“…SHOULD NOT PERISH…”

 

            Out of all the Bible verses that we can read between Genesis to Revelation, few really stand out to be known by most people.  Whether it is in a pulpit, street corner or even a football stadium, one would not be shocked to see or hear John 3.16 being quoted.  I have often wondered, what makes that one verse standout above all the others.  I mean, I John 4.7-8 are very similar and maybe more even to the point, “…God is love…”.  Why hasn’t Ephesians 2.8, Acts 2:38 or even Psalm 23 gained anymore popularity? I guess the truth may never be known.  However, since John 3.16 has become so widely used, it does deserve our attention.  It reads “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  When you really think about it, John 3.16 does offer a great deal to us.  It reveals to us the great love that God has for humanity.   It also reminds us of what great lengths God was willing to go through to redeem us.  It even has a conditional statement that offers us the possibility of eternal life. I use the phrase “conditional statement” on purpose, for a statement to be conditional it means; “subject to one or more conditions or requirements being met; made or granted on certain terms.”  Although the gift of grace and mercy from God are free, they do come with conditions. In this passage Jesus says that the condition upon which you can have eternal life is that you must believe on Him. However, He also reveals that our belief must have some meat on it as well.  Jesus said that if you believe, you “should not perish but have eternal life”. Notice He did not say you “will not perish”. He specifically said that the person who believes “should not perish”.  Doesn’t that seem to provide some wiggle room? Doesn’t the words “should not” denote something probable, and not absolute.  Those words lead me to understand that there is a possibility that there will be people on that day who do believe yet will not be saved.  Let me emphatically say that is exactly what that the word means, because James 2 tells us that even the devils believe and tremble.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist for us to understand that statement.  So, let’s do the best we can at taking advantage of the wonderful possibly that God had revealed to us. Afterall, when we take into consideration all that Jesus did for us, we “should not perish”, because that would mean He did it for naught.