New Testament Seminar V

A Guided Study of the Gospel of John, 1John,

2 John, 3 John, Revelation, and Inductive Bible Study Methods

Bible Seminar Curriculum

Copyright © 2011 James G. McCarthy

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Lesson1

New Testament Seminar V

Introduction

“What is truth?” (John 18:38), Pilate asked Jesus. The Lord answers this question for the believer. He prayed to the Father, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Consequently, we study God’s word and seek to live our lives by it, knowing that it will keep us from sin, bless our lives, and lead us to God.

CourseDescription

This course providesanoverviewofthe five NewTestament writings of the Apostle John.They will be studied in the approximate order in which they were written.

  • The Gospel of John—an eyewitness account of Jesus’ life and teaching that the reader might believe
  • First John—instructions to counter false Gnostic teachings
  • Second John—an exhortation to continue to walk in the truth
  • Third John—encouragement for Gaius and a warning about Diotrephes
  • Revelation—the revelation of Jesus Christ to show His bond-servants what will shortly take place

This course also provides instruction in Bible study methods, preparing the student for a lifetime of Scripture study.

CourseRequirements

New Testament Seminar V isathirteenweekcourse.Atablelistingtheclassesandtheirdatesisbelow.Inpreparationforeachlesson,studentsareaskedtoread three to fivechaptersoftheNewTestamentand to answeraseriesofquestions.TheseleadthestudentinaninductivestudyofScriptureandintroducethestudenttoseveralBiblestudytechniques,preparinghimorherforalifetimeofScripturestudy.

Studentsshouldplanonsettingasideaminimumofthreehourseachweekforreadingandhomework.Theyshould read the assigned section and answereachquestionfullyinthespaceprovided.Ifadditionalspaceisneeded,studentsmaycontinuetheiranswersonthebackofthe question sheet.Studentswishingtocompletehomeworkassignmentwiththeuseofacomputershouldasktheinstructorforacomputerfileofthecourse.

WeeklyClassSchedule

Theclasswillmeetweeklyforninetyminutes.Instructorswilldivideclassroomtimebetweenlectureanddiscussion,usingthefollowingschedule.

7:00p.m.Lecture1

7:30p.m.DiscussionGroups

8:00p.m.Lecture2

8:30p.m.End

Studentsareaskedtoarriveatclassafewminutes early sothatinstructioncanbeginontime.Studentsshouldcometoclasswiththeassignedsectionreadandtheirhomeworkcompletedandreadyto be turned intotheirdiscussiongroupleader.

CourseCompletion

Tosuccessfullycompletethiscourse,studentsmust:

  • finish allreadingassignments
  • finish andturninallhomeworkassignments
  • attendclasseachweek,notmissingmorethanthreeclasses

StudentsareencouragedtomakefulluseofthisopportunitytolearnGod’sWordbystudyinghardandgivingGodtheirbest.Homeworkassignmentsaredifficultandwillrequireseveralhourstocomplete.Studentsshouldplanaheadandsetasideoneortwoeveningsaweekforhomework.

Recognizingthatstudentshavealimitedtime, students should feelfreetoconsidertheirhomeworkcompletedafterthreehour’sworkregardlessofwheretheyareintheassignment.Studentschoosingtoexercisethisoptionshouldsimplywrite “3HoursCompleted” inthemarginofthehomeworkandstop.

Some lessonshave a section attheendtitledOptionalQuestionsfortheAdvancedStudent.Thesequestionsrequireconsiderabletime and thought.Itisuptothediscretionofthestudentwhetherornottoanswerthesequestions.Studentswhodoso,however,arepromisedavaluablereturnfortheireffort.

New Testament Seminar V

CourseSchedule

Lesson / Date / Scriptures / Additional Topics
1 / September 7 / Introduction