John 3:16

The Bible teaches us that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will not perish but have eternal life. This passage may be the most familiar of all Bible statements.

But what does it mean? It commonly is taught that this promise means that whoever places his or her faith in Jesus Christ will not go to Hell when he or she dies. But this cannot be the correct interpretation, on two counts. First. the verse in question does not mention Hell or Heaven. Second, eternal life is a kind of life. Hell and Heaven are places, not kinds of life, while perishing is the end of life.

(1/11/2009) If it is true that we do not understand the basic promise of salvation, it may be that much of what we teach is tradition and not God’s truth.

Notice that the issues are "perishing" and "eternal life."

What does it mean "to perish." The same Greek term for perish is used commonly to indicate loss of life: "Master, we perish"; "You shall all likewise perish." To "perish" does not mean to go to Hell. It is true rather that people who lose their spiritual life by sinning may be placed in Hell. People are placed in Hell because they have perished, that is, have lost their spiritual life, the eternal Life of Christ.

There are several passages in the Bible that set forth the end of the wicked. These are the destinies of those who have sinned until their eternal life has been lost; or of those who never had eternal life but whose conduct on the earth causes the Lord to judge them unworthy of eternal life.

And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind." (Isaiah 66:24)

If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:13)

And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25:30)

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41) Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2)

Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:28,29)

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8)

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (Matthew 5:29)

Notice it is the body that is thrown into Hell. We shall be punished and rewarded in our bodies.

It seems as though at the final resurrection, all whose names are not found in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. How then can we account for all the other destinies mentioned above?

Thrown into Hell

Loathsome to all mankind.

Blackest darkness. The flames of the Lake of Fire give no light.

Outer darkness (King James).

Eternal fire.

Shame and everlasting contempt.

Rise to be condemned.

Destruction

The fiery lake of burning sulphur.

My conclusion is that the Lake of Fire is like a great room with many compartments, perhaps depending on the type of person confined there. Hell is one of those compartments, since Hell is thrown into the Lake of Fire at the final resurrection. Does that seem to fit all the passages, from your point of view?

The Lord Jesus said that at the resurrection, everyone, those who have done good and those who have done evil, will rise. Then they will be given a body that reveals the type of person they are.

Perhaps those of similar experience will be grouped together. The several levels of maturity in Christ will be grouped together, and the several kinds of wickedness will be grouped together.

The Heaven/Hell model has given rise to a destructive interpretation. It is that once we make a profession of belief in Jesus Christ we instantly and eternally are free from the possibility of experiencing any of these destinies.

If an evil genius set himself to devise an error that would totally frustrate God’s intention under the new covenant, it is that upon once professing belief in Christ we eternally are spared banishment from God’s Presence.

John 3:16 is preached as though once we believe in Christ we never can perish; we never can experience the dreadful destinies set forth in the Old and New Testaments as being the eternal home of the wicked, of those "who have done evil."

By adding our ideas to what John 3:16 states, instead of adhering to the text, we have created a monstrous interpretation—that God is not concerned about changing our moral behaviour, only our religious belief.

The harm that has been done to the Christian churches is incalculable! The Christian salvation is perceived as any one of the several religions of the world that promise their adherents escape from punishment and a life of bliss after death.

If the prevailing "grace" error is added to this, we do not have even the righteous requirements of some of the other religions. What is being presented as the Christian salvation is not that at all. It is more like the ancient error Gnosticism. The idea is that if you believe and profess certain doctrines, you are assured that you will have a mansion and walk on a golden street after you die. It is a kind of life insurance.

How did we ever get into such absurdities? I would say our enemy, Satan, is more clever than we have realized.

Satan’s goal is to maintain the nations of the world as his playground. The current teaching of salvation enables him to do just that. Satan’s kingdom is not disturbed by "Statements of Faith," no matter how accurate, but by someone who is living in close contact with the Lord Jesus. Satan and his demons are well aware that the fundamental Statements of Faith are correct. But Satan and his demons have no eternal life.

Now we come to the disaster when we change John 3:16 from having eternal life into going to Heaven when we die. It really is the same problem we have with changing shall not perish to going to Hell when we die. We set forth an initial pronouncement of belief in Christ as an assurance that we never again can be threatened with eternal punishment but will live forever in peace and joy in Heaven.

It is not always pointed out that "perishing" and "eternal life" are related. To perish is to lose our eternal life if we once had it. In the case of the people of the nations of the earth who are not of God’s elect, and had not had Divine Life previously, they will be given of the Life of Christ if God judges them worthy to enter the new world of righteousness. Christ and His saints will be life-giving spirits who can give eternal life to the people of the nations as God directs.

If their behaviour on the earth has been such that God does not judge them worthy of life on the new earth, in the new world of righteousness, they then have perished and will be sent to one of the locations mentioned above.

Eternal life often is preached as though it is a gift given to us, much as someone might give us a hundred dollars. It is not that at all. The verse used to support this concept is Romans 6:23.

In actuality, the preceding verses in Chapter Six, of which Verse 23 is the conclusion, is that if the believer, having been baptized in water, chooses to be a slave to righteous behaviour, he will reap the fruit of holiness, the result of which is eternal life.

