The Gospel According to John.

[HighBeams]

Great study so far.

One of my favorite things about John's gospel is the rich symbolism and typology therein. Take the account of Jesus walking on the water, for instance (chapter 6). As is the case with the opening passage of chapter 1, here John is alluding to Genesis chapter 1. Can anyone spot the common theme?

Well, the only thing I could come up with was this:

Genesis 1:2 (New American Standard Bible)

2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Is that what you had in mind?

[JONAH]

Spot on, HighBeams!

The parallels don't end there, however. Just as light appears in Gen. 1:3, so in the story of Jesus walking on water does Jesus appear in the midst of darkness as the light and life of men!

[Hansc]

7.) Receive Jesus

John 1:12
as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:

Yet not all rejected Him, there was a remnant whose hearts were in a place that allowed the Spirit of God to reveal to them the Living Word.

Receiving Christ is an act of the will. It is a person responding by faith to the Word of God.

Receiving Christ involves repenting and turning to God and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience.

We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

God is not so concerned with the exact formula of our prayer in receiving Christ, but rather in the condition of out heart. When a person prays the prayer to receive Christ, they pray something along the lines of this simple prayer.


Father I came to you in the name of the Lord Jesus, I need You. Your Word says that …“him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out“. I am coming to you.

Your Word says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
*For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

I believe in my heart Jesus Christ is the Son Of God. I believe He was raised from the dead, and I give Him my life and confess Him now as my Lord.

Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life.

In Jesus name, amen.

(I know that we are all Christians here, but still thought it a good idea to review the “sinner’s prayer”, in case an opportunity to pray with someone else comes along)

If you’ve never prayed a prayer along this line, and this prayer expresses the desire of your heart then stop for a moment and invite Christ into your heart right now.

Revelation 3:20
I am now standing at the door and am knocking. If any one listens to My voice and opens the door, I will go in to be with him and will feast with him, and he shall feast with Me.* (WEY)

We have right here the whole truth of salvation, as far as our part is concerned. It is as simple as inviting Jesus into your life and declaring Him as your Lord.

God has given this to us in the plainest most simple terms possible. People often try to turn the simple Gospel message into a great difficultly. Yet, Jesus spoke in very simple terms.

[JONAH]

HansC, what do you make of John 6:44? What exactly does it mean for God to "draw" someone to Him?

7.) Receive Jesus

John 1:12
as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:

Yet not all rejected Him, there was a remnant whose hearts were in a place that allowed the Spirit of God to reveal to them the Living Word.

Receiving Christ is an act of the will. It is a person responding by faith to the Word of God.

Receiving Christ involves repenting and turning to God and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience.

We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

God is not so concerned with the exact formula of our prayer in receiving Christ, but rather in the condition of out heart. When a person prays the prayer to receive Christ, they pray something along the lines of this simple prayer.


Father I came to you in the name of the Lord Jesus, I need You. Your Word says that …“him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out“. I am coming to you.

Your Word says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
*For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

I believe in my heart Jesus Christ is the Son Of God. I believe He was raised from the dead, and I give Him my life and confess Him now as my Lord.

Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life.

In Jesus name, amen.

(I know that we are all Christians here, but still thought it a good idea to review the “sinner’s prayer”, in case an opportunity to pray with someone else comes along)

If you’ve never prayed a prayer along this line, and this prayer expresses the desire of your heart then stop for a moment and invite Christ into your heart right now.

Revelation 3:20
I am now standing at the door and am knocking. If any one listens to My voice and opens the door, I will go in to be with him and will feast with him, and he shall feast with Me.* (WEY)

We have right here the whole truth of salvation, as far as our part is concerned. It is as simple as inviting Jesus into your life and declaring Him as your Lord.

God has given this to us in the plainest most simple terms possible. People often try to turn the simple Gospel message into a great difficultly. Yet, Jesus spoke in very simple terms.

[Hansc]

HansC, what do you make of John 6:44? What exactly does it mean for God to "draw" someone to Him?

