Jesus' Intent in John 3:16 - Saving Us from the Practice of Sin
by Dave Brown
Return to the Does Doctrinal Purity Matter? page.
Jesus intent in John 3:16 was not to give us an easy pass to heaven -- it was to save us from the practice of sin. Click here for a second article by this name.
Jesus Intent in John 3:16
by Dave Brown
Could it be that Jesus never intended that John 3:16 be turned into a minimal condition of salvation? Don’t answer until you read this article and consider the context of John 3:16 very carefully. The length of this article might give the impression that it is a difficult subject to understand – this is not the case. We have developed an abstract for it that shows the very simple reasoning applied (2 Cor. 11:3).
[Abstract. Start with verse one and carefully read the context of John 3:16, which goes through verse 21 (Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus). See in verse 3 and 7 that Jesus gives a definitive condition of salvation – “Ye must be born again.” To fully understand what this means, read Romans 6:1-7. (Actually all of Romans 6 is applicable, but then, so is all of the rest of the New Testament as well, but Rom. 6:1-7 condenses it, making it clear that being born again is not just a mental process – it is the start of an entirely new way of life.) Continue reading Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus and see that Nicodemus’ problem was not a lack of understanding; it was a lack of faith. It seems he did not want to believe what Jesus was requiring. Jesus chastises him for his lack of faith, and then in John 3:16 presents the reason that God has enabled salvation to those who would believe what Jesus is teaching in this context – because He loves us and wants us to have new life NOW. Continue to read the context and see that Jesus makes it quite clear that being born again entails much more than just something mental.]
What do you think when you hear or read John 3:16? It is very important that we always explore our own motives in interpreting God's word. So, what are you looking for in this verse? – the easiest way out of hell possible?, the minimum action on your part to obtain eternal life?, a legal loophole into heaven? It is difficult to think that such motives could please God? So, let's put all of that aside and do our best to figure out what Jesus was saying in this passage.
Let's start by looking at John 3:16 itself:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Note first of the very first word: For. Jesus was not starting a new thought here; He was giving the reason for the words that he had already spoken to Nicodemus, beginning in John 3:3. This is NOT a conclusion, it is a reason for what precedes it. "For" is from the Greek word gar, which means "a primary particle; properly, assigning a reason" (Strong's Numbers and Concordance; Biblesoft, Inc.). As we continue to explore the context, please keep this in mind. Jesus was giving the reason for the necessity to be born again.
So, was it the intent of Jesus to proclaim some minimal condition of salvation when he spoke John 3:16 to Nicodemus? This is not a difficult question to answer. Let us understand the true meaning of John 3:16 by looking at the context, which involved a meeting between Jesus and a man whose name was Nicodemus …
John 3:1-2:
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came unto him [Jesus] by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.”
So, this man already had faith in Jesus (and his teachings) that was sufficient to motivate him to come to Jesus for more information. Was that faith enough? Was it sufficient to qualify him for salvation according to most views of John 3:16? Obviously Nicodemus felt some lacking that motivated him to seek more information from Jesus. Will Jesus tell him that his faith is enough? Let’s see what Jesus’ first words were to Nicodemus …
John 3:3:
“Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
Of course, Jesus knew what Nicodemus needed without his asking, and this is exactly what Jesus gave him in stating this condition of salvation. Over the next few verses we see that Nicodemus claimed to have a real problem understanding just what Jesus was trying to communicate to him here, and we encourage you to read verses 4-10. As you read on you will see that the concept Jesus was presenting was a very simple one, and that Nicodemus' problem had to do with a lack of faith rather than a lack of understanding (mental ability).
We should not have Nicodemus’ problems today because, not only do we have Jesus’ explanation here, but we also have what the Holy Spirit provided to the Christians at Rome – a clear explanation of Jesus’ words through the Apostle Paul’s letter to them. Let us allow the bible to explain the true meaning of this “being born again” condition of salvation that Jesus clearly established for all men everywhere.
A reminder here that the letter to the Romans was written to those who were members of the Lord’s church at Rome, meaning they were already born again and thus in Christ. Also, the words of the Holy Spirit, which was sent by Jesus to the apostles, are just as authoritative as anything in the book of John (see John 14:26; 16:7-14).
