Joh 3:36 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.

Most Christians read this verse and it says to them that all you have to do is believe in the Son and you have everlasting life. That seems simple enough, but what about the rest of Jesus’ teachings? There are other teachings of Jesus that say just the opposite — you have to do good works and keep the commandments to have everlasting life. This seems like a contradiction.

This verse is normally read as if it were a condition: if you believe on the son you have everlasting life. But this is not a conditional phrase. So the verse could also be interpreted thus: he that has everlasting life is he that believes on me. In other words, “this is how you will know him that has everlasting life: it is he that believes the words that I speak are true”.

In fact, Jesus often spoke in this style in his teachings, so it’s not impossible that this is what he really meant. For example:

Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Jesus didn’t speak his own words — they were the words that God commanded him to speak

What’s more is that Jesus constantly spoke metaphorically. When he said “I” or “me” he was actually referring to the words he spoke that he received from God his Father — God’s words, the Truth. So he was saying that those who believed in God’s Truth are the ones who have everlasting life  – they are the ones that do God’s Truth. Since he was not putting any emphasis on his actual flesh, but the words that he spoke, it doesn’t matter who spoke the words if the words were the Truth of God.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the [my] flesh profiteth nothing: [it is] the words [from God] that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (and they are the way and the truth also — Joh 14:6)

Joh 14:10 …the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works [and speaks the words].

Joh 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me;

Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

It was God’s words that Jesus spoke, not his own. God’s words are the way, the truth and the life and they are spirit. His literal flesh “profits NOTHING”, it was the words of God that have spirit and life. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not Jesus’ flesh that has salvation, it is God’s words that he commanded Jesus to speak that gave spirit and life.

To paraphrase it in this sense we have:

“The ones that have everlasting are those who believe God’s words that I speak and do them, and those who receive the wrath of God are those who do not believe God’s words.”

The wrath of God is on those who say they believe but really don’t do anything — they don’t really believe. They just go on day after day, business as usual, but are not ready for their “Lord’s coming”. These are the unprofitable servants of the Lord that will have their part with the unbelieving (Luc 12:46).

People don’t really believe because they are not doing the word

Everlasting life is for those who not only believe but also do God’s words. They DO because they believe. “Doing” is the result of believing. Belief causes the works to be done. You can tell that most Christians don’t really believe the bible. If they really believed that people were going to hell they would love their neighbor as themselves and go all over the world trying to save people from such a horrible and eternal fate! (that they say they believe in) It shows that most Christians don’t REALLY love their neighbor as themselves and they don’t REALLY believe that people are going to hell for eternity. You can see that they don’t really believe it because most of them just about do nothing.

I’ll tell you what you believe when I see what you do. (author unknown)

People like to take just the verses that they like, and make them feel good, and fit their way of thinking and use them with the meaning that they would like them to have, and just forget the rest. People use verses like John 3:36 to get them off the hook of having to be bothered with doing good works and following God’s commandments.

All they think they need is to believe and that’s it — they have everlasting life and they can live just any way they like! The can have their cake and eat it too. They’re supposed to have the fruits of their salvation in that when they get “saved” they start doing the works. But when many people turn Christian they suppose they are going to heaven no matter what, so they just live however they want — they don’t have to worry about going to hell anyway.

And all they have to do is believe…