An Overview of the Gospel of John Pt. 2

The Structure of John’s Gospel:

John structured his gospel so that its content progresses, not in a straight line of logical thought such as you are accustomed to, but in an inverted spiral. John makes a point and then comes back to it later to expand on it.

John 1:1-18 is a prologue. It introduces the theme of John’s whole gospel. Throughout the rest of the gospel he comes back to the points he made in the prologue and elaborates on them to give us a fuller understanding of their meaning. This structure of John's gospel was fully explained by Martin Franzman in his book The Word of the Lord Grows. The outline of John's gospel that appears later in this overview is based on his explanation.

John’s chief purpose of his gospel is stated at the beginning of his concluding epilogue in John 20:30-31. There he stated the purpose of his gospel was to show that Jesus is Christ the Son of God. This was substantiated by Jesus’ miracles, which were signs and indicators of his divinity, so that we would believe in Jesus and have life in his name. These points - the divinity of Jesus, faith in him, and having life in him - were set forth already in the introductory prologue of John 1:1-18, as you will see below. John spiralled up and back to these points once again in his concluding summary in the epilogue.

John’s structure of stating a point and later spiralling up and back to it can be seen within the prologue itself. John 1:1-18 as translated in the English Standard Version is printed out for you below. These 18 verses have been outlined and colour coded so you can see how John comes back to the opening points again and again to expand them and to elaborate on them. Note that the divinity of Jesus mentioned in the epilogue and shown in italic script above shows up clearly in that same script in the prologue. Note, too, that the faith and life in Jesus Christ mentioned in the epilogue and shown in bold characters above also shows up clearly in that same type face in the prologue. John also makes the point and comes back to it in the prologue that the world and Jesus' own people, the Jews, did not understand and believe in Jesus but rejected him and his Word of God. This is shown in this font in the marked outline below.

John chapter 1

v1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

v2 He was in the beginning with God.

v3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

v4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

v5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

v6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

v7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

v8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

v9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

v10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

v11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

v12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

v13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

v14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

v15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)

v16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

v17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

v18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

The Different Script Marked Outline of John 1:1-18:

A. Christ, the Word, who speaks God’s message to the world, is God himself.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1. Christ, the Word, is the eternal God.

John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.

2. Christ, the Word, is the Creator God.

John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

3. Christ, the Word, is God the giver of life.

John 1:4 In Him was life.

3a. His gift of eternal life is the light that gives spiritual life and enlightenment to the people of the world.

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

3b. Christ is the divine Word whose light shines in this world’s darkness of spiritual ignorance, unbelief, false teachings, sin, death, and the sentence of damnation.

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness.

3c. The people of the world in this darkness did not understand the light of Christ the Word’s message of life. Not understanding it, they rejected it.

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

B. John the Baptist was sent by God as God’s messenger.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

1. John was a witness sent by God to testify that Christ the Word is the light of life so all might believe through the word of life that Christ spoke in the world.

John 1:7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

2. John was not the Christ but only a witness to Christ the true light.

John 1:8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

Note: The spiralling nature of John’s structure in his gospel can be clearly seen by the fact that in John 1:19-35 John spiralled back to John the Baptist’s testimony that he was not the Christ but that Jesus who came after him was.

C. Christ, the Word and God himself, is the true light who came into the world.

John 1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

1. Christ is the true light who enlightens every man.

John 1:9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

2. Christ, the God who created the world, came and was in the world.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him,

2a. The people of the world whom he created did not recognize that he was God himself who was the light of life.

John 1:10 He was in the world...yet the world did not know him.

2b. Christ who was the Creator God and spoke God’s word of life came to his own people, the Jews. But his own people rejected him.

John 1:11 He came to His own, and his own people did not receive Him.

2c. But as many as received Christ by faith as the Christ who is God, he gave them the right to be the children of God.

John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God,

2d. Such believers were born spiritually by God’s doing, not as a result of having descended from Abraham and the Old Israel, nor by the will of their sinful nature, nor by the will of another person.

John 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

D. Christ, the Word who is God, became flesh, a human being such as we are, and lived among us on earth.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

1. The apostles beheld the glory of Christ as the only begotten Son of God the Father.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the Father,

2. The apostles beheld that Christ the Word and God was full of grace and truth in his person, his mission, and his message.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory...full of grace and truth.

3. John the Baptist also testified in Christ’s behalf, proclaiming that Christ is the almighty, eternal God.

John 1:15 John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”

E. We who believe, the New Israel, have received from this Christ, the Son of God who lived on earth, the fullness of his grace from the message he spoke as the Word and his going to the cross to save us.

John 1:16 And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

1. The law was given by Moses but the word of grace and truth came from Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

2. No person has seen God. Christ the Word who is the Son of God has explained and made God known to us.

John 1:18 No man has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.