I believe it takes a divine tug to get us to receive Christ. Yet the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and while strongly urging us to receive Christ will not force Himself upon somebody that does not want Him.

I have often thought why is it that to some we can present the Gospel over and over and seem to get nowhere, but to others, they hear a little from the sidelines and totally give themselves to God.

I believe it takes God to draw man unto Himself, but man by his free will and obstinate resistance can thwart God’s purpose for their life, and God knows the heart. Gos will not override a person's freewill.

I believe that when people respond to Christ, it is exactly that---a response. That is, God calls first, and then the person by an act of the will via faith chooses to receive the offer of life. In this, no person can say s/he came to God without God first drawing him or her.

[JONAH]

Thanks, Hans.

I believe it takes a divine tug to get us to receive Christ. Yet the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and while strongly urging us to receive Christ will not force Himself upon somebody that does not want Him.

I have often thought why is it that to some we can present the Gospel over and over and seem to get nowhere, but to others, they hear a little from the sidelines and totally give themselves to God.

I believe it takes God to draw man unto Himself, but man by his free will and obstinate resistance can thwart God’s purpose for their life, and God knows the heart. Gos will not override a person's freewill.

I believe that when people respond to Christ, it is exactly that---a response. That is, God calls first, and then the person by an act of the will via faith chooses to receive the offer of life. In this, no person can say s/he came to God without God first drawing him or her.

[Hansc]

8.) By My Spirit

John 1:13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (KJV)

not of blood…

A person’s natural birth is of no consequence when it comes to God. Even if your parents were two of the best Christians in town, they cannot give you eternal life. Even if you entire family is the most respected family in the church, and your grandfather is the pastor, that will not give you eternal life.

Often children from stanch Christian families seem to think that because their family is a solid Christian family, that somehow makes them a Christian.
Often, the parents, because they are such pillars of the church simply assume that their children are saved because they have always taken them to church. Yet, salvation is not automatic, it is not by blood.

Only God can confer the salvation of the new birth.

nor of the will of the flesh….

A person cannot simply make themselves a Christian. A person cannot simply give themselves salvation.

No amount of prayer, fasting, meditation, good works, charity, will ever lift up man by his spiritual bootstraps. All the meditation, of the eastern religions are of absolutely no avail, they are totally useless.

There is nothing that man can do by his own power to escape the darkness of this fallen world and the eternal consequences of that fall.

People cannot enlighten themselves. There is absolutely nothing that man can do to give themselves eternal life, it is the gift of God, and not of works.

A person cannot save themselves, they must come to Christ as a sinner, repent and receive Christ as their savior. There is no other way. It is not by trying to be better, but rather by receiving Christ that we receive eternal life.

Receive Christ and God will make you a new creature in Christ.

nor of the will of man….

No person can make you a Christian. Some people imagine that some minister can confer salvation upon them by baptism or some other sacrament.

These sacraments, while good, can not of themselves save you. A person, “MUST BE BORN AGAIN”.

No man can save you, that is by the hand of God alone. Only God can impart eternal life into a fallen human spirit. Only God can give to man ZOE.




but of God….

A person must have a personal relationship with God through Christ, nothing else will do. Who your family is, is of no concern. It doesn’t matter who’s in your family tree.

It also doesn’t matter what personal efforts you are making towards spiritual enlightenment. All your good deeds, and acts of kindness, while being nice, still won’t save you.

It doesn’t even matter what the priest or preacher in the local religious organization says about you.

What matters is what God has to say about you. It’s God opinion, that matters. If He says you’re his Child, then that’s settles it.

[JONAH]

Thanks, Hans.


"nor of the will of man…."

This is one that I always felt the Calvinists had working in their favor. But I like what you had to say about it.

[Hansc]

Thanks, Hans.


"nor of the will of man…."

This is one that I always felt the Calvinists had working in their favor. But I like what you had to say about it.

Sometimes the Calvinists have some good solid insights. (But this is not one of them)

[JONAH]

I agree.

Sometimes the Calvinists have some good solid insights. (But this is not one of them)