The Fullness of John 3:16

Pope Francis 2015Many of our Protestant brothers and sisters point to John 3:16 as must-memorize material: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” And, indeed, it’s a great bit of Sacred Scripture to have on hand; it is a foundational element of the faith that those who believe in Christ have a proven path to Heaven.

However, the entirety of today’s Gospel selection from John 3:16-21 should also be firmly in our minds. There is so much here, especially about our relationship with work and acts. In fact, I’m going to do the video equivalent of slowing down to frame-by-frame speed, and really point out something that you might not have noticed.

John 3:17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Christ does not want the world to suffer; John 3:17 makes clear that salvation is possible for the whole world. We should view this belief with an optimistic eye. We would have little use for a fire department whose goal was to limit destruction by fire to 30% of the city, leaving 70% of the town’s structures and citizens to perish amid flames. When fire erupts, we hope that losses are minimal, and we do what we can to keep the fire’s touch from inflicting too heavy a cost; any loss is lamentable. In the same way, we should not view Christianity with an eye to keeping our flock safe and stable in size; we should do what we can to spread the word to as much of the world as we can. God wants the whole world saved, and it falls to those of us outside of and within the fold to do what we can to make this happen.

John 3:18Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. Sometimes others view Christians as judgmental, but we aren’t . . . not really. We are tellers of truth. A doctor who evaluates your condition and says, “You are going to die within a year” is not condemning you to death; the facts of your medical condition are condemning you to death. In a similar way, we as Christians are not judging nonbelievers to be denied Heaven; we are merely reporting the facts as we understand them. Again, there should not be any glee in our hearts at the prospect of nonbelievers being denied Heaven; we should remain ever humble in our hopes that those who have yet to see the light do so before it is too late.

John 3:19And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. Here is the sentence where the entirety of this passage begins to come together, in a way that didn’t really click for me until I read it with eyes freshly reopened from the Easter-season miracle. I’m not going to say why until two paragraphs from now – I’m trying to build a bit of suspense here – but it’s important. However, I’ll note that this line does something interesting. Namely, it points out that judgment is an ongoing concern; it’s not something saved solely for future generations or some unknowable tomorrow. This is the verdict. People preferred darkness. We as Christians have chosen a lighter path, but at the time of the Crucifixion, the crowds wanted Barabbas, and there are still far too many people today who want Barabbas.

John 3:20For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. This is an interesting line. It points to wickedness as being much more active than we’ve generally believed. Of course, active disbelief is a sin (see 2123-2128 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church for a discussion of atheism and agnosticism, including this gem of a line: “Agnosticism is all too often equivalent to practical atheism”). But John 3:20 seems to really be drawing up the connection between those who “hate the light” and those who commit evil works.

John 3:21But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. And here we tie in this entire passage together, with a fact that I teased a couple of paragraphs earlier. Namely, that this Gospel makes clear the intimate connection between faith and works. Those who commit evil deeds must hate the light. Those whose works are evil prefer darkness to light. Those who accept Christ want to do good works, “works . . . done in God.”

Many of our Protestant friends say that works are not necessary, and that by faith alone we are saved. But if you read the fullness of this most-beloved of Gospel selections, it’s clear the association between works and deeds. It’s true that we cannot “buy” our way into heaven with good deeds; rather, good deeds are a result of living a true, honest, considered life with Christ. And when we’re trying to form lives with Jesus, performing Christ-focused good works can develop the discipline and habits needed to live as free from sin as we can.

By all means, accept Christ in your heart! And know that through him salvation is possible. But it is in deeds that the light of Christ is brought into the world. As Pope Francis said on July 21, 2013, “In our Christian life . . . may prayer and action always be deeply united. A prayer that does not lead you to practical action for your brother — the poor, the sick, those in need of help, a brother in difficulty — is a sterile and incomplete prayer.” So, then, may the truth of God’s love for the world spur us to joy, to hope for salvation for all, and – perhaps most importantly – to action.

