The Meaning of John 3:16

A TV preacher said John 3:16 is the most memorized verse of Scripture.  He quoted it as this: “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” (NIV). 

After that, he focused on the English translation word “all,” surmising, “God sent Jesus to die for the sins of everyone.  Not just Christians, but the whole world.”

Certainly, that is the way this verse is preached.  It is true that Yahweh (the Father, higher than a mere “God”) made His Son for “everyone,” but there is more to that the preacher missed.  Yahweh did not forgive the sins of “all” by sending Jesus and him dying.  That is like saying Coca-Cola has been sent into the world for “all” to drink.  The higher truth says something available for “all” comes at a price.

Unfortunately, that price is not preached.  At least, not clearly.

Here is the Greek test, as presented by BibileHub Interlinear.  It is important to realize there is context surrounding this verse.  The TV preacher referenced that, but said he was not going to read anything but what “all” Christians are taught to learn.

That context has Jesus talking with Nicodemus (which the TV preacher mentioned), but in that confrontation where Jesus answered Nicodemus’ question about “How?” by saying (paraphrased), “You call yourself a teacher of Scripture and have to ask that?” Jesus told Nicodemus (and all who read John 3), “[importantly, from kai] not one it has been ascended into this spiritual eternity (heaven) that not this from origin of this spiritual eternity (heaven) having descended  ,  this Son of this of human race  ."

That is John 3:13, but the New International Version (NIV) does not present what John next wrote in parentheses.  The use of parentheses indicates (something like an aside) silent speech that comes from the Holy Spirit guiding John as he wrote his Gospel, years after the fact.  Thus, John spiritually added in verse 13, “this existing (or being) among (or within) to this spiritual eternity (or heaven)  .”

This has Jesus speaking of souls, which are the “heavens” of their bodied of flesh – the “earth.”  Thus, there has never been a soul that was not a spiritual eternity entity, as “all” come from Yahweh, giving life to a body of flesh.  When that flesh dies (as all flesh will be unable to sustain the life of a soul), the spiritual eternity that is a soul will “ascend” to Yahweh for Judgment.  Therefore, never has a soul not “descended” as a “spiritual entity” as an extension of Yahweh, to which all returning “spiritual eternity” souls will “ascend” when their flesh dies.  The hidden statement is then about the soul of Jesus, the “Son of this of human race is separate (following a period mark), because Jesus as the “Son of this of human being” must be “existing into to this spiritual eternity,” meaning Jesus saves souls that “descend” and “ascend” over and over by being one with them.  The parentheses are then why TV preachers do not tell this important truth.

That then leads to John 3:14, where Jesus told Nicodemus about Moses and the “serpent in the wilderness.”  That verse is also begun with the word kai, which must be read as an indicator word of importance to follow.  Thus, like verse 13 is important to grasp, so too is verse 14.

Verse 14 then says (using the BibleHub translation possibilities for each word written), “in the same way Moses he raised on high this serpent (or “artfully malicious  person”) up to this waste (or “wilderness”)  ,  in this way to be raised on high it necessary this Son of this of human being  ,” [notice how verse 14 ends with a comma mark, not a period].

That says Moses declared the “wilderness” a place where souls became “waste,” due to the flesh being addicted to the ways of Egypt.  In that way evil ways became “lifted on high” as gods worshiped by those who were complaining.  Thus, their negligence to Yahweh led many to be bitten by poisonous “snakes” that are the sins of the “wilderness.”  To solve this problem the people brought to Moses, he said the souls of the people must be “lifted up on high” as each being the “Son” of Yahweh reborn “of this of human being.”  This was how Moses was.  Moses was the same as Jesus, because the soul of Yahweh’s “Son” possessed his soul-flesh and “lifted him on high.  That is “necessary” for Salvation, as that “behooves” Yahweh as what “ought” and “should” be.

That then led Jesus to tell Nicodemus, in verse 15, “in order that” (or the “results” of that) “all” (or “everyone”) this “having faith” (or “trusting with, entrusting” – which is higher than “believing”) “in to himself (or “herself, themselves”) he may possess (or “have, hold”) living (or “life, life-above”) perpetual (or “eternal, everlasting, forever”)  .”

This states that the death from “serpents” or the sins of “waste” in a “wilderness” world can only be avoided through faith.  This is where faith differs from belief, as memorizing Scripture is a reflection of belief, such that Nicodemus had belief, but he could not understand the truth and become a “teacher” for others to be guided, like Moses was.  This says faith is a “result” of pleasing Yahweh, so He “possesses” a soul in dead flesh and “raises it upon high” to a state of “living” and being “alive” spiritually.  Once one’s faith brings Yahwh’s presence (through His “Son” entering a “human being”), then “life eternal results.”  Just as Moses taught, so too did Jesus teach Nicodemus this basic lesson.

That basic lesson was not taught by the TV preacher.  He made it seem all one has to do is believe Jesu will save sinners because he died on a cross.  That takes “everyone” off the hook of responsibility to do anything that “behooves” Yahweh.

This then leads to the most memorized quote of the New Testament.  Here is the Greek, set up in lines, based on the punctuation presented by the BibleHub Interlinear webpage for John 3.

