JOHN 3:16

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Jan 2, 2024
132
16
18
#1
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,661
5,908
113
#2
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
does it distinguish between true believers and untrue believers in that verse ? Why not look for the verses that talk about the distinction ?

Like if you want only one verse that does make some sort of distinction between true belief and saying I believe

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

There’s a distinction it seems between two groups of sincere and insincere believers all are calling him lord but only some are doing his Will

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:21-22‬ ‭

maybe sincerity of belief comes out through actions

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:16-19‬

Gods love requires action

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:2-3‬

if I believe something my actions are going to follow
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
5,895
1,084
113
Oregon
#3
.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

The shibboleth of everyone truly unified with Christ is eternal life.

Note the grammatical tense of the verb "have" in the passages below, It's in
the present tense; not future, indicating that believers have eternal life right
now-- no delay, and no waiting period.

John 3:36 . . He who believes in the Son has eternal life

John 6:47 . .Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and trust in God
who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins,
but they have already passed from Death into Life.

1John 5:13 . . I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

According to those passages, people lacking eternal life, are lacking it
because 1) they are unbelievers, 2) they are not paying attention to Christ's
message, and 3) they don't trust God.

The possession of eternal life is very crucial because according to God's
testimony, as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to Christianity;
people lacking eternal life do not have God's son. In other words: they are
currently quite christless.

1John 5:11-12 . . This is what God has testified: He has given us eternal
life, and this life is in His son. So whoever has God's son has this life; and
whosoever does not have this life, does not have His son.

NOTE: Shibboleth as a figure of speech is illustrated by Judges 12:4-6
_
 

Blade

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2019
1,802
631
113
#4
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
Peter was a true believer but once denied Christ 3 times. Only God knows the heart. We look for fruits but what the flesh does not show the heart maybe 100% for Christ.

those that say "Lord lord".. yes we can apply that to anyone today :) yet back then so many were saying "lord lord, Master master. Rabbi Rabbi" to Him. So He said.. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. ". We know they said "lord lord" yet did not believe He was the Christ,Messiah
 
N

Niki7

Guest
#5
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
well, since you say you have been saved since birth, perhaps let us in on what you think. all the rest of us made a decision to follow Christ at some point and were not saved as we exited our mothers
 

Soyeong

Active member
Oct 11, 2023
869
106
43
#7
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
The many verses that say that the way to inherit eternal life is by believing in Jesus along with the many verses the say that the way to inherit eternal life is by obeying God's commandments show that God's commandments are His instructions for how to believe in Jesus, or in other words, obeying God's word is the way to believe in God's word made flesh. This is also why there are many verses that connect our belief in God with our obedience to Him, such as Revelation 14:12, where those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments.

Another way to put is is that the way to believe in God is by believing that we ought to be in His image by being doers of His character traits, which is the way to believe in Jesus, who is the exact image of God's character (Hebrews 1:3). For example, by doing good works in obedience to God's commandments, we are testifying about God's goodness, which is why our our good works give glory to Him (Matthew 5:16) and by testifying about God's goodness we are also expressing the belief that God is good, or in other words we are believing in Him. Likewise, the way to believe that God is just is by being doers of justice, the way to believe that God is holy is by following His instructions for how to be holy as His is holy, and so forth for other aspects of His character. It would be contradictory for someone to believe that God is just while they are a doer of injustice, for someone to believe that God is righteous while they are doers of unrighteousness, and so forth.

In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law that he and Israel might know Him, and in Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so the goal of the law is to know God and Jesus through experiencing His character, which is eternal life (John 17:13).
 
Jan 2, 2024
132
16
18
#8
does it distinguish between true believers and untrue believers in that verse ? Why not look for the verses that talk about the distinction ?

Like if you want only one verse that does make some sort of distinction between true belief and saying I believe

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

There’s a distinction it seems between two groups of sincere and insincere believers all are calling him lord but only some are doing his Will

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:21-22‬ ‭

maybe sincerity of belief comes out through actions

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:16-19‬

Gods love requires action

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:2-3‬

if I believe something my actions are going to follow
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Doing the will of the Father will have an everlasting life (Enter into the Kingdom of God)

This is what Jesus did in his times.
MATTHEW 5:17
17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Therefore: Believing to Jesus is to follow how Jesus fulfilled the law.
1 PETER 2:21
21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

No one else in this world can reveal how Jesus followed the law but Jesus alone.

Perhaps people ask, how Jesus reveal where he is no longer in this world?

That is what people think.
But truly, Jesus is in this world.
Let us not forget what he said:
MATTHEW 24:35
35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

In the New Testament, Jesus can be seen and touched him, even in our times we can because in our times Jesus is:
REVELATION 19:13
13
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

HEBREWS 10:7
7
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Because there is only 1 book where Jesus is written.
Yes, Jesus is the Holy Bible (can be seen and touched). By reading the bible is same as when listening to Jesus.

Question: Can Jesus do reveal how he followed or fulfilled the law even he is not existing in this world?

Jesus did it once to Paul, As we know Jesus and Paul never meet face to face because when Jesus elected Paul as replacement of Judas Iscariot, Jesus was no longer in this world.

GALATIANS 1:11-12
11
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Therefore: If Jesus did it to Paul then Jesus can still do it in our times.
 

p_rehbein

Senior Member
Sep 4, 2013
30,747
6,913
113
#9
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
This verse is often misunderstood. Reason is the "believeth" in this verse does not mean a one time thing. Instead, it means a continous belief in Jesus for all of ones life. Believing in also dictates obedience to His Commandments. If one does not live an obedient life, then how can one say they "believeth" in Him? They can not.

