The
Gospel of John is quite possibly one of the most influential books in the Bible
that has captivated many souls for Christ and explained to them that Jesus Christ
is more than just a man or a prophet and much more than a teacher, this Gospel explains
to us that Jesus is God. The Gospel of
John was written around A.D 85 and had a theme and purpose in the writing of
this well-known and often quoted Gospel. “The author does not identify himself
until the end of the book, where he states that he is “the disciple whom Jesus
loved”, that is, John the Apostle, the most intimate earthly friend of Jesus.”[1]
The Holy Spirit penned the Apostles mission in the words of scripture that
state: “but these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and
that believing ye might have life through his name.”[2]
“Probably while ministering at Ephesus, he wrote the forth Gospel.”[3]
John also wrote in a different aspect of the other Gospels, his included
something that Christians call the "I AM” discourses and miracles. It’s in
these miracles that Jesus begins to explain His deity, purpose, reason for
coming from Heaven to Earth and it catapults us into a greater realm of
spiritual maturity.
“Particularly
in the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals Himself as the “I AM” of the Old
Testament.”[4]
The “I AM” comes from the Book of Exodus while Moses was called of God to lead
the Children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and into the Promised Land where
serving God was possible. Moses asked
God a question about His name “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me
unto you.”[5]
Jesus said that He was the “bread of life”[6]
The Children of Israel were speaking to Christ about how their fathers ate
manna in the wilderness and as they began to try to teach God, God took the
opportunity to teach them the true significance of the bread from Heaven.
“Jesus pointed out two errors: it was not Moses that gave the bread from
Heaven, but God, and further God not only gave but “gives” the true bread from
Heaven.”[7]
“While Jesus as the Bread of Life is
similar to the manna in the wilderness, He is also superior in many respects.”[8]
The manna in the wilderness was momentary, but Christ was Eternal. The manna in
the wilderness didn’t preserve or give life, but Christ promised that those who
believe in Him would “have eternal
life.”[9]
Jesus Christ was the gift from God, one that was from Heaven to sustain the
spiritual life of all who would believe, as the Word of God says “It is
written, Man shall not live by bread alone.”[10]
Jesus went on to say that He was “the Light of the
world”[11] Jesus Christ was telling
us in this passage that He was more than just a great spiritual leader; He was
the light of the world. He held within
all of His being the full manifestation of God.
The Word of God states that “God was manifest in the
flesh.”[12]
“Light is an image or metaphor for God’s activity in the act of creation, for
God’s presence in the wilderness, for God’s wisdom and law, and for God’s Word.
By declaring himself to be the light of the world, Jesus is claiming a very
special relationship with God.”[13]
Jesus went on further in great attempts to show and validate that He did come
from God and was prepared to teach the Jewish leaders as well as those who were
despised that coming back to God was possible.
Jesus said “I am the door.”[14]
“When Jesus identified Himself as the Door, He was emphasizing the purpose or
function of a door, the means whereby the sheep entered into the fold.”[15]
Within this statement of Jesus Christ, He went on further to teach us what this
really meant and how it impacts us.
Jesus went on to say that He was “the good shepherd.”[16]
Many people know psalm twenty three by heart, and often quote “The Lord is my
Shepherd”[17] and
now we have the fuller understanding of this, because Jesus is the fulfillment
of this. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
God identified as “The LORD” or “Jehovah” in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is the Door which He lets
people in who believe and He is also the Good Shepherd which guides us into the
truth of God, leads us into the plan of God and places within us the Holy
Spirit of God.
Jesus
Christ was planning on going to resurrect his friend Lazarus who was “a
personal friend of Jesus and the brother of Mary and Martha.”[18]
Both sisters ran to Jesus in a form of discouragement and disheartenment, but
both of them knew that Jesus could do something about their ordeal and
issues. Jesus Christ said that He was
“the resurrection and the life”[19]
as He spoke with Martha about the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus Christ’s deity is seen in the wonderful
work of God as He calls Lazarus out of the tomb when He had been dead four
days. “Resurrection is prominent in
John, who portrays resurrection as a present, spiritual reality and a future
eschatological event.”[20]
Jesus Christ was going far beyond Lazarus in this moment of teaching, He was
explaining to us that He has the power over death and one day He would defeat
this enemy called death that came in by Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of
Eden. It is written that “The last enemy that shall be destroyed
is death.”[21] Lazarus
was a foretaste to all Christians who are striving to understand the concept
and value of Eternal life and adding to the fact that a resurrection of the
body will take place in the future at the return of Jesus Christ from Heaven.
