|16
|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 God so loved the people of the world us that He gave His Only Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
|<span id="3:16"></span>This is one of the most quoted verses, and a target of liberal bias; instead of "eternal life," [[The Message]] states "a whole and lasting life." While it is true that the eternal life promised starts at the moment of salvation, prior to death, it is NOT a promise of a "long life" in this world, but of a DEEPER life now, and an eternal one later.
<br>Wherever the Greek word '''κόσμος''' appears in this book, John means all of the people in it, not some aggregate of custom or some impersonal object. Also, "Only Son" (capital "O") is better than "Unique Son," because all persons are unique already.