The most creative writer, John, presents the gospel – not in chronological order but by showing us the signs that point to Jesus as the fulfilment of the Messianic promises. John is funny, creative and gives us insight into the lives of the disciples more than any other book. Notice where he refers to himself as the ‘beloved disciple’ as you read this creative and amazing gospel by one who was there when it all happened.
God has created you unique. I love the quote from the movie The Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman, ‘No-one ever made a difference by being like everyone else’. Today you are called to be you, uniquely you. Why am I saying this as I introduce the Book of John? Because that was John, uniquely him!
R.C. Sproul says that there is no other passage in the New testament that so emphatically captured the hearts and minds of the Christian intellectual community for the first three centuries. We can easily see why that is the case.
The Book of John is an incredible composition with a purpose. It is completely different to the other gospels, the miracles and things that Jesus did are not in chronological order but John has placed them in the order of his purpose. Don’t panic, this is not manipulation of the text but a common way of writing in the 1st Century.
Often when you present the gospel to a person, it is met with the response that Jesus was not God but only the Son of God, as if He is somehow lesser than the Father. The Gospel of John presents the truth about Jesus and His deity through carefully chosen miracles and discourses, as opposed to the chronological accounts of the other three gospels.
Throughout the Book of John, we see this contrast between belief and unbelief, between a saving faith and a faith that abandons Jesus when His teaching or demands become too costly or inconvenient. Here I want to uncover the nature of saving faith that will serve as a litmus test for introspection and dispel some common myths around the nature of faith.