If someone were to ask you, “what is the most widely known verse in the Bible”; what would you say?
Most likely you answered, “John 3:16”
Even the non-believing world would probably answer, “John 3:16”.
You do not see it that often anymore, but I remember watching NFL football games as a kid and in almost every game there would be someone holding a big sign behind the goal post when a field goal was kicked that read, JOHN 3:16.
I didn’t know what it meant but at some point, I came to find out that it had something to do with the Bible.
I remember having a very wrong understanding of this verse. I remember looking at it in this way, “I don’t know what it means to ‘perish’, but it doesn’t sound good, so yeah, I believe in God’s Son.” Kind of the same mind set as a 12 year old saying they still believe in Santa Claus so they can keep getting the extra presents, even though they know the concept of Santa is silly and made up.
In fact, it seems logical to me that the Santa story has been orchestrated by the enemy to lay the ground work for when kids become adults and hear the Gospel and automatically discredit by concluding; “Oh, a guy that sees if we have been bad or good and we will be punished for the wrong we have done; that sounds strangely familiar to a guy in a red and white suit I heard about when I was a kid, and that ended up being a big lie, therefore this must be a lie too.”
The ”believe” we are talking about in John 3:16 is not parallel to “believing in Santa Claus”. It is not “believing the Vikings will win the Super Bowl”, when deep down we know they are not going to.
Belief in this context is the same as trust, and the more commonly used word, faith.
Look at what James wrote about Abraham. Abraham was told, by God, to sacrifice his son. The son he waited his entire life for, the son born in the most unlikely of circumstances, his only son that he loved; He was told to kill.
Verse 23 says, “Abraham believed God”.
It seems like it would be easier for us to understand if the verse read; “Abraham trusted God”; or “Abraham had faith in what God said”.
James 2:21-23 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
Notice that Abraham believed God and it resulted in action; there was evidence of his trust in God; there was an obedience to God.
As an illustration, we don’t simply say, in a scientific way, that we believe in gravity. Gravity has always done what it promises to do; if you step off a rooftop you will fall at an accelerated rate of 9.8 meters per second per second. You may not know or understand the math, but you know enough to know you don’t want to step off a rooftop. In other words, you are obedient to gravity because you know it will do exactly as it promises.
So, what does John 3:16 promise; those who do not “believe in”, “trust in”, have “faith in” Jesus will perish, they will suffer eternal punishment, the Wrath of God remains on them?
Why?
Because the Wrath of God has been on you, and has remained on you, since the moment you sinned.
Jesus is the ONLY WAY that the Wrath of God can be lifted off you; the Blood of Jesus is the only Way to be cleansed, redeemed, justified, reconciled, and forgiven.
Notice how belief and obedience is married together in John 3:36.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
That is the BAD NEWS – EXTREEMELY BAD NEWS. But, the Good News, the Gospel, is that all who trust in Jesus to save them from the Wrath to come will have ETERNAL LIFE!!
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 50:5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.
Isaiah 55:6-9 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
