Thusly

John 3:16 is probably the most well-known verse in the whole Bible. (Though I saw something a while back that said Matthew 7:1 is now the most well-known and most-quoted verse; I think that's because (if you take it out of context) it says something that a whole lot of people want to hear, but that's another post.)

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Chances are you know at least some of this verse, even if you're not a regular read of the Bible. The primary reason is because it's a summary of the whole Gospel message. But there's something going on here that isn't immediately obvious to us English speakers. That little word "so" isn't a superlative; it's an adverb. In other words, it's not a measure of how much God loved us, but is describes in what way He loved us.

And knowing that isn't simply trivia. It doesn't change the overall meaning of the verse, not at all. But it does give us an understanding of the verse that isn't all that common: that God's love—while certainly greater than we can possibly imagine, as Ephesians 3:16-21, among other passages, makes abundantly clear—is tangible. It's not just an emotion. It's not a heart skipping a beat at the thought of someone's affection. It's much more than that.

The best definition of love that I've been able to come up (so far; I'm always refining it) is this: goodwill toward the other that results in self-sacrificial action. Love isn't a feeling; it's wanting the best for another. Love isn't sentimental; it leads to action that benefits the other, no matter the personal cost. True, pure love is willing.

And so a good way to translate this verse (though I doubt it will ever happen in a widely-used translation because the current one is so ingrained in us) would be to change just one word:

Thusly God loved the world: that He gave His one and only Son...

Thusly. What a great adverb. It means "in this way". "In this way God loved the world: that He gave..." would be another way to translate it.

A good comparable verse would be Romans 5:8:

But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

One translation says, "God proves His love for us in this...". The sense is a showing forth of something. The point is, God's love is tangible. If it's truly love, it takes action; willing, self-sacrificial action.

And that's exactly what God's love is.

Do you and I love like that? No, our love—no matter how well-intentioned—isn't totally pure. But any love (defined like this, not like the world's definition which is really more infatuation) that we show is a reflection—however poor—of the love God has for us.

If you can find other ways to incorporate the wonderful adverb thusly into everyday language, go for it. At the least, I think it's a great use of it here in John's Gospel account.