Ephesians 2 ↔ John 3:16

John 3:16 declares God's great love in giving His Son for the world. Ephesians 2 deeply develops this, showing that this love rescued humanity from a state of spiritual death and wrath. While John 3:16 states belief brings eternal life, Ephesians 2:4-5 unpacks the 'how' by explaining that 'God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ,' emphasizing that 'by grace you are saved.' This passage clarifies that the 'eternal life' offered in John 3:16 is a radical transformation from death to life, gifted through faith, not works.

Echoes between the two

• John 3:16
  "God loved the world"

  Ephesians 2
  "his great love with which he loved us"

• John 3:16
  "perish"

  Ephesians 2
  "dead in your transgressions and sins... children of wrath"

• John 3:16
  "have eternal life"

  Ephesians 2
  "made us alive together with Christ"

• John 3:16
  "everyone who believes in him"

  Ephesians 2
  "by grace you are saved through faith"