John 3:16

[AXJules]

Anyone know what this passage in the Bible refers to, or it's significance?

I was in Forever 21 today and noticed that it's printed on the bottom of their bags. Its owner is very religious, according to one of the salesgirls.....so what does it mean??

[James]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_3_16

John 3:16 is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible. It has been called the "Bible in a nutshell", because it briefly summarizes the Christian faith.

The verse in the original Greek is as follows:

ïõôùò ãáñ çãáðçóåí ï Èåïò ôïí êïóìïí, ùóôå ôïí õéïí ôïí ìïíïãåíç åäùêåí, éíá ðáò ï ðéóôåõù&nu åé&sigmaf áõôïí ìç áðïëçôáé áëë å÷ç æùçí áéùíéïí.
Which could be translated literally as:

For in this way God loved the world: that he gave the unique Son, so that all those trusting in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The King James version renders it as:

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.
For a comparison of different translations of this verse, see Bible translations.

The phrase "John 3:16" is very short and can be written in large letters on small signs. As a result, some Christians have intentionally displayed the phrase at sporting events (such as football games) so it might be televised.

The text of the verse is also incorporated into the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, as part of a prayer said by the celebrant. This Divine Liturgy is commonly used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Byzantine rite of the Roman Catholic Church.

John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians were two biblical passages that we had to memorize in grade school. James pretty much summed it up.

[AlphaSigOU]

Many college fraternities and sororities use this Old Testament Bible verse in their rituals and ceremonies, which was borrowed from Freemasonry's Entered Apprentice (first) Degree:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that went down to the skirts of his garment. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore." -Psalms 133.

The Fellowcraft (second) degree's verse is:

"Thus He shewed me; and behold the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, a plumb line. Thus saith the Lord, Behold! I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them anymore." - Amos 7:7-8.

The Master Mason (third) degree's verse is:

Remember now thy Creator, in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; while the sun and the light, or the moon, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low. Also, when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail, because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets; or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." - Ecclesiastes 12:1-7.

[ZTAMich]

Originally posted by AlphaSigOU
Many college fraternities and sororities use this Old Testament Bible verse in their rituals and ceremonies, which was borrowed from Freemasonry's Entered Apprentice (first) Degree:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that went down to the skirts of his garment. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore." -Psalms 133.

The Fellowcraft (second) degree's verse is:

"Thus He shewed me; and behold the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, a plumb line. Thus saith the Lord, Behold! I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them anymore." - Amos 7:7-8.

The Master Mason (third) degree's verse is:

Remember now thy Creator, in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; while the sun and the light, or the moon, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low. Also, when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail, because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets; or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." - Ecclesiastes 12:1-7.

Those are so beautiful!

12 years of AWANA clubs membership and John 3:16 is a well memorized verse for me

[33girl]

OK, maybe I'm thinking of a different store, but doesn't Forever 21 sell rather, ummm, provocative clothes? John 3:16 & microminis just don't seem to go together.

[swissmiss04]

Having grown up in the Bible Belt South, my first thought was "Oh wow, someone doesn't know what that means?" No cracking on AXJules, of course. If Forever 21 is what people say it is, it's definitely weird that they print Biblical verses on their bags. I've always found people who did that a bit odd. They're entitled to to it, of course, but I just think it's strange.

[Lady Pi Phi]

I think it's maybe because it's so commonly used in pop culture nowadays that people are forgetting the real meaning behind the verse.

[smiley21]

Originally posted by swissmiss04
Having grown up in the Bible Belt South, my first thought was "Oh wow, someone doesn't know what that means?" No cracking on AXJules, of course. If Forever 21 is what people say it is, it's definitely weird that they print Biblical verses on their bags. I've always found people who did that a bit odd. They're entitled to to it, of course, but I just think it's strange.

i was thinking the same thing. but i have to realize that not everyone knows that verse. but yeah that is weird the Forever21 has John 3:16 on their bags. i ask why? i KNOW that a majority on the Southern Baptist would have a FIT if they knew it. they would probably start some kind of protest. i do like to shop at that store, but the two (store and the verse) does nothing to help each other. why are you trying sell provocative clothing to people who you are also trying to witness to? it may not be blatent like 'hey you need to know that God loves you'. but why else would you put that verse on display if you were not trying to tell someone about how Jesus died for you. not all of their clothing is bad by any means. but why would you want to carry a mini skirt and a tube top in a bag with a bible verse on it???
Jesus and pop culture. it is funny that Jesus would be used to sell a product. especially, when so many people cringe at christianity

[honeychile]

There was a story on the news about two weeks ago, how "Jesus clothes" are supposed to be cool now. They depict verses such as John 3:16, or pictures of Jesus on micro-mini skirts, "daisy dukes", and tube tops.

Tasteless doesn't begin to explain this fad.

[swissmiss04]

Or the "Jesus is my Homeboy" or "Mary is my Homegirl" shirts. Terribly tacky.

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
I think it's maybe because it's so commonly used in pop culture nowadays that people are forgetting the real meaning behind the verse.

It sure didn't help when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin decided to market his Austin 3:16 crap, either.

I've never been super "Hallelujah Praise God" religious, and I won't hold up my Bible to your face if I see you wearing those tacky t-shirts, but even I think those crappy things should be taken off the shelves.

[AXJules]

Originally posted by swissmiss04
Having grown up in the Bible Belt South, my first thought was "Oh wow, someone doesn't know what that means?" No cracking on AXJules, of course. If Forever 21 is what people say it is, it's definitely weird that they print Biblical verses on their bags. I've always found people who did that a bit odd. They're entitled to to it, of course, but I just think it's strange.

And I went to a Catholic school for 8 years, to top it off... to be honest, the majority of this area is Korean and Jewish. I am actually surprised more people haven't protested, not that the phrase doesn't go with the clothes, but the fact that non- Christians have to carry the bag around.
It's not blatant, I didn't even see it until the girl slung my bag on the counter- it's on the bottom middle, near the seam.

[swissmiss04]

Well at least they didn't shove stuff down your throat. BTW, most Koreans (the ones around here, anyways) are Christians (usually Presbyterians). But even still, I'd feel bad if I worked @ that store and had to hand a 3:16 bag to someone I knew was Jewish. It's too pushy evangelical for me.

[aurora_borealis]

Maybe the company that makes the bags has that as part of their manufacturing, and it has nothing to do with Forever21?