Romans 6:3-9:
"Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with (him) in the likeness of his death, we shall be also (in the likeness) of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with (him), that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; for he that hath died is justified from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death no more hath dominion over him.”
We know that Jesus said that all who will enter into the kingdom of God “must be born again,” so let us use the passage above to answer the question: what has to happen before a person can be born again? Since this is critical to our salvation we need to give it careful and thoughtful consideration.
The command “ye must be born again” necessitates a re-birth … but our old life of sin has to be terminated or else there would be two of us living at the same time, which is certainly not what Jesus had in mind.
Romans 6:6 (underlined above) states clearly that if we are going to be raised from the dead to walk in newness of life (born again), the “old man” must be put to death “that the body of sin might be done away.” Before we can be born again we must put to death the old man – the old body of sin. We cannot hope to understand Jesus’s teaching in John 3 if we refuse to accept what the Holy Spirit delivered to us on this subject.
But this death to sin is not just a gradual natural passing away, is it? What figure of speech is used to describe it? The old man of sin must be crucified, which is analogous to Jesus being nailed to the cross. Crucifixion describes the most torturous and painful death possible. What sin we commit if we trivialize it! Read the rest of Romans 6 for more details – but one thing is sure, we cannot be born again unless we crucify the old man of sin (see Gal. 2:20, Philippians 1:21).
This spiritual crucifixion is a metaphor for repentance. We know that Jesus commanded that all must repent (Mk. 13:3, 6), and we know that it was given as a condition of salvation when Peter was asked “what must we do?” on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37). So the need for being sorry for, and turning from, our sins should come as no surprise to the bible student.
Repentance must be the result of godly sorrow, “For godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, (a repentance) that brings no regret: but the sorrow of the world works death” (2 Cor. 7:10). Repentance is even used in a synecdoche figure of speech to refer to the entire conversion process in Acts 11:18 “And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life.’” This is very much the same way that the word “believes” is used in John 3:16 – a representation of our entire life dedicated to Christ based on the belief of Jesus’s condition given in John 3: 5 and 7 – that of being born again, and all that being born again entails.
The very opposite of “crucifying the old man” is the “sorrow of the world” spoken of in 2 Cor. 7:10. The first leads us to eternal salvation, the second to eternal separation from God throughout eternity (spiritual death).
So let’s get back and join Jesus and Nicodemus as they try to resolve the difference between the spiritual rebirth and physical birth. It appears that Nicodemus had a hard time in understanding what Jesus was trying to get across to him.
John 3:11-12 – Jesus speaking:
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
Clearly, Jesus is questioning Nicodemus’ belief (see the underlined phrase above). What was Nicodemus not believing? We know he believed that Jesus was of God, so that was not the problem. Nicodemus’ problem was in believing what Jesus said -- that he had to be born again – perhaps because of the ramifications that being born again would have in his life, and there were things that he did not want to leave behind.
Can we say that we believe Jesus and not do what he commands? If we do, we are being deceitful (i.e., lying). This might seem a harsh statement, but it is totally confirmed by 1 John 2:3-6:
“And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoso keeps his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected; hereby we know that we are in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.”
This is tangible knowledge, unlike some undefined mental process of “faith only” (which is mentioned in scripture only once – in James 2:24, where it states that we CANNOT be justified by faith only). In contrast to this, we can definitely KNOW that we are in Jesus, and salvation is ONLY in Jesus. Read 1 Jn. 2:3-6 above again to confirm this. This is the ONLY way that we can know that we know Jesus.
Understanding this should enable us to see that “whosoever believes on Jesus” is not being used to define a condition of salvation – it is being used to provide the reason for Jesus' commands in John 3:5 and 7, i.e., to be born again. There is a big difference – it is the difference between an undefinable intangible mental process and definitive acts of obedience. It is the difference between just thinking (a mental process) that you are saved and knowing that you are saved (from our obedience and trust in the Lord’s promises).
Jesus goes on in the context to make this point extremely definitive to Nicodemus. John 3:19-21: “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For every one that practices evil hates the light, and comes not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But he that does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.”
Does this sound like “faith only?” What does it mean “come to the light?” What does it mean “that his works may be made manifest?” What does it mean that his works “have been wrought in God.” Answer these questions and you are defining what it means when someone “does the truth” (first phrase of verse 21, which we underlined above), as a result of being born again.
