1. Who Wrote the Gospel of John?
A. The author does not identify himself as in the epistles.
B. The author was the disciple who wrote the gospel (21:24) and the disciple whom Jesus loved (21:7), the son of thunder (Mk 3:17), the son of Zebedee, brother of James, one of the inner circle apostles (Mk 5:37-38), one of the pillars of the church (Gal 2:9).
God is able to transform a son of thunder into an apostle of love if we let Him.
2. When Did John write his Gospel?
John wrote the Gospel between 85 and 95 AD from Ephesus after the first three Gospels had already been written. John became known as the Fourth Gospel. He later wrote his three epistles and Revelation.
Ephesus was a privileged church. Paul ministered there. John the Apostle ministered there. Ephesus had a great outreach according to Acts 19:10. Yet evidently, the church at Ephesus lost their first love (Revelation 2:4).
3. Why Did John Write his Gospel?
The key to understanding the Gospel of John is at the book’s backdoor (20:30-31).
1. To convince his readers that Jesus is the Son of God. In John 20:24-29, doubting Thomas demanded evidence and Christ gave him the evidence.
2. To persuade his readers to believe on the Son of God as their Savior (“believe” occurs 98 times in John).
The Gospel of John is the most unique of the four Gospels. Over 90 percent of the Gospel is found only in John. John wrote to supplement the other Gospels and to support his theme of Jesus’ deity so sinners would believe in him.
For example, the other three Gospels emphasize Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, John concentrates on Jesus’ ministry in Judea. John uses no parables.
The following discourses are found only in John:
1) The new birth (3)
2) The water of life (4)
3) The defense of His deity (5)
4) The bread of life (6)
5) The Light of the world (8)
6) The Good Shepherd (10)
7) Christ’s High Priestly Prayer (17)
John alone records Jesus’ seven claims of deity (The Seven “I am” statements)
1) I am the Bread of Life (6:35)
2) I am the Light of the World (8:12)
3) I am the Door (10:7)
4) I am the Good Shepherd (10:11)
5) I am the Resurrection and the life (11:25). Followed by a miracle.
6) I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6)
7) I am the True Vine (15:1). Jesus exclusively is the only way to heaven.
4. How Did John Develop his Theme?
A. The Introduction (1:1-18).
The introduction contains many major themes that are developed in the rest of the gospel: “life” v.4 “light” v.4 “darkness” v.5 “witness” v.7 “world” v.9
B. Jesus’ Seven Miracles (1:19-12:50) with the responses of faith and unbelief. This was first announced in the introduction (1:11-12). The first half of the book (the Book of the Signs) rejects Christ. Many in the second half of the book receive Him. This covers a few years.
1) Changing water into wine in Cana (2:1-11). Followed by two interviews.
2) Healing an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46-54).
3) Healing an invalid at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:1-18)
4) Feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-14). Followed by a sermon and rejection.
5) Walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee 6:16-21). Followed by rejection.
6) Healing a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7). Followed by rejection.
7) Raising dead Lazarus in Bethany (11:1-45). Followed by rejection in 12:37.
C. Jesus’ The Upper Room Sermon (13-17). This covers a few hours on Thursday evening.
D. Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection (18-20). This covers a few weeks.
The First Two Great Church Councils
The two great ecumenical councils of the fourth century were The Council of Nicaea (325) and The Council of Constantinople (381). The first great controversy that patristic preachers faced was Arianism. Arius was a presbyter in Alexandria who believed in subordinationalism or the denial of the eternal generation of the Son of God. This view contends that the three persons of the Trinity are not of the same essence. Arius believed that the Son was “begotten” of the Father, that is, made or created or as Arius phrased his belief, “there was when he was not.” Because Christ was God’s first creation, the Son was not of the same essence of the Father, Arius advocated. Arius was actually a forerunner of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Bishop Alexander of Alexandria fiercely disagreed, and Constantine convened the first ecumenical council on June 19, 325 to resolve the conflict in Nicaea in Bithynia. Prior to the council, Arius had the backing of the church’s first historian, Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea, who had been excommunicated earlier by a synod at Antioch because of his Arian sympathies. At this Council of Nicaea, however, Eusebius introduced a doctrinal statement that he helped forge that included the word homoousios which declared the Son to be of the same essence as the Father and was accepted by Constantine and the Council. The Nicene Creed was the product of the church’s first council and defended the deity of the Son of God. The Nicene Creed or, more properly, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, because of the influence of the Council of Constantinople in 381, reads as follows:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him, all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures: he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Impact of Athanasius
One pastor, in particular, battled Arianism. Athanasius almost singlehandedly battled for the truth of the Trinity in the fourth century and was exiled five times for 17 years for his relentless stand. Largely because of the influence of Athanasius the Council Nicaea met in 325 A.D. with 318 Christian leaders and declared Jesus “of one substance with the Father.” We should not take doctrinal truth for granted but teach and preach doctrine no matter what the outcome.
Does your church have a doctrinal statement? Do you know the content of the doctrinal statement of your church? Do you agree with the doctrinal statement of your church? Do new members have to read and agree to the doctrinal statement of your church?