The Gospel According to John

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:1

Sometime near the end of the first century, a write skilled in Greek language and philosophy wrote the last Gospel, called the Gospel According to John. In some quarters the authorship is assigned to the Apostle John, while others declare it was another person, perhaps another person named John. While the authorship is a hotly debated item, what is not debated is this Gospel is very different than the first three.

The Kingdom of Heaven

This Gospel is far more philosophical; and contains longer and deeper theological expressions by Jesus. In the Synoptic Gospels;  Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus speaks in quick bursts and uses parables for many of his teachings. Here we have philosophical explanations by Jesus; about the Kingdom of heaven and who he is.

Nowhere is this more evident than in chapter three, where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus late at night. Jesus is being questioned by Nicodemus about his purpose. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, who were very much opposed Jesus and his teachings. But Nicodemus was not so sure. In the middle of the night, he went to see Jesus. In a way, Nicodemus was acting as a foil for Jesus to explain why he came. In this chapter you have the famous Christian slogan, John [3:16], where Jesus states very clearly who he is, by saying;

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whomever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus also uses images in this chapter; such as light versus darkness and the Spirit to describe how one arrives at having faith in the unseen. The complexity and philosophical nature of this chapter requires a number of readings to fully grasp what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus, but like many parts of the Bible, Jesus’s message is not just for Nicodemus, but is very important to the 21^st century reader.

Book of Signs

While in the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’s divinity is expressed and demonstrated through healings and miracles, in John they are called “signs”. In fact, there are seven signs spread throughout the Gospel. From changing water to wine, raising Lazarus and walking on water. Causing some to call the Gospel, the Book of Signs.

At the very beginning we also get a very philosophical statement about who Jesus is. In verse one, it says; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In this well-crafted sentence we see the theological and fundamental statement of who exactly Jesus is.

But notice the use of the word, Word.

And also notice it is capitalized. In Greek, Word means logos. And the fact it is capitalized means divinity. So we can safely assume,  the author is using the word logos to describe Jesus. So when we reread this verse with Jesus substituted for Word or Logos, it now reads; In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.

In this simple statement, we get the essence of Jesus, from the beginning Jesus was with God and was God. Later, in Christian history this became one of the fundamental statements in the Nicean Creed and is now part of our current confession of faith. There is no ambiguity in this statement as to Jesus’s place in the Trinity. Jesus is God and with God, and has been since the beginning.

The Gospel

The Gospel contains many of the features similar to the other Gospels; from Jesus’s life, his death and resurrection. In fact the term, Gospel means; the teaching, revelation and life of Jesus. So while this Gospel is a very different and more philosophical, it is a complete history of the teaching, revelation and life of Jesus. From his ministry, to the crucifixion and resurrection.

So we might ask, why is it needed? Or why is it so different? Well, my best answer is; it’s part of the beauty of the Bible. It provides another avenue to get to know Jesus. Perhaps for the person who is very analytical or philosophical, a different and easier way they think about their faith. In fact, each of the four Gospels have different appeals.

It doesn’t mean that John is better or inferior.

It represents the beauty of all four Gospels combined. While some may say they like the Christmas story in Luke, or others might say they like the connection to the Jewish traditions in Matthew, even others will say they like the crispness of Mark. Each of the Gospels pull us into the story of Jesus differently. In effect giving us many ways to enter the story of Jesus’s existence on earth.

All were written to encourage the early Christians in their faith. Written for separate audiences. But so well written, that their lessons and revelations about Jesus are easily transportable to today and future generations.

The Gospel of According to John, rounds out our understanding of Jesus through a different, but equally reliable lens. Placed in the Bible by people and circumstances inspired by God.

Listen to the Full Podcast – The Gospel According to John – The Bible and Its History

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Alabaster Co on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”

I Corinthians [6:19]-20

Recently, I was asked by a group of people who wanted to know exactly who the Holy Spirit was and would I wrote a blog. Thinking to myself, you know that is something I get asked about a lot and agreed I would do the research and write a blog. But simply stating that the Holy Spirit was part of the Trinity and substance of God wouldn’t be enough.

Complicated Answers

So, I earnestly set out to read all the verses in the Bible about the Holy Spirit and all the reference material. The more I researched the more complicated the answers became. In fact, when I read what scholars thought, I couldn’t seem to find concrete agreement from person to person. The search became murkier as I tried to distill the Holy Spirit into a simple explanation.

Some of the readings claimed if you had the Holy Spirit, you could talk in tongues. Some other writings called the Holy Spirit the great counselor. Others claimed the Spirit created miracles. But there was no one simple answer.

Then it dawned me, that it wasn’t important what scholars wrote, but how people experienced the Holy Spirit. That in their own personal relationship with the Holy Spirit was the true definition.

So, I went to Twitter and asked, “How do you experience the Holy Spirit? Surprisingly close to seven thousand people saw the question and many responded. As I expected I got a wide range of experiences.

One person felt the Holy Spirit in a grocery store after she helped a disabled person with their groceries. For no reason at all, she had felt compelled to help and after she got to her car she broke down in tears. Not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy knowing that she had experienced the Holy Spirit.

A sample of shorter descriptions that were written are;

The Holy Spirit gives me inner peace and calm.
The Holy Spirit reminds me to do good every day.
The Holy Spirit gives me strength, courage, and wisdom to lead my life.
The Holy Spirit is my daily guide.
I hear the Holy Spirit when I pray.
The Holy Spirit helps me see God in others.  

I also got longer answers, like; I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, I don’t have the gift of tongues, but I still feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Still, another wrote; I am an optimist 90% of the time, but on those days I am down, the Holy Spirit lifts me up and helps my attitude.

On and on these wonderful expressions went on. People sharing not because they were answering a question as if it was a test to get the right answer. But sharing a special relationship they felt strongly about. Each different, but all theoretically correct.

In my research, I found one verse that seemed to explain this phenomenon. Paul in First Corinthians states, that the Holy Spirit exists in all of us and our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit. A gift from God!

Different Explanations

To me, this explains why each individual has a different explanation. Because we are all uniquely different. And our relationship with the Holy Spirit that dwells with us is a reflection of our individual life experience. Almost as if the Spirit which dwells within us meets us where we are.

Sure there are those who can speak in tongues and become wildly exuberant when they feel the Spirit. While others of us, feel the Spirit in a less demonstrative way. It doesn’t mean one person has a better relationship than the other, it means its different.

The Holy Spirit meets us where we are and in a way that we can understand.

I guess I wasn’t surprised that this was the result of a survey that seven thousand people saw. Many wonderful expressions of a very personal relationship that we all share.

Discovery

So I didn’t complete my task and theologically explain the Holy Spirit. Rather, I discovered more important questions. Questions I and others should explore. How are we individually in a relationship with the Holy Spirit? And are we completely invested in this relationship?

Perhaps this is the place we should start versus trying to discover the metaphysical aspect of the Holy Spirit.

Try today to ask the Holy Spirit to visit you. The same Holy Spirit that Paul says dwells within you.

Listen to the Full Podcast – Who is the Holy Spirit – Episode 3 – Inspirational Christian Stories

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.