What John 3:16 Really Says--and What It Really MEANS

"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." (KJV)

Today is "3/16" (March 16th), so it seemed like a fitting occasion to take a fresh look at a very familiar verse of Scripture -- the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16 -- a verse that even people who never crack open a Bible or call themselves Christians or go to church (except for weddings and funerals), are acquainted with.

Unfortunately, a lot of people who do go to church and do call themselves Christians and do read the Bible -- and do have everlasting life as a result of this verse -- still sometimes misinterpret it.

Here's a helpful video from Pastor Jim McClarty of Grace Christian Assembly in Nashville, Tennessee, dealing with the subject of a correct understanding of what John 3:16 says and what it means.

Now, this is not a detailed exegesis of the passage -- though he does touch on the Greek just a little for a few of the words -- but it is a helpful treatment of a sometimes difficult (for some) passage in John's Gospel.



His point is this.  John 3:16 does not teach universalism (i.e., that the whole world will be saved) and it does not teach Arminianism (i.e., that man, not God, determines who will believe and be saved, and who will not).  Most importantly, it does not teach anything contrary to what the rest of the Bible says about God's sovereignty in salvation.

What it does teach is simply what the rest of the New Testament teaches, i.e., that all those who believe and ONLY those who believe will receive the benefit promised, i.e., salvation or, "everlasting life." Moreover, ONLY those who believe will be the ones who DO NOT perish -- everyone else will.  (See v. 18 and v. 36 of John chapter 3 for confirmation of this.)  The heaviness of that truth places even more urgency and an even greater responsibility on those of us who do believe and are saved, for sharing the Gospel with a world around us that is perishing!

Watch the video for a "Reformed" take on this all-important verse dealing with an all-important doctrine!