The Proper Explanation of John 3:16
by Carl O. Cooper
The fact is, John 3:16, when taken in its proper context, teaches that salvation is by works of obedience when accompanied by proper faith.
It’s true! This verse, read in its proper context, does not teach “saved by faith alone.“ In reality, the context of this verse teaches just the opposite. It teaches that we are saved by faith, when accompanied by proper works. Now, if you are associated with one of the denominational churches, just how many times have you heard that said? Never, right! Almost all of the people in the various denominational churches read John 3:16. When they interpret the meaning of this verse, based on their own “world view” of salvation, they conclude that salvation is obtained by “faith alone.” They almost always include another doctrine, and they say that “works have nothing to do with being saved.” This is a common teaching among most denominational churches around us. But the fact is, John 3:16, when taken in its proper context, teaches that salvation is by works of obedience when accompanied by proper faith. Let’s take a closer look at these verses, and you can see, without doubt, the proper meaning for yourself.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:14-16).
What in the world does Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness have to do with being saved by faith in God’s only Begotten Son? Be careful here because this sets the context of what these Scriptures are trying to get us to see. Moses lifting up the serpent is very important if you really do want to understand what is being taught here.
Do you remember the story of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness? It’s found in Numbers 21:8-9. Let’s look at these verses and see how they apply to John 3:14-16.
“Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
The story goes like this: The Israelites had been released from slavery in Egypt. They sinned against God in the wilderness, and God sent poisonous snakes among them to teach them to repent. If they were bitten by one of the “fiery serpents,” they died. But God made a way for these people to be saved. It required two things. The first thing required was faith in God that would cause them to obey His instructions and do what He required. If they had followed God’s instructions as He required, they would have been saved. The second thing they had to do was obey God and look at the serpent that Moses had placed on a pole. If they did this, God said they would not die from the bite of the snake. Sounds easy, right?
But let’s put this into proper perspective. Here is a part of the picture that we seldom even think about. Let’s look at Exodus 12:37-38: “And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.”
Wow! What a crowd of people. The Bible tells us it was 600,000 men, plus women and children. Most scholars estimate this nation of people at 1.5 million to 2 million. Have you ever considered this? They lived in tents. There were no permanent houses available for them in the wilderness. If we were to consider four people to a tent, that would be about 500,000 tents. What a city of tents and people. According to the internet, the population of Forsyth County, where I live (including the cities of Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Clemmons, King, Lewisville, and others), was 260,202 in 2021. The population of the people of Israel was 7.5 times what it is today in the entire county where I live in North Carolina. What does this information have to do with looking at the serpent Moses placed on a pole? Well, suppose you were in my county of Forsyth, and a poisonous snake bit you. If you could be saved from this snake bite by looking at a serpent on a pole located somewhere over in downtown Winston-Salem, would you find some way to get there so you could see it? Or would you be stubborn and rebellious and refuse to look at the snake on the pole? Would you claim that looking at the serpent was not necessary because we are saved by “faith only” and works have nothing to do with our salvation? Somehow, I don’t think you would refuse to do the work of obedience God has required you to do.
The same is true in the context of John 3:16. You can now see how the statement in John 3:14 about Moses lifting up the serpent applies to our salvation today. Yes, it’s clear. Faith is required, alright. But so are works of obedience that God has commanded. Look at these verses in James 2:19-24. With this new information, these verses should now become crystal clear.
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
