SERIES SETUP SUMMARY
The Gospel of John is not written as a neutral biography. It is written as a carefully shaped testimony. John does not merely want you informed about Jesus. He wants you to be confronted by Jesus, drawn toward Jesus, and invited to decide what you will do with Him.
John selects signs, conversations, and turning-point moments to form a single, pressing invitation. Believe, and in believing, find life. John’s Gospel is written for thinkers, seekers, skeptics, and believers alike. It assumes questions. It welcomes examination. It does not rush to conclusions. Over the coming weeks, we will slow down and let the text speak for itself, allowing Scripture, not assumptions, to shape what we believe about Jesus, about ourselves, and about the kind of life God offers.
John also writes as someone who understands the big questions we all have. This Gospel does not ignore questions, grief, disappointment, confusion, or complexity. It dares to speak to the places where people actually live. The places where we wonder if God is real, if love is possible, if truth is knowable, and if suffering has the final word. John insists that the answer is not a philosophy, a principle, or a program. The answer is a person.
Most importantly, John begins where we do not expect. He begins before Bethlehem. He begins before time. He begins in the beginning. In doing so, John tells us what this entire series will be about. We will not merely study the teachings of Jesus. We will encounter the identity of Jesus. We will not merely learn religious concepts. We will be invited into a reality where Jesus is the foundation of existence, the source of life, and the light that makes sense of the world.
John 1:1-4 is the doorway into the whole Gospel. It echoes Genesis 1, where God speaks light into darkness. John tells us that the One who speaks in Genesis is not distant from us. He has stepped toward us. The Logos, the Word, is not only the voice of creation. He is the face of God revealed. This series will help you look honestly at Jesus, without pressure, without pretending, and without rushing to conclusions. Regardless of how long you’ve been following Jesus, this is an invitation to look again.
