Dear Church Family,
“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – John 20:30-31
John wrote his gospel for the specific purpose of bringing people to spiritual life through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This book presents the most powerful case in all the Bible for the deity and humanity of the Son of God who became human.
The deity of Christ can be seen in his seven “I am . . .” statements: “I am the bread of life” (6:35, 48); “I am the light of the world” (8:12, 9:5); “I am the door” (10:7, 9); “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14); “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25); “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6); “I am the true vine” (15:1, 5).
The Word was God but the Word also became human. The humanity of Jesus can be seen in his weariness (4:6), thirst (4:7), dependence (5:19), grief (11:35), troubled soul (12:27), and his anguish and death (chapter 19).
The predominant theme of this gospel is the dual response of faith and unbelief in the person of Jesus Christ. Those who place their faith in the Son of God have eternal life, but those who reject him do not have eternal life – this is the basic issue. John 1:11-12 summarizes the reactions of reception and rejection that are traced through the rest of the book. His rejection by his own people can be seen over and over from chapters 2 to 19, but John also lists a number of men and women who believed in him.
This gospel is not only evangelistic, but it is also designed to build believers in their faith and understanding of spiritual principles. The stories in John are logical units that develop unified theological themes, and the frequent sprinkling of questions and objections help to develop these themes.
Pastor McLane and I look forward to preaching from the Gospel of John. Our prayer is that we will all see Jesus in a new way through the eyes of John, as we are guided by the same Holy Spirit who guided the evangelist in his writing.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve