John 3:16 is perhaps the best-known verse in all of Scripture. It has been quoted in sermons, printed on signs, displayed at sporting events, and memorized by countless believers. Ironically, because it is so familiar, many of us no longer stop to consider what it actually says.
Familiarity has a way of hiding meaning.
We recognize the verse before we read it. We hear the opening words and immediately think we know what follows. Yet when was the last time we slowed down and examined the words themselves?
This investigation begins with a simple question:
Have we become so familiar with John 3:16 that we no longer read it carefully?
Before looking at individual words, let’s read the passage as a whole.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16–18, NASB95)
Now read it again, this time asking a different question.
How many words have become so familiar that we simply assume we know what they mean?
- God
- Loved
- World
- Gave
- Only Begotten Son
- Believes
- Perish
- Eternal Life
- Judge
- Saved
- Condemned
Every one of these words deserves to be understood as John uses it, not merely as we have heard it explained over the years.
That is the purpose of this series.
Rather than beginning with doctrine, we will begin with the text. Rather than assuming the meanings of familiar words, we will allow John’s Gospel to define John’s vocabulary. Scripture is its own best interpreter.
Our goal is not to discover something new.
Our goal is to rediscover what has become so familiar that its meaning and intent are often overlooked.
In the next article, we will begin with the opening words:
“For God so loved…”
What does John mean by love? Why does he begin with God’s initiative instead of humanity’s response? Those questions will begin our investigation.