If you were to ask a group of Christians to name a verse from the Gospel of John, it would not take most of them long do to so. And most would name the same verse. Can you name one? What verse are you thinking of right now?
My guess is that most people would immediately think of the verse that has risen to fame across the Christian church as a summary statement of the gospel: John 3:16.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Most people not only can name it but can come pretty close to reciting it from memory.
While John 3:16 is a wonderful verse, it is not really a stand-alone verse – or it was never meant to be (no scripture is). It becomes even better when it is put in relation to the theme of the whole book of John – or better yet, the whole story of God in the scriptures. Even just reading the next verse after John 3:16 can fill our hearts with joy and deepen our understanding of this Jesus movement that we are a part of. That verse says, “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him!”
There are some other life-giving verses in the book of John:
- To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)
- I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
- I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
- You have given [the Son] authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:2-3).
These verses are key verses for understanding Jesus, at least how John views Jesus, and for understanding John 3:16! Yes, Jesus came to bring those who believe in him into eternal life (3:16) as children of God (1:12) and we are called to abide in him (15:5)! And it is abundant life that Jesus has come to bring us (10:10) as he leads us into salvation rather than condemnation (3:17)! And the last verse is so important! What is this eternal life? It is knowing God! It is an ongoing relationship with Jesus.
Knowing God is life – abundant and eternal life! And that is the invitation that the gospel of John gives to you. Do you want to live? Do you want abundant life? Do you want to abide in him? Do you want eternal life? Yes, of course, you do!! The pathway to that is knowing Jesus. So, that is the invitation that we are given when we are invited to study John. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life!
And that is the key theme in the book of John. God is the giver of life! Jesus was sent by God to give life! Jesus is God because Jesus is the life giver. All the way through the gospel, from the very first verse, John is helping us understand how the Creator of the universe and Jesus Christ are one. This is where life originated from and it is where resurrection life begins! The invitation is to believe, to call on his name and walk in light of God’s grace and truth – and discover what life really is through this relationship.
Join us as we study the book of John over the next few months. We will be meeting on Wednesday evenings to study the book of John to get to know Jesus better. The more we get to know Jesus and the more we abide in him, the more we will experience this life from him. This is why we are studying this Bible book; in fact, it is the purpose of the gospel of John. John tells us this himself in chapter 20: “
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”
There is that line again “that you may have life!” Come, let’s get to know Jesus and let’s live!
