The Gospel of John

God
When you look at your watch, you know that an intelligent person designed it. It didn't just come into existence by itself. What about your wrist - isn't it more complicated than your watch? Didn't an intelligent person design your wrist too? We call the One who designed these things God, our Creator, the One who spoke the word and created the universe.

God has spoken to us in terms we can understand. The Bible is the record of his revelation - what he wants us to know about himself. God also became flesh and blood in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is 100 percent human and 100 percent God. Want to know what God is like? Study the life of Jesus Christ in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Jesus
Jesus was born approximately 5 B.C. in the town of Bethlehem, Israel, to a virgin named Mary, who was descended from King David. Raised in Nazareth by Mary and her husband, Joseph, Jesus lived the ordinary life of a carpenter's son. Those who knew him didn't yet know that he was also God's Son. At age 30, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and tempted by the devil into the desert. He then began healing, teaching and performing miracles throughout Judea. He called people to believe in him as the only way to God.

Christ
Christ, meaning "anointed one," is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. The Jews were waiting anxiously for the Messiah, the person guaranteed by God to be their leader and ruler. Every Jewish person living at the time of Jesus knew exactly what he or she was waiting for. "Is he the one?" was the question everyone was debating about Jesus. Some said yes; some said no; and some said Jesus was a liar.

Father
God the Father perfectly cares fur us, giving us all we need -- though we may not agree with him regarding what those needs are. He promises us that we don't have to worry about having enough food or clothes because he knows what we need before we ask. God has also given us every spiritual blessing - something of much more value to our lives than any kind of physical possession.

As children of God, we can expect to be disciplined if we err. And we shouldn't be discouraged when this happens because discipline shows that God loves us. Just as good parents teach their children not to do things that will hurt them, so our Father in heaven teaches us what is best for us.

Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son - yet is completely God.

Before Jesus came to the earth, the Holy Spirit guided and directed select people at specific times for specific purposes. To prophets, he revealed future events and warnings of judgment. To kings, he gave wisdom to rule. But when Jesus was near the end of his life on earth, preparing his disciples for his impending death and resurrection, he promised that the Holy Spirit would, form that time on, be with his followers all the time.

Thomas
This is the guy known as "doubting Thomas." He was one of Jesus Christ's 12 disciples. One incident has labeled Thomas, perhaps unfairly, for all time. After Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to the disciples. Thomas, however, was not present. Upon hearing about Jesus' appearance, Thomas boldly declared "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (John 20:25). One week later, when Thomas and the other disciples were together, Jesus reappeared. He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (John 20:27).

Ask
To ask means to "call on" or to "request." God definitely wants us to come to him and make our requests. Psalm 62:8 tells us to "pour out [our] hearts to him." Read through the Psalms, and you'll see King David asking for things unashamedly.

Believe
Beliefs dictate who we are and how we live our lives. To believe in something is to have faith in it. Though it may seem feeble to accept something on faith rather than fact, we all believe many things on different levels without being experts through experience or knowledge. A Christian's life is a demonstration of grounded belief in action.

Merely "believing" in God does not make someone a Christian any more than believing in exercise keeps one in shape; a person must actually exercise to stay in shape. Demons "believe" in God (James 2:19). They know he exists, but they don't choose to follow him. Believing that Jesus Christ is your Savior means believing that Jesus' death pays the penalty for your sin. As a result of this belief you repent-you turn away from your sin-and obey Jesus Christ.

Belong
These days we can buy memberships to everything from health clubs to the British aristocracy––proof of our intrinsic desire to either fit in with those like us or be associated with those we wish to emulate. Belonging is a key Biblical concept as well. In the Bible, God spelled out which land belonged to which people, who belonged to which family, and what belonged to God himself. This usually prevented conflict and, at the same time, clarified owners' rights and members' benefits.

Branch
We often use branch as an idiom for growth or to signify prosperity. A thriving business establishes branch offices. Family trees branch out as lives entwine.

In the Old Testament, a "branch" was a prophetic symbol - a symbol of hope. The Israelites knew that one branch of the family tree, representing the Messiah, would save them. Jesus was the branch. His death and resurrection ensured that people could become a "branch" on God's family tree.

Clean
When God cleans us, he's not like Mr. Clean, sailing through our house like a white tornado. When God cleans us, we're clean all the way through to the depths of our being. We may not feel like we've been purified at times (especially if we've just given into temptation), but God does the cleaning in the house of our heart, and he doesn't miss a cobweb. As part of his forgiveness, God cleanses us from all our sin (see 1 John 1:9) and declares that, as far as he is concerned, we are now as white as snow.

Command
Americans don't like taking orders-they mess with our self-reliance and pursuit of happiness. Christians, however are called to live differently from the "norm." We are called to follow God's commands. And as we do so, God helps us discover the happiness we have longed for.