Quite
possibly one of the most quoted statements from Jesus is none other than His proclamation
of “I am the way, the truth and the life”[22]
“Jesus had earlier identified Himself
with both truth and life, which are divine attributes. Since Christ is the
source of life and truth, He must also be the way to God Himself. He is so closely identified with the Father
that we need not look away from Jesus to see the Father.”[23]
Jesus is the way to God, because He was “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”[24]
Jesus Christ was an offering for our sins, our sin separated us from God and in
the Old Testament the High Priest could only come to the Temple into the holy
of holies once a year, within this time period he would offer petitions and
intercession for the sins of the people.
However, after doing this, the veil was still over the place where Gods
presence was, symbolizing the fact that sin was still separating us from
God. However, when Christ died on the
Cross “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.”[25]
When the eighteen inch thick veil was ripped, it was ripped from the top to the
bottom, as if God Himself tore it in haste to quicken the ability for those who
believed to come closer to Him. Without
Jesus’ sacrificial death, He may have obtained the title of truth and life, but
He never could have kept “the way” in His character. Since Jesus died for us, His truth and His
life can be lived in and through us because He showed us the way to God, as the
Father “made him to be sin for
us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.”[26]
The
Gospel of John records one last statement of Jesus Christ concerning His deity
and His ability in the life of a Christian.
Jesus Christ said that He was “the vine.”[27] Jesus Christ began to tell us how to abide in
Him and bear fruit in our walk and life as a Christian. Throughout this passage we can receive key
Biblical doctrines and teachings. One of
these teachings is how to produce fruit in our lives. Jesus said that we should
abide in Him and He would prune us, grow us, and make us to bear much
fruit. God has the capability to turn a
dull religion into a living, active and thriving walk with God when we begin to
abide in Him through His Word. It is
written that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.”[28] This Word was Jesus Christ Himself. John later wrote in the Book of
Revelation by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, expounding and explaining
even further that “his name is called the Word of God.”[29] Jesus Christ proves Himself to be God all throughout the Book of
John and even the Jews “sought to kill Jesus because He claimed to be equal
with God.””[30] All throughout the Gospel of John we are taught valuable lessons
concerning Christ, His Kingdom, His reason for coming to Earth and the
sacrifice of His life on the Cross. His death was so imperative and important
because it produced the ability to have an intimate and deeply passionate
relationship with God the Father through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection with
the help of the baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God and God has proven
Himself in Jesus, as Jesus Himself said “he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father.”[31]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live.
Scofield Ministries, 2002. Print.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN. 2004. Print.
The Holy Bible. King James Version.
Halley, H. Henry. Halley's Bible Handbook: Deluxe Edition.
Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI. 2007. Print.
Towns, Elmer L. Theology
for Today, Mason, OH. 2008. Print.
Morris, Leon. Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the
Theology of John. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989. Grand
Rapids, Michigan. Print.
The Essential Bible Handbook. Nashville, TN. 2009. Print.
Towns, L Elmer. A Journey Through the New Testament: The
Story of Christ and How He Developed the Church. Cengage Learning. Mason,
Ohio. 2008. Print.
[1] Halley, H.
Henry. Halley's Bible Handbook: Deluxe
Edition. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI. 2007. Print. (p. 621)
[3] Towns, L Elmer.
A Journey Through the New Testament: The
Story of Christ and How He Developed the Church. Cengage Learning. Mason,
Ohio. 2008.
[4] Towns, Elmer L.
Theology for Today, Mason, OH. 2008. Print. (p. 160)
[5] Exodus 3:14. The Holy Bible. King James
Version.
[6] John 6:35. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[7] Morris, Leon. Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the
Theology of John. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989. Grand
Rapids, Michigan. Print (p. 109-110)
[8] Towns, L Elmer.
