"The Gospel of John"
An Indepth Study

In this refreshing and in depth study of the Gospel of John Jesus meets with individuals, preaches to great crowds, trains his disciples, debates with the religious leaders, and offers the gift of eternal life to all who would believe and receive Him.

The Author is John the apostle one of Jesus' twelve disciples, also known as the son of Zebedee, and brother of James, called "Son of Thunder."

The date: between A.D. 85-90 - After the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) and before John was exiled to the Island of Patmos.

Geography: The Gospel of John unfolds in the Judean country side: Samaria, Galilee, Bethany, Jerusalem

John's Gospel differs from Matthew, Mark, and Luke's Gospel in that there is no record of the genealogy of Jesus' birth or childhood; nor are numerous miracles, parables, the ascension, or Great Commission found as are in the other Gospels.

Here John delivers his eye witness account, and declares that Jesus was who He claimed to be, the "Son of God," and that all who believe in Him will receive eternal life.

"The Son of God, the Word, Became Flesh"
(John 1:1-18)

Verses 1-3: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."

In saying that Jesus was "the Word" and "God," John is saying that He embodies of all God's revelation in the Scriptures. What Jesus taught and what He did are tied inseparably to who He is. "The Word" was the most accurate available term John had with which to describe Jesus.

Although Jesus lived as a man He never ceased to be the eternal God. The "Word" became a human being, yet at the same time was the ultimate revelation and living picture of God. We must grasp and believe this basic truth in order to have enough faith to trust our eternal destiny to Him.

God is the Creator of all things, we exist only because He made us. With God we are valuable and unique, apart from Him we are nothing.

Verse 4-5: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

"Life:" Life was a term used often in the Gospel of John occurring thirty-six times, eleven in conjunction with the word eternal." Although Jewish leaders taught that the reward for obeying God's word was eternal life John declares that this life had always been available through God's word, the same word He identifies with Jesus.

"Light:" The Jewish teachers called many things light, but this term was most commonly applied to God's law. John states that the darkness has not overcome the light. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls the forces of light and darkness were engaged in mortal combat, but light was predestined to triumph.

When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we will not fall blindly into sin, because He lights the path ahead of us. Gospel of John

Verses 6-8: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light."

As we will see the word "witness" is prominent throughout the Gospel of John. It was, and still is used to identify and to prove the truth. "John the Baptist" was the witness sent by God to testify that Jesus was this light, the Messiah, Christ, the Son of God.

The function of a herald was to go ahead of a king to announce his coming. John the Baptist went ahead of Jesus to announce and to prepare the way for Jesus our King.

Verse 9-10: "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him."

Just as God had given the law to the world and only Israel had accepted it, so it was in John's day the world failed to recognize that God's Word was among them.

"That He was "coming into the world," again speaks of Christ's preexistence.

Verses 11: "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him."

Although Jesus had created the world, they did not recognize their Creator. In the Gospel of John the very people God had chosen to prepare the rest of the world for His coming rejected Him.

Verses 12-13: "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

All who receive and believe in Jesus are reborn spiritually, receiving new and everlasting life from God, and becoming one of His children.

The privilege of being a child of God is the greatest privilege afforded by life on earth, but it is impossible to earn, it is by the grace of God only. Gospel of John

Verse 14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Neither the Greek philosophers nor Jewish teachers could conceive of the Word becoming flesh. They never even considered that God could become human. As the Gospel unfolds, Jesus' glory is revealed in His signs and especially in the cross, which is considered to be the greatest act of love known to man.

The "only Son from the Father" means Jesus is God's only and unique Son. Before Christ came man could only know God in part. After He came, mankind could know God fully through Christ. Through Him God became visible and tangible. Jesus, being God and man, is the perfect expression of God in human form.

The original phrase "we have seen his glory" means more than a casual glance. It means that He was studied under all possible conditions, both favorable and unfavorable. John found that it was the moral and spiritual splendor of His unique life which revealed the nature of the invisible Father.

"Full of Grace and truth" is a phrase used often in the Old Testament and recalls the description of Jehovah in Exodus 34:6 marking Him as the author of perfect Redemption and perfect Revelation. Gospel of John

Verses 15-16: "John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") 16And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."

Here, John stressed the fact that John the Baptist pointed away from himself and toward the Christ.

John the Baptist was approximately 6 months older than Jesus. His statement that Jesus was "before him" indicates his understanding of the pre-existence and eternity of Jesus.

"Grace upon Grace:" Although grace and truth were clearly present in the law, the ultimata expression would come through the "Word," (Jesus). All blessings come from God. Nothing is of us, all is of God. Gospel of John

Verses 17-18: "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

The law was given through Moses, Christ came to fill the law. The nature and will of God are now revealed in Jesus.

No one had ever seen God, even Moses could see only part of God's glory (Ex 33:20). In verse 18 John calls Jesus "the only GOD," an unequivocal affirmation of the deity of Christ.

'Jesus' revelation of God to man was like the star that announced his birth, blazing forth the truth to all generations of human beings, his very life being the Light of people.Gospel of John

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People Who Met Jesus: Seven Seeker Bible Discussions By Rebecca Manley Pippert / Inter-varsity Press When people meet Jesus Christ exciting things happen. In these Bible discussions we see Jesus encounter a powerful Roman military officer and a poor widow. We see him relate to a righteous religious leaders alongside a former prostitute. We hear the conversations that unfolded and discover how surprising and powerful it is to meet Christ. This discussion guide is a safe place to explore what it would mean for us to encounter Christ as well. If you have already done some study of Scripture with other, then these discussion in Luke and John offer an opportunity to go deeper in responding to Jesus. Although it is full of historical information, challenging questions and thought-provoking quotes, this guide won't answer all your questions. In fact it may bring up new ones. What it will do is move you along on your journey toward faith.

Gospel of John - an Indepth Study