John 1:3-5 Unveiling The Life Giver

28.09.08 John 1:3-5 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John-1:3-5

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Unveiling The Life Giver

Recently the CBC opened up to Canadians the opportunity to nominate their picks for ‘The Seven Wonders of Canada.’ The result was that there were 25,000 nominations for a variety of things and places like - the Northern Lights, Cabot Trail, The Montreal bagel - just to name a few). The voting began on these nominations and there were over 1 million votes cast.

Here are the winners that the judges picked:
The canoe, the igloo, Niagara Falls, Old Quebec City, Pier 21 Halifax, Prairie skies, and the Rockies.

It is interesting to note that out of the 7 - there are 4 of the finalist that are made by man - and the rest a part of creation. Of the things that are made - they needed to come into existence by using materials already in existence, but not one of these persons in making something like the igloo - can create.

And that is how it is primarily in our world - that people can only take existing things - and then reformat them into new combinations; this is all they can do. Only God alone can create - something as spectacular as Niagara Falls.

And today as we continue in the Gospel according to the Apostle John - we will discover that God created all things through Jesus Christ, and He does so out of nothing. We will see that the Apostle John unveils to you - "The Life Giver." There is a popular saying - ‘I have good news and bad news….which one do want first.’ Today I going to give you the bad news first - we are all born sinners and are condemned to God’s wrath - because He is a Holy and just God - and hates sin.

Now here is the "good news" - that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day - in order to save us from the penalty of our sins. Without the "good news" that salvation from sin is through the Son of God, Jesus Christ… we would utterly be eternally lost and condemned.

Only the Life giver Jesus Christ offers to give you life, eternal life - so that you may respond with a life saving decision to accept Him as your God and Saviour. Through our sermon series on John - we will benefit from the spiritual lessons of this Gospel - which will draw us closer to Christ in Worship. It will also play a unique role in our defense and proclamation of our faith, against secular and cultic influences. Last week, we began by Unveiling The Saviour - Jesus Christ from the first 2 verses of chapter 1. John is very clear in his Gospel that Jesus is no ordinary man. Jesus Christ is the WORD/Logos.

As the Word - Jesus is ETERNAL - he has no beginning or end. Christ has an active, critical, fundamental, and indivisible relationship with God, because the Word is GOD! Jesus Christ is God and was not created. Jesus Christ eternally existed and was in the beginning with God.
Therefore John clearly reveals the Deity of Christ which is an essential foundation to Christianity. Those who oppose Christ inevitably will attack this doctrinal truth. By doing so it is a foolish attempt to destroy the core of our faith; which is foolish because it is absolutely impossible to do - as evidenced by history and Scripture. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to, accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners, to provide salvation to an utterly depraved and lost humanity which is under God’s judgement.

John brings to the forefront of the gospel the importance of understanding who Jesus is. To correctly understand who Jesus is, is important - since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving an utterly depraved and lost humanity. But, because Jesus is God Himself - possessing the nature of sinless perfection - Jesus’ death has paramount value. Does not the Bible declare - "He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21)
Therefore - the good news is that Jesus’ death is supremely effective to deal with the reality of our sinfulness. The affirmation that Christ is God is more than making the claim that He is "God-like" - Jesus Christ is God coming down to us, veiled in human flesh - it is God with us in a most meaningful way.

The Gospel of John starts off hard-hitting as we discovered last Sunday, and the gospel continues to confront us with its truths. Today we will discover that The Word, Jesus Christ - is "The Life Giver" offering eternal life to those who believe - having given us, the opportunity to make a life saving decision to believe upon Him, for salvation from the heavy and damning weight our sins.

John 1:1-5 -
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

Today’s sermon verses:
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Jesus Christ is the granter of eternal life, He is "The Life Giver." He is "The Life Giver," because of 3 essential and unchangeable realities:

1. Jesus Christ is used by God in creation (the agent of Creation) (v3)
2. Because Jesus Christ is God, He is the only Source of Life (v.4)
3. Jesus Christ is the real Light of the World (v.5)

What will you do with these facts as they are revealed? How will you respond to the truth presented by John today - as a person with Jesus as Lord and Saviour - and even those who are Christians?

JESUS CHRIST has the right to be "THE LIFE GIVER" because

1. Jesus Christ is the Agent of Creation - v. 3

Please look again at verse 3 - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Beginning in verse 3 is a transition from the relationship between the Word and the Father found in vv.1-2; it now transitions, in verse 3, to the Word’s relationship to - and involvement in creation. What is being presented by John is that God is the Creator. And Jesus Christ as the Word of God - is the agent of creation. What this means is that anything that is created out of nothing is brought into existence through Jesus Christ. In creation both God the Father, and Jesus Christ the Son are working in unison as the Trinity. Therefore through Jesus Christ all things came into being - not one single thing was made apart from Christ - which is the literal meaning of the word nothing. The implications of John’s inspired statement is that even the smallest physical matter is created by Christ. It also expresses that Jesus Christ was not a created being as some cults believe.

If you follow the news and science news in particular - you may have recalled a recent story of the launch of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator complex in the world. It is buried 50-175m beneath the Fronco-Swiss border near Geneva Switzerland. It is contained in a circular tunnel 27km long. It’s construction was approved in 1995 - and it has taken about 13 years to complete at a unknown final cost - with estimates of upwards to 6.4 billion euros. On Sept. 10 - earlier this month the switch was turned on this massive machine - and they celebrated it as ‘Big Bang Day.’ It’s purpose is to investigate the smallest known particles - the fundamental building blocks of all things. They hope to re-create that conditions just after the ‘Big Bang’ - to figure out how the world was created. After all these years of hype and billions of dollars spent - ironically - a few days later the machine was shut down - in other words the LHC broke. It is slated for re-opening in the spring next year.

According to what we have here in the Gospel of John - "researchers will not have a much clearer idea as to how the fundamental events of Genesis occurred. I would say they will have a much more convoluted idea of how these fundamental events occurred - and pass it on as truth."
We didn’t come into existence by some BIB BANG as these scientist hope and theorize. Nor did we come into existence by the never to be proven theories of evolution - we came into existence because God created all things through the agent of creation - Jesus Christ - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Jesus Christ made us, and all atoms, matter, anti-matter - and whatever new particles that scientist will discover with the LHC.

