John was very clear in explaining why it was he wrote his gospel. He did so in order that those who read his book would, “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” In order to accomplish this task, John saw that he needed to establish clearly that Jesus was God – that He wasn’t simply a good man or great teacher. If Jesus were not God or if Jesus didn’t think that He Himself were God, any such belief would be foolish and without basis. This is why in this climax to the first eight chapters of the book Jesus clearly and unequivocally equates Himself with God. He does this three different times in this section – twice through implication and once through direct statement. Thus, after finishing this eighth chapter, we see not only that Jesus has demonstrated His deity through His miracles and teaching but also that Jesus really does believe that He Himself is God. What should our response be to this claim?
About Pat Dirrim
Pastor Pat joined the Leadership Team in 2008 after having attended Grace Fellowship with his family since its inception in 2003. He and his family served as missionaries in Guatemala from 2011 through 2013 and since then Pat has served as the Pastor for Students and Families at Grace Fellowship. Pat and Barb have seven children ranging in age from college graduates to high school age. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Biblical Studies from RTS and enjoys doing CrossFit with family and friends in his home gym. They have lived in the Atlanta area since 1997.
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