Everyone eventually needs help. There have been times when I have been staring at a Biblical text with the deadline of Sunday staring me in my face. I had no idea what the main idea of the passage was. I was not above asking for help.
I have phoned others preachers. I have phoned professors (both past and current). I have walked across the hall and talked to staff about the passage. I’ve also brainstormed through the text with my wife (this is a clear sign that she loves me and is a gift).
So let’s help each other.
Going forward, I’ll post a passage here that we can work on together. You can also leave a comment in this thread about the biblical text you are working on.
Wrestling through the Bible with others works for classrooms. It works for small groups. Why not the development of a sermon?
Question: What text are you working on? What do you believe the main idea of that text is? What is giving you problems?
Zack says
March 8, 2011 at 3:30 pmHey Brian, I’m thinking a lot about John 3:16. Not the positive part about it, but the negative part as in believers don’t perish but have eternal life, so non believer perish and don’t have eternal life?
Brian French says
March 14, 2011 at 2:29 amI think it’s worthwhile getting the bigger context. Look at the surrounding verses as Jesus explains seeing the kingdom of God to Nicodemus. Nicodemus is having trouble understanding what Jesus talks about to be born again, so Jesus says it’s about belief in Jesus being the son of God.
Particularly look at verses 10-21, the verses surrounding 3:16. The picture is that they are condemned already because they chose not to believe. This is legal language. They are guilty and will be punished. In the case of those who believe, they are guilty but someone else takes the punishment.
If I can guess, it sounds like you are wrestling with what the punishment is for those who don’t believe. Perish in the original language can mean 1 of 2 things: lost or destroyed. If it means destroyed, it doesn’t fit the opposite of “eternal life”. If it means lost, it fights better as the opposite.
Hope that helps!
Zack says
March 21, 2011 at 5:24 pmIt would seem like the opposite of eternal life would be destroyed not lost.
How does lost fit as the opposite of eternal life?
It would also seem to me that if perish meant lost, why not use the word lost?
Zack says
March 21, 2011 at 5:25 pmAnd by the way, I’ve been enjoying your blogs
Brian French says
March 21, 2011 at 7:14 pmThanks for the compliment!
Jesus defines what he means as the opposite of eternal life by using “shall not perish”. So we get to use that as the opposite. I would wager that Jesus was looking for a strong enough word that implied that there is no coming back from this state.
I think perish accomplishes that where lost doesn’t indicate the eternal aspect. You could translate that as eternally lost and get the same meaning with the same force.