if you are really interested in studying the bible the best advice anyone can really give you is firstly even if you don't believe in christianity Jesus will guide you if you truly ask him, so firstly pray that he should guide you to the truth and help you understand. Secondly find a real bible not the N.I.V because it was translated to lead people away from the truth go back to the king james (not New king james) and finally do a search for the word hell through the whole bible you can even do it online. The bible isn't meant to be taken out of context so in the particular verse your refering too, shall not perish would mean Not go too hell....its pretty simple
when you die in sin you are considered twice dead so that means if you die being faithful to God you receive everlasting life or eternal life
also real christians don't call other people a moron the bible teaches you shouldn't even call your brother a fool....riiight? (don't mean you op)
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 13370017 All translations of John 3:16 basically say the same thing, regardless of the version. I checked that already.
The arguments are pretty strong. It says " but have eternal life ". Something that is attained in the future. Elsewhere in the Bible it talks about the "Gift of Eternal Life". Something given later on.
If you go to hell forever, that's still eternal life. It's eternal life in hell.
I saw this post after my previous answer. But I think I touched this subject.
There's no eternal life in hell but eternal detah (=separation from God) and eternal perishing. Eternal life only in Heaven. (Because life in the bible = communion with God, belonging to God, this is the real meaning of life).
We don't perish now (even tough we're born sinners) because God has mercy on us so we can live for a time so we can hear the Gospel and be saved, or else we would have no life, since the sin makes separation between us and God.
The Gift of Eternal Life is given at the present time, when a person believes Jesus Christ, as can be seen on:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." (John 6:47)hath = has (present tense).
This is not so clear from John 3:16, that's why I quoted this verse. This present tense can be seen in other verses too:
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)Again we see has (hath) eternal life in the present tense.
Our bodies will perish because they still have sin (God doesn't remove the sinful nature of our bodies, we're affected instantaneously in the spirit, gradually in the soul, and will be cleaned of sin in the body at the ressurection (a time into the future). Each component of the human being (spirit, soul and body) is transformed at different times and time intervals.
