John

About John

John tells the story of Jesus differently from the other three Gospels, beginning not in Bethlehem but in eternity: the Word who was with God and was God became flesh and lived among us. Built around seven signs and a series of 'I am' sayings, the book was written, John says plainly, so that readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and have life in His name. It is the Bible's deepest sustained answer to the question of who Jesus really is.

Written by

Church tradition attributes this Gospel to the apostle John; the book itself credits an unnamed 'disciple whom Jesus loved,' and scholars continue to discuss exactly who that was.

When

Most scholars date John to around AD 80 to 100, making it likely the last of the four Gospels to be written.

Themes

• The Word became flesh
• Believing and eternal life
• The 'I am' sayings
• Light, life, and love
• Signs that reveal Jesus' glory

Key verses

• John 1:14And 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.
• John 3:16¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
• John 20:30-31¶ And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 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.