Here are some parallel Bible passages which affirm this powerful truth:

Ps 33:6 - By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

Col. 1:16 - For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Heb. 1:2-3 - in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.

By the testimony of Scripture we see that everything is created through Jesus Christ. If you will carefully notice - verse 3 is stated in the positive and the negative as the priority of Christ over creation is taught. There are implications for each one of us here this today… since Christ has priority over creation, and we are part of His creation - He has authority over us. Without JC we would not exist. Therefore - we see once again the assertion that Jesus Christ is Deity/God - for He is the source of everything coming - into being. The ultimate fact is that this world and everything in it is made not by some force, or an unknown power, but it is made by a Person, the Almighty God and through His Son Jesus Christ all things came into being - Jesus Christ is used by God in creation (JC is the agent of Creation).

This has immense implications for us. Since we are His creation, we didn’t come into existence by evolution - that we are a higher form of animal here to do good. I have had people tell me that is what they believe - that people think we are some kind of glorified monkeys. It is hard to understand how people could ever believe such a ridiculous thing. Yet this kind of false teaching is rampant in our society. By implication the Apostle John is saying in our text - that expressly and categorically - that we are not animals from evolution, but that we are created. As His creation, we are made in His image - Gen. 1:26-27: Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

"Jesus Christ is the Agent of Creation," and He created us in His image, not by means of the BIG BANG, and not by evolution - so we should realize that there is some significant purpose for our lives if we are found in Christ.

Not only is JC the "The Life Giver" because He is the agent of creation -

2. Jesus Christ is the Source of Life (v.4)

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

The words ‘life’ and ‘light’ - are repeatedly used in the Gospel of John. ‘Light’ is used in the Gospel to describe physical life and spiritual life. The word ‘life’ - is used over 3 dozen times in this Gospel; just over one quarter of all references to ‘life’ in the NT are found in John’s Gospel.
"John’s Gospel constantly associates life with the Word of God, Jesus Christ….. you might want to WRITE DOWN the following REF’s - read them later on your own:

• JC died so that people might have everlasting life (3:16).
• Only those who come to Him have life (5:40).
• JC gave his flesh for the life of the world (6:51)
• JC came that people might have life and have it more abundantly (10:10).
• When JC gives life people perish no more (10:28).
• JC said that He has power to lay down his life and to take it again (10:18), and He did just that.
• As the Lord of life - He raised Lazarus from the dead (ch. 11).
• Twice JC said that He is ‘the life’ (11:25; 14:6).

The basic source of all life - from the smallest to the greatest - is the Father, who ‘has life in Himself’- as revealed later in (5:26). But in this same reference - the Father ‘granted the Son to have life in Himself’ (5:26), and it is this last point to which our attention is directed right now.
The life of Christ is the light of men because it is a glorious revelation. JC shares the self existent life that belongs to the Creator as distinct from the creature - JC the Word could be termed "infinite." Or as we learned last Sunday from verses 1-2 that He is eternally pre-existent - because He has no beginning and no end and is beyond time and not constrained by time.
We as people, can be defined as being "finite" because we all will physically die, and possibly at any given moment.

Because JC eternally pre-exists - it is true, that only JC can impart life to you. Because all things exist in Him... because JC is the cause and source of all life... because He is the imparter and sustainer of your life, my life…and because JC is the life giver and the preserver of your life. In JC was life, and because HE is the SOURCE of life - continuing in v.4 - He is, the light of men. One person once stated that - "JC is an efficacious power like the sun, bestower of grace and faith; perfecter of our future glory."

What this conveys to us is that genuine Christ centered - spiritual change - floods in when we turn our lives over to Him, like the earth’s dark surface being lightened and illuminated by each morning’s rising sun. OR like when even the tiniest of candles is lit, it can fill a room full of darkness with its light.

In JC there is a special relationship to mankind, because we are the pinnacle of His creation, and because of this JC desires that many come to Him as our light. JC is our light, and He is not only interested in our knowledge of Him, in some general fashion, or as some inconsequential truth. But more specifically He desires that we know Him personally, deeply - intimately - through His salvation offered - through His death and resurrection. Jesus said Himself in John 17:3 - Now this is eternal life : that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

JC is the conveyor of life - and the light bearer - as He is our only hope of entering God’s righteous purposes.

We live in a generation that is rationalistic, answers to life are searched for in closed systems of science or logic - as evidenced by the building of the Large Hadron Collider. But John searches outside these boxes and goes to the ultimate reality and meaning in life found only in "The Life Giver." So here in verse 4, what we have is a picture of hope and ultimate victory in JC the Word. JC is the light of the World, and John in no uncertain terms expresses that JC is the SOURCE of life. The profound realization that we all should have as we understand this verse is this - What you decide about Jesus is absolutely crucial. What response are you going to make knowing that JC is "The Life Giver?" Does not the Bible declare - Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Through Him all things were CREATED, and JC is "The Life Giver" because He is the only SOURCE of LIFE and….JC comes into our world - God veiled in human flesh, because…

3. Jesus Christ is The Light of the World (v.5)

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

In the same way that John links life with Christ, so he links light with Him also.

• Christ is ‘the light of the world’ (8:12; 9:5).
• He has ‘come into the world as a light’ (12:46).
• Anyone who follows him "will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (8:12).
• People can be urged to believe in the light (12:36), for "JC is the Light of the World."
• And just as "The Life Giver," gave life to the dead (Lazarus - ch.11), so JC who is the light of the world gave sight to the man born blind (ch. 9).

Did you realize that the first recorded words of God in the Bible - are ‘Let there be light’ (Gen. 1:3), and in this chapter - what we have being unveiled is the knowledge that the Word is the source of light. Jesus Christ - the Word - look back at verses 1 and 2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. Therefore it is the Word - who shines His light and takes away the spiritual darkness - for only JC can remove the darkness of evil and sin.

The tense of the word "shines" in Greek of verse 5 is in the Greek present tense. So what that tells us as we interpret this verse is that the light - is continually in action. Therefore this phrase clearly expresses that the light of men, who is eternally Jesus Christ - never ceases to shine. Without the continual light of Jesus Christ, our world would still be totally engulfed in condemning spiritual darkness.