Counsel
Perhaps you have too many options. Or perhaps, you have no options. What you do know is this: You have no idea what to do. You need advice. You need some counsel. Now what?

God gives several avenues for counsel. First, he gives himself. Jesus Christ is called the "Wonderful Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6). We can - and should - bring all our questions and problems to him. He promises to give wisdom every time we ask for it (see James 1:5-6). He may provide that wisdom through the Bible (see Psalm 119:24), through circumstances (as he did with Jonah) or through other people.

Faith
Faith is essential to eternal life; it is the way we have a relationship with God. First, when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we are exercising faith that he is the way to heaven, the one who makes us God's child. Second, because we cannot see God now, we live our lives by faith. We make our decisions and follow desires based on God's character and his promises.

Fear
Fear is not merely the fright caused by a horror film. Critics may praise the thrill of a scary movie, but no one recommends feeling truly afraid. The only reason a person should experience true fear is if he or she rejects Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or defies God's commands. The Bible defines fear in two basic, but radically different ways: fear caused by lack of trust (see trust) in the Lord and fear caused by reverence, awe (see awe) and humble obedience to God.

Forever
God is eternal. The Lord and his Word will stand forever. God promises to continue his work in us as well (see Philippians 1:6). He promises to never stop loving us. An evidence of this love is the salvation he gives us - it doesn't end! God proved this through Jesus' death, forever guaranteeing our forgiveness, and by giving us the Holy Spirit as our guide to living a godly life.

Unlike the boss who retires or the president whose term is complete, nothing will force God out of power. In fact, the Bible tells us that God will always rule, and whatever he establishes cannot be altered by anyone. When everything else seems to change so quickly, God will always be the same.

Fruit
If you were a tree, what kind of fruit would you like to bear? The Bible talks about many kinds of fruit. Often the Bible uses the word "fruit" to describe the outward evidence of what is happening internally or the natural consequences of our actions. Apples only grow on trees that have the internal biological programming necessary to produce apples. In the same way, the "fruit of the Spirit" will be produced only by a person who has the Holy Spirit within him or her. When we let God's Spirit control us, our lives produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Glory
Millionaires, Olympic athletes and superstars excel in shrewdness, strength, talent, beauty, discipline and sometimes just plain good luck. Thus they enjoy the kind of adoration many people crave. But the Bible reminds us that even the greatest human honor and splendor will fade away. Alexander the Great's conquests are legendary, but only crumbling artifacts remain of his empire. God alone is perfectly and eternally glorious by his very nature. Scripture calls him the "King of glory" (Psalm 24:7-10). He is, and always has been, magnificent, powerful and holy. Everything he does demonstrates his glory, and nothing can detract from it.

Greatness
The Bible teaches us that God thwarts those who try to raise themselves up to greatness in people's eyes. It also teaches that those who humble themselves before God will be raised up by God to true greatness. You might think of God's path toward greatness as similar to the law of gravity, except in reverse: "Whoever goes up must first come down".

Heart
The heart is a muscle at the center of the body that, through contraction and relaxation, sustains life. When it stops working, we cease to be alive. Yet a heart is more than an organ that pumps blood. In our culture, as well as in the Bible, the heart is a metaphor for the most sensitive areas of our lives, the place from which our passions are aroused and our worst plans are conceived.

Home
The concept of a home - a place where we belong and from which we gain our identity - is prominent in the Bible. People are often identified in the Bible by their ancestry, such as "Lot son of Haran" (Genesis 11:31), or according to their hometown such as "Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:43). The word "house" frequently indicates the collective relatives and descendants of an individual, such as "the house of David" (1 Samuel 20:16).

With this in mind, the image of a home or house is often used symbolically. The temple was called the house of God. Although God is present everywhere, the temple represented his special relationship with the Israelites, his chosen people, and their identification with him. In the new testament, Christians are referred to as God's house because his Spirit lives in them, as the Spirit of God filled the temple (see Temple).

Holy
Holy simply means "separate" or "set apart." Because God is holy, he also wants us to be holy - to be set apart from the world, chosen to serve him and to be blessed by him.

Life
Do you want to live forever? Jesus Christ says he's the only true way. He says he's the door to a life of abundant blessing. God is the giver of life, and his role as such started with the creation of our ancestors, Adam and Eve. When sin entered the world, we were blocked, not only from having eternal life with God, but also from a meaningful life on this planet. Both can be obtained through God himself.

This is where Jesus enters the picture. He came to give us abundant life. He tells us to give him our cares and stop worrying because worrying doesn't add a single hour to our lives. Jesus also tells us to stop selfishly hoarding our lives; instead, we are to freely give them away by serving him. In a strange paradox, it's only when we lose our lives to him that we gain them back. Jesus reminds us that if we get everything the world has to offer, yet lose our souls, we haven't really lived.

