Whatever the Father Does - Part II

In this week’s message, Pastor Derrick mentioned that the phrase “eternal life,” which appears in v. 24, has already appeared six times so far in our study of John’s Gospel. In total, the phrase is repeated 17 times in the book.

• To see all of the references to eternal life in the Gospel, read John 3:14-16, 3:36, 4:13-14, 4:36, 5:24, 5:39-40, 6:27, 6:40, 6:47, 6:54, 10:28, 12:25, 12:50, and 17:1-3.
• Based on everything you’ve read, summarize Jesus’ (and John’s) teaching about eternal life in the Gospel of John.

The word “life” appears numerous other times in the book (at least 28 places besides the ones we’ve already looked at), so “life” is obviously a key concept in John’s Gospel and in Jesus’ teaching.

• To get an overview of the word “life,” read John 1:4, 5:21, 5:26, 5:29, 6:33, 6:35, 6:48, 6:51, 6:53, 6:63, 8:12, 10:10-17, 11:25, and 14:6.
• What do these verses add to your understanding of Jesus’ teaching about “life”?

John’s purpose statement for writing his Gospel is found in John 20:31. How is John’s purpose reflected in the passages we’ve studied today?

In John 5:28-29, Jesus declares his authority to resurrect: “An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”

• When Jesus says “his voice,” whose voice is he talking about? How do you know?
• Is anyone who has died excluded from this statement? What key word gives you the answer to this question?
• We wholeheartedly affirm the truth that our salvation is by grace alone through faith alone apart from anything we have done - even the faith to believe is a gift from God (see Ephesians 2:8-9). With this truth in mind, how do you interpret Jesus’ teaching that the type of resurrection we will experience - to life, or to judgment - is based on what we have done - good or evil? Read Ephesians 2:10. Does this verse help to clarify Jesus’ statement? How?
• What impact should this teaching have on our conduct and lifestyle?

Take a few moments to pray, thanking God for the gifts of grace, faith, salvation, and eternal life. If you have a thought or an insight that you'd like to share, please add a comment to this post.