John

The Gospel of John declares its purpose clearly--"these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and thay by believing you may have life in his name." Thus it fulfills a dual function, encouraging believers and providing them with evidences for proclaiming that Jesus is God's Messiah, the divine, incarnate Son of God.Christians today, as in the first century, can draw strength and courage from John's telling of the story of Jesus, a telling that consistentlyreflects not only the words and deeds of Jesus but their inner significance. We are called to worship as we find the Father, Son and Spirit revealed in the Gospel. And as in Jesus we discover God's light, life and love, we learn to respond in faith,humility and obedience.In this engaging, pastorally-oriented commentary, readers will find an introduction with background material concerning authorship, date and purpose, as well as a summary of important theological themes. A passage-by-passage exposition follows that focuses on understanding what John had to say to his original readers in order to see its relevance for the church today.Students, pastors, Bible teachers and everyone who wants to understand the message of John for the church will benefit from this excellent resource.

Rodney A. Whitacre earned his Ph.D. at Cambridge University. He is professor of biblical studies at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.