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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Evil
Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot - these names are associated with the epitome of evil. With arrogant and wicked (see Wicked) schemes, they brought about unspeakable injustice and shed much innocent blood. Their evil went beyond the sins of racism, prejudice, lying, stealing or murder. It was their persistence and their pride in their atrocities that characterized these men as thoroughly evil.

We would be horrified if someone added our name to this list of wicked men, yet we all have sinful human nature that, without God, is capable of every kind of evil. The Truly evil person loves what God hates and refuses to admit his or her wrong. Avoid evil, for god will one day completely punish all evil.

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Fulfill
Does it surprise you that the Bible almost never uses the word "fulfillment" in reference to a human's satisfaction in life? The Bible doesn't promise a fulfilling life. In the Bible, the word "fulfill" refers overwhelmingly to God's following through on his promises and intentions. God will always keep his promises. The plans he makes will come about. Our faithful God in control of all that happens in the universe, and his plans will overcome any obstacle.

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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.

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Hate
Biblically speaking, hatred seems a bit confusing. We are commanded not to hate, yet sometimes we are commanded to hate. If we hate what is good, that is bad. If we hate what is bad, that is good. In other words, love what God loves, and hate what God hates. Hatred can be both a positive and negative action. The phrase "Love the sinner but hate the sin" expresses this concept well. Just as God loves humanity but detests sin, we are to love fellow sinners but hate sinful deeds.

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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.

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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.

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Power
God has power-not the make-believe superhero kind of power, but the ultimate power over all things. God's power is greater than all the power of Satan (see Satan). When we become children of God, he give us power over Satan too. That means Satan no longer has control over our lives.

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Pray
Prayer, simply put, is talking to God. It is telling him our concerns, confessing our sins and thanking him for what he's done.

How important is prayer? When Jesus Christ was on earth, he always took time out to talk to God. If the Son of God himself needed to pray, how much more do we. If we don't know how to pray for a certain situation, we know that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, giving words to what we cannot express. In those times when it seems like God isn't listening, we are to keep praying. We're told that God is close to us when we pray and that he is always listening.

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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.

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Sanctification
"I'm no saint," we may say, but we are saints if we've asked Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and take control of our lives. The word sanctify is directly related to the word saint. The Bible says Christians are sanctified - holy, or set apart, to serve God (see Consecrate). We have a unique identity because the Spirit of the one holy God lives in us, and we have a special job to perform for him.

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Scripture
Before Jesus Christ came to the earth, the collection of inspired writings consisted of what we now call the Old Testament, the books from Genesis through Malachi. After Jesus' resurrection, Scripture was completed with the inclusion of the New Testament, the books arranged from Matthew to Revelation.

When we read the Bible, we hear from God and grow in our experience with Jesus Christ. All Scripture points to Jesus, and our familiarity with Scripture leads us know him more.

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Shield
You wouldn't want to be caught in battle without protection - a person can dodge only so many arrows and bullets! As in any battle, our spiritual shields are effective in our spiritual war against Satan's attacks. Our "shield of faith" represents our unwavering confidence in God, which we effectively use to defend ourselves from Satan's blows. For example, Satan may try to make us fearful about life, but we believe that because of our relationship with God, he will guide and protect us in any situation. A lively faith in God protects us from Satan's arrow of fear.

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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.

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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.

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Word
God's Words are powerful! God spoke, and everything that exists in our universe was created. His written Word, the Bible (see Scripture), flawlessly teaches people about God and the way to follow him. God's message through his prophets to his people, the nation of Israel, was often called, "the word of the Lord." God's Word is also displayed in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Word of God in human form. He is complete communication of who God is, and he is the revealer of how to follow God.

Words can bring either healing or destruction. God has entrusted his people to carry his Word to all peoples, instructing them and guiding them in the ways of God. Because of this great responsibility, a Christian's words should exemplify Christ's words. God desires for his people to build each other up and encourage each other with words modeled after Christ's words.

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7. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one. 12. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the child of hell so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13. “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Topic: Nature and Character of God
John 16:13

The Spirit of truth

"I just don't believe God loves me. Why should I?" The young woman's piercing question didn't ruffle her counselor.

"Because that is what the Bible says, it's what the Holy Spirit says, it's what Jesus showed us and, if you care to look, it's what all of creation tells us," she replied. "Now tell me why you shouldn't believe."

The young woman thought a moment and said, "I don't know. I just don't feel that he loves me."

The truth is the truth regardless of what we feel or believe about it. When we don't embrace the truth, or when we allow lies about God to take root in our hearts, we suffer from the insecurity and unbelief that result. The honest seeker will find the truth because Jesus has promised that the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to us.

We need the Holy Spirit and his ministry, not because of a lack of truth and revelation about God, but because the Holy Spirit exposes the carefully disguised lies that keep us from walking in the light.

What do you believe about God's character? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is or isn't true.

MORE TRUTH:
Numbers 23:19; John 8:31-32
14:6, 16-17; 17:14 - 17

Topic: Testing and Trials
John 16:33

The issue of pain

Pain and trouble drive us to consider some of the deepest question of life - questions like: Why me? Does God care? Is there hope for deliverance?

The answers are not always clear, but it helps to remember that God is not the author of suffering. On the contrary, everything he does is good (see Genesis 1:31, p.24). Suffering is often the result of our own - and others' - sinful, selfish choices.

God loves us, and he grieves when pain touches our lives. God created us to love and be loved. To truly love, we must be free to choose not to love, we must be free to choose not to love. If God intervened every time we chose not to love, we would not be truly free. He will not violate our freedom, or the freedom of another, to protect us.

Of course, God is not powerless. He sent Jesus to enter our world and break the cycle of sin and death. Forgiveness is available for those who sin. Sustaining power is available for those who suffer. God is able to turn all problems, even those brought on by evil choices, to work toward the accomplishment of his purposes.

Reflect on how God has brought good out of difficult situations in your life.

MORE REFLECTIONS:
Romans 8:28; James 1:2-4; 5:10-11

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THE STARTING POINT STUDY BIBILE New International Version
The Luis Palau Evangelistic Association / www.luispalau.org