If we look down at verse 5 of the NASB, the word "comprehend" (NIV - understood) is better translated as "overcome." Therefore we have - this translation - The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it . "Overcome" is a better translation because it reflects the very forceful Greek word used here (katelaben). A word which has the meaning in the NT of a designated attack of evil powers (cf Mk 9:18). It is like the evil that is referred to in 2 Peter 2:17 - These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.

So it is - that this attack of evil would be upon the "light" - Jesus Christ…But even the invading darkness of sin could not - can not - and will never overcome the light. And that is the ‘good news.’

I think most of you have either watched a solar eclipse on TV or have even witnessed one live - the last one visible in Canada was Aug 1. Just in case you haven’t seen one - apparently the next total eclipse visible in Canada is scheduled for April 8, 2024. Here are some - Eclipse Facts:
The longest duration for a total solar eclipse is 7.5 minutes. There are at least two solar eclipses per year somewhere on Earth. Local temperatures often drop 20 degrees or more near totality.
Eclipse shadows travel at 1,100 miles per hour at the equator and up to 5,000 miles per hour near the poles. The width of the path caused at total darkness reaches a maximum of 167 miles wide.

By way of our illustration - Like the unstoppable bursts of light that shine forth behind the moon in a total eclipse - the darkness of sin and unbelief is cast out and "overcome," through the powerful illumination of JC the light.

Light and darkness are opposites, but not in terms of power, and the following Bible reading, is a preview of the triumph of light over darkness:

• 1 John 2:8-11 - On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment
  to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is
  passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 The one who
  says he is in the light and [yet] hates his brother is in the darkness
  until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the light and
  there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his
  brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not
  know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

This truth makes a huge difference in our outlook on life. If the Light triumphs - and He does - this reality will gives us a pure sense of victory, over sin if we are found in Christ’s salvation. Because darkness cannot overcome the light - and we as children of light will be successful in our earthly struggles. Sin cannot ever overpower the righteousness of Christ - nor those who believe in Him.

"The Life Giver" is the Word of God - Jesus Christ, who made all things and is supremely worthy to be trusted with our character and lives. Martin Luther - "If Christ is not true and natural God, born of the Father in eternity and Creator of all creatures, we are doomed ….we must have a Savior who is true God and Lord over sin, death, devil, and hell. If we permit the devil to topple this stronghold for us, so that we disbelieve [JC’s Deity], then His suffering, death, and resurrection profit us nothing."

Jesus Christ is the granter of eternal life, He is "The Life Giver." He is "The Life Giver," because: Jesus Christ has created you; Jesus Christ is the one who sustains you; Jesus Christ is your only hope of Light in this world. "Consider the infinite majesty of the Word who is Jesus Christ. We admire and worship the Word, who gave us true religion and revealed a God of greater goodness than the world had ever known, because the key-note of his life was sacrifice and its crown the cross" - Bib illus. p. 12 (C.Short, modified).

We live in a world of fashionable truths, but John presents the only truth. I will leave you with some Bible verses from Matthew 11:25-30:

25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from [the] wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 "Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal [Him]. 28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Is your faith placed solely in "The Life Giver" - Jesus Christ - or is your significance misplaced ?

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Exegetical Notes:
The book of John is known as a "Gospel" - The Greek term for "gospel" originally had pictured a messenger receiving a reward for delivering some type of good news, for example - the good news of victory in a battle which is delivered to a king. The word is euaggelion in the Greek, is formed by adding a prefix meaning "good" (eu) to the word messenger (angelos). Therefore the combined meaning developed out of this is the common term to express the "good news."

Today and even in the early church, Christians used "gospel" to refer to the good news of Christ’s salvation for man. In essence the Gospels are the account of the "good news" of the saving nature of Christ’s work demonstrated through His life, death, and resurrection - that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

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That Jesus Christ created everything (cf. Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2) offers two further proofs of His deity. First, the Creator of all things must Himself be uncreated, and only the eternal God is uncreated. The Greek text emphasizes the distinction between the uncreated Word and His creation, since a different verb is used here than the one used in verses 1 and 2. As noted in the previous point, John used a form of the verb eimi ('to be'), which denotes a state of being, to describe the Word in verses 1 and 2; here, speaking of the creation of the universe, he used form of the verb ginomai (came into being). That Jesus is the Creator also verifies His deity, because God is portrayed throughout the Bible as the Creator (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 102:25; Isa. 40:28; 42:5; 45:18; Mark 13:19; Rom. 1:25; Eph. 3:9; Rev. 4:11). ~ John MacArthur

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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John 1:1-2 Unveiling The Saviour

21.09.08 John 1:1-2 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 1:1-2

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Unveiling The Saviour

Today I am going to UNVEIL to you something that we as Christians depend upon. It infiltrates everything that we think, do, and are. Our very being - who we are - absolutely depends on this. Today we are going to UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR - so that you will know, with certainty that the SAVIOR is Jesus Christ, and that Jesus is God - and Jesus is man - according to the Holy Bible. Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God - and we will unfold this reality in the weeks ahead as we launch into the Gospel of John.

John in his Gospel reveals to us in clear - certain terms the truth about Jesus. He does this so that you may make a decision to accept Him as God or reject Him as God.

The overall reason that we have been given the Gospel of John, by God - is to establish that Jesus Christ is "The Son of God." And it is this very purpose that God has given us this gift of the Gospel of John - for if you turn to John 20:31 - this is the key verse of the Gospel is John - 20:31 - "these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."

The overall nature of the Gospel of John, brings all who are confronted with its treasure, to make a personal decision about Jesus Christ. For those who are unbelievers will need to seriously consider the SAVIOUR. For the born again Christian - it will challenge you to go deeper in your submission and obedience to Christ the SAVIOUR. Because the truth contained in this book is definitive - it is concrete - it is black or white.

Allow me to read to you today’s sermon verses - 4 powerful statements….

John 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

The Apostle John hits hard as he begins the first round of his Gospel with one of the unparalleled statements in the New Testament . There are 2 other statements concerning Jesus that we need to keep in context Col. 1:15-20 and Heb. 1:1-13. John’s first inspired words, authoritatively exalt the person of Jesus Christ. And how we know this is about Jesus Christ is not given until later in section (v.14,17).

These opening verses of the Gospel of John set the focus for the rest of the book. Instead of starting with a genealogy of Christ’s lineage, or even a record of His birth and early years, John takes us to a point before creation - to eternity past.

