The overall theme or purpose of the Gospel of John is found in John 20:31 “These (accounts) are written so you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” I personally find it interesting that John chooses to give his purpose in writing account at the end of this Gospel instead of at the beginning. When someone writes something usually the author declares up front his purpose in writing. When I started this series and usually at the beginning of every devotional I stated my purpose in writing. John does not do this; instead he begins with a bold, up front and in your face declaration of the divinity of the One in whom he is writing about… Jesus. He spends a great deal of time telling the reader Jesus is not just a great man who came preaching and teaching nice things but that he was MUCH more than that. He is eternal. He is divine He was present and active in the creation process.
John calls Jesus, “the Word”… He writes, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God.” In reading the opening verses of John you find that Jesus was/is the Word and He was/is God. John begins his Gospel by declaring, “Bam! There you have it! Jesus is God! I know this because I was with him and what follows in the pages to come are my eye witness accounts of his teachings, his deeds and his ministry here on earth.” John waits until the end of the Gospel in verse 30 to declare his purpose in writing. Read John 20:30 & John 21:25 Everyone has a purpose in life. The Apostle John wrote this Gospel account to be a biography of the life of Jesus and yet it is a Holy Spirit inspired account of his life, death, resurrection and the impact they had on the world. The Apostle John spends a great deal of time establishing some key truths about Jesus..
The same is true with Jesus (since he and the Father are one). We do not know everything Jesus did by simply reading the Gospels. We do know many significant things about him and we know all we need to know about who He is, his mission and how He fulfilled his purpose. John speaks about the post resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples and most notably his encounter with Thomas, he writes a parenthetical statement about his purpose in writing this account in verses 30 – 31. There are many miracles and signs Jesus performed in his ministry that are not contained in this Gospel (or the Bible for that matter). We do not know they were they are left for our imagination. I don’t think they were omitted because they weren’t significant I would imagine they were left out because they were so numerous. We do know the miracles and signs that were recorded in John’s Gospel were intended to help those reading these accounts to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In believing this one will have life (abundant life today and forevermore). John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has chosen these accounts to record in his Gospel so all who read (including you and me) can come to faith in Jesus Christ. This brings up the question, “Has the Gospel of Jesus impacted your life at all?” Now that we near the conclusion of the Gospel of John it is important for all of us to take a collective look at all that has been read, preached on, consumed, and digested. If it has impacted your life then it would serve you well to ask yourself this question, “How has the Gospel of Jesus (written by John) directly impacted me?” When you look at the life, ministry and teachings of Jesus does a sense of awe overtake you? When you look at the plan of redemption as written in this Gospel do you see the great love the Father in heaven has for his children? Does this love give you a sense of wonder? Does it stir up in you an overwhelming need to fall to your knees and worship Jesus for all he has done? If the Gospel hasn’t impacted you in some way or to rouse your faith in Jesus then I encourage you to ask the Father right now to open your eyes to see Jesus for who He is. Ask him to help you understand what Jesus did for humanity (and for you in particular) so that those who believe can and will receive an abundant life in Jesus today and for all eternity. who already believe and are obedient to his word I have dedicated this year in hopes that your faith would be stirred up and you would be motivated to live your life in a way that would draw others to Jesus Christ. The life of Christ (his eternal existence, his incarnation, his ministry, his death and resurrection) has a purpose and it all was established for the benefit of humanity since the beginning of all things. John had a purpose in writing (so you may believe). Jesus had a purpose (to draw you to the Father and give life to those who believe). I had a purpose in writing these devotions (to have a better understanding of who Jesus is and to believe he is the way, the truth and the life). What is your response? How does it affect you? The Gospel is alive and it is able to transform. Will you allow it to be alive in you and to transform you into the person God created you to be?
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Jeff has been in full-time ministry for thirty years. He currently serves as Executive Director at Anchor House Ministry at SeaPort Manatee in Palmetto, FL and he is a part-time Campus Pastor at West Bradenton Southside in Bradenton, Florida.
Jeff Has authored A Lent Devotional (A Spiritual Journey to Lent) an Advent Devotional (The Advent of Jesus) and a devotional on the book of James (James: Where Faith and Life Meet). All three are available on Amazon. He is married to Carrie and they have four children, Micaiah, Gabe, Simon, and Berea. Preview or purchase Jeff's Books
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