Featured Study of John 3:16

Baptists are split on the specifics of John 3:16. When I was young, and the "Bible" was the KJV, we memorized the verse this way: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

1) The first issue is that some thought the verse was saying how much God loved. Now scholars translate the verse to indicate the idea is how or in what manner God loved.

2) Next, the translation of Kosmos (G2889) as world is ambiguous. The Greek word refers to an interrelated system, such as a planet or a society. Contextually, in this verse "kosmos" refers to fallen humanity.

3) Next the idea of "give" certainly indicates to provide or make available for use. Looking a little deeper the idea is that the gift would provide a blessing (shall not perish).

4) "Only begotten" is a mistranslation of "monogenes" and should be translated "one of a kind" or "uniquely divine." Jesus is not God's only Son, as Adam was also the son of God, and every born anew believer is also a child of God. However Jesus was one of a kind, uniquely divine, God incarnate.

5) "Whosoever believes" refers to an undetermined segment of fallen humanity, not a preselected segment.

6) In Him refers to those who spiritually enter into Christ's spiritual body, as the preposition translated "in" means "into." Since humanity is not able to change their spiritual location (going from the realm of darkness into the marvelous light of God's kingdom) "into" refers to God crediting the person's faith as "righteous faith" and on that basis transferring the person into Christ.

7) Once placed within Christ, the person is made (eternally) alive together with Christ.

Putting the study results into my own words:

God loved humanity in this way, He gave His uniquely divine Son so that everyone believing into Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.​

 

The majority of Christians believe evangelism actually contributes to the expansion of God's family, we till the ground, we plant, and we water, knowing that it is God who causes the increase by His action alone.

 

The idea you are presenting a view based on the context is ludicrous.

In your translation, whoever represents the translation choice of the Greek word meaning "all" (of whatever is in contextual view.)
A better translation would be "everyone."

In your translation "believes" translates the Greek present active participle, thus "everyone believing" is the best translation. Note there is no where found the extraneous idea of everyone previously authorized and enabled to be "believing" in the text. To claim all this malarkey is found in the context is ludicrous. You are rewriting the text to fit your man-made false doctrine.

Now what does it take to "believe into Him? God must transfer the individual's human spirit from being in Adam (in the realm of darkness) and into being in Christ (in the kingdom of His beloved Son.) God does this when He and He alone credits a person's faith as righteousness.

 

John 3:8 (NASB)
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.” ​

Here the idea is we do not know whether or not God will choose to credit our faith as righteousness and transfer us into Christ's spiritual body. But we do have assurance from examining ourselves to see if we are of the faith.

 

God loved humanity in this way, He gave His uniquely divine Son so that everyone believing into Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

You have made these bogus claims before. I explained the contextual meaning of John 3:8.

I addressed that to be born anew means the person has been born anew by the will of God.

Your effort at misinterpreting scripture is ludicrous

You did not explore John 3:16, you attempted to rewrite it.

 

God loved humanity in this way, He gave His uniquely divine Son so that everyone believing into Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

How does an individual believe into Him. The person's faith, if credited as righteousness by God is used as the basis for God transferring the individual, by His will alone, into the spiritual body of Christ.

 

God so loved the world is ambiguous. God loved humanity in this way, He gave His Son.

The reason my interpretation has "uniquely divine" translating "monogenes" is God has more than one son. Adam was the son of God, and every born anew believer is a child of God. But Jesus is one of a kind, God incarnate. Thus His uniqueness is that He is Logos, the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son.

 

John 3:16 does not say that we had a "say" in our being born anew. It says everyone believing into Him will not perish. Does believing equate with believing into Christ? Nope, of course not. What we believe in no way could cause our spiritual relocation from being "in Adam" to being "in Christ." The relocation is caused by God alone. Does He base the relocation on our faith meriting salvation? Nope, all our works of righteousness are as filthy rags to God when we are unsaved. Does He credit the faith of some as righteousness, according to His gracious will? You bet.

I wish the naysayers would at least address the biblical doctrine of John 3:16.

God loved humanity in this way, He gave His uniquely divine Son so that everyone believing into Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

Thanks!!!

 

God so loved the world is ambiguous. God loved humanity in this way, He gave His Son.

The reason my interpretation has "uniquely divine" translating "monogenes" is God has more than one son. Adam was the son of God, and every born anew believer is a child of God. But Jesus is one of a kind, God incarnate. Thus His uniqueness is that He is Logos, the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son.

 

Interesting question, Deacon, is Jesus still talking, or has the narrator John taken over?

I do not know, but just reading the passage, down to John 3:15 appears to be Jesus speaking, and after John 3:22 appears to be John narrating. In between my "guess" is John is narrating.

It would be easy to come up with 25 observations, simply by addressing the obvious.
1) God refers to God the Father.
2) Loved refers to sacrificial love, rather than a relationship based love.
3) World refers to human society, condemned and needing salvation.

I could go on but you get the idea...

I hope you let us know if the class is beneficial, I really liked this goal:

Explain the meaning of any passage of Scripture - with discriminate analytic discernment to detect improper interpretations of Scripture.​