John: A Studied Portrait of the Son of God

As part of Jesus' inner circle, the apostle John was the most theological of the gospel writers, and his book contains the strongest evidence for the deity of Jesus Christ.

While the Synoptic Gospels are like three snapshots of Jesus' life, John is more like a studied portrait. In fact, over 90 percent of John's material is unique to his gospel.

Along with Jesus' seven "I am" statements, his gospel has one-of-a-kind parables and miracles, the longest prayer of Jesus, and the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."

John made the purpose of his book clear: "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31).

The name Jesus and the title Christ are found about 170 times in John's gospel, and the word believe is repeated about 100 times. In short, John underscored and emphasized a core tenet of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ is God.

Think It Through

Read John 1:1-18 and Colossians 1:15-17. What do these passages reveal about Jesus' role in creation? In the Trinity?

How does the message of John 3:16 tie into the larger message of John's gospel?

Read John 8:58-59; 10:30-33; 20:28. How can you use these verses to explain who Jesus is and share the gospel with others?

A Word of Encouragement

John wrote his gospel so that you would believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God—God in human flesh. Rather than just communicating to us from outside our world, God stepped into our world.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for John's studied portrait of Jesus, the Son of God who is God the Son. When I think of my own life and testimony, how I came to believe in Jesus and how He has changed me, I thank You for the new life that's found in Christ.

Land and Explore

If you're interested in learning more about Jesus as the Son of God, we want to offer you to download of Pastor Skip's series on John titled Believe:879.