The Fellowship Residency Program has introduced me to the idea of reading commentaries alongside scripture. By August of 2019, I will have read through the entire Bible as well as The King in His Beauty, our selected commentary. As I am reading, I am writing a little bit about each of the books of the Bible so you and I can have a more thorough understanding of the scriptures. I invite you to follow along with me as we learn the Bible in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation. This summary does NOT encompass the entire book, but it is a good place to start. I encourage you to read for yourself and begin your own Biblical journal along the way. To read any of my other Residency related posts, click here.
Introduction – New Testament Theology is unique, because though each book is different, they are all complementary to the greater message. John quickly helps us understand that we only see the Father through Jesus, and Jesus shares the same identity as God the father. However, John uniquely emphasizes Jesus as the Christ, the messianic king. When we understand appropriately who Jesus is, then we can believe in Him. John has similar themes as the Synoptic Gospels but teaches them through a new angle of eternal life. John reveals that Jesus is inseparable from eternal life. Additionally, He is the fulfillment of the OT promises. Finally, Jesus is the way to God through the work of the cross. These themes will be unpacked in later sections.
Jesus as the Life – The Gospel of John emphasizes life by mentioning it 32 times, and in particular, eternal life which is mentioned 17 times. We learn that eternal life is reserved for people who believe in Jesus, obey His commands, come to Him, and follow Him with their life. This life is not eternal life on Earth, but life of an age to come after our physical death. We now have this eternal life, because Jesus conquered death and was resurrected as the Messiah and perfect Son of God. When we put our trust in Jesus, we will be given this eternal life with Him. Like the other Gospels, John continues with the “already but not yet” idea of the fulfillment through Christ.
Jesus came to earth and performed wonderous signs so that people would embrace Him as the Messiah. Though immediately people begin to assume that John the Baptist is the Messiah, he continuously points people back to Jesus as the Messiah. Those who are truly willing to follow God will know with certainty that Jesus is truly from God. Likewise, spiritual perception is not reserved for the spiritual leaders or elite but to the humble believers. Jesus’s first miraculous sign at the wedding was a clear symbol of Jesus as Messiah. Many of His other signs represent the idea of new creation in alignment with OT promises from the prophets. The Messiah is a royal yet humble king who will suffer for the sake of His people. Ironically enough, the Jews failed to recognize Him as such when He initially came and, ultimately, dismissed Him. They believed His suffering disqualified Him from being the Messiah when in all reality, the suffering is what exalted Him as the Lord of Lords.
Both the Gospel of John and John 1 hold fast to the idea that believing in Christ as the Son of God is essential for receiving the assurance of eternal life. John affirms six different times that the Father sent the Son and there demonstrates His deity and uniqueness as God’s son. Trusting in Christ assures us of eternal life, because trust in the very name of Jesus is trusting in the character of God.
“Son of Man” is used 13 times in the Gospel of John. This title is linked with ascending, descending, being lifted up, being glorified, and the granting of life.” Jesus is our link between heaven and earth. Those who do not believe will quickly realize that the Son of Man will also be their judge.
Jesus as the Truth – “John tells us that the word in the OT point to the Word.” The Word is the agent of creation and is personified as the agent of deliverance. Jesus’s divinity bookends John’s Gospel. 1 John refers to the “word” as both the gospel message as well as its messenger, Jesus,
“Yahweh is the incompatible God; no one like him exists. For Jesus to appropriate ‘I am’ statements and apply them to himself, therefore, is nothing short of astonishing. He is clearly identifying himself as God, indicating that the identity of the one God has a fuller dimension than was clear from the OT.” Jesus is the true feast. Those who feast on Christ will receive eternal life. He is also the light of the world who will fulfill the promised blessings. Jesus makes numerous “I Am” statements and even includes one that states “I am” before Abraham. This emphasizes His eternal deity. Jesus is the true Shepherd who puts the needs of His flock above His own needs. Jesus is the True Israel, because He was truly the obedient son of God. Israel is no longer made up of an ethnic people group, but a select few who chose to believe and trust in Jesus as the Messiah.
Jesus describes Himself as the true temple. He declares that if the people destroyed the temple, He would restore it in three days. Obviously, they did not understand this at the time, but we can see the fuller picture of the cross. Worship in the Jewish temple is now irrelevant, for Jesus is the true temple. Jesus is also the true rest and Sabbath. He makes people whole and Sabbath rest is fulfilled in and by Him. Ultimately, Jesus is the true revelation of God to us.
Jesus as the Way – Jesus is the way to God. Salvation and belief in Him are gifted to us by God’s grace. Jesus’s death is likened to a Passover sacrifice. His death liberates us from our sins and protects us from judgment. True freedom comes when we are free from our sins and rooted in Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf. “The cross is the pathway to the crown.” We can only fully know Jesus when He is on the cross, resurrected, and risen to God’s right hand. The cross is portrayed as God’s glorification moment when He perfectly displays His love for us. Only in going to the cross and returning to God was He able to send His Spirit and ultimately save our souls. God was in the details of Jesus’s death. His perfectly planned death was a propitiation or taking away of our punishment that we so truly deserve.
The Spirit is the Spirit of truth and ultimately plays the role of witness. Just as Jesus was witness to the father, the Spirit will be the witness and bring conviction regarding sin, righteousness, and ultimate judgment. God the Father gave the Spirit though the Spirit was sent by the Son. Today, believers are anointed by the work of the Spirit and learn from Him the truths of Jesus Christ. True worship is given to us when the Spirit calls attention and directs us to Jesus. We cannot produce eternal life on our own, but only by the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. The water of the Spirit grants salvation, renews our spirit to be whole, and ultimately quenches the thirst of the lost. Today, the Spirit grants life, assurance, and conviction just like He did with the disciples while also glorifying and calling attention to Christ. He is an advocate for Jesus who teaches and convicts humans about God’s truth.
The verb believe is found 89 times in John and 9 times in 1 John. Eternal life is not found by work or earnings but by trusting in Jesus. There are many words that relate to faith in Christ and obedience of His commands including: receiving, welcoming, keeping, following, abiding or remaining, hearing, loving, coming, entering, going, and beholding. The vitality of faith is confirmed in 1 John with emphasis on assurance in faith for those who persevere.
Finally, we see John emphasize the theology of the divine gift. Being adopted by God comes first, then righteousness, freedom, love, and belief are magnified as a result. Our obedience is also a gift and not something that we earn. “In other words, the desire to believe is granted by God, and if that desire is not fanned into existence by God, it will never appear.”
Conclusion/Interlude – In summary, in order to have eternal life and salvation, you must believe that Jesus is the King and Son of God. Those who believe in Jesus will live in accordance with His commands and will so do in the kingdom enjoying life. John believe the age to come has arrived but is not yet complete. Jesus is the Word of God and as the Word is fully divine. All who have seen Jesus have, therefore, seen the Father. Christology is a central focus of John, for the people of God are not emphasized. Jesus is the true Israel, and those who belong to Jesus Christ belong to the new Israel.
Themes: Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the promised royal king. Jesus is the true revelation of God to us and the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The Spirit is the witness of God’s truth, eternal life, and assurance of salvation.