Clearly, this is not something that is purely mental. Would Jesus be telling Nicodemus at the point of John 3:16 that he did not have to be born again? – or that if he took any such action believing what Jesus just told him that he would be guilty of trying to save himself by his own works? Of course not!
So, consider John 3:16 again:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life."
It starts with the word “For” indicating that it is explaining the reason for something that has already been stated. The condition (to be born again) has already been given by Jesus, and those who accept that condition do so because they “believe on him” who gave that condition. “Belief” is not the condition under consideration. “Whosoever believes on him” are the group of people who have accepted the condition (to be born again) that was already given. To make this condition into some intangible mental thought process totally ignores and even contradicts what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3: 5 and 7.
The purpose of Jesus’ statement in John 3:16 was to give the reason that God took the initiative of sending Jesus into the world – He sent Jesus because He loved all mankind. “Believes” here has to be referring back to the acceptance of Jesus teaching that: “ye must be born again.” Was this not what he was trying to get Nicodemus to do? Thus, is this not what he is trying to get us to do when we read this verse?
The contrast in John 3:16 is between perishing and having eternal life. When do we stop perishing and begin to enjoy eternal life? The answer is when we are born again. John 3:16 is not just talking about our avoiding the eternal consequences of our sins; it is talking about our enjoying the many privileges of our life of obedience to Christ right now. If we continue in sin, we perish; Jesus died so that we need no longer continue in sin (this is quite clearly validated in Romans 8:1-14).
If it were not for what Jesus did we would have no choice – there would be no way that we could obtain forgiveness regardless of what we did. We are not saved by our own works but by His blood. With Jesus we can begin a new and exciting life of service to God. This life can never be found if all we are looking for is some minimal condition of salvation – a loophole into heaven.
The reason that God wants your total dedication is not for His benefit – it is for YOU. He loves you and wants you to have the best life possible both on this earth and throughout eternity. Faith in Jesus Christ is accepting the fact that God’s commands are to be viewed as blessings, producing a strong desire to do things His way both now and forevermore.
We have not yet scratched the surface of the blessings of seeing John 3:16 as talking about salvation from the practice of sin, not just from its eternal consequences. We have more to say about Jesus' provisions for our salvation in the article below:
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
Go on the the Next Article
Return to the Does Doctrinal Purity Matter? page.
Jesus Intent in John 3:16
by Dave Brown
Could it be that Jesus never intended that John 3:16 be turned into a minimal condition of salvation? Don’t answer until you read this article and consider the context of John 3:16 very carefully. The length of this article might give the impression that it is a difficult subject to understand – this is not the case. We have developed an abstract for it that shows the very simple reasoning applied (2 Cor. 11:3).
[Abstract. Start with verse one and carefully read the context of John 3:16, which goes through verse 21 (Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus). See in verse 3 and 7 that Jesus gives a definitive condition of salvation – “Ye must be born again.” To fully understand what this means, read Romans 6:1-7. (Actually all of Romans 6 is applicable, but then, so is all of the rest of the New Testament as well, but Rom. 6:1-7 condenses it, making it clear that being born again is not just a mental process – it is the start of an entirely new way of life.) Continue reading Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus and see that Nicodemus’ problem was not a lack of understanding; it was a lack of faith. It seems he did not want to believe what Jesus was requiring. Jesus chastises him for his lack of faith, and then in John 3:16 presents the reason that God has enabled salvation to those who would believe what Jesus is teaching in this context – because He loves us and wants us to have new life NOW. Continue to read the context and see that Jesus makes it quite clear that being born again entails much more than just something mental.]
What do you think when you hear or read John 3:16? It is very important that we always explore our own motives in interpreting God's word. So, what are you looking for in this verse? – the easiest way out of hell possible?, the minimum action on your part to obtain eternal life?, a legal loophole into heaven? It is difficult to think that such motives could please God? So, let's put all of that aside and do our best to figure out what Jesus was saying in this passage.
Let's start by looking at John 3:16 itself:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Note first of the very first word: For. Jesus was not starting a new thought here; He was giving the reason for the words that he had already spoken to Nicodemus, beginning in John 3:3. This is NOT a conclusion, it is a reason for what precedes it. "For" is from the Greek word gar, which means "a primary particle; properly, assigning a reason" (Strong's Numbers and Concordance; Biblesoft, Inc.). As we continue to explore the context, please keep this in mind. Jesus was giving the reason for the necessity to be born again.
