John 3:16 Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==== Purpose ==== Theologians have assumed the verse's purpose to be that of strengthening the faith of Christians rather than as an evangelical tool. This is because John 3:16 does not contain commands of vital [[sacrament]]s (such as [[Repentance in Christianity|repentance]] and [[Baptism in Christianity|baptism]]).{{sfnm|1a1=Borthwick|1y=2020|1pp=91, 93|2a1=Pawson|2y=2003|2p=880|3a1=Pawson|3y=2014|3p=40}} In the words of theologian [[David Pawson]], it is problematic to use a verse in evangelism that does not tell the hearers "how to respond in proper detail ... that you get a simple decision which is not enough for a real change in life ... It is not dealing with a gospel situation and outward evangelistic thrust".{{sfn|Pawson|2014|p=39}} Instead, the emphasis of the verse is toward continuing belief for Christians.{{sfn|Pawson|2014|p=39}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page