A Journey Through the New Testament: The
Story of Christ and How He Developed the Church. Cengage Learning. Mason,
Ohio. 2008. Print. (p. 113)
[9] John 3:15. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[10] Matthew 4:4. The Holy Bible. King James
Version.
[11] John 8:12. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[12] 1 Timothy 3:16. The Holy Bible. King James
Version.
[14] John 10:9. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[16] John 10:11. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[17] Psalm 23:1. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[19] John 11:25. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[21] 1 Corinthians 15:26. The Holy Bible. King
James Version.
[22] John 14:6. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[23] Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live.
Scofield Ministries, 2002. Print. (p. 141)
[24] John 1:29. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[25] Mark 15:38. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[26] 2 Corinthians 5:21. The Holy Bible. King James
Version.
[27] John 15:5. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[28] John 1:1. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
[29] Revelation 19:13. The Holy Bible. King James
Version.
[30] Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live.
Scofield Ministries, 2002. Print. (p. 50)
[31] John 14:9. The Holy Bible. King James Version.
_____________________________________________________________
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as
your personal Lord and Savior?
If not, here’s what you are missing.
You are missing satisfaction in life. You are missing the blessings of
God in and through your life. You are missing the blessing of being able to
know God intimately and know Him for the pardoning of your sins. You are missing the blessing of being able to
serve God and impact your community and the world around you. You are missing the beauty of God revealing
Himself to you and helping you in your daily life. You are missing out on such
great things. God wants the best for you
and His best starts with you admitting you have sinned against Him and that you
need a Savior for your sins, that Savior is Jesus Christ. Like me, will you rebel against God’s plan
and will for your life? Will you submit to Gods will so He can save you and
redirect your life? God can get you off
any drugs, any habit or addiction, nothing can stop God and God will stop at
nothing to stop it from stopping you from reaching your full potential for
Christ. God loves you so much, why wait
and why reject His message. If you want
to be saved for-real, just pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I have sinned, I am a sinner, I have sinned and will sin, but I
have sinned only against You. Lord, I am in need of Your forgiveness. I believe
You died for my sins and You rose from the dead. I believe You are God and that
You have the capability to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from my
unrighteousness. Lord, please save me and draw me to You by Your grace. Fill me
with Your Spirit. Baptize me in Your power and help me to live a lifestyle that
is pleasing in Your sight. Give me victory over temptation, Lord, strengthen me
to be all who You want me to be please in Jesus Name! AMEN!”
"God loved the world this way:
He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will
have eternal life." ~ John 3:16 (God’s Word Translation)
"That
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a
person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting
in salvation. For
the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be [disappointed.” For
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord
of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the
name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:9-13 (NASB)
These links may help you in your walk with Jesus Christ. I urge you to take a look at some and
remember to draw closer to God through studying His Word and praying daily for
yourself and most importantly, others.
God Bless!
[List of Bible Promises!
http://www.intouch.org/resources/gods-promises?page480=2 ]
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
~ Romans 10:17 (King James Version)
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/PrayerAndCounseling/index.aspx [Prayer
Request; Have someone online pray for you!]
"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces
wonderful results." ~ James 5:16 (New Living Translation)
http://www.OurPrayer.org [Prayer Request; People from all over the world can
pray for YOU, simple, fast, free and beneficial.]
http://www.Bible.cc [Great site for searching through the Bible and
comparing each version, also charts, commentaries and dictionaries]
"Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be
filled with the Spirit." ~ Ephesians 5:18 (Gods Word Translation)
http://www.biblegateway.com [Great site for Bibles of various kinds and
various languages]
"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the
bones." ~ Proverbs 14:30 (New International Version)
http://www.Christianword.org [Great site for prayers; affirmations,
scripture references etc.]
http://www.e-sword.net [Great site to download Bible software; commentaries,
dictionaries, maps, charts, various Bibles]
"A patient person [shows] great understanding, but a quick-tempered one
promotes foolishness." ~ Proverbs 14:29 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
http://www.twft.org [Pastor Chuck Smith's Through The Bible audio sermons]
http://www.c28.com [Christian Clothing, etc.]
