One In Jesus

Portraits of Jesus Lesson 7

Questions

“Jesus, the Living Water”

John 4:1-42

1. What was the difference in the baptism of Jesus’ disciples and that of John?  Why is it noted that Jesus himself was not baptizing?  What does Jesus’ willingness to leave Judea and go miles away from John’s ministry say about our Savior? Continue reading →

For those of us in the Churches of Christ, water baptism is an identity issue. Our view on baptism defines who we are. For many of us, it’s become the reason for the existence of our non-denomination.

But, of course, our identity should be in Jesus, not a rite — even a necessary, God-given rite. Water baptism is an important doctrine, but there are 10 times as many references to faith in the New Testament as to water baptism. Faith in Jesus is the core of the New Testament’s teachings. Continue reading →

Chapter 3 is the (true) story of Nicodemus and Jesus’ and John’s discourses on the nature of our salvation.

Chapter 3 is to John what the Sermon on the Mount is to Matthew — it’s a presentation of the core of Jesus’ teachings. Indeed, like the Sermon on the Mount, it’s an extensive statement of Jesus’ message, placed there so that later in the book, John can refer to Jesus’ teaching without having to explain the substance of his teaching. Just refer back to chapter 3. Continue reading →

(John 3:35-36 ESV)  ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.  ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

V. 36 recapitulates v. 18, with an important difference. John now appears to contrast faith with its opposite: disobedience. V. 18 contrasted faith with a lack of faith.

Many have argued from this and similar verses that a lack of obedience damns, and so they damn all who violate their preferred doctrines — regarding use of church funds, church organization, or whatever. Continue reading →

(John 3:22-24 ESV) ²² After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.  ²³ John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized  ²⁴ (for John had not yet been put in prison).

Now, we see Jesus unambiguously adopting water baptism as a practice. Why? Continue reading →

(John 3:16 ESV)  ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Although the work of the Spirit and coming of the Messiah were extensively prophesied, nothing in the Old Testament explicitly requires faith in the Messiah as a condition of salvation — not obviously so. However, First Century Jews understood the necessity of faith in God. Continue reading →

(John 3:9-12 NIV) ⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?  ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?”

Ouch. Jesus’ rebuke of Nicodemus surely stung a little, but Jesus is not being hateful. Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, was in fact extremely knowledgeable in the Law and the Prophets. Very few American Christians would have a tenth of his knowledge of the Old Testament. A Pharisee in that age would have been a devoted scholar and a teacher of the people.  Continue reading →

(John 3:6 ESV)  ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Verse 6 implies that we cannot enter the Kingdom except as spirit. To be born of the Spirit (the emphasis is on Spirit) is to, in some sense, become spirit. What on earth does that mean? Continue reading →