So, was it the intent of Jesus to proclaim some minimal condition of salvation when he spoke John 3:16 to Nicodemus? This is not a difficult question to answer. Let us understand the true meaning of John 3:16 by looking at the context, which involved a meeting between Jesus and a man whose name was Nicodemus …
John 3:1-2:
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came unto him [Jesus] by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.”
So, this man already had faith in Jesus (and his teachings) that was sufficient to motivate him to come to Jesus for more information. Was that faith enough? Was it sufficient to qualify him for salvation according to most views of John 3:16? Obviously Nicodemus felt some lacking that motivated him to seek more information from Jesus. Will Jesus tell him that his faith is enough? Let’s see what Jesus’ first words were to Nicodemus …
John 3:3:
“Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
Of course, Jesus knew what Nicodemus needed without his asking, and this is exactly what Jesus gave him in stating this condition of salvation. Over the next few verses we see that Nicodemus claimed to have a real problem understanding just what Jesus was trying to communicate to him here, and we encourage you to read verses 4-10. As you read on you will see that the concept Jesus was presenting was a very simple one, and that Nicodemus' problem had to do with a lack of faith rather than a lack of understanding (mental ability).
We should not have Nicodemus’ problems today because, not only do we have Jesus’ explanation here, but we also have what the Holy Spirit provided to the Christians at Rome – a clear explanation of Jesus’ words through the Apostle Paul’s letter to them. Let us allow the bible to explain the true meaning of this “being born again” condition of salvation that Jesus clearly established for all men everywhere.
A reminder here that the letter to the Romans was written to those who were members of the Lord’s church at Rome, meaning they were already born again and thus in Christ. Also, the words of the Holy Spirit, which was sent by Jesus to the apostles, are just as authoritative as anything in the book of John (see John 14:26; 16:7-14).
Romans 6:3-9:
"Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with (him) in the likeness of his death, we shall be also (in the likeness) of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with (him), that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; for he that hath died is justified from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death no more hath dominion over him.”
We know that Jesus said that all who will enter into the kingdom of God “must be born again,” so let us use the passage above to answer the question: what has to happen before a person can be born again? Since this is critical to our salvation we need to give it careful and thoughtful consideration.
The command “ye must be born again” necessitates a re-birth … but our old life of sin has to be terminated or else there would be two of us living at the same time, which is certainly not what Jesus had in mind.
Romans 6:6 (underlined above) states clearly that if we are going to be raised from the dead to walk in newness of life (born again), the “old man” must be put to death “that the body of sin might be done away.” Before we can be born again we must put to death the old man – the old body of sin. We cannot hope to understand Jesus’s teaching in John 3 if we refuse to accept what the Holy Spirit delivered to us on this subject.
But this death to sin is not just a gradual natural passing away, is it? What figure of speech is used to describe it? The old man of sin must be crucified, which is analogous to Jesus being nailed to the cross. Crucifixion describes the most torturous and painful death possible. What sin we commit if we trivialize it! Read the rest of Romans 6 for more details – but one thing is sure, we cannot be born again unless we crucify the old man of sin (see Gal. 2:20, Philippians 1:21).
This spiritual crucifixion is a metaphor for repentance. We know that Jesus commanded that all must repent (Mk. 13:3, 6), and we know that it was given as a condition of salvation when Peter was asked “what must we do?” on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37). So the need for being sorry for, and turning from, our sins should come as no surprise to the bible student.
Repentance must be the result of godly sorrow, “For godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, (a repentance) that brings no regret: but the sorrow of the world works death” (2 Cor. 7:10). Repentance is even used in a synecdoche figure of speech to refer to the entire conversion process in Acts 11:18 “And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life.’” This is very much the same way that the word “believes” is used in John 3:16 – a representation of our entire life dedicated to Christ based on the belief of Jesus’s condition given in John 3: 5 and 7 – that of being born again, and all that being born again entails.
The very opposite of “crucifying the old man” is the “sorrow of the world” spoken of in 2 Cor. 7:10. The first leads us to eternal salvation, the second to eternal separation from God throughout eternity (spiritual death).