True believers? IMO, they are the believers that live a life pleasing to God. They strive to fulfill whatever purpose God has purposed them for. All believers are saved for a "purpose." This purpose given to believers by God is what believers must strive to fulfill to live that life pleasing to Him.
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
5,895
1,084
113
Oregon
#10
.
well, since you say you have been saved since birth, perhaps let us in on what you think. all the
rest of us made a decision to follow Christ at some point and were not saved as we exited our
mothers

The lamb's book of life was completed prior to creation due to the fact that
God foresaw the future and knew in advance who would, and who would not,
make a decision for Christ. (Eph 1:4-5 & Eph 1:11) So then, I would have to
say that if someone's name wasn't in the lamb's book at birth, then it
never will be.

* It puzzles me sometimes the number of people I encounter online who
honestly believe God can be surprised by something He didn't see coming.
_
 

Inquisitor

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2022
3,394
1,006
113
#12
.



The lamb's book of life was completed prior to creation due to the fact that
God foresaw the future and knew in advance who would, and who would not,
make a decision for Christ. (Eph 1:4-5 & Eph 1:11) So then, I would have to
say that if someone's name wasn't in the lamb's book at birth, then it
never will be.


* It puzzles me sometimes the number of people I encounter online who
honestly believe God can be surprised by something He didn't see coming.
_
Can a name in the Lamb's Book of Life be erased?
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,778
113
#13
Can a name in the Lamb's Book of Life be erased?
Assuming that this is the same as the Book of Life, the answer is "Yes". God says He will "blot" (erase) names out of the Book of Life for specific reasons.
 
N

Niki7

Guest
#14
.



The lamb's book of life was completed prior to creation due to the fact that
God foresaw the future and knew in advance who would, and who would not,
make a decision for Christ. (Eph 1:4-5 & Eph 1:11) So then, I would have to
say that if someone's name wasn't in the lamb's book at birth, then it
never will be.


* It puzzles me sometimes the number of people I encounter online who
honestly believe God can be surprised by something He didn't see coming.
_
While I agree that God is not surprised, and I don't appreciate the sarcastic comment there, that has nothing to do with the fact
someone states they were born Christian.

The Bible indicates we make a decision. Babies are not born 'saved.'

I cannot fathom why you thought you were somehow making things clearer
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
5,895
1,084
113
Oregon
#15
.
Can a name in the Lamb's Book of Life be erased?

That's a hot-button question that too often results in a food fight and a perpetual
debate that never gets to the bottom of anything; so I avoid it like I would the bite
of a rabid dog. Sorry.
_
 
N

Niki7

Guest
#16
so webers sent me a pm as follows:

[IMG]https://christianchat.com/data/avatars/m/270/270716.jpg?1528325652[/IMG]
Webers.Home
Well-known member
May 28, 20185,144956113Oregoncfbac.org




Today at 1:35 PMNew
.
Hello;

This is to inform you that I don't have the patience to be distracted by your
remarks so I've placed you on my ignore list. Others will still be able to view
your pages; just not me. Sorry.
_
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nice. LOL!
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,606
4,533
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#17
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
One thing to add for clarity. You probably mean that unbelievers can have everlasting life if they believe on Jesus. Then they become those who are given that free gift.
Anyone can have it if they decide to believe Jesus the only begotten Son of God.
If they choose to trust anyone else for salvation, they remain condemned.

18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
 

selahsays

Well-known member
May 31, 2023
2,796
1,484
113
#18
There’s only one kind of believer. You’re either a believer or not.
 

Blade

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2019
1,802
631
113
#19
In this verse, only the believers of Jesus can have an everlasting life.
Who are the true believers of Jesus according to John 3:16?

JOHN 3:16
16
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.
For me its exactly what He said. You answered your 2nd question with your first question.

What no one can answer for fact is what exactly happens to those that do not believe. Do they get judged then (forgive me Father) toss in fire to burn forever or a short time? Yet I would not call that every lasting "life".
 
Jan 2, 2024
132
16
18
#20
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Doing the will of the Father will have an everlasting life (Enter into the Kingdom of God)

This is what Jesus did in his times.
MATTHEW 5:17
17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Therefore: Believing to Jesus is to follow how Jesus fulfilled the law.
1 PETER 2:21
21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

No one else in this world can reveal how Jesus followed the law but Jesus alone.

Perhaps people ask, how Jesus reveal where he is no longer in this world?

That is what people think.
But truly, Jesus is in this world.
Let us not forget what he said:
MATTHEW 24:35
35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

In the New Testament, Jesus can be seen and touched him, even in our times we can because in our times Jesus is:
REVELATION 19:13
13
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

HEBREWS 10:7
7
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Because there is only 1 book where Jesus is written.
Yes, Jesus is the Holy Bible (can be seen and touched). By reading the bible is same as when listening to Jesus.

Question: Can Jesus do reveal how he followed or fulfilled the law even he is not existing in this world?

Jesus did it once to Paul, As we know Jesus and Paul never meet face to face because when Jesus elected Paul as replacement of Judas Iscariot, Jesus was no longer in this world.

GALATIANS 1:11-12
11
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Therefore: If Jesus did it to Paul then Jesus can still do it in our times.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is what Jesus followed the law.
Who will believe him?
Yes, Jesus followed the law so he followed the first of all the commandments?

MARK 12:28-31
28
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, HEAR, O ISRAEL; THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD:
30
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.