenses: past, present on-going and future.

Past (Rom. 8:24; Eph. 2:5,8; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5)
Present on-going (Philipians 2:12 ;1 Peter 1:9)
Future (Matt. 10:22; Acts 15:11; Rom. 5:9-10)

This contradicts salvation by faith alone because if you’re as saved as you’ll ever be once you make a profession of faith in Christ, then it doesn’t make sense to speak of salvation in this way. It would be past tense only (as Protestants frequently describe it, “I’m saved.”)
 
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