Miracle
Unexplainable healing, the dead raised to life, the sun standing still, strange encounters with supernatural beings, wonders in the sky and other unsolved mysteries - are events like these miracles, coincidences or merely hoaxes? Miracles are occurrences in the physical world that have no natural explanation. Their cause is either still unknown to science or ascribed to the powers of the supernatural. The Bible is filled with stories of miracles performed by God through human beings. God used people to accomplish his purposes (such as parting the Red Sea to bring the Israelites out of Egypt), demonstrate his character (such as sending Jonah to the Ninevites by way of a great fish) and help people believe in him (such as the disciples' ability to heal the sick).

But the greatest miracle worker was Jesus. He said to his disciples, " Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves" (John 14:11).

Obedience
Unlike the training we put our pets through, obedience involves more than learned responses to a few commands: Obedience means doing what God says no matter how unpopular, strange or difficult the command is. Although doing what God says can be difficult at times, God has every tight as our Creator to demand our obedience. When we obey him willingly from a heart that trusts him, our obedience is a gift of love to him. The Lord says that this kind of gift means more to him than any other sacrifice we could make.

Son
"If you really want to understand someone," said President George W. Bush, " you look at his family and where he was raised." Using this reasoning, what can we learn about Jesus Christ, the Son of God? The Bible says that Jesus is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). This means that the Son is fully God; all of God the Father's qualities are manifested in him: love, justice, righteousness, holiness. God the Son was also fully human; while he was on the earth, he shared our experiences: temptation, hunger, fatigues, pain and death.

Teach
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day," the old saying goes, but "teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Teaching and learning are also crucial to our Christian faith. Learning is the first step, in fact, to telling others about Jesus Christ. Jesus taught the people about God. He explained what the Scriptures meant, and he taught with an incredible authority that the people had never seen before. In fact, the people called him Rabbi, which means "teacher." Jesus told us to carry on his work. We are to instruct people not only in the facts about salvation, but also in how to obey God and apply what they hear.

Time
Time governs our lives. Our day planners help us manage it. We eat by it. We sleep by it. We're upset if people don't respect it. God, however is not constrained by time. He created time, and - though it's hard for us to grasp - he exists outside of time. Because he contains time, he knows the future and is able to reveal it in prophecy.

God has a clear understanding of time. In the Bible, he warned that all people should live for him because the time is coming when he will return to the earth. While some believe they can delay serving God, we are commanded to serve God now. We are to take advantage of the moments God gives us to share the gospel.

Truth
What is truth? God is truth. Everything he says we can believe. There is no deception, no hypocrisy, no half-truth in God, Our finite minds can't fully comprehend God or understand all his mysteries, but he is everything he says he is: the all-powerful, just, loving Creator of everything that exists. How do we know right from wrong? God alone, because he is truth, provides an accurate standard for ethics and morality. Whatever he does and commands us to do is right. Anything God hates and forbids us to do is wrong.

Work
God created us with a need to engage in meaningful, productive labor - it's part of being made in his image. God worked for seven days to create the earth (see Creation), and then he rested (see Rest).

It is tempting sometimes to think that we deserve the credit for the material rewards received for our labor, but God says fruitful labor is a blessing from him. The Bible condemns those who do not work but expects to benefit from the labor of others. But work that is done simply for the sake of work or material gain is meaningless. We should do everything as though we are working for God; then we will be good witnesses of God before other people. The only work that will last is that which furthers the kingdom of God. At the end of our lives, God will evaluate the work we have done in his kingdom (see Kingdom).

World
World does not refer to the landmass represented by the globe of earth; it refers to people, perspectives and practices. When we say that God loves the whole world, we mean that God loves all people. However, God hates the perspectives and practices that belong to the "prince of this world" (John 12:31), who is Satan. That's why Christians are told not to love this world. The important thing to remember is that the people God loves and the perspectives and practices he hates are under his control.

Peace
The dawn of each new year is greeted with boisterous celebrations and hopeful prayers for peace. Yet, as long as there is sin in the world, wars will continue and even the best relationship may fail. As God's ambassadors on this plane, we are to be peacemakers, mediating differences and even squelching gossip. In this way we are demonstrating God's love to others within our individual spheres of influence. The Bible also tells us to keep our personal lives peaceful, for we cannot demonstrate peace if we're not living it.

Philip
Philip had waited for the promised Messiah. As soon as Jesus found Philip and said, "Follow me,"his heart responded-and he immediately recruited someone else to follow Jesus too. He was known as a man who was "full of the Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3).

Remain
We've all seen the small child wiggling to get down from his or her mother's lap or pull away from her protective hand. Just as a mother knows her child needs to remain with her for safety, God knows we are lost unless we stay close beside him.