So let’s get back and join Jesus and Nicodemus as they try to resolve the difference between the spiritual rebirth and physical birth. It appears that Nicodemus had a hard time in understanding what Jesus was trying to get across to him.
John 3:11-12 – Jesus speaking:
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
Clearly, Jesus is questioning Nicodemus’ belief (see the underlined phrase above). What was Nicodemus not believing? We know he believed that Jesus was of God, so that was not the problem. Nicodemus’ problem was in believing what Jesus said -- that he had to be born again – perhaps because of the ramifications that being born again would have in his life, and there were things that he did not want to leave behind.
Can we say that we believe Jesus and not do what he commands? If we do, we are being deceitful (i.e., lying). This might seem a harsh statement, but it is totally confirmed by 1 John 2:3-6:
“And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoso keeps his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected; hereby we know that we are in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.”
This is tangible knowledge, unlike some undefined mental process of “faith only” (which is mentioned in scripture only once – in James 2:24, where it states that we CANNOT be justified by faith only). In contrast to this, we can definitely KNOW that we are in Jesus, and salvation is ONLY in Jesus. Read 1 Jn. 2:3-6 above again to confirm this. This is the ONLY way that we can know that we know Jesus.
Understanding this should enable us to see that “whosoever believes on Jesus” is not being used to define a condition of salvation – it is being used to provide the reason for Jesus' commands in John 3:5 and 7, i.e., to be born again. There is a big difference – it is the difference between an undefinable intangible mental process and definitive acts of obedience. It is the difference between just thinking (a mental process) that you are saved and knowing that you are saved (from our obedience and trust in the Lord’s promises).
Jesus goes on in the context to make this point extremely definitive to Nicodemus. John 3:19-21: “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For every one that practices evil hates the light, and comes not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But he that does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.”
Does this sound like “faith only?” What does it mean “come to the light?” What does it mean “that his works may be made manifest?” What does it mean that his works “have been wrought in God.” Answer these questions and you are defining what it means when someone “does the truth” (first phrase of verse 21, which we underlined above), as a result of being born again.
Clearly, this is not something that is purely mental. Would Jesus be telling Nicodemus at the point of John 3:16 that he did not have to be born again? – or that if he took any such action believing what Jesus just told him that he would be guilty of trying to save himself by his own works? Of course not!
So, consider John 3:16 again:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life."
It starts with the word “For” indicating that it is explaining the reason for something that has already been stated. The condition (to be born again) has already been given by Jesus, and those who accept that condition do so because they “believe on him” who gave that condition. “Belief” is not the condition under consideration. “Whosoever believes on him” are the group of people who have accepted the condition (to be born again) that was already given. To make this condition into some intangible mental thought process totally ignores and even contradicts what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3: 5 and 7.
The purpose of Jesus’ statement in John 3:16 was to give the reason that God took the initiative of sending Jesus into the world – He sent Jesus because He loved all mankind. “Believes” here has to be referring back to the acceptance of Jesus teaching that: “ye must be born again.” Was this not what he was trying to get Nicodemus to do? Thus, is this not what he is trying to get us to do when we read this verse?
The contrast in John 3:16 is between perishing and having eternal life. When do we stop perishing and begin to enjoy eternal life? The answer is when we are born again. John 3:16 is not just talking about our avoiding the eternal consequences of our sins; it is talking about our enjoying the many privileges of our life of obedience to Christ right now. If we continue in sin, we perish; Jesus died so that we need no longer continue in sin (this is quite clearly validated in Romans 8:1-14).
If it were not for what Jesus did we would have no choice – there would be no way that we could obtain forgiveness regardless of what we did. We are not saved by our own works but by His blood. With Jesus we can begin a new and exciting life of service to God. This life can never be found if all we are looking for is some minimal condition of salvation – a loophole into heaven.
The reason that God wants your total dedication is not for His benefit – it is for YOU. He loves you and wants you to have the best life possible both on this earth and throughout eternity. Faith in Jesus Christ is accepting the fact that God’s commands are to be viewed as blessings, producing a strong desire to do things His way both now and forevermore.
We have not yet scratched the surface of the blessings of seeing John 3:16 as talking about salvation from the practice of sin, not just from its eternal consequences. We have more to say about Jesus' provisions for our salvation in the article below:
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
Go on the the Next Article
Return to the Does Doctrinal Purity Matter? page.