http://www.intouch.org/itrn?utm_source=ITM&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=Home_top_slider
[In Touch Ministries 24/7 Radio Broadcast Online; Free Streaming]
http://www.intouch.org/resources/gods-promises?page480=2 [List of Bible
Promises! (Easy to Print)]
"In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children
will have refuge." ~ Proverbs 14:26 (New American Standard Bible)
http://www.wmpress.org [FREE Christian Tracts] [Shipped to your doorstep for
free.] [Pass out, leave somewhere (school, bus stop, grocery store, mall,
shopping center, etc.), send in a Birthday, Holiday or Christmas Card; Simple
ways to plant seeds of faith in people, even without speaking.]
[ORDER FORM for WMPRESS.ORG] http://www.wmpress.org/booklet_order.php [BOOKLETS/STUDY GUIDES/ GOSPEL TRACTS
AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM WMPRESS.ORG] http://www.wmpress.org/bksavail.shtml
http://www.intouch.org/about/in-touch-messenger/messenger-downloads
[Download 35 POWERFUL sermons from Charles Stanley in less than five minutes,
compressed ZIP FILE.] [3 Languages; Pray for the Ministry of donating, giving
and supplying these handheld devices to spread the Gospel to the remote areas
of the world and throughout the 'known' world.] [Pray!]
"For, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved." ~ Romans 10:13 (American Standard Version)
http://www.thruthebible.org/site/c.irLMKXPGLsF/b.4104233/k.BFE1/MP3_Download_of_5Year_Series.htm
[Dr. J Vernon McGee's Through The Bible 5 Year Series; Free downloads]
[THREE Great Biblical Prayers Ephesians 3:14-21, Ephesians 1:16-20 &
Colossians 1:9-14, pray them for you and others!]
http://www.biblegateway.christianbook.com [Buy Christian Bibles, great
selection of Study Bibles, commentaries, audio sermons, books, clothing, music,
gifts, art; etc.]
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio [Charles Stanley's daily
radio broadcast; also clicking 'Audio Archives' can allow you to search years
back and download more of his radio broadcasts]
"I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and
peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the
Holy Spirit." ~ Romans 15:13 (New Century Version)
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv [Charles Stanleys 'This
Week on TV' site; clicking 'Video Archives' can allow you to search back and
find older Television shows; He also has sermon notes available on each
show/segment]
"And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~
Romans 5:5 (English Standard Version)
http://www.twft.com/?page=C2000 [Pastor Chuck Smiths c2000 Through The Bible
series; free downloads of book by book, verse by verse Bible study/commentary]
"May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your
knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord." ~ 2 Peter 1:2 (New Living
Translation)
http://twft.com/?page=Radio.Main [Pastor Chuck Smiths Radio Broadcast; 25
minutes of study on the Word of God. c3000 edition]
[Study Bibles I suggest looking at; at CBD.com] 'Life in The Spirit Study
Bible' 'Zondervan Study Bible' Nelson KJV Study Bible' and 'ESV Study Bible.'
Christian Books; "Disciplines of The Holy Spirit" by Tan/Gregg;
"How to Listen to God" by Charles Stanley; "Living Waters"
by Pastor Chuck Smith; "Handbook for Christian Living" by Charles
Stanley;
"That I may KNOW Him" ~ Philippians 3:10
Start your day off with a Word from God; Prayer and a Song of Praise/Worship
THE ROYAL PRAYER LINE
Every Wednesday Morning
6:15 a.m. - 6:30 a.m.[EASTERN USA TIME]
Dial-in# (712) 432-1001
Access Code: 491276491#
Just Listen and Be Blessed!!!
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/royal-baptist-sunday-services [PAST SERVICES
OF ROYAL MISSIONARY BAPTIST; SUNDAY SERVICES 8 AND 11 AM; Special Events and
Bible Study as well] Enjoy!
http://royalmbc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=109
[My Churches Live Streaming; Sunday's at 8 AM & 11 AM. Thursdays for Bible
Study 7 PM; Enjoy, there IS a Word from The LORD!]
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