An Easy Bible Study of 3:16

I have hidden your Word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

Reading the Bible can be a daunting task.  When it comes to reading, picking up a great novel or reading my blog is so much easier.

Where to begin reading the Bible is only slightly less daunting.  Genesis (first book of the Old Testament) and Matthew (first book of the New Testament) are seemingly good places to start.  Randomly opening the Bible and reading where ever the pages lay can be fun and confusing.  Or following a reading plan can be helpful for those of us that need more direction. (I try to follow the LJRP.)

But if reading the Bible can be daunting, then studying the Bible can be intimidating.  Reading is one thing, understanding is something completely different.  Many of us feel ill-equipped to "study" the Bible let alone "understand" it.  So in an effort to be helpful, here is an easy Bible Study of 3:16.

/Book of the Bible/ 3:16 (Bible Study)

The way you find a verse in the Bible is you find a /Book of the Bible/ then the /Chapter/ and then the /Verse/.  Each verse in a chapter has a number (usually following a sentence structure) to help find that particular verse or passage in the chapter in the Book of the Bible easier.  This is commonly called an "address".

One of the most known and memorized "addresses" is John 3:16 (the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16), "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

There are a couple other 3:16 verses that are also memorized, 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."  And also Revelation 3:16, "So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

One time, I got to thinking, "I wonder how many other 3:16 verses are good for memorizing?"  So I put together a list of all the 3:16 verses from the Bible.  I think this makes for a quick and easy Bible Study (there are only 40 of them (out of 66 books in the Bible)).

As you are reading the following and a particular 3:16 verse intrigues you or jumps out at you or confuses you ... take a moment and read it in context.  You can go to BibleGateway.com or BlueLetterBible.com or StudyLight.org and search the "address".  (These are from the New International Version.)

Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

Exodus 3:16
Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers-- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-- appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.

Leviticus 3:16
The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD's.

Numbers 3:16
So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 3:16
But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites.

Joshua 3:16
the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

Judges 3:16
Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.

Ruth 3:16
When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her.

1 Samuel 3:16
but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am."

2 Samuel 3:16
Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back.

1 Kings 3:16
Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

2 Kings 3:16
and he said, "This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches.

1 Chronicles 3:16
The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah.

2 Chronicles 3:16
He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains.

Ezra chapter 3 only goes to verse 13.

Nehemiah 3:16
Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.

Esther chapter 3 only goes to verse 15.

Job 3:16
Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?

Psalms chapter 3 only goes to verse 8.

Proverbs 3:16
Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Ecclesiastes 3:16
And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment-- wickedness was there, in the place of justice-- wickedness was there.

Song of Songs chapter 3 only goes to verse 11.

Isaiah 3:16
The LORD says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.

Jeremiah 3:16
In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land," declares the LORD, "men will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.

Lamentations 3:16
He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust.

Ezekiel 3:16
At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me:

Daniel 3:16
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.

Hosea chapter 3 only goes to verse 5.

Joel 3:16
The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Amos chapter 3 only goes to verse 15.

Obadiah only has 1 chapter.

Jonah chapter 3 only goes to verse 10.

Micah chapter 3 only goes to verse 12.

Nahum 3:16
You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away.

Habakkuk 3:16
I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

Zephaniah 3:16
On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.

Haggai only has 2 chapters.

Zechariah chapter 3 only goes to verse 10.

Malachi 3:16
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.

Matthew 3:16
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

Mark 3:16
These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);

Luke 3:16
John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 3:16
By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

Romans 3:16
ruin and misery mark their ways,

1 Corinthians 3:16
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

2 Corinthians 3:16
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Galatians 3:16
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

Ephesians 3:16
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being

Philippians 3:16
Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

1 Thessalonians chapter 3 only goes to verse 13.

2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

1 Timothy 3:16
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

Titus chapter 3 only goes to verse 15.

Philemon only has 1 chapter.Titus chapter 3 only goes to verse 15.

Hebrews 3:16
Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt

James 3:16
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

1 Peter 3:16
keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

2 Peter 3:16
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

2 John only has 1 chapter.

3 John only has 1 chapter.

Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

An Easy Bible Study in John

I have hidden your Word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

Reading the Bible can be a daunting task.  When it comes to reading, picking up a great novel or reading my blog is so much easier.

Where to begin reading the Bible is only slightly less daunting.  Genesis (first book of the Old Testament) and Matthew (first book of the New Testament) are seemingly good places to start.  Randomly opening the Bible and reading where ever the pages lay can be fun and confusing.  Or following a reading plan can be helpful for those of us that need more direction. (I try to follow the LJRP.)

But if reading the Bible can be daunting, then studying the Bible can be intimidating.  Reading is one thing, understanding is something completely different.  Many of us feel ill-equipped to "study" the Bible let alone "understand" it.  So in an effort to be helpful, here is an easy Bible Study in John.

Jesus said, "I am ... " B.S. (Bible Study)

John is the fourth book in the New Testament of the Bible and is one of the Gospels.  Where the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on the humanity of Jesus, the gospel of John focuses more on the divinity of Jesus.

