John 3:16
King James Version (KJV): “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.”
English Standard Version (ESV): “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
New International Version (NIV): “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.”
New Living Translation (NLT): “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
What does John 3:16 mean?
Who is speaking in John 3:16?
Why is John 3:16 used in popular culture?
Who was Nicodemus?
John 3:16, verse from the Gospel According to John, among the best-known and most frequently quoted passages in the Christian Bible. Often described as “the Gospel in a nutshell,” John 3:16 summarizes Christian teachings about God’s love for humanity and the promise of salvation and eternal life for believers in Christ. Because of its theological significance and widespread use in preaching, public displays of faith, and popular culture, the verse is one of the most recognizable passages of Scripture. It states:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
The verse in context
John 3:16 occurs during Jesus’ nighttime theological discussion with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council (sanhedrin). In John, chapter 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus seeking to understand his teaching, and Jesus tells him that “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” (or “born again,” depending on the translation). When Nicodemus misunderstands this as a physical rebirth, Jesus explains that he is speaking of a spiritual rebirth.
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Jesus then makes reference to the miraculous bronze serpent that Moses raised in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4–9), comparing it to the future lifting up of “the Son of Man.” Just as looking upon the serpent brought healing to the Israelites, faith in the Son of Man brings salvation to anyone. John 3:16 is thus situated amidst this discussion, succinctly presenting God’s love for the world as the reason for sending his Son and identifying belief in him as the means to eternal life. Many biblical scholars note that it is uncertain whether verses 16–21 are the continuation of Jesus’ own words or the Gospel writer’s theological commentary, since the earliest Greek manuscripts contain no quotation marks.
In popular culture
“John 3:16” has become a widely recognized cultural reference, particularly through its frequent public display at American sporting events. Much of this visibility is largely thanks to the campaign of sports fan Rollen Stewart, better known as “Rainbow Man.” Beginning in the late 1970s and typically wearing a rainbow wig, Stewart regularly positioned himself where television cameras would capture him holding signs or wearing shirts reading “John 3:16” at major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and other nationally televised competitions. (Stewart’s career as Rainbow Man ended in 1992, when he received three life sentences in prison for taking hostages in a stunt apparently orchestrated to warn the public of an impending apocalypse.)
In the 2000s American football player Tim Tebow introduced the passage to a new generation of sports viewers. In 2009 he wore the phrase “John 3:16” in his eye black during the televised college national championship game, which his team won (the National Collegiate Athletic Association banned eye black with symbols or messages beginning in 2010). Exactly three years later, while playing for the Denver Broncos in an NFL playoff game, later dubbed the “3:16 Game,” Tebow threw a career-high 316 yards with an average of 31.6 yards per completion, prompting millions of people to search for the Bible verse online.
As a shorthand expression of Christian faith, the verse has also appeared in commercial branding and entertainment. For example, “John 3:16” appears on the bottom of soda cups purchased from the fast-food chain In-N-Out, and, prior to filing for bankruptcy in 2025, once-ubiquitous teen clothing store Forever 21 stamped its yellow shopping bags with the phrase “John 3:16.” In entertainment, the reference appears in the title of Keith Urban’s country hit “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and, in one riff, on T-shirts worn by the wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, whose shirts read “Austin 3:16” in place of “John.”
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