John writes "In the beginning was the Word…" which launches what is known as the prologue, or in other words the introduction, of John’s gospel. The prologue of the Gospel of John is found in chapter 1, verses 1 to 18. The prologue reveals clearly the proper identity of Jesus Christ.

One Chistian writer (NAC, Borchert) states:
"This Prologue is one of the most complex theological statements in the Bible….Study takes time, but those who ponder these magnificent words will learn that God will reward His children who diligently and prayerfully seek understanding. The reader is welcomed to an intellectual, spiritual, and life-challenging pilgrimage with an evangelist who continues to call us to new dimensions of believing."

What John clearly does for us in these first 2 verses - he unveils the Saviour. He communicates a truth so deep that no one in human history could fully describe how - the eternal and infinite God emptied Himself and became the likeness of men in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:7) - and being so - is identified in these 2 verses as the WORD.

Today we will discover this truth through four realities of the Word:

1. The Word is Eternal (has no beginning or end) (v. 1a)
2. The Word Enjoys Eternal Fellowship With God (v. 1b)
3. The Word is God (v. 1c)
4. The Word is with God (v. 2)


1.The Word Is Eternal (v. 1a)

In verse one, we find that it is composed of three fundamental affirmations of our faith.
The first affirmation is "In the beginning was the Word." This establishes the association of the Word with the beginning. For those who are familiar with the Bible it should draw our attention to WHAT PASSAGE? Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God…" Yet John does not link the beginning to God as in Genesis. But John instead links the beginning to the Word. The proper name "Word" in Greek is perhaps known to you, which is "Logos."

Why does John use the designation "the Word?" What does it signify? For both Jew and Greek it was understood to express a person’s reasoning or thought. For the Jew - it brought to mind God’s creation of the universe through His Word:

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light (Gen.1:3)

Further it was the Word which guided the prophets
Thus says the Lord - Amos 1:3…

The Word delivered His people:
He sent His word and healed them - Ps. 107:20..

And it was through the Word that God accomplished His will:
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not
return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And
without succeeding [in the matter] for which I sent it (Is. 55:11)

To the Jew, God’s Word was active and powerful. The name of God was considered too holy to say or to read out aloud, so Jews would substitute God’s name, with the phrase "the Word of God."

To the Greek , it would draw their minds to the starting point in time - the original beginning. They would philosophically think about the Word as the eternal, impersonal Reason that guided and permeated the universe. So both Jew, Greek, and even Gentile had an understanding, - though perhaps an improper understanding - of what John was driving at in His opening phrase - "In the beginning was the Word."

Therefore what John is stating is that God and the Word were together, already present at the beginning - they are both eternal - or a better description is that the Word is CO-ETERNAL with God. By using the description CO-ETERNAL, we mean that both the Word and God are in the realm in which there is no beginning or ending of existence; they are beyond time and not constrained by time. The Word, eternally exists, and is not limited by time. Being eternal - the Word is uncreated - and being uncreated - we understand that the Word is Deity.

John concisely forces our attention to the fact that we really need to consider who Jesus Christ the Word - is. And you must examine critically the impact of this truth upon the destination of your life. Acceptance leads to eternal life and rejection leads to eternal condemnation. As I have said before - The Christian faith is not a blind faith, but it is an informed faith.

John strongly brings to bear that the Word was pre-existent before anything that was created. John intentionally uses a Greek verb (h\n) - translated in the English Bible with - "was," which expresses the eternal pre-existence of the Word. ‘Was’ - in this verse is in the Greek imperfect tense - which gives us the knowledge of a continuing action in the past - which tells us that the Word - was eternally pre-existent - continuously present before the heavens and the earth were created.

If John meant to express that the Word was made or created by God - then he would have used another specific verb (ejgevneto), which would be translated - "was made / came into being" - as found in verse 3. Therefore John brings our thoughts back to a point prior to the beginning when finite time began - a point before human history began. The Word predates time and creation. Literally translated the opening phrase - "In the beginning was the Word," could be translated - "When the beginning began, the Word was already there."

If the Word is eternal and God is eternal, and we are created in God’s image, it must mean what? It means that we are eternal beings also. Though we may die physical deaths, our immaterial soul lives on, it never ceases to be. There are only 2 places our souls will remain at the end of our physical life…one is heaven and the other is hell.

Do you know for certain the final destination of your soul?

John in the first segment, of the very first verse of the Gospel John declares that ‘The Word Has No Beginning Or End,’…not only is the Word Eternal but he gets deeper and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit tells us that:

2. The Word Enjoys Eternal Fellowship With God (v. 1b)

The second affirmation is "the Word was with God"- speaking about the Word’s active relationship toward God. The English "the Word was with God" - doesn’t begin to express the fullness of meaning of the Greek. On the surface it seems that John is simply stating that Jesus existed with God. Rather the Greek has the deeper expression of picturing 2 personal beings - face to face - active in deep, intimate fellowship. So we unveil that Jesus has always been with God - that there has always existed 2 Persons from eternity past - active in deep, intimate fellowship. And this underscores the reality that there exists a Trinity.

This phrase emphasizes that there is a relational difference between God and the Word. This does not suggest that there is a difference between the essence of God and the Word. The Word shares the same essence with God and is not any less than God. Essence is the core of what makes the Word what He is, without being something else apart from God. The Father and Son are equal in all their attributes and Deity, yet they have a relationship different in function.
This verse in the Gospel of John is one place in the Bible we start to get the picture of the Trinitarian nature of God….
God being the first person of the Trinity,
The Word being the second person of the Trinity,
and the Holy Spirit being the third person of the Trinity.

The emphasis in the language of John is - the relational difference between the Word and God. The relationship difference is that the Word is "God the Son," and God is "God the Father."
Being One, how can we define the relational differences of the members of the Trinity? In the context of our verse we will only look at the relational aspects of the Word and God (it should be understood that the Holy Spirit is actively involved also). The relationship is the different functions of each member of the Trinity as it relates to creation, the world, and redemption. With our limited time we will focus briefly upon creation and redemption.

With creation, it was God who spoke the words that brought the world into existence - Genesis 1:3 for example - Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. But it was God the Son - the eternal Word of God, who brought to completion God’s creative decrees. This can be seen in verse 3 of John chapter 1 - All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

In the work of redemption, it was God the Father who planned redemption and to accomplish that, God sent The Son. This is testified to in the Bible, as seen in John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Here we see that God the Father did not come and die for our sins, but it was the God the Son who obeyed the Father - and accomplished redemption for sin, for those who believe upon the cross.