Today’s Readings for Mass: Acts 5:17-26; Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Jn 3:16-21

About the Author

Despite being a professional writer and editor for over 15 years, Steven Marsh is more-or-less winging it when it comes to writing about matters of faith. Steven entered the church in 2005, and since then he's been involved with various ministries, including Pre-Cana marriage prep for engaged couples, religious education for kindergarteners, and Stephen Ministry's one-on-one caregiving. Steven lives in Indiana with his wife and son. Despite having read the entirety of the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he's still surprised at elements he rediscovers or reflects upon in new ways. The more Steven learns about the faith, the less he feels he knows; he's keen to emphasize that any mistakes are his own.

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6 Comments

  1. Re John 3:18.

    I did a 3-year theology diploma with very highly qualified theologians and would like to comment on this verse. (I am mentioning that I have some official training simply to indicate that this is not my personal opinion.)

    The answer to who Christ is: He is God the Son. The answer to who God is: eternal, pure, all-embracing LOVE. Therefore, Christ is pure, eternal, all-embracing LOVE. Thus “I am the Way, the Truth and the Light” means everybody who strives to love
    unconditionally, not heeding his/her own well-being, IS dimly on the correct Way.
    That means that anyone who in the depth of his/her heart strives to find the truth about life, lives out selflessly the insights gained (the connection between faith and works) is, spiritually, on his/her way to finding and emulating Christ. The road may, of course, be ‘longer and windier’ because the person does not have the aid of Bible, sacraments, etc. But God in His great mercy, and knowing the depths of such a seeker’s soul , would not condemn him/her.

  2. Hey Steven,

    As always, I love your view on scripture, it is very clear and easy to understand.

    I guess my question to you today is do you ever wonder? Do you ever wonder what it would be like if the Gospel of John was never written? The feeling I’m getting from today’s reflection is it may have created more division than unity.

    Thoughts?

    Mark

  3. Thank you for your insight, Monika. I’ve always considered myself to be an “armchair theologian,” but I definitely appreciate when someone with much more religious education than me provides scholastic insight.

    Mark, I appreciate your thought-provoking question. Speaking for myself, I think that those who wished to leave the Church would have done so regardless of the existence of the Gospel of John, since there are countless Biblical passages that can be taken out of context to justify myriad incorrect world views. (I did a Google search for Protestant favorite passages, and the first hit was a blog post with five passages . . . none of which were from John.) And, really, I think our faith would be poorer if we didn’t have the Gospel of John. It’s like how outside forces have twisted what the Christmas season is about, but that doesn’t diminish the beauty and holiness of that holiday; the Gospel of John has some wonderful soul-enriching elements, despite how others might misinterpret its meaning.

  4. Hi, Steven!

    I hope I didn’t come across as abrupt or wanting to know better. I’m sorry if I did. I have only just discovered this site. I have for a long time read the reflections on the daily readings on the LivingSpace site. Also very beautiful reflections – with much substance – Just like yours. Between the two I would find it hard to choose.

    The reason why I tend to react to that particular verse is that for years I have had devout Christian colleagues who take this statement literally: if you don’t believe in Christ you ARE condemned.

    The inevitable question arises: Are, therefore, ALL our ancestors condemned; ALL those who live today, but because of geographical inaccessibility they have not yet been introduced to Christ’s saving work? Would a fair and loving God willy-nilly condemn them to eternal suffering?

    That’s why the Catholic Church today says that everyone who strives to love, is following in Christ’s footsteps – without being aware that he/she is doing it.

    And where the Church through the ages has officially proclaimed saints to be with God, the Church has never officially proclaimed anyone to be definitely in Hell. Unfortunately, many of our Christian brothers and sisters tend to do just that – based on this verse and similar ones.

    I am looking forward to your next reflection and many others to come. This will become my bed-time reading.

    Be blessed for all that you do!

    Monika (Cape Town)

  5. I use to sing in a choir. Everyone is glad I don’t anymore. This scripture are the words to the song for the Easter season , but you continued with the rest of the section of John’s Gospel which are the readings for the day. I like to read before and after and put the scripture in a true context. I love, love the way you broke it down and and how in verse 21 these works are a reflection to truth and the Light of Christ in us. In World War 2 there was a General who had formed a new Armored Division( 4th). He was asked for a unit motto and the General said they would be known by their “Deeds Alone” which became the unit motto. I agree with Monika – great reflection. Please keep it up

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