Pdf version printable version listed below are various themes that are threaded throughout the gospel of st. A brief intoductidocon to the gospel oh john and the major theme. The epistles of john show jesus as the way, the truth and the life. While johns content may be unique, he presents a different side of jesus that is complimentary to the other three gospels and helps provide its readers with a clearer understanding of his divinity and preexistence. All the four gospels have unique story on the life and ministry of jesus christ and they all speak of one person only jesus who is the saviour of the jews and the saviour of the world. The gospel of luke presents jesus in ways that would appeal to an audience of high minded gentiles.
The gospel of john is the fourth gospel in the new testament. Of course, in the gospel of john, jesus also shows death whos boss by raising lazarus and then coming back from the dead himself. The author is the apostle john, the disciple whom jesus loved. The gospel of john is the fourth of the canonical gospels. The gospel of john was written to prove that jesus christ is the son of god. Jan 18, 2019 themes in the gospel of john the predominant theme in the book of john is the revelation of god to man through his living illustrationjesus christ, the word made flesh. Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. According to the gospel of john and dante, love is what sets everything in motion.
The rejection of the son of god had already been demonstrated john 8 and 9. In luke his humanity was guarded but in john his deity is guarded. The gospel of john is a gospel dramatically different from the synoptic gospels. Other distinctive themes and there are more of these in john s gospel than in any of the other three include a strong emphasis on the benefits of eternal life through following jesus. The theme of johns gospel is that jesus is the longawaited, promised messiah and son of god. Best commentaries and books on john logos bible software. Chronologically, he focuses on a period of jesus ministry prior to his major. Accepting his free gift of salvation is something that begins now in this life already, even if only in part. That means he wrote to a culture in which christians experienced severe persecution not only at the hands of jewish authorities but the might of the roman empire. The major purposes and themes of johns gospel were different, which helps to explain the uniqueness of johns text. Bauckham offers a series of probing essays on the gospel of john and its theology. John is overjoyed when he sees believers walking in obedience to the truth. Jun 14, 2012 a brief introduction to a few of the important teachings about jesus that are unique to john s gospel.
The gospel of john online sermon series bible commentary. In this volume, leading biblical scholar richard bauckham illuminates main theological themes in the gospel of john, providing insightful analysis of key texts. In this message, pastor john lindell presents the incredible work of the holy spirit as a part of our series, the gospel of john. They display the qualities that mark all of bauckhams scholarship.
Many of the details and themes central to the synoptic gospels are largely, if not. This is the only place in the new testament indeed in the whole bible where we find four overlapping accounts of many of the same events, characters and period of time in gods history of salvation. For a limited time only, you can get the course at a major discount. He desired them to have joy regarding the certainty of their faith rather than being upset by the. It contains a variety of statements and information about jesus not contained in the synoptic gospels. This way of life was in contrast to the normal roman way of living in the first century a.
Moses moses and the exodus as a major theme in johns gospel this topic was the main focus of my masters thesis at dallas seminary. It is only a part of a larger discussion that greatly interests me in many ways. Scroggie attributes 63 refer ences to mark, 129 to matthew, 90 to luke, and 124 to john. One of the major themes of this gospel is that jesus replaces or fulfills the major institutions in himselfhe is the passover lamb, he is the temple where god dwells, he is the purifying. Love in the gospel of john brings the reader into the literary and theological world of the gospel to show how johns various themes culminate in jesuss deaththe perfect example of love. While john s content may be unique, he presents a different side of jesus that is complimentary to the other three gospels and helps provide its readers with a. In this examination of the gospel of luke, my objective is to present a summary of background and introductory issues, point out some general observations, delineate the purpose, theme, unfolding and outline of the gospel. John speaks of jesus as one sent from god to reveal his love and grace to man. Commentary on the gospel of john, major themes signs done before eyewitnesses jesus as christ messiah and son of god the receiving of eternal.
Preaching from the gospel of john austin graduate school of. An awareness of the theme of love in the gospel of john has a long his. Larry overstreet professor of communication arts, clearwater christian college clearwater, florida the gospel of john is one of the most beloved books of the bible. I have included the pertinent chapter of my thesis below unedited. In addition, the gospel of john distinguishes itself from the other gospels by focusing less on events and more on spiritual themes. Major themes in johannine theology by richard bauckham grand rapids. Preaching from the gospel of john session 2 the big picture and a number of smaller ones the big picture. All the themes of johns gospel relate to the one purpose of the whole work as stated in. The most significant thing about jesus is that the divine logos was present in. The old testament and the fourth gospel 303 accurately the ratio of usage. John emphasizes christs deity portraying him as the son of god. The gospel of john is the latestwritten of the four biographies of jesus that have been preserved in the new testament. A biblical history the gospel of john is one of four gospels in the holy bible and is the fourth book in chronological order presented in the new testament. In this gospel, love is the essence of god, and those who love jesus will get to share the prize.
To be born again by the spirit of god is the only way to come into the kingdom of god, only god himself can instigate this because of his work. The holy gospel of jesus christ, according to john. It is read, studied, analyzed, dissected, and commented upon as much as any other new testament book. At long last we come to the gospel of john, by far the most distinctive of the four. He shows us that jesus, though fully god, came in the flesh to distinctly and accurately reveal god, and that christ is the source of eternal life to all who believe in him. Clement, eusebius who is referred to as the disciple whom jesus loved. D as much as it is in contrast to what most people in the. The gospel of john is a unique perspective of the life of jesus christ. To grasp the message of john writing, one must search out and follow these themes through the whole of his gospel. Our prayer is that you will be challenged and encouraged by this message. John is the last gospel and, in many ways, different from the synoptic gospels. Sep 21, 2018 watch the entire first lecture from our course themes in the gospel of johnnow available.