From these verses we can see that the role of the Father was in the planning and direction of His will, and it is the Son whom carries it out. This reality is pictured, even though imperfectly - in a human model of a father and a son.

My father, who now has passed away, was the head of our family before I got married. My father had direct authority over me as his son. Whenever he asked me to do something - like cut the grass, and because of my relationship to him, I would obey and respond to my father’s directions (most of the time anyway - yes I still sin - this is where this illustration breaks down).

The relationship that exists between the Word toward God, has practical implications for each one of us. For all of us sitting here, we just have looked at the fact that Jesus Christ - the Word is the agent of creation of each one of us. By reason of this fact then He has authority over you, for you are created in His image. But because of your sin, this relationship is broken - so God sent His Son to redeem you and give you eternal life in Christ.

If you do not know what it means to have Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour then you must consider this: How does Jesus Christ want you to respond to His offer of forgiveness from your sins?

For those who have been saved from the guilt and penalty of your sins -having received eternal life with God, through Jesus Christ, we must consider this: How does Jesus Christ want you to respond to His authority over you? Are there any areas of your life which are not fully submitted to Christ? How can you improve your relationship toward God?

As important it is to know that "The Word has no Beginning or End - eternally exisiting" and "The Word enjoys eternal deep, face to face, intimate fellowship with God…John now reveals that "The Word is God."

3. The Word is God (v. 1c)

The third affirmation is "the Word was God" - which is likely the most explicit declaration of the unity between the Word and God. John is telling the reader that the Word is of the same Divine essence with God. Another way we express this is that - Jesus, the Word - is God. Jesus states this clearly later in John 10:30 - where He says of Himself - I and the Father are one (also cf. 14:9).

We have already discussed in point number 1, that "The Word Has No Beginning or End." This means that both the Word and God are equally in the realm in which there is no beginning or ending of existence; they are beyond time and not constrained by time.

We know this of God:
God has the attribute of Omnipresence - that is that He is present
everywhere;
God is Omniscient - He is all knowing;
God is Omnipotent - He is all powerful;
God is Immutable - His attributes and character do not change.

So what John is stating then, is that the Word is CO-EQUAL to God, therefore the Word is also all present everywhere, all knowing, all powerful, and unchanging. "The Word was God," is testified to in the Bible through many passages. We will look at just a few of these parallel passages which support the truth that "the Word was God."

In the Bible, the Word, attributes to Himself a name that belongs to God:
Exod 3: 14 - God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.' " The name "I AM" is a declaration of eternal self pre-existence. Compare this with - John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."

Works that belong to God are demonstrated and accomplished also by the Word, such as the forgiving of sin:
Exod. 34:6-7 - Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave [the guilty] unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Compare this with - Mk. 2:5 - And Jesus seeing their faith ^said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

The attributes of God are also attributed to the Word. Both God and the Word are Omniscient (all knowing):
John says of Jesus in chapter 2:24-25 - But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. And the disciples recognized this when they declared in John 16:30: "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."

The act of worship is to be offered to the Word in the same manner as to God Himself. The OT states that worship is only to be offered to God:
Deut 6:13 - "You shall fear [only] the Lord your God ; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name." Compare this with - the NT teaching that Jesus Christ is to be worshipped - Rev. 5:13-14 - And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, [be] blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped. In short, the Word is God the Son, who is Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior.

How does this revealed truth, that "The Word Is God," affect your view of the importance of who Jesus is? Does the knowledge that Jesus Christ is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, and unchangeable affect the way that you conduct your daily life? How will your attitudes be transformed? How will the way you do things be changed? How will your evangelism be impacted? Knowing that only Jesus Christ can forgive sins, how will you deal with the penalty for your sin? These are just a few of the implications as we UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR and learn of the truth about Jesus.

John wants you to make sure you did not miss his point…. So he backtracks and we are told…

4. The Word is with God (v. 2)

In verse 2 - John restates his basic thesis - "He was in the beginning with God" - and he does this for you the reader, so that you do not miss the importance of what has just been stated.
The Word is the One who was with God in the beginning. John’s statement serves to place emphasis on the focus and affirmations of verse one, namely, that from the very beginning the Word was God. There is no way to escape John’s confrontational truth, given to us. It is clear that the Word of God - Jesus Christ, is not a mere man. And due to the nature and character of the Word, John calls each of you here to see your need to be reconciled with God - in a right relationship with your Creator through Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION
John is very clear in his Gospel that Jesus is that He is no ordinary man. Jesus Christ is the WORD. As the Word - Jesus is ETERNAL - He has no beginning or end. The Word has a fundamental in-divisible nature with God, because the Word is GOD! Jesus Christ is God and was not created. Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God. To believe that Jesus Christ is not God, or is "God-like," or is in some fashion a super-natural powerful created being, or anything in a like manner - is heresy - it is blasphemy.

A famous Christian writer and teacher - BB Warfield wrote, "The Word is declared, in the most express manner possible, to be all that God is, to possess the whole fullness of attributes which make God God."

Any attack on the Deity of Christ is an attack on the core of our faith. Understanding who Jesus is, is also important since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving us from the penalty of our sin. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners to provide salvation for those who believe.

And, because Jesus is God, Jesus’ death has supreme value since it would be completely effective to deal with the reality of man’s sinfulness.

One theologian puts it this way, "Christ is undiminished deity" (Enns p.224). And as such He alone is able to save us from our sins - for He alone is perfect - as the Scripture declares - He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). In these 2 short verses - John begins to UNVEIL THE SAVIOUR. How will you respond to Him today?

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Going Deeper - added notes and insights

The first two short verses of John 1 contain very important information. How can we as believers use this in the defense of our faith? Has this ever happened to you?

KNOCK KNOCK – How are you today? We are in your
neighborhood and we are asking your neighbours "Do you think we can find peace on earth?"

The 2 people wait for your response…they respond and elaborate on the question asked…all the while not identifying themselves….eventually they hand you a magazine "Watchtower"…and offer to come back to answer any questions.

These people are from the cult - The Jehovah Witnesses. The Jehovah Witnesses have their own interpretation of verse 1 of John, in their version of the Bible - The New World Translation. In the last phrase of John 1:1, instead of translating the verse as "and the Word was God" - the JW’s translation states - "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god [emphasis mine]."