The difference between that and the current interpretation is radical! The Book of Romans, Chapter Eight, Verses 1-14, explains the eternal life that is God’s gift to us, provided—and only provided—we choose to turn away from the acts of our sinful nature. We always must obey the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God Himself is the eternal Life spoken of in John 3:16. We are to obey the Spirit of God at all times throughout every day and throughout the part of the night that we are awake.

Satan’s kingdom is not disturbed until a believer denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows the Lord Jesus at every waking moment. As the believer does this, his self-nature, his will, his life (these three all are the same thing) is slain. The eternal Life of the Lord Jesus Christ enters him bit by bit. It is this life that produces the eternal change into godly behaviour. It is this Life of Jesus Christ formed in the believer that overcomes Satan.

It is true that eternal life includes longevity. We see this as God’s expressed his concern when Adam and Eve were barred from the Tree of Life. But eternal life is vastly more than longevity. Eternal life must be distinguished from eternal consciousness, which no doubt is true of those who are eternally incarcerated.

To possess eternal life is to know the Father and the Son. The only manner in which we can truly know the Father and the Son is internally. Christ must be formed in us. Then the Father and the Son come and dwell in that which has been formed in us. Then we do not perish because Divine Life is not perishable. It endures for eternity.

The life of flesh and blood is perishable. If this is the only life an individual possesses, and has no Divine Life, he or she already is dead spiritually and is slowly dying physically. The Lord Jesus came that we might have Divine Life, and that that Divine Life might raise up our physical body in the Day of Resurrection.

As I stated previously, if an individual who has never had an opportunity to acquire eternal life dies, and then is found worthy of eternal life when he or she is judged, he will be given to eat of Christ, of the Tree of Life, and permitted to enter the new, eternal world of righteousness. It certainly is true that the sheep nations, those people who assisted the Lord’s elect while they were being tested in the earth, will enter the Life of Christ upon dying. This is clear in the twenty-fifth chapter of the Book of Matthew.

Eternal life is not referring only to length of life. It is a kind of life, a quality of life. The eternal Life that is in the Lord Jesus Christ is Divine in Nature. It is love, joy, peace, and every other fruit of the Spirit. It includes courage, faith, and every other desirable trait.

Some of these traits are found from time to time in various individuals in their adamic states. But they are not of eternal quality. They are, you might say, a reflection of Christ who created the physical world. But those who are turning aside from their own life, accepting the crucifixion the Lord sends to them, are growing in the eternal Life of God. Nothing is more desirable than this!

The goal of the Apostle Paul was to attain to the first resurrection, the resurrection that will take place when Christ comes. This resurrection is for those who have pursued Christ until they are eligible for and capable of receiving back their body, now filled with eternal Divine Life, when He returns.

The rest of the dead, including the Christian dead as I understand the program at this time, will be raised at the final resurrection. Their escape from the Lake of Fire depends on what is written in the Books at that time.

It may be helpful for the believer to understand that we possess eternal life in degrees, or increments. We have to lay hold on life. We have to grow in life. Every time we choose to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, choosing to do what is godly and right, we are fed with the body and blood of Christ in the spirit realm. The body and blood of Jesus Christ are our eternal life. It is these elements that will raise us to meet Christ at His appearing.

As the Apostle Paul taught us, those believers who are giving way to their sinful nature instead of devoting themselves to Christ each day are sowing corruption and shall reap corruption in the Day of Christ. Their destiny shall be the outer darkness.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8)

And to whom is the Apostle writing?

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: (Galatians 1:1,2)

So we see the current teaching that eternal life is a gift that is handed to someone who makes the correct religious profession is not at all scriptural. The eternal life that the Lord Jesus Christ came to bring us is gained as we deny the desires of our sinful nature and cooperate with the Spirit of God in our daily life.

Perhaps in our determination to construct a religion out of what God intends to be a daily interaction with a living Lord Jesus, we have interpreted John 3:16 to mean that we are to make an initial profession of Christ and view Christ as our ticket to Heaven and our pass out of Hell. This concept is contrary to much of the text of the New Testament.

Would we gain a clearer understanding of the program of redemption if we did not view professing Christ as a ticket? What if we viewed believing in Christ as a continuing act? What if we conceived of our salvation as a daily battle against the death that is in the world spirit, the death that is in our sinful nature, the death that Satan himself is?

What if "whoever believes in Him" means that as we keep believing in Him we keep passing from the death that surrounds us on every hand in this dark valley in which we are attempting to survive, into the bright shining of the Divine Life that the Lord Jesus Christ is? Would this change our preaching?

Certainly the passage from Galatians quoted above appears to lean toward the idea that eternal life is gained by sowing the right kind of seed. And I would suggest it is a continual sowing as we each day we encounter the challenges of that interval of time.

Could you agree with me that our salvation is something that must be worked out, and we are not finished working it out until God is pleased to remove us from this present world?

I think everyone of us who are Christian pastors, teachers, or evangelists, might care to read once again the sixth and eighth chapters of the Book of Romans, particularly Romans 8:1-14. Then we need to ask ourselves, "Does the current Christian teaching conform to these passages?"

It is my opinion that we are in sore need of a reformation of Christian thinking.