KNOW "Know" is a relational
term. We come to know God by acknowledging Jesus as God's Son and our Saviour.
"Know" also speaks of continuing fellowship with God as we live a
life of obedience and love. See John 8:19,31-47; 10:4,14-15; 1 John 4:15-16.
WORLD "World" (kosmos) as a
theological term portrays human society as a system warped by sin and
influenced by Satan. The world is energized by the sin nature. See 1 John
3:1,13; 5:19.
WORD John affirmed Jesus as the
"Word" which existed with and as God from eternity. Jesus is the One
through whom God expressed Himself As the Word, Jesus is the creative power
that brought the universe into existence, and the prophetic power that reveals
and controls the future. Through faith we can have fellowship with the eternal
Word of God. See John 1:1-14; 1 John 1:1-2.
GLORY "Glory" speaks of God's
splendor as seen in His self-revelation. It is an expression in this world of
the beauty, power, and greatness of our God. See John 1:14; 17:4-5.
LIFE "Life" can refer to biological life, but more important
it speaks of the vitalizing power of God. We are given God's life when we
believe in Jesus. This divine lifeforce makes it possible for us to live
righteously now despite our mortality, and will find expression in our future
bodily resurrection. See John 3:15-36; 5:21-26; 1 John 2:1-3:24.
DEATH "Death" too is more than a
biological concept. Death speaks of the spiritual state of human beings as
separated from God, and morally warped. The spiritually dead lie under God's
condemnation and have no way to win His favor. Only the gift of life through
Jesus Christ can counteract the death which holds humankind in a firm grip. See
John 5:16-26.
LIGHT "Light" implies holiness,
but its primary emphasis is on illumination. Jesus is the Light of the world,
showing us the way to God. We are to live as His Word shows us how, and so be
"children of the light." See John 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 1 John 1:5-7.
DARKNESS Morally,
"darkness" describes sinful acts and a sin-filled lifestyle.
Theologically spiritual darkness is the dominant evil power which holds the
unsaved in bondage. Sinners choose to embrace the dark; only the light provided
by Jesus turns us to a God in whom there is "no darkness at all." See
John 3:19; 8:12; 1 John 1:5-7.
BELIEF John often spoke of a superficial kind
of belief in Jesus stimulated in observers by His miracles. But the belief John
seeks to evoke through his Gospel is an active, continuing trust in Jesus that
brings eternal life. The one who truly believes receives Jesus as Saviour, and
expresses this faith in obedience and love for others. See John 3; 5; 8:31-32.
UNBELIEF Unbelief is not "doubt," but
rather a failure to respond to Christ with belief. Unbelief thus is a moral,
not intellectual concept which implies rejection of God. See John 3:16-21.
TRUTH Over half of the New Testament's uses
of "truth" (aletheia) are found in John. John's focus is on the link
of truth and reality. A thing is true because it is in harmony with reality as
God knows reality. We can know (experience) reality only by choosing to keep
Jesus' words, which show us life as God intends His children to live it. See
John 17:17; 1 John 1:6-8.
FALSEHOOD “Falsehood"
is not so much a matter of lying in John as it is a matter of deceit and
illusion. All the world's notions of reality are at heart illusory. Only God's
Word unveils the truth. Only by adopting and living by God's perspective can a
person break away from falsehood and know the truth.
LOVE This is one of the most important
concepts in the Bible. Scripture reveals God's love for us, and how we can
respond to that love. In both Testaments we are taught to show love for God
both by obedience and by loving others. John makes it clear that love is not
something that flows naturally from the human heart, but must be awakened by
God's initiating act of love in Jesus Christ. See John 3:16; 1 John 4:7-21.
HATE As a theological term
"hate" speaks of the deep antagonism of the unsaved world to Jesus
and His own. See John 3:20; 15:18-25.