The JW’s claim that the Word was not God, but only "a god" - that the Word - is a heavenly being which is not Deity, not the One True God. They believe that Jesus Christ the Word, is a created being - the angel Michael.

If you look down in your Bibles at the last 5 words at the end of the sentence in John 1:1 - "and the Word was God" - you will see that there is the definite article "the" present before "Word." This is translated properly from the Greek. But you will notice there is no definite article, "the" in front of "God" in our widely accepted Christian translations (like NIV, NASB, NKJV, etc.) - just as in the Greek also. Since there is no "the" in front of God, JW’s claim that it is not referring to God Almighty, but only to "a god."

What the JW’s neglect is a recognized Greek grammatical structure referred to as "Colwell’s rule. Simply put, this rule states that the absence of the definite article, only indicates that the subject of the sentence is not "God," but the subject is "Word." John is making it clear here that his intended subject is the "Word." Therefore John reveals the "Truth About Jesus" which is - that The Word is God Himself.

In isolation, there is basis for the JW’s translation, but the context of the surrounding verses, which refer to God Almighty (vv. 2, 6, 12, 13, etc.) make it clear that the person that is being referred to is, God the Almighty Creator. As a side note if the JW’s wanted to be consistent in their translation then in vv. 6, 12, 13, and 18, should also be translated as "a god," since they also do not have a definite article -"the" - before them either in the Greek.

So how do we deal with JW’s when encountered? We first need to have a firm foundation on what the Bible teaches about the truth concerning Jesus Christ. Even armed with proper doctrine, speaking with JW’s is a challenge. Do try to point them to the real Christ - but it will be difficult. They are well versed in select Bible verses and are trained to recite them with high efficiency to defend their error. If approached by JW’s simply be polite with them, and reject any materials they bring by giving them back to them; as not reflective of Biblical Truth.
At this point they may want to discuss what issues you have. But, continue to be polite and then send them off - yet pray for them, that the Lord open their eyes to the true gospel.
God is able to convert the sinner and open their eyes to His truth. With out God’s intervention, JW’s and any unbelievers, continue to "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" and are "futile in their speculations, and their foolish [hearts are] darkened" (Roman 1:18 ff). But, remember this was our state before Christ saved us.
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Theological Tidbits

The ontological argument for the doctrine of God is a priori and deductive. The word "ontological" comes from the Greek word "ontos" which is translated as "being" or "existence." The basis of the argument is not inductive but rather it is philosophical. Enns quotes the reasoning behind the argument as "If man could conceive of a Perfect God who does not exist, then he could conceive of someone greater than God himself which is impossible. Therefore God exists" (p. 185) All men have an awareness of God and therefore the ontological argument builds it position from this fact. The further premise is that God must have placed the innate understanding that there is a God since the concept is universal.

The pre-existence and eternality of Christ is shown in John’s Gospel. The Greek word hen translated as "was" is in the imperfect tense and brings out a continuous force of the past in the phrase "in the beginning." Our attention is drawn to the fact that in Genesis’ opening it draws the reader back to the beginning and everything that starts from that point. But John’s gospel takes the reader’s thoughts back to a point prior to that, to a point when finite time began. Therefore the Word was already in existence before the beginning began and the Word predates time and Creation. The emphasis from John is that the Word is continuously existing.

The deity of Christ is an essential foundation to Christianity, therefore any attack on this doctrine is an attack on the core of our faith. The essence of orthodox teaching and belief is to accept the reality that Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners to provide salvation to a lost humanity. Understanding who Jesus is also important since if one were to believe that He were only a man, then his death would have no significance in terms of saving the world. But, because Jesus is also God, Jesus’ death has supreme value since it would be efficacious to deal with the reality of man’s sinfulness. The affirmation that Christ is God is more than making the claim that He is "God-like." For Christ is fully equal with the Father’s Person and work. Enns puts it this way, "Christ is undiminished deity" (p.224).

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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The Gospel Of John Introduction

Introduction to John and The Gospel

PROPOSITION: Through the following materials we will chart a course to The Gospel of John 1:1, by examining the background information to the book. The following will set a framework for our journey - as we look to the INTRODUCTORY INFO.

If we want to get a proper understanding of the Gospel of John, then it is important to know the 5 W’s - WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, AND WHY of the Gospel. WHO - Authorship; WHAT- gospel; WHERE - place; WHEN - date; WHY - purpose.

We will be spending our time, with the background information which will lead us to a proper interpretation of the Bible. A proper interpretation of the Bible uses the Literal, Historical, Grammatical, approach.

We would read the Bible as being LITERAL - in that we read it in its normal and natural sense - unless there is obvious reason not to do so - We do this as to allow the Bible to speak for itself.
We also read the Bible in light of its HISTORICAL background which helps us properly interpret God’s Word. This helps us understand and interpret God’s Word in its original intent.

And we examine the dictates of the GRAMMAR of its language, so we may grasp the meaning of the text, with a greater degree of accuracy .

So let’s begin to look at the INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION lying behind the Gospel of John. The following will use a different order in the 5 W’s, starting with…

WHAT - The meaning of the word "Gospel"
The Greek term for "gospel" originally had pictured a messenger receiving a reward for delivering some type of good news, for example - the good news of victory in a battle which is delivered to a king. The word in the Greek, is formed by adding a prefix, which has the meaning "good" to the word messenger. So the word gospel pictured a messenger bringing good news. Therefore the word "gospel" became to be known as meaning "good news."

A messenger would be happy to deliver a positive message but often they were also required to carry bad news. Those who carried bad news would frequently be found to "disappear." That is the messenger would not arrive at their destination, choosing not to obey orders. The reason for this was that messengers of bad news would be not be well received, so there was an issue of self preservation. Sometimes the messenger may be ruffed up or they could even be killed, depending on the degree of bad news that they delivered. Some messengers were even forced to arrive at their destination under armed escort. If the messenger did arrive, sometimes the message would be watered down or even changed to preserve their own well being. For this reason messengers were often regarded with a degree of suspicion. Ensuring the truthfulness of a messenger was an important objective for the recipient.

The people of the first century were familiar with the concept of the "herald of good news." In the Old Testament we have an example of this concept in a passage from Isaiah 40:9 -
Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift [it] up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" (NASBu). This passage speaks about the prophet "heralding good news" and proclaiming it to the surrounding cities.

