That You May Believe

John 20:30–31

The Closing Argument

In a courtroom drama, the closing argument is the moment everything comes into focus. The evidence has been laid out, the witnesses have spoken, the facts have been examined and now the attorney turns to the jury and says, “This is what it all means. Here’s the verdict you must reach.” It’s not a time for new information; it’s a call to judgment. A call to decision.

That’s what we’re reading here at the end of John 20. After twenty chapters filled with signs, sayings, confrontations, miracles, and eyewitness testimonies, John, under the inspiration of the Spirit, steps into the role of a closing advocate. He looks you in the eye and says: Here is the case I have made. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And now you must decide: Will you believe? Will you have life in His name?

The gospel is not just passing on theological information. It is a personal, pressing invitation, and the stakes could not be higher: Eternal life or spiritual death hang in the balance. John is not writing to entertain you or merely inform you, he’s writing to rescue you, to draw you to the only One in whom life is truly found.

The Claim: Jesus Is the Christ, the Son of God

A Selective Case, not all evidence is presented in this case…

John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Many other signs that Jesus did in the presence of the disciples

John is writing this gospel in about 90 AD, 60 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, maybe 20-30 years after the other gospels were written.

John is saying there are other accounts of Jesus’ life, and you should read them. But these things were written (notice it’s not “I wrote” but stated in the passive sense, because he was led to give these signs) in order to make His case: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God…”

Jesus is the Christ

Christ = The Messiah = The Anointed. In the O.T. there are 3 anointed offices: The Prophet, The Priest and The King.

A prophet reveals God by speaking God’s word to the people.

John 1:1 He is the Word made flesh, the full revelation of God

A priest made sacrifice to God on behalf of the people

John 1:29 He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

The King ruled the people and protected and defended the kingdom on behalf of God.

Jesus gathered his kingdom by being lifted up on the throne of his cross, by which he cast down every spiritual oppressor and established his reign of grace over the earth.

Jesus is the Son of God

In Hellenism, people believed a man could be a “son of the gods” in many ways:

In mythology, the child of a god and human, given superhuman abilities; not fully god, and not really human.

In politics, generals and emperors were given honors in the cult of Roman emperor worship; named sons of the gods.

In medicine, by ascribing to anyone with mysterious healing powers the title of divinity.

John teaches that Jesus is the Word of God, who was with God in the beginning, before the creation of the world, and was himself the creator. He became a real human being so that the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father was revealed in him. He is “God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side.” The only begotten is from all eternity the Son of God.

The Evidence: Signs, Witnesses; and Testimony

The Signs

The 7 Major Miracles of John

Water into Wine - John 2:1-11

Healing the official’s son - John 4:46-54

Healing the invalid by the pool of Bethesda - John 5:1-15

Feeding the 5,000 - John 6:5-13

Walking on the water - John 6:16-21

Healing the man born blind - John 9:-17

Raising Lazarus from the dead - 11:1044

The greatest miracle/sign: His own resurrection (Jn 20).

What this shows: Only God could do these things.

The Witnesses

What did the people say about Jesus?

Jn 1:35 John the Baptist says, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

Jn 1:41 Andrew - “We have found the Messiah,” Jn 1:49 Nathanael - “You are the Son of God! The king of Israel!”

Jn 4:32 The woman at the well & the Samaritans - “Can this be the Christ? We know that this is the Savior of the world.”

Jn 6:14 The people “this is the Prophet who is come into the world”

Jn 5:18 - the “Jews were seeking to kill him, because he was calling God his Father, making himself equal with God.”

Jn 11:27 Martha, “I believe that your are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Jn 20:28 Thomas - “My Lord and My God!!!”

What were they saying: This man is not like any other man.

The Testimony: Jesus on the stand

What does he say about himself

John 10:30 I and the father are one…

The I am statements 0f Jesus: I am the the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the door of the sheep; I am the good shepherd; I am the resurrection and the life; I am the way, the truth, and the life; I am the true vine.

To the woman at the well who said “I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” John 4:25–26

Jesus makes it clear who he is.

There are those who say Jesus never claimed to be God. They haven’t read the Bible. The reason the pharisees wanted to kill Jesus was that all he did, all the people were saying, and all that Jesus claimed pointed clearly to the fact that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.

The Verdict: Believe in Him

“…so that you may believe…”

Belief is not just mental agreement, but relational trust. It means taking Jesus at His word, entrusting your soul to Him, and resting in His work. It’s not a one-time box you check, it’s the whole direction of your life.

Picture a man falling off a cliff, grabbing a branch. He can “believe” the branch can hold him, but unless he actually hangs on it, his belief is meaningless. Believing in Jesus is not admiring the branch, it’s clinging to Him because without Him, you fall.

Application: What are you actually trusting for your standing before God? What gives you assurance before Him? When the things you have done fall short, where is your assurance?

This is a call to come to Jesus and to trust Him alone for forgiveness, righteousness, and life.

And it’s not just for unbelievers. Every believer must continue to live by faith in the Son of God (Gal. 2:20).

And by believing, have life in His Name

Life in His name means it comes by the authority, merit, and power of Jesus.

In the ancient world, to act “in someone’s name” was to act with all their authority.

Imagine writing a check, the value comes from the name signed at the bottom.

“Life in His name” means all the riches of eternal life are paid by His account, not yours.

Eternal Life in John’s Gospel is never just unending existence, it means the fullness of life; life with God, knowing Him, enjoying Him. It starts now and stretches into eternity.

Application

Life in the name of Christ brings peace, even in suffering. 2 Tim 1:12 “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”

Life in the name of Christ frees you from trying to earn your way into God’s favor.

Life in the name of Christ empowers you to walk in obedience, because you are alive in Christ.

Conclusion: So What Do We Do?

If you’ve never trusted Christ, this is your invitation. He is the Son of God and He offers life to all who come to Him.

If you have trusted Him, renew your faith. Keep believing. Keep looking to Him for daily strength and hope.

If you’ve grown cold, remember that life is not found in your performance, your possessions, or your plans, but in Jesus’ name alone.

C.S. Lewis: “Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance. If true, it is of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

Let us begin this study through John together, that we might weigh the evidence before us, and come to see just what it means to believe in Jesus who is the Christ, the Son of God, and how we have life in His name.

The evidence is before you. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. You must decide: Will you believe? Will you have life in His name?