When Andrew (see Andrew) and a friend first met Jesus Christ, they stayed with him for a day. Later Jesus chose Andrew and eleven others as his disciples, and they spent three years together. Before Jesus went to the cross, he commanded his disciples to remain in him always. Just as they were constantly with him as he traveled throughout Judea, they were to live their lives centered in Christ. Jesus explained this using the picture of a vine and its branches. Like branches, we must be completely connected to the vine, Jesus, for our source of life. When we don't remain in him, we wither, and our lives cannot produce any fruit.

Disciples
Does disciple sound uncomfortably like "discipline"? It is. A disciple is a person who adheres to the teaching of another - not just believing a certain philosophy, but also applying it to his or her life.

In the Bible, the word "disciple" can apply to followers of John the Baptist, students of the Pharisees or the broader circle of people who believed Jesus' teachings. But it most often refers to the twelve disciples whom Jesus asked to follow him. They lived with him night and day and learned from his teaching and lifestyle. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus' followers were not perfect, but they knew enough to recognize that leaving everything they had in order to follow Jesus was worth the price.

Love
Love conjures up many images and emotions. The word may evoke the pain of a broken heart. It may remind us of the warmth of a lover's embrace or the care and companionship of a parent, sibling or friend. In the Bible, the word "love" covers this spectrum of uses and more.

God deeply desires a love relationship with each of us; that is why he created us! But sin (see Sin) broke the relationship between God and humans. Love is so much more than an emotion, and God personally demonstrated his love for us by pursuing us in spite of our rejection of him and our sin.

Friends
Many people wish they could be part of a group of friends. Others want to have deeper friendships than what they have. True friends listen, talk and spend time with each other. Friends shield us from loneliness, offer acceptance and give us common ground. They influence us more than we know. As with Jonathan and David, friends can strengthen us in the Lord (1 Samuel 20:16-22; 23:15-18) or, as with Jonadab and Amnon, friends can lead us into sin and disaster (2 Samuel 13:3-16).

The people we know and esteem as dear to our hearts speak volumes about who we are. Friends usually love the same things that we love. The deepest friendships grow between those who not only love God but also help each other grow in him. Individuals like Abraham and Moses shared God's heart, and he called them his friends.

Fire
Fire can reduce an entire building to ashes in a matter of minutes. The breathtaking power of fire is an appropriate parallel for the awe inspiring strength of God. He appeared to Moses in a burning bush (see Exodus 3:2) and to the Israelites in a pillar of fire in the desert (see Exodus 13:21). But the Bible also cites instances in which fire is a literal instrument of God's judgment. Burning sulfur destroyed the Old Testament cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and fire consumed the Israelites who disobeyed him in the desert. God has created a lake of fire for the eternal punishment of Satan and his followers.

Joy
You may know a few people you would call happy, but how many people do you know who are truly joyful? There's nothing wrong with being happy, but it more or less depends on the outcome of certain circumstances; it is largely defined by "good fortune." Joy is choosing to be glad and at peace despite the situation, even when it is negative. Joy is God's very nature - something we are because God, rather than a feeling we have, dwells within us. Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). Joy is a depth of everlasting happiness that comes from the Lord.

27. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

28. “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30. I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of the world is coming. He has no effect on me, 31. But the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now, let us leave.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Vine and the Branches

1. “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful. 3. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13. No one has greater love than the one who lays down his life for his friends.

Passage to Read:
John 14:6

One man admitted on television that when facing an oncoming tornado, he suddenly found himself believing in God. But once it passed, he really didn't believe anymore. To say "I believe in God" and go no further is not enough. For some people, the word believe means only agreeing with something that's been said. For others, it's a strong emotion you feel when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.

For many people, the God in whom they believe is a God of their imagination. To them, God is "way out there" somewhere and has relatively nothing to do with their personal lives. Real belief, however, is based on knowledge and requires trust and commitment. Just saying that you believe in God does not put you in a personal relationship with him.

Did you know that Satan is happy to have you just "believe in God"? James wrote in his letter:"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder" (James 2:19, p. 1420). Satan doesn't mind if you believe in God. What he doesn't want you to believe is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Why? God can be fully known to you in a personal way only in Jesus Christ. The disciple Philip said to Jesus, " ' Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.' Jesus answered:'Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father'" (John 14:8-9, p. 1231).

Until the barrier of sin between you and God is removed, you cannot have a personal relationship with him. Because God loves you, he sent his Son in the person of Jesus Christ to remove that barrier, that " he might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9, p. 1404).

All you have to do is put your faith entirely in him as your Saviour. Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," (John 14:6). This is a radical and uncompromising affirmation. Belief in God is not enough. Only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can we come to the Father.

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THE STARTING POINT STUDY BIBILE New International Version
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