The opening verses beautifully describe jesus as the word. Major themes in johannine theology by richard bauckham, provides a muchneeded contrast to a conventional approach to the gospels in general, and by extension, the gospel of john specifically. It varies from the other three gospels of matthew, mark and luke also known as the synoptic gospels, by focusing more on spiritual. The gospel of john has been a favorite of many readers of the new testament and is full of beauty, mystery, and, occasionally, surprises. Biblical literature biblical literature the fourth gospel. Jesus, in this gospel, point to a new way of living. The course approaches the gospel of john in a way that looks at seven key themes. Watch the entire first lecture from our course themes in the gospel of johnnow available. What john set out to prove, namely that jesus is the christ, the son of. The gospel of john, or the fourth gospel, is narrower than the synoptic gospels matthew, mark, and luke in the compass of its themes, yet perhaps it penetrates more directly and deeply into the.
By believing in jesus, people have eternal life see 20. Title the title of the fourth gospel continues the pattern of the other gospels, being identified originally as according to john. A brief intoductidocon to the gospel oh john and the major theme free download as word doc. John wrote this gospel with the purpose that we might believe that jesus is the son of god. These themes intertwine and support one another throughout johns gospel.
As a shepherd, john communicated to his flock some very basic, but vitally essential, principles reassuring them regarding the basics of the faith. Unlike the synoptic gospels where the identity of jesus as the messiah is slowly revealed, in the gospel of john jesus is identified with messianic titles six times in chapter one alone. However, the john rylands fragment, discovered in the 1920s, has been documented to be a small portion of a copy of the gospel of john dated between ad 125 and 150. Study flashcards on gospel of john chapter themes at. As collections of stories and accounts of events and teachings from jesus ministry, the gospels lend themselves well to an approach. These themes intertwine and support one another throughout john s gospel. Summary the gospel of john is the latestwritten of the four biographies of. Lastly, there is a clear message in the gospel of john that helps us understand the truth about god, the truth about eternity, and the truth about making a choice to accept jesus christ as our personal savior. These themes bind the fourth gospel together in a manner that allows us to see this new way of living as possible for followers of king jesus. As evidence that jesus is the messiah, john relies on several selected messianic signs performed by jesus and a series of witnesses to jesus. Throughout christian history, the gospel of johns distinctive way of presenting the life, works, teachings, death, and resurrection of jesus have earned it labels such as the spiritual gospel and the maverick gospel. A brief introduction to a few of the important teachings about jesus that are unique to johns gospel. It is full of long dialogues, it speaks of signs rather than exorcisms or miracles, and its narrative differs at many points from the synoptics.
Though love is a major theme some would say the greatest, central onecampbell explains it is not possible to separate it out from the other themes, especially those of truth and relationship with god 11. As an eyewitness to the love and power displayed in the miracles of jesus, john gives us an upclose and personal look at christs identity. Written by a christian named john, the contents of the book indicate quite clearly that the author was not the john who was one of the twelve disciples of jesus, for it contains no direct personal references of the type that one would expect from an intimate. There are two important approaches that need to be taken when studying the major themes and theological emphases of matthew, mark, luke and john. When jesus talks about eternal life, he doesnt mean that well all be immortal after all, there can be only one. All the themes of john s gospel relate to the one purpose of the whole work as stated in. Specifically, john wrote his gospel after the fall of jerusalem. Discussion of themes and motifs in john the apostles gospel of john. This summary of the gospel of john provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the gospel of john. Water is one of the most significant elements in sustaining life. The central theme in the synoptic gospels is the coming of the kingdom of god, and. The authorship is unanimously attributed to the apostle john irenaeus, st. The first theme moloney highlights is jesuss mission statementsto do the works of the father and make him known 4.
The purpose of the fourth gospel has been delineated largely on premises other and broader than this explicit contribution to the theme within the canonical text. First john also is pastoral, written from the heart of a pastor who has concern for his people. The gospel of john is presented firstly with a prologue or introduction. Instead, johns gospel gives us the lords wonderful farewell teaching to his disciples ch. The motif in john the prologue is, of course, the prime illustration of this motif in the gospel of john. Major themes in johannine theology by richard bauckham. The question in the synoptic gospels concerns the extent to which the divine reality broke into history in jesus coming, and the answers are given in terms of the closeness of the new age.
Moses moses and the exodus as a major theme in john. Gospel in a passage where he argues that it was written to combat cerinthus and his heresy with a straight reference to john, that is, 1 see j. Though love is a major themesome would say the greatest, central onecampbell explains it is not possible to separate it out from the other themes, especially those of truth and relationship with god 11. In so doing, we then apply these themes to the current era in order to ask ourselves questions about how we are. In john, the fourth gospel, we have a highly schematized presentation of the story of jesus, with seven i am sayings linked to seven i am discourses, all presaged and prepared for by the seven sign narratives, which are miracle stories found in the first half of this gospel between john chapters 212.