In the New Testament Gospels, all the writers use the term "gospel" except for John. The term is also employed by Paul in various contexts. Jesus used the term when He said - This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come . (Matt. 24:14)

Christians used the term "gospel" to refer to the good news of Christ’s salvation for man. In general the term "gospel" is applied to oral preaching or teaching. With the recording of Scripture, a transition was made from the oral to the written communication of the gospel tradition.

By the end of the first century or early second century A.D., the title of "Gospel according to Matthew," "The Gospel According to John," etc. were given to the first 4 NT books.
In essence the Gospels are the account of the "good news" of the saving nature of Christ’s work demonstrated through His sinless and perfect life, death on a cross to pay for our sins, physical resurrection on the third day, and ascension into heaven as Lord of all.

Now that we know what a Gospel is let us turn our attention to WHO wrote this Gospel…

WHO - Authorship
(The INTERNAL Evidence and EXTERNAL evidence)

Discovering the historical background of the Fourth Gospel begins with the authorship. There are different theories regarding the authorship. But, the authorship may be determined through internal evidence (data supplied by the text of the Gospel itself) and external evidence (information provided from outside the gospel such as the testimony of early believers).

We will examine the INTERNAL evidence first. Evidence which determines the author from the text of the Gospel of John itself. The internal evidence begins with the Gospel’s claim of apostolic eyewitness testimony to Jesus’ ministry. The words of the Gospel of John tell us that this is an eyewitness account. In verse 14 of chapter 1, it states: And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. This verse should perhaps raise a question mark in our heads and prompting us to ask - "Who are the we that have beheld Jesus’ glory?" Who are the we that were present to see Jesus face to face when He was upon this earth?

The answer to this question is given in 2:11 where Jesus performs His first miracle - This beginning of [His] signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. Jesus’ glory was therefore beheld by the disciples of Christ - i.e. His followers, but more specifically His apostles.

An apostle is one who is sent as a messenger, being given specific power, and authority by Christ to advance God’s kingdom. These men also saw Jesus Christ personally and are therefore eyewitnesses to Him.

But then we may ask which one of the apostles wrote this Gospel? The answer is provided at the end of the Gospel in 21:20 - Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following [them]; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"

Following in this context we are told in verse 24 - This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Therefore from these verses we know that the writer of the Gospel is - "the disciple whom Jesus loved."

Now who is this disciple loved by Jesus? The reference to "the disciple whom Jesus loved" is found five times in the Gospel (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). But this "beloved disciple" is never identified in the Gospel except by this title.

With this established fact - and some investigative deduction we may come to a conclusion. One of the approaches to determine the author begins at the close of the Gospel in chapter 21.
This "beloved disciple" is present when Christ appears to seven of His disciples on the Sea of Tiberias (also known as the Sea of Galilee). This takes place after their unsuccessful fishing trip. We know it is not Simon Peter because he turns around and sees the "beloved disciple" following in 21:20.

It also is not - Thomas called Didymus or Nathanael of Cana in Galilee (also known as Bartholomew), since they are identified specifically with their own titles in John 20:2. Therefore we are left with - the [sons] of Zebedee and - two others of His disciples, also found in verse 2 of chapter 21. If you are familiar with the Last Supper (ch 13) and with the following narrative up to ch. 16 that those listed are not the "beloved disciple." The people listed there are - Peter, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, and Judas the son of James. We can make this conclusion because we already know that the author of the Gospel is never personally named. Historically it could not be John’s brother - James the son of Zebedee, because he was the first of the apostles to be martyred by sword through Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2).

So we are then left with 5 possibilities - Matthew, Simon the Zealot, James the son of Alphaeus, Andrew, and John the son of Zebedee. It would not be Matthew because he already has written another Gospel.

It is not Simon the Zealot or James the son of Alphaeus, since these two are obscure figures and no one historically has suggested these two as the author.

Then there is Andrew whose name is identified along with an unnamed disciple in 1:40 - so by the mention of his name on four occasions in the Gospel - Andrew could not be the author.

Finally when all the disciples are accounted for, we are then left with John the son of Zebedee - as the author of this Gospel of John.

There are other internal evidences, which indicate that the Apostle John was the author of this Gospel (you are encouraged to investigate those in your own studies).
Not only does the internal evidence point to John as the writer of the Gospel… so does the
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE as we continue to examine the:

WHO - Authorship - External Evidence
and alongside the WHERE - Place of Composition

The external evidence for this Gospel comes from the early church. Early believers listed this as the fourth Gospel and ascribed its authorship to one of Jesus’ closest disciples, John the son of Zebedee.

The early church leader, Irenaeus, during the latter part of the second century, stated that John, the disciple who leaned upon the Lord’s breast, wrote a Gospel while he resided in Ephesus in Asia (Against Heresies 3.1). He based his statement upon the authority of his mentor, a man named Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John.

The City of Ephesus is located in what we know as modern day Western Turkey. Today, Ephesus is in ruins, and is being dug up by archeologists.

Other second century writers in the Church, such as Theophilus of Antioch (writer of the first orthodox commentary on John) and Tertullian of Carthage also have written that John was the author. Another second century writer, Tatian, included it in his harmony of the Four Gospels, (the Diatessaron). Another leader of the early church, Clement of Alexandria, about the year A.D.220, quoted John’s Gospel at length and from almost every chapter. The fourth century historian Eusebius recorded that the Gospel was written by John who was a companion of Peter and James (Historia Ecclesiastica 3.34.5).

The majority of early church Fathers without hesitation agreed that John wrote this Gospel.
From Irenaeus onward there was almost unanimous agreement in this conclusion.

So who is this John character? And What would compel him to write this account of Christ? The following is a character profile of the Apostle John.

In chapter 1 of John in verse six, there is a mention of a person named John. This person -"John" is not the Apostle John, but is "John the Baptist" (His profile will be outlined in a future expositional posting).

The author of this Gospel therefore is John the son of Zebedee. John was the younger brother of James, who both were apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Together with their father, they were fishermen by trade. They had a thriving business (Mk. 1:20).

Simon Peter was one of their partners in this business (Lk. 5:10). John, before being called by Jesus to follow Him, was a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, John and his brother became Jesus’ first disciples (Matt. 4:21-22). John was known for his personal character of being "hot headed." Because of this, John was given the nickname as a "son of thunder," by Christ (Mk. 3:17). John was quite outspoken and possessed an intensity in the things that he did.

