By Ryan Goodwin
Synopsis: The promise of “shall not perish” in John 3:16 cuts straight through one of our greatest problems: the fear of death.
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 (John 3:16, NASB).
All of us have two significant problems, neither of which has a man-made solution—we have a sin problem and a death problem. While we are clever enough to use our intellectual and material tools to overcome many of our other challenges (building amazing things, treating or curing an array of maladies, achieving feats previously unimaginable such as flight or space travel), these two great problems prove stubbornly resilient. No amount of money, intellect, skin cream, or vitamins can ultimately prevent death. In the final judgment, no amount of excuse-making or good-deed-doing can save us from the eternal consequences of our sins.
So when Jesus promises salvation from sin and eternal life in the gospel, He is not offering something trite. It’s not something we can shop around for to get a better deal. He is not selling what we don’t need. In fact, the message of John 3:16 solves the two aforementioned unsolvable problems! In this article, I want to focus on this part of the gospel, highlighting why death—though a great peril to the lost—has no power over those of us who are in Christ, for we “shall not perish.”
It surprises me how many Christians struggle with the concept of death. We would expect nothing else from an unbeliever, but it seems like those who should be most confident about their physical demise often have quite a shaky grasp of it. For many, maybe their faith lacks development or maturity. This is normal, since we all begin with a “mustard seed” in exploring our belief in God. For others, perhaps, it is dying, rather than death itself, that is frightening. Certainly, nobody looks forward to their last hours spent in a hospital, or dying in a car accident! Most of us have had to face tragedy many times in our lives. We have seen how ugly death is in the cold, expressionless faces of our loved ones in a funeral home. Or worse, some have had traumatic experiences in combat or law enforcement. So our trepidation and revulsion surrounding death is not uncommon. Solomon, the great king and philosopher who presumably wrote Ecclesiastes, noted in the final chapter of that book how difficult it is to grow old and face the bitter end.
The Bible illustrates that death comes for a variety of apparent reasons: justice, revenge, accidents, coincidence, old age. More fundamental than any of these, however, is the first cause of death. We die because of sin—Adam’s sin introduced death to the world, and we all experience it because of our participation in an environment that has been corrupted by sin. Consider Romans 5:12-21, which begins, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spreads to all men, because all sinned. . .” Be careful not to place blame on Adam alone (which is tempting), but ask yourself if you would have been strong enough to walk away from the temptation he faced. Adam might have been the first to sin, but none of us would have fared much better! Paul surely clarified the issue by stating, “death spread to all men, because all sinned”, which follows his earlier affirmation, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). He also adds in another chapter, “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
One might ask, though, “But what about children? Many kids die without ever sinning!” While this is true, let us remember that the relationship between sin and death is a general one, not specific to individuals. Good people do not always live long lives, just as some evil people do not always receive “comeuppance” in this life. “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness” (Eccl. 7:15). Death exists because sin exists in the world. They are linked, but only in a general sense. Adam’s sin caused a separation between him and God, so without God’s presence, the world itself began to undergo decay. It went from paradise to imperfection (Gen. 3:16-19). So while a child is not personally responsible for physical calamities that might come upon him, he is a living being in an imperfect world—subject to corruption and injury, just like every other creature. Jesus Himself explains that bodily harm or natural disaster are not linked to personal culpability (Luke 13:2-5, John 9:1-3, Matthew 24:6-9). Paul notes this world’s pained existence in Romans 8:20-22, leading right into our next point.
Consider 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, which can be summarized in the following way: Death is not God’s desire for us; it is our enemy. “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death” (15:25-26). Adam’s sin opened the door for imperfection, decay, and physical death, as well as spiritual condemnation. “For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam, all die. . .” (vv. 21-22). In the same way that one man’s sin paved the way for our physical destruction, another Man’s sacrifice makes our spiritual salvation possible. “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. . .” (Rom. 5:18).
The only way that Jesus could have become a suitable mediator between fallen man and perfect God was to come to this world and experience our suffering. “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Heb. 2:14-15). While He always maintained the divine spirit, Jesus was a flesh and blood human being (Col. 2:9). Our great enemy is death because of sin, and Jesus is master of both. He conquered sin by living a spotless life and defeating Satan (Heb. 4:15), and He conquered death by His transcendent power over the creation—His creation.
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything” (Col. 1:15-18).
Paul adds that it is because of His death that we are able to come before God spotless and saved (Col. 1:22).
Does “shall not perish” mean that Christians never experience physical death? Surely not, or else Jesus contradicted Himself when He essentially promised that the apostle Peter was going to die someday (John 21:18-19). Also, the promises surrounding the judgment day (such as Jesus’s own words in John 5:28-29) presume Christians will experience physical death.
So what does it mean that we “shall not perish”? We can find clarity in John 11:25-26, where Jesus reassures His dear friend, Martha, that the resurrection is where our hope is found. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” This has been God’s mission ever since the garden of Eden—helping us find eternal life in Him.
One day, we will all face the end of our earthly existence; that is the unavoidable reality. As unpleasant as the process might be, never be afraid of the result. Jesus came and became a man, humbling Himself to the point of a humiliating death. Yet, He overcame the grave and paved the way for our salvation. We never have to fear death now, because our Lord showed us the way and has freely given us access to a spiritual transformation (1 Cor. 15:45-49).
