Yet oddly enough you don't understand it either.
I adaquately understand the meaning of the human soul and John 3:16.
I told you that for God to give eternal life in John 3:16 was for God to give Himself to man. That is to join Himself to the one who believes into Christ.
The Apostle John concludes his epistle of First John with these profound words -
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we might know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:20)
What is eternal life ? Eternal life is the true God and His Son Jesus Christ. And eternal life is a realm a sphere that God must bring the believer into.
" ... and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ"
To give eternal life is to give God in Christ to man.
Now you no doubt are going to say that you do not understand these few words. Maybe you conceal a contempt for the words of the New Testament itself. Maybe your playing on my sympathy that you just
cannot understand John 3:16 is your veiled contempt for the words. Perhaps you despise them in your unbelief.
I think you will understand these words eventually. So I am not too concerned for this.
Jesus said also in the same Gospel -
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3)
In your skeptical arsenal I am sure you have any number of reasons why you should not take these words seriously. But this is what John 3:16 is talking about - the giving of God Himself to man, into man, dispensing God into man. From our side it is the gaining of eternal life.
From God's side it is the gaining of more sons of God.
Now the soul is the mind, emotion, and will of man.
And if we take Christ seriously as I think He deserves to be taken, this soul of man is something which can be separated from the body at physical death. And it can be re-united with the physical body in resurrection.
IF anyone else told us that, we might have ground to ask how does he know for sure. When it comes to matters of death and what lies beyond death, I think it behooves us to take heed of One who speaks with authority on the subject -
Jesus.
Jesus rose others from the dead.
Jesus went into death. Jesus came up out of death.
Like I would sit up and listen to Bobby Fischer or Gary Kasparov on the subject of winning in chess play, because such persons speak with authority on the subject, even more I would heed the words of Jesus Christ concerning the soul, the spirit, death, what lies behind death, and resurrection.
I do not understand everything about the human soul.
I think with spiritual growth and maturity deeper understanding comes.
Yet you continue to refuse to actually discuss it. The best you can do is sit there saying "its obvious".
I just discussed it. I could quite a bit more. Probably I could half the day. Maybe all day I could discuss this verse.
And you know what ? You could probably find things to claim you simply do not understand about
John 3:16 with about as much zeal.
Right? Sure I'm right. These poor poor Christians. They JUST CANNOT help you to understand. Right?
Christ is valuable to God.
Christ is very valuable to God.
Christ is of the utmost and ultimate value to God.
God so loved this fallen Satanified world that He gave this precious One for the salvation by His absorbing on our behalf the righteous judgment which we deserved.
He so loved the world. What God commands of us now is that we believe in His only begotten Son.
The one who disbelieves will perish.
The one who believes into Christ receives Christ. And in receiving Christ she or he receives God and eternal life.
Now if you still do not understand its okay. I truly think that eventually you will understand.
Maybe I'll say "Twhitehead do you understand now ?" And maybe then you'll say "I got it!"
Sorry, but your refusal to discuss it puts the lie to that claim. The best you can come up with seems to be an attempt at gaining a preaching opportunity. Sorry, but I don't think you should be pushing a religion that you don't understand.
Don't be frustrated that I do not respond to your goading - "Why any Christian worth his salt would argue with ME for six years about John 3:16."
And you push stuff that you do not understand a lot. If we ask you to take a position you cautiously avoid being committed. As long as you can think of some plausible problems with my faith, that is really all you care about.
You don't understand quantum physics that well. But if I say God the Creator caused the beginning of time and the universe you will result to a lot of hand waving "Quantum Physics ! Quantum Physics !"
Your taunting, boasting, proding that no decent Christians will argue with you ad infinitum does not impress this poster.
Do you ever go and pray about what you do not understand in the Gospel of John ? Prayer is not only an excercise of the mind. Prayer is an excercise of the spirit, the innermost kernel of one's spiritual being.
I learned too much by humbling myself to excercise my spirit in prayer to God.
But you probably have reasons why this avenue is unacceptable to you.
Sorry twhitehead. I guess you'll just have to go away and not understand, for now.