John 3:15 (DBY)

Passage

that every one who believes on him may [not perish, but] have life eternal.

Nearby Context

John 3:13 And no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of man be lifted up,

John 3:15 that every one who believes on him may [not perish, but] have life eternal.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal.

John 3:17 For God has not sent his Son into the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "believes", "perish", "life", and "eternal". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "believes" and "perish", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And as Moses lifted up the serpent..." into verse 16's "For God so loved the world that...", so "believes" and "perish" belong inside that flow. In Jesus Explains God's Saving Love, the local focus is new birth, eternal life, belief and unbelief, and God's saving love.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "believes" and "perish" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.