A study on the Gospel of John: Week 1

My husband and I started a Bible study in our home last week. These are the notes from that study. We decided to begin with the Gospel of John because we believe the Gospel of John sets a good foundation for explaining who Jesus Christ was and why it is so important to follow him. We invite you to study along with us and learn more about Jesus! 

Overview of the Gospel of John 

• The whole purpose of the Gospel of John is explained in John 20:31. 
• But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (KJV)

• The Gospel of John does not give a name for its author but it is traditionally believed to have been written by the Apostle John, son of Zebedee and brother of James. The Apostle John was very close to Jesus and the Gospel of John was written from someone who was able to give an eyewitness account to the works of Jesus. 
• The major doctrine of this gospel is salvation. 
• The Gospel of John is a challenge to the world to place faith in Jesus Christ. 
• There are no parables in the Gospel of John. 
• The word "Believe" is mentioned in the Gospel of John 98 times.
• There is a significant emphasis on the miracles of Jesus, showing witness to his deity, and of Jesus attending feasts, showing the importance of the Old Testament feasts. 
• The Gospel of John provides us with the fullest account of Jesus' ministry in Judea. 
• The theological significance of this book is that we learn much about God as the "Father". 
• John's Gospel also tells us more about the Holy Spirit than any other gospel. 
• The ethical significance of this book is described for us in John 13:34-35. 
• A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (KJV).

• We owe all that we have to the love of God. The proper response to that love is to show love to God and to others. 

John 1:1 says In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV) The meaning of "Word" in this verse is referring to Jesus Christ. This verse is explaining to us  that Jesus Christ has existed since the beginning of creation and has been with God and is God. John 1:14 helps clarify John 1:1 by saying this: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. This verse is telling us that the Word, Jesus Christ, came in the form of man and lived on Earth with us.

The first chapter of the Gospel of John explains who Jesus Christ is and explains that Jesus is the way to eternal life. John 1:12-13 says But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (KJV). Becoming a child of God is only possible if you believe in Jesus Christ. You do not have to be of a certain blood line, certain social status, or attend a certain a church. You do not have to jump through hoops of fire, wear certain clothes, or dress a certain way. The only think you HAVE to do to become a child of God is to believe in Jesus Christ.

The last half of the first chapter of the Gospel of John tells about John the Baptist, who baptized people in the Jordan River and the first disciples of Jesus Christ.

 John the Baptist is a significant person in the Bible because he was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus. The Jews mistook John the Baptist for the Messiah and sent priests to ask him who he was because he was preaching to people about God. When he told them he was not the Messiah, they believed him to be the prophet Elias. John the Baptist answered them saying: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (John 1:23, KJV). 

 In verses 1:37-51, we learn about the first disciples to follow Jesus. In verse 37 we are told that two disciples heard him speak and began following him. Only one of them is named. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother is the one named. The unnamed disciple is believed to be the Apostle John. Andrew took his brother Simon Peter to see Jesus and upon meeting Simon, Jesus changed his name to Cephas meaning "a stone". This is interesting because Peter (who is also known by the names Simon and Cephas) is nothing like a stone as you will see in later books of the Bible. Most notable is when he denies Jesus three times.

The day after meeting with Andrew and Simon Peter (Cephas), Jesus finds Philip in Galilee and tells Philip to follow him. Philip follows him without any question and tells Nathanael that he has found whom Moses and the prophets wrote about. Nathanael questioned whether something good could come out of Nazareth where Jesus was from and Jesus told Nathanael where Nathanael came from and what he was doing before Philip brought him to Jesus. This proved to Nathanael that Jesus was who he said he was. And Jesus said to him: Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under a fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John 1: 50-51, KJV). 

 The first chapter of the Gospel of John is important because of the first verse. John 1:1 tells us that Jesus Christ has existed since the very beginning and if you look back into the Old Testament there are examples of his presence even then. For example, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. When they were thrown into the fiery furnace for not bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar's image of gold, they did not burn in the fire because a fourth person appeared in the fire to protect them. This person, or form of a person, was Jesus Christ before he was made flesh.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Daniel 3: 24-25, KJV)

Jesus Christ has been with us since the beginning and will never leave us. All we have to do is believe in him and have faith in him. What did you learn most from Chapter 1 of the Gospel of John? What questions do you have after reading this chapter? 

Please feel free to leave us questions or comments on this week's study!