John’s Gospel

BT80309 10 Units 3 Study Credits £30

DESCRIPTION: 

A study of the fourth gospel which expresses the uniqueness of the Son’s relationship with the Father.   John introduces Jesus by 7 key titles: Word, Lamb of God, Rabbi, Messiah, King of Israel, Son of God and Son of Man.  Only in John we see the ‘I AMs’ of Christ, linking him with the revealed name of God in Exodus 3:14.

We shall consider how John’s presentation of Christ shows the revelation of Christ to Israel, the rejection of Christ and the further revelation of Christ only to his disciples, followed by his final rejection and the supreme miracle of the resurrection, by using terms like: believe, unbelief, love, hate, truth, word, know, world, light, darkness, above, below, witness, name, sin, judgement, life, glory, death, hour – some of the key words in this gospel.

OBJECTIVES:      

As a result of the student’s successful completion of this module, s/he will:

Head:  

have a clear knowledge of the outline, uniqueness and theology of John’s gospel 

Heart:  

  • have a deeper appreciation of the Saviour as revealed by the disciple who knew him best

Hand:  

  • be able to find their way around John’s gospel and articulate its teaching on Christ     

READING:           

Recommended:   

  • Bruce, FF     The Gospel of John     Eerdmans, 1983
  • Fee, D and Stuart, G     How to Read the Bible for all its Worth     Scripture Union,
  • Morris, L     New Testament Theology     Zondervan, 1990
  • Ladd, G E     New Testament Theology     Eerdmans, 1993
  • Gamble, R C     The Whole Counsel of God Vol.1     P&R Publishers, 2009
  • Blum, E A     The Bible Knowledge Commentary (NT)     Victor Press, 1987
  • Ryle, J C     Expository Thoughts on John     Banner of Truth, 1987
  • Pink, A W     Exposition of the Gospel of John     Banner of Truth,
  • Elwell, W A     Evangelical Dictionary of Theology     Baker Books, 1999

ASSIGNMENT:    

Students should complete a 1,000 word assignment on ONE of the following topics:

  • There are 20 italicised words in the course description above.  For each, identify two examples from John’s Gospel and, if possible, making use of Logos Bible Software, give a brief explanation of how John uses that word in the context of the passage and the book.
  • In what ways does John’s Gospel differ from the Synoptics?