But first ... What is the significance of "I AM"?
In Exodus, the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush, and God said, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exodus 3:14).  The Hebrew word for "AM" is hayah, which has many meanings like "to become", "to be", and "to exist".  It is used in the verb pattern: qal, which is the "simple" or "casual" use of the word (hayah).

Mathew Henry's Commentary offers this good explanation of Exodus 3:14:

This explains his name Jehovah, and signifies, that he is self-existent; he has his being of himself, and has no dependence upon any other and that he is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, today, and for ever; he will be what he will be and what he is.

As John is relaying the divinity of Jesus he is linking Jesus' expressions of who He is to the cultural understanding of who God said He is.  In fact, John tells of an encounter between some Jews and Jesus where it doesn't get much clearer (John 8:53-58):

53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

The Greek for "I am" is ego eimi used in the present tense meaning "to be", "to exist" or "to happen". Jesus not only claimed that He was greater than their father Abraham, but also used their language* and understanding of God to emphasize His identity.  They were so upset at His audacity to make such claims, they picked up stones to stone him. 

And now second ... Jesus said, "I AM ..." **
With the above in mind, we can understand John's purpose to parallel Jesus' claims about himself with the very nature of God himself.

As you read what Jesus said about himself (below), keep these questions in mind:

• What is Jesus claiming?
• What are the implications?
• Which one is the easiest for you to accept?
• Which one is the hardest for you to accept?

(You can Ctrl-Click on the scripture links to open a new window to read the verse in context)

I am the bread of life ... Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. (John 6:28-59)

I am the light of the world ... Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12-20)

I am the gate ... whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:1-18)

I am the good shepherd ... The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:1-18)

I am the resurrection and the life ... He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:17-32)

I am the way, and the truth, and the life ... No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:4-11)

I am the true vine ... He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1-8)


You may remember some or all of these statements made by Jesus.  I think you will find this can make for a quick and easy Bible study in John.  Print this out and read one of the above passages a day for the next week (there are seven).  As you read, you may find you have other questions like:  What does a shepherd have to do with me? Or, what is the resurrection Jesus is talking about?  If you do, you can go to a great resource sight StudyLight.org, or leave me your question in the comments.


___________________
*Note: Aramaic was the common tongue in Israel in Jesus' time.  The earliest transcripts of the New Testament are the Greek conveyance of Jesus' words.

**John relates over 60 statements and conversations where Jesus uses the phrase "I am".  You can click on this search at BlueLetterBible.com to read them.  They include, "I am not alone", "I am from above", "I am not of this world", and "I am going away".  The seven more known ones (included in this article) relate more to Jesus' claim of His identity.

An Easy Bible Study in Revelation.

I have hidden your Word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

Reading the Bible can be a daunting task.  When it comes to reading, picking up a great novel or reading my blog is so much easier.

Where to begin reading the Bible is only slightly less daunting.  Genesis (first book of the Old Testament) and Matthew (first book of the New Testament) are seemingly good places to start.  Randomly opening the Bible and reading where ever the pages lay can be fun and confusing.  Or following a reading plan can be helpful for those of us that need more direction. (I try to follow the LJRP.)

But if reading the Bible can be daunting, then studying the Bible can be intimidating.  Reading is one thing, understanding is something completely different.  Many of us feel ill-equipped to "study" the Bible let alone "understand" it.  So in an effort to be helpful, here is an easy Bible Study in Revelation.

Seven Churches in Revelation B.S. (Bible Study)

In Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, Jesus has something to say to 7 churches in the Roman province of Asia (modern day Turkey):
          The Church of Ephesus (2:1-7)
          The Church of Smyrna (2:8-11)
          The Church of Pergamum (2:12-17)
          The Church of Thyatira (2:18-29)
          The Church of Sardis (3:1-6)
          The Church of Philadelphia (3:7-13)
          The Church of Laodicea (3:14-22)

When reading any of the above verses for each church, keep these 5 questions in mind:
          1) What did Jesus say about himself?
          2) What did Jesus say as a word of encouragement?
          3) What did Jesus say as a word of rebuke (correction)?
          4) What did Jesus say would happen if the church repented (or overcame)?
          5) What did Jesus say would happen if the church didn't repent (or overcome)?

For example: The Church of Ephesus, Revelation Chapter 2 Verses 1 through 7.

To the Church of Ephesus--

(1)"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: (2)I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. (3)You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. (4)Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. (5)Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (6)But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (7)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

what did Jesus say about himself?  "These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands."

 

what did Jesus say as an encouragement? "I know your deeds, your hardwork and your perseverance."

 

what did Jesus say as a rebuke (correction)? "You have forsaken your first love."

 

what did Jesus say if they repented (or overcame)? "I will give you the right to eat from the tree of life."

 

what did Jesus say if they didn't repent (or overcome)? "I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

 

 

Try asking these questions for the other 6 churches.  Sometimes Jesus doesn't have something bad to say, and sometimes Jesus doesn't have something good to say.  But overall this can be a quick and easy study of the Bible.  You may discover you have further questions when you read, like: What does the lampstand mean anyway?  If you do, ask them in a comment, and maybe I can answer it for you.  Or you can go to StudyLight.org as a helpful resource.

 

One last question.  Does anything Jesus is saying to these churches feel like something he might be saying to you?  Let me know in the comments and maybe we can encourage and pray for eachother.