guide to bible study

guide to bible study

guide for bible study

guide to bible study on how God has revealed Himself to His people in the person of Jesus and how He is working to bring that reality to light through the preaching of the Gospel. I am currently working on a four part study on these topics, which will cover each of the four Gospels and have a portion on Acts.

If you are interested in the Gospel of John and the Person of Christ Jesus in particular, the following are just a few resources I have found helpful. You are free to check out these or any others you may find on my blog:

“Jesus” The Gospel: A Study of the Historicity of Jesus Christ by Dr. William Barclay. This book is written by one of my favorite evangelists. His teaching on Christ and his life was an important part of my own growth as a Christian.

The Book of John: An Exposition and Guide to It’s Message and Significance by John Wesley (great resource for sermon outlines too)

Jesus Christ in Three Hours: A Comprehensive Study of the Gospel According to John by Thomas F. Merton (his work on John 7 is excellent)

A Study of the Gospel of John by J. C. Maxson

This is a great list, and would be a great jumping off point. You can find some of these resources by going to the bottom of the post. I hope this list is helpful!

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It’s a new year and it’s time to make new goals and plans for my blog.

I’ve been debating what kind of a theme to focus on and eventually I decided to focus on the Gospel of John and that Gospel’s author John. So this year, I’m going to do one post on John each week.

This week, I want to take a look at the Gospel of John and how it differs from Mark. The first chapter of John is a summary of many of the things Jesus did, and John gives a different perspective on it than we have in Mark.

Let’s first take a look at the similarities between John and Mark.

The Gospel of John and Mark

John and Mark tell stories about the same events. However, what they say differs. John gives a lot more detail, whereas Mark does not. John is much more thorough. Mark mentions Jesus healed blind people, Peter rebuked Jesus for his actions, and John mentions Jesus healing the blind and many other things.

John focuses on the person of Jesus. The Gospel of John reveals a lot about who Jesus is and how God has revealed His person in the person of Jesus. John does not stop at the cross. He shows us how Jesus was resurrected. He writes about the miracles and parables of Jesus. Jesus is God’s Messiah (John 1:41) who came to save us (John 3:15). He reveals the person of Jesus through His ministry, death, and resurrection.

John: God and Jesus

Jesus is God in the flesh. John does not say that Jesus is God (John 1:1) because the Word of God (John 1:1, 14) would be the Son of God. In John 1:3, 4, 9-11, 17, 18, 29, and 34, Jesus is called the Son of God. Jesus is divine because He is the Word made flesh.

Jesus is God’s Chosen Messiah (John 1:41, 43, 44). Jesus came to do the will of the Father (John 4:34).

Jesus is God’s Light (John 8:12, 13, 16) and “the gate” for the new “mystery” of the “kingdom of God” (John 3:13).

Jesus is sent by the Father (John 6:38) to bring salvation (John 6:35, 36).

Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16, 18, 20, 26) and the true bread from heaven (John 6:33, 34, 37).

Jesus Christ is the way, truth, and life (John 14:6, 7).

Jesus is the true light (John 1:9) who causes us to see the world for what it really is (John 12:35, 36).

John does not have parables as Jesus did. John mentions that Jesus spoke in parables but John only mentions that Jesus spoke one parable (John 10:3, 12).

John is also much more detailed about some of the things Jesus said or did.

What are some of the differences between John and Mark?

John gives a lot more detail. He gives us more information about Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. John does not give us as many of the details we get in Matthew, Luke, or John as he does in Mark.

John is more concerned with the ministry of Jesus. John 1-2 is all about Jesus’ earthly ministry.

John has parables, in contrast to the Gospel of Matthew. John 7 is John’s “parable” or most important and well known parable.

John is more comprehensive. John 12:44-50 gives a whole overview of Jesus’ ministry. Matthew 16 gives a brief overview.

Conclusion

So John differs from Mark in many ways. When we compare John with Luke or Matthew, we can see how John is a different picture of Jesus than they are. The Gospel of John emphasizes Jesus Christ in different ways than any of the other Gospels. The Gospel of John helps us get to know who Jesus is and why He was important.

I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below or on my Facebook page or on Twitter.

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This blog is my way of studying the Bible and sharing my studies with others. I write about what I am studying and my spiritual growth as I study the Bible. My goal is to encourage and inspire you to study the Bible too.

I began the year studying with God’s Word from Luke, Proverbs, Isaiah, Psalms, Jeremiah, and Ruth. Then I switched gears to studying John for a few weeks. Now, I am studying Ephesians.

This blog will serve as my online bible study notebook. I hope to include more sermons, audio from my studies, and book reviews. I hope you’ll find this helpful in your Bible study.

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