I was leading up to modern English. As you see my next step was to put the verse in the precursor language of middle English. A language you 'outrageously known.":)
sic enim dilexit Deus mundum ut Filium suum unigenitum daret ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam
thus in fact he esteemed God the world, so that sole his son he was giving so that all who were believing in him are not dying but be having life eternal
Oui, Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu'il a donné son Fils, son unique, pour que tous ceux qui placent leur confiance en lui échappent à la perdition et qu'ils aient la vie éternelle.
Yes, God so much loved the word that he has given his son, his only, so that all those who place their confidence in him escape from being lost and be having the life eternal.
Yes, God so much loved the word that he has given his son, his only, so that all those who place their confidence in him escape from being lost and be having the life eternal.
Yes I found the French very interesting. And why when we look at the KJV, we must have a 'French' mind to the word 'believe.' An Arab Christian scholar said 'believe' is expressed 'faith' in the modern Arabic version of the verse. He stated that the English of the KJV era conveyed this as well but in modern English 'believe' has a different meaning. As in 'acknowledging' something. Big difference.
Yes I love the French 'confidence.' THAT conveys much in the way of faith and faithfulness.
Also, the word in Latin, credito, is precisely right: I CREDIT you.
Credit, as in trust. I trust that you will do as you say. I am extending you credit.
Where the English "believe" becomes hairy is when it is taken in its flabbier sense of "I think that this is so". That leads men to think, erroneously, that to be saved, you have to think that God exists and that Jesus is Lord.
And that is false. That is INCLUDED in the word credit, but credit goes farther than that. It means TRUST.
When Peter starts to sink into the water after walking on it, Jesus asks him why he lacks faith. When, in another instance, the boat is about to sink and Jesus is still sleeping, when he calms the storm he then asks him why they lack faith.
In neither case is he asking them why they don't believe in him, or in God's power. He is demanding to know why they don't TRUST that God - through Jesus - will USE his power to their benefit. There wasn't a Jew anywhere in the Middle East who didn't BELIEVE in God in 33 AD. For that matter, there wasn't a single atheist in barbarian lands or in the woods of North America when the pioneers arrived. Everybody believed God, or gods EXISTED. The gods were why things were the way they were. The question was (as it still is) "Will God HELP ME if I follow him?"
Consider Jesus' admonition to sell your property and give it to the poor. But then I'LL be poor! Why do you think that? Do you not TRUST Jesus when he says that God knows what you need and will always provide it, that you will never be wanting.
Do not accumulate any wealth. Give it all away (more precisely, lend it all out without interest to your brothers and sisters who need it, and then there's nothing left sitting around TO give away, and all you can do is offer your time and sympathy).
The man who will not do that because he is afraid of being in poverty does not believe in God - THAT is what the word "believe" means in this Scripture. It is credit - TRUST.
If one TRUSTS God, he will lend out all of your money at no interest to your fellow Christian brothers and sisters, to stabilize their lives, you will expect nothing in return, and if one or more doesn't pay him back, he will not take them to civil court. If he does this, you have done what God demanded, and he will not, in fact, suffer privation and be destitute, because God said he will provide for those who follow him.
And if one don't do it, it means that he doesn't in fact believe in God. He may SAY he does, but if he doesn't do what he said, including giving out all of his money and not storing it up, and not taking other Christians to court, he doesn't believe in God the way that God has said those who follow him must.
Where the English "believe" becomes hairy is when it is taken in its flabbier sense of "I think that this is so". That leads men to think, erroneously, that to be saved, you have to think that God exists and that Jesus is Lord.
And that is false. That is INCLUDED in the word credit, but credit goes farther than that. It means TRUST.
Good observation. One of the first events for the spiritually reborn in the NT was not to only proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord with their mouth, but also to move their legs to action in Baptism.
If we trust Him, we will follow Him, which means submitting to His will. And the Holy Spirit testifies to us of Jesus Christ and His Truth.