Houtōs gar ēgapēsen ho Theos ton kosmon  ,

hōste ton Huion  , 

ton monogenē  , 

edōken  , 

hina pas ho pisteuōn eis auton mē apolētai  , 

all’ echē zōēn aiōnion  .

Here is a literal translation into English, using the BibleHub translator (a link to a Lexical Summary, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, HELPS Word-studies, NAS Exhaustive Concordance, and Thayer’s Greek Lexicon page).  The memorized words can be a translation, but I see it important to allow others to see that is not the only translation.  When all is done, it is the meaning of the words that is the importance, as finding the truth comes from searching for it.

In this way indeed he loved this Supreme deity who orderly arrangement (or world)  , 

in so much as this Son  , 

this only-born  , 

he gave   , 

to the intent (that, or in order that) everyone this having faith (in) into himself never he

should destroy fully  , 

nevertheless he should hold life-above perpetual  .

In this, verse 16 begins with a capitalized Houtōs, which was written in the lower-case in verse 14, beginning the last segment of words there.  The meaning is the same, but the capitalization here (just like two verses beginning with kai) means “In this way” is magnified in meaning.  In verse 14 “in this way” was Moses telling the sinning people “the way” to become the “Son” of Yahweh in “human being” flesh, “in the same way” Moses was the “Son.”  Now, after Jesus has told Nicodemus about Scripture he had memorized (but had no understanding of), the answer to his question (combining two verses), “How is being born of the Spirit possible?” is “In this way” as Moses spoke.

The third-person Aorist Indicative Active ēgapēsen says “he loved” or “he felt love for,” which is the soul in a body of flesh that is penitent, with “this loved” is mutual between a soul-flesh and “God.”  This is due to the sinner having “fallen in love” with the “world,” but realizes the “world” offers nothing of value other than “God.”  Thus, “God” created the “world,” which includes “he loved indeed” by “God.”  Still, as all souls come from “God” (“descend”) and return to “God” (“ascend”), is must be as Moses said, as “In this way he loved indeed this God,” so “this God” became “the world” to the sinner.

This then places the focus on this “he loved indeed God” bringing about “so too this Son.”  This means the “love of God” brings about a divine marriage, where the soul-flesh becomes a devoted bridesmaid, serving “God” in the “world” as His willing servant.  That proof of “he loved this God” then brings about a divine union with Yahweh, making that soul be joined by the soul of His “Son.”  Moses was possessed by “this Son,” and so was the “human being” or “man” named Jesus.  Still, the soul of the “Son” is the soul of Jesus, whose name means “YAH Saves.”  Yahweh Saves sinner souls through divine marriage based on “love,” whereby the offspring of that divine marriage sends His “Son” to spiritually possess a wife-soul in its flesh.

The next segment simply states the singularity of this divine presence.  It says there is only one Jesus, while also saying that the soul of Jesus is “only begotten” in individual souls married to Yahweh.  Thus, when a TV preacher says “all” were saved by Jesus dying on the cross, that global association or blanket coverage is denied by this segment that says, “this only-born.”  It is up to each individual soul be become “he loved indeed this God,” so “this God” becomes “the world” to that one.  How else could some Israelites not be bitten by poisonous snakes and suffering death (of body and soul), while others obviously were not?  Each individually had to become like Moses.  Likewise, each must be reborn as Jesus spiritually.

The next segment is only one word, which speaks in the third-person, becoming “he gave” or “it granted.”  This says to the individuals “this only-born” does not come without mutual love shared.  While it is easy to read this as saying “God gave,” leaping forward to seeing Jesus coming, but one must understand that “he gave” means one did everything God asked one to do, to prove “he loved indeed this God.”  When one is “only born” through divine marriage to Yahweh, one must “give love,” in order to receive the love of God, which is the soul of Jesus.  This means the soul of Jesus is the one Yahweh “gave,” so Jesus become the Lord over the wife-soul and flesh, so “he gave” direction to avoid sins.

This then connects the exchange of gifts as being “in order that” or the “result” that “all” and “everyone” individually alike will become “this having faith.”  This is where faith is knowing the soul of Jesus is within one’s being, acting as one’s Lord, whispering commands to one’s mind, so one realizes this is a divine presence.  It goes beyond believing a TV preacher that says you only have to believe Jesus will save your soul, because he died on a cross for your sins.  This then says faith come from the soul of Jesus being  “among” and “into” one’s being, so one is possessed by “Him” (a capitalized possessive pronoun that elevates to a divine meaning).  It is only from this faith in Him that one does “not” or ‘nothing” that “would destroy” one’s soul from eternally being one with Jesus, as the “Son” of Yahweh.

Th final segment of words then confirms this, saying “nevertheless” or “notwithstanding” the temptations of Satan in the “world,” the “result” of divine possession – reborn in the name of Jesus – is so one “should possess, can have,” or “may hold” a soul in a body of flesh that is “living” and “alive” as an Apostle serving Yahweh as the “Son” reborn (the circumstance Nicodemus could not fathom), not just for the remainder of one “life,” but “eternally.”  This means after the body dies, the soul Saved will appear before the throne of Judgment alongside the soul of Jesus the “Son,” meaning Yahweh will “grant” that pairing of souls to be returned into new flesh, born from a mother “human being” and serve Yahweh once more in the “world.”