John’s Overarching Theme of Love

The Gospel of John gives a brief glimpse into the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Then, after the death of Christ, his resurrection, and his ascent to heaven, John continues sharing the Word and send three letters which are featured in the New Testament as 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. While the gospel tells of some of Jesus’s life and touts the significance of Passover, the three letters tell of the basic commandment of Christ, to love God and the fellow man. Throughout these teachings, John encourages the readers to love in obedience to God, just as He has love humanity and sent Christ as a sacrifice for eternal life.

John builds a foundation for Jesus’s teaching by starting at the beginning when there was only God the spirit who “was the Word”. It is implied that the first five verses of the book concern the beginning, before creation. John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2, NIV). Therefore, Jesus was with God before creation, before Eve sinned, and before there was a need for a savior. From this, God was all-knowing from the beginning; knowing the fall of man, but loving humanity anyways and planning a way for the sinners to be purified. John then goes on to discuss John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus and the one who came before him as a witness. Finally, in the fourteenth verse, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Therefore, Jesus, knower of all and son in the trinity, came to earth and lived among common humans.

Once John established the coming of the Son, he begins to tell of Jesus’s first disciples and his miraculous acts. John first records Jesus’s discussion of eternal life in the third chapter in his story of Nicodemus. Jesus explains that to enter the kingdom of heaven, he must be born of water and Spirit (John 3:5). For obvious reasons, the disciples and other listeners were confused by the idea of being born twice. Jesus gives his first explanation of eternal life saying:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:14-16).

John puts it simply; eternal life comes from trusting in Jesus. Many of the Jews, according to the gospel of John, considered the words Jesus was speaking as blasphemy. John the Baptist was sent to give warning that the savior was coming so that the people could hear the words of Christ and know that his words were true. John the Baptist explains:

For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life (John 3:34-36a).

The work of John the Baptist is seen here but is also confirmed when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. The woman explains that she knows the Messiah is coming (John 4:25). At this point, eternal life is contingent on believing in the Son. The mentioning of love it that between the Father and the Son and the Father’s love for humanity. Instead, Jesus continues to teach eternal life through trust until the fifth chapter when he meets a group of Jews wanting to kill him for performing miracles on the Sabbath. Here, Jesus points out his all-knowing abilities and claims that, because the men do not accept him for who he says he is, they have no love for God (John 5:42). Jesus does not condemn the men for their lack of love, rather proclaims that they do not accept him as the Son. Therefore, as stated in previous verses, these men cannot experience eternal life because they do not believe in the Son.

Jesus finally mentions love between man and God in the eighth chapter. Jesus proclaims that the men would love him if they were the sons of God (John 8:42). Instead, the men not only cannot love Jesus but cannot understand his teaching because they are of the devil (John 8:44). Jesus was speaking to a group of Jews who wanted Jesus dead. Here it seems that the only individuals capable of loving God are the ones who first believe in the Son. Those who do not believe in the Son cannot love God and are descendants of Satan.

It is not until the last days before Jesus’s crucifixion that he emphasizes love. After Satan enters Judas and he leaves to bring the officials to Jesus, Jesus gives his only command (13: 18-34). Jesus proclaims, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Jesus emphasizes the importance of love and goes on to say that, by their love, all may know that they are his followers (John 13:35). This is the first time that John mentions Jesus’ love for his disciples. Jesus’s declaration of love is continued from this point in the book of John, and it is the subject of each of his letters.

Jesus’s one commandment is to love, and he furthers this as an act of obedience to the Father. Jesus promises eternal life through love and obedience, saying, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23). Jesus knows that his death is near and wants to assure his followers that they are not alone. Jesus promises that, even after his death, he will send one to be with them. To receive the one to come they must simply obey Jesus’s commandment to love.

John uses Jesus’s commandment to write letters of encouragement to early believers in his letters in 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. John begins his first letter assuring his audience that he is a reliable source. John writes, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1). Much of the opening of the Gospel of John and John’s first letter is comparable. John proclaims that Jesus, the one who was present at the beginning and was prophesied about, came and John was in his presence. Once he is established as a trustworthy disciple of Jesus, John makes the connections between obedience, love, and eternal life. According to the Gospel of John, eternal life is from knowing the Son. John explains that only those who obey Jesus know Jesus (John 2:3). To obey Jesus, man must love others, therefore, by loving others man obeys Jesus and accepts eternal life. While John encourages believers to love others, he makes it clear not to love the world, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). Here, John references Jesus’s words from the story of Jews who wanted him dead, in which Jesus claimed they were of the devil, as they did not have love in their hearts for God. This idea of sin coming from the devil is continued throughout the letter.

John bases his teachings in his three letters on the teaching of Jesus as seen in the Gospel of John. Jesus’s commandment is to love others. By obeying Jesus’s commandments, believers are accepting Jesus, knowing Jesus, and are given eternal life. The Gospel also explains that sin is from the devil and sin cannot love. John continues Jesus’ message of love in his letter to early believes, which encourage the readers to love and to be wary of Satan.