 Well, we’ve finally come to the end of the gospel of John. After fourteen months and thirty-two posts, this John 7-21 Study is just about completed. However, before we leave, we should touch on one final, important topic—the purpose of this book. Unlike other New Testament writers, the Apostle John gives us the purpose of his writing at the end of the book rather than the beginning. So at the end of John 20, we read: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” This was and still is the purpose of the gospel of John—that we might believe. And though he was writing almost two thousand years ago, John’s message and intent still holds true for us today. The gospel of John is the most frequently shared gospel in evangelistic efforts with mass produced pocket-sized versions published with the express purpose of distribution as tracks. But the gospel of John isn’t merely a great evangelistic book. It contains the most sermons and messages from Jesus than any other gospel, and these teachings and discussions weren’t typically directed at unbelievers. No! Many—like the entire Upper Room Discourse (chapters 13-17)—were for the disciples and those who already knew the truth. So while the Apostle John stated his purpose for writing to be that we may believe in Jesus and have life in His name, that’s not the end of the story. Once we believe the truth of Jesus’ identity and what He did for us, we then need to grow our knowledge and faith in Him or as Jesus said in John 15, we must abide in Him and bear fruit. Therefore the final question is…do YOU believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? And do you believe that in Him and only in Him is life eternal? Throughout this series and study in the gospel of John, how has YOUR faith been strengthened? What has the Lord been teaching you? How have you grown in your walk with the Lord? Are you abiding more fully in Him? How is your fruit bearing? No matter what stage and season of life we’re in—whether we’re new to the faith or have grown up in it—we should always be growing spiritually. We can never know enough, read enough, or seek the Lord enough. Our hearts’ desire should always be for more of Him. And while we may already have a saving knowledge and belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we must always strengthen that faith and stretch it. So I pray that as we close out this study the Lord has been speaking to your heart over the course of the last thirty-two posts. If you haven’t been able to catch all of them or would like to re-read some of them, they will remain posted here on this website. So feel free to look over the John 7-21 Study archives and/or visit this new outline page. Well, it’s official…the John 7-21 Study is now complete. We have traveled a lot of ground together, and learned much. So thanks for joining me on this inductive and devotional journey through this amazing, God-inspired, and power-packed gospel! Keep pressing on in your search for God’s truth and study of His living Word! “This is the disciple [John] who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 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.” ~John 21:24-25 Since we have finished this book of the Bible, what book would you be interested in studying with me next? While I already have my next study book in mind, I would love your input and feedback. So please take the time to fill out the survey below and share your opinion. And while the submission may or may not influence my choice, I promise to read every single one of them!
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