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NASB | John 3:16 ¶ "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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
Bible Question:
Would it be fair to say that "the world" in this verse means all of mankind? Are there any qualifiers on the word "whoever" here? I read this as absolutely anyone, is that correct? Thanks! |
Bible Answer: Hi Huron, yes, "the world" does mean mankind. "Whoever" is anyone who "believes" in Him, believing being the qualifying factor. When I first studied this verse, I asked God 'how could all these people say they BELIEVE yet still practice sin?' First, He revealed to me the true meaning of believe: instead of "believe" or "belief" meaning "what one feels or thinks is right," "believe" means to "fully commit to," "to trust," and "to accept." Now when I plugged those meanings into John 3:16 where believe is, I got a very clear understanding. Everyone has the same choice to make on whether they want to be saved or not - God doesn't value one soul over another - salvation is open to all. However, not all who profess to be believers are true because they disqualify themselves by unbelief in which they continue to practice sin. "the one who practices sin is of the devil;" 1 John 3:8a (NASB) WalkingTalkingBible |