For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV
This verse is a pretty well-known verse in the Bible. It’s the first one that I ever had to memorize when I was a kid.
The world around us is sinking further down into sin and decay everyday, but thank God we don’t have to sink with it.
March 3, 2007 www.joyfultoons.com
God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to give the world that He loves a way to spend eternity with Him. God gives us the choice to choose to follow Jesus, the choice to choose life over death.
Zoe is the word for life in John 3:16. This Greek word is found 135 times in the New Testament, according to Strong’s concordance. This is physical and spiritual life. According to HELPS Word-studies, “all life (zoe), throughout the universe, is derived – i.e. it always (only) comes from and is sustained by God’s self-existent life.” Unsurprisingly, the book of John has the most uses of zoe found in it.
There is another word for life, bios, used in the New Testament 10 times. This word can mean life, manner of life, or livelihood. (Strong’s) This bios life seems to be more related to the physical life, whereas zoe also includes the spiritual life. Think of the English word biology (the study of life). Zoology is the study of animals, coming from the Greek word for animal or living creature, zoon. An example with bios follows: 1 John 2:16 NIV For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the father but from the world. A couple other verses are: Mark 12:44, Luke 8:14, 1 Timothy 2:2, and 2 Timothy 2:4.
Verses with zoe:
Matthew 7:14 NASB For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Mark 9:43 KJV And if thy hand offend thee, cut if off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.
Luke 12:15 ESV And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
John 1:4 NASB In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
John 3:36 NIV Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
John 5:24 ESV Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 6:35 NASB Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
John 6:63 NIV The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you–they are full of the Spirit and life.
John 12:25 KJV He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (Okay, only the third life is from zoe. The first two are from a third word for life, psuche. This word for life has more to do with the human soul. From HELPS Word-studies: “a person’s distinct identity”. Think of the word psychology. Even though the word psychology means the study of the mind nowadays, the original word means study of the soul. Psuche translates as soul, life, or self in the New Testament.)
John 14:6 NASB Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Acts 13:46 ESV And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”
Romans 6:22-23 NIV But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:6 KJV For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Colossians 3:3-4 NASB For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
1 Timothy 4:8 ESV For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (The second life is not present in the Greek. It is more like “and of the one coming.”)
James 1:12 KJV Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James 4:14 NIV Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
1 Peter 3:10 ESV For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
1 John 5:11-13 NASB And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Revelation 20:15 NIV Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:6 NASB Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
The G/K number for zoe is 2437.
The Strong’s number for zoe is 2222.
The G/K number for bios is 1050.
The Strong’s number for bios is 979.
The G/K number for psuche is 6034.
The Strong’s number for psuche is 5590.
So zoe is physical and spiritual life, bios is everyday life or livelihood, and psuche is life or soul. (As far as I understand it.)