John was also known to be "the disciple whom Jesus loved," for he out of the 12 disciples of Christ, John was among Jesus’ inner circle. The other two in Jesus’ inner circle were John’s brother James, and another disciple named Peter. Because of this honoured position John witnessed Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mk. 5:37). He was also privileged to witness Jesus’ transfiguration (Matt. 17:1), and Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal (Mk. 14:33). John became the first disciple to view the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection, after His crucifixion (Jn. 20:1-10).

Outside the Gospels in the New Testament, John is seldom mentioned - only in Acts is he named 3 times. The Apostle Paul mentioned that John was one of the pillars of the early church (Gal. 2:9).

According to tradition, in his later years he located himself in the city of Ephesus were he had an active writing ministry. He became God’s instrument for the writing of the Gospel of John, the 3 Epistles of John, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ. John was also a primary leader in the churches of Asia Minor. As the last surviving eyewitness of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he was highly respected and sought out. John had intimate, eyewitness knowledge of Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension.

The climate at the end of his life was that there was increasing and severe persecution of the Christian churches, by the Romans. In his final years, as an old man, he was exiled to a small remote island, named Patmos for his faithful preaching of God’s Word (Rev. 1:9). There he left for us the legacy of the inspired Book of Revelation.

Now that we have discovered that the internal and external evidence point to the author as being the Apostle John, and we have a portrait of who John was, and we also know that the Gospel was written in Ephesus …it is helpful to know the:

WHEN - Date of Composition

Both conservative and liberal scholars from ancient times until of late, view this fourth Gospel as being composed at a relatively late date. The placement of the dating ranges from pre A.D.70, before the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, to a date in the mid second century. Those who hold to the early-second century date usually take the liberal viewpoint that John wrote to correct the Synoptics, which is the name given to the first three gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, the proper view is that the Gospel of John, is a supplement to the Synoptic Gospels, and not a correction of them.

Those who hold to a late date view - early to mid 2nd century, have needed to re-evaluate their position after two manuscript fragments were found in the nineteen hundreds. The first fragment discovered was published in 1935 by the British Museum (Egerton Papyrus 2). It consists of citations from the Synoptics and quotes from the Gospel of John (3:2; 5:39, 45; 9:29; 10:25). This fragment is important, because it indicates that by the time that it was written, no later than the mid second century, Johns’ Gospel was of the same authoritative status as the other Gospels.

The second manuscript fragment found is the most important of the two (Roberts Fragment -P52) which contains parts of John 8:31-33, 37-38. The manuscript fragment, is the oldest portion of the New Testament we have to date. This Scripture fragment was found in Egypt and dated (by K. Aland) to the early years of the second century. Therefore these manuscript copies of John, verify that the dating of John’s Gospel must have been written before the early years of the second century (and definitely not into the mid second century as some would like to have us believe).

Another external evidence comes from the written testimony of early church Fathers. They state that John was aware of the other Synoptic Gospels, and that he was still writing into his later years of life. Many scholars date John’s Gospel after the composition of the other Gospels and before 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation.

Another evidence for the date of composition is Jesus’ words to Peter in 21:18 and John’s comment in verse 19: "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to [go]." 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" This reference to Peter’s martyrdom seems to indicate that this had already taken place. Church tradition records that Peter was martyred being crucified upside down, under Nero about A.D.67-68. Therefore the date of the Gospel would be after this period.

Taking into account the overall external and internal evidences for the date of John’s Gospel, it may be concluded that John composed this writing between A.D.80-90. This would be roughly 50 years after he witnessed the earthy ministry of Jesus. This conclusion reflects the traditional stance of conservative evangelical scholars.

The apostle John has been identified as the author by internal and external evidence. John wrote the gospel from Ephesus between A.D. 80-90. But WHY did he write it?

WHY - Purpose (Audience)

The purpose of John is clearly stated in 20:31 - but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

It might be helpful that you underline this verse in your own Bible for reference. This is the purpose statement of the Gospel of John. A quick way to remember the theme of John is - "Jesus as the Son of God."

The intended audience to fulfill the purpose for the Gospel of John, is the early Christian church. John presents teachings and images of Christ that are a companion and supplement to the other Gospel writers.

According to tradition, John was aware of the other Gospels. Yet John did not depend upon them, which is evidenced by his record as being a "spiritual gospel." Liberal scholars would like us to believe that John copied from the other Gospels. But John states clearly that his record of Christ’s life is by eyewitness account. Those details that John may have forgotten were brought to mind by the Holy Spirit - John 14:26 states this: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

The Gospel of John is a unique perspective and record of Christ’s life. The general character of the Gospel is of a universal quality. This characteristic of this inspired record points to the audience being the church at large by proclaiming the universal message of the "good news" of salvation from our sin through Jesus Christ. The Gospel was written for the encouragement and use of believers. But it also has in mind people who did not know Jesus Christ.

In light of the fact that the audience was believers, the Gospel says little about the church itself, for John appears to have little concern for the "here and now," but he looks into the future eternal hope believers have in Christ.

There may be different theories about the historical background of The Gospel of John. But the liberal theories of authorship, date, and background, are an assault upon the veracity of God’s Word. The attempt by Liberal scholars to change history is an attempt to discredit the Truthfulness of Scripture. If history can be questioned and even changed, then the "truth about Jesus" can be distorted. But we affirm that the Gospel was written many centuries ago by the Apostle John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved."

John wrote the gospel at the former city of Ephesus, located in modern day Turkey, between A.D. 80-90. The purpose of the letter was to encourage believers. It also served the purpose of proclaiming the "good news" to unbelieving Jews and Gentiles. The overall theme of John is to establish Jesus Christ as "The Son of God."

We may ask - is it relevant to us today? Indeed it is relevant for our generation, and it is not limited to the original audience. As we go through our series on the prologue of John - we will benefit from the spiritual lessons of this Gospel - which will edify and mature us. It will also play a unique role in our defense and proclamation of our faith.

The Gospel of John, brings all who are confronted with its truths, to make a personal decision about Jesus Christ - whether it be acceptance or rejection. There is no decision about who Christ is that is neutral - The truth regarding Jesus is black or white.

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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