John 3:16 in High Definition

The following article is taken from the book, Top Ten Bible Verses in High Definition. To buy click here.

Low Resolution

Key: [CAP] = Should be Capitalized, [ML] = Misleading, [OD] = Outdated, [T] = Wrong Tense, [WT] = Wrong Translation, [X] = Not in Greek, [-] = Greek Word not Translated

KJV

For[OD] God so[WT] loved the world, that[WT] he[CAP] gave his[CAP] only begotten[OD] Son, that whosoever[WT] believeth[ML] in him[CAP] should not perish[OD], but have everlasting[WT] life.

ESV

For[OD] God so[WT] loved the world, that[WT] he[CAP] gave his[CAP] only[WT] Son, that whoever[WT] believes[ML] in him[CAP] should not perish[OD] but have eternal[WT] life.

High Definition

BV

You see, this is how God loved the world in such a way that He gave His Son, the only biological Son, so that everyone trusting in Him would not be ruined, but may have life that spans all time;

BKJV

You see, this is how God loved the world in such a way that He gave His Son, the only biological Son, so that everyone trusting in Him would not be ruined, but may have life that spans all time;

The Improvements

Using "for" to start a sentence is outdated. People do not speak that way today.

The Greek word for "for" is gar. Gar is explanatory (for example: you see, the thing is) and not causal (for example: because, since). John 3:16 is explaining John 3:15. It is possible that verse 16 and following is actually the words of the author, John, explaining the statements of Jesus before this verse.

Many sermons have been preached on the phrase "so loved" in this verse telling how much God loved the world. But that is not the meaning in Greek (houto). Houto means thus, like this, or this is how. "So" can mean this (God loved the world so = this is how God loved the world), but in the position that most English versions put "so" in this verse (a place that it is not at in the Greek text) most readers misunderstand the true meaning. This verse is telling how God loved the world, not how much He loved it.

The Greek word for "that" here (hoste) is different than the next "that" (hina). Hina is the standard Greek word for "that." Hoste has a greater meaning, but there is confusion in the KJV as to its exact meaning. The KJV translates hoste as: insomuch as, as, so that, so that then, insomuch that, that, therefore, to, and wherefore (nine different ways). Translating a Greek word nine different ways is a bad translation practice that the KJV and most Bibles often commit.

My research has found that the best translation for hoste is "in such a way [that]." This fits with every occurrence of hoste in the New Testament.

These pronouns refer to God or Jesus so they should be capitalized.

The literal wording in the Greek text of this phrase is "the Son, the only begotten" in Nestle27/UBS4 and in TR "the Son of Him, the only begotten" or "His Son, the only begotten."

Begotten is the past participle tense of beget (used as an adjective here). Begat is the past tense. Beget, begat, begotten. Beget means to give birth to. So "only begotten" means "only born." The Greek word for "only begotten" (monogenes) has the same meaning, "only born" (mono = only, genes = born). Jesus is the only born Son of God.

The Greek word for "only begotten" (monogenes) is also used of humans in Luke 7:12, Luke 8:42, and Luke 9:38.

Today parents do not say that a child is their only born child. They say only biological. A couple may have children that were born to them and children that they adopted. The ones born to them are their biological children, their begotten children.

How can God the Father have a biological Son? The Father is a spirit, not a physical being. Even though the Father is a spirit, He still is able to affect the physical world and so He can have a biological son. The Bible makes it very clear that the Sacred Spirit started the fetus in Mary (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35) and that Jesus was born (begotten) from God (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:5; Psalms 2:7). This does not mean that Jesus began at this point (He has existed forever in the past), but it does mean that His physical body began at this point.

Greek has a way to say whosoever and whoever: hos (who) an (ever). This is found about thirty times in the New Testament (for example, John 4:14), but it is not here or in the previous verse.

The Greek here is pas (every) ho (the) pisteuon (trusting). Literally, it would be "every the person trusting", but that is not proper English. If pas were plural, it would be "all the people trusting" which works, but pas is not plural here. The solution is to contract pas and ho into everyone, "everyone trusting."

"Believeth" is an outdated way to say "believes".

"Believeth" (KJV) and "believes" (ESV) are present verbs, but in Greek, it is a participle (believing). It is misleading to translate pisteuo as "believe". The English word "believe" has changed in meaning since 1395 when it was first put in an English Bible (WYC) and it is still changing. When people read "believe" in the Bible, they think it means what believe means today. It doesn’t. They don’t know what it meant back in 1395 (but what it meant back then is what it means in the Bible).

Pisteuo means trust (even Strong’s dictionary stated this over a hundred years ago). The main point of this verse is that a person is saved by trusting in Jesus.

Few people understand what "perish" means. Many think that it means to die. It is outdated and misunderstood. The Greek word behind "perish" means ruin. It has a general meaning that encompasses more than death. It is ruin, death, and eternal damnation.

The adjective "everlasting" or "eternal" is aionios in Greek. Aionios and the noun it comes from, aion, are often misunderstood and mistranslated.

Aion is the span of time of something. The span of time (aion) of the earth (mentioned several times in the Bible) has a beginning and an end. It is not eternal. The span of time of God does not have a beginning or end and is eternal.

English does not have a good word to express the adjective of aion (span of time). The closest I have come up with is "that spans time" or "that spans all time."

The Big Picture

How did God love the world? He loved it in such a way that He gave His Son. When was the last time that you loved someone in such a way that you gave your son for that person. Never? God did.

He didn’t just give one of many sons, He gave His only biological Son. What love!

Why did He do this? So that everyone trusting in Jesus would not be ruined.

Trust in Jesus. This is what God wants you to do. He has done all the work. He will take care of everything. He loves you. He will give you life that spans all time. Trust Him.

The plan of salvation is as simple as that: God loves you, trust Jesus. The Bible says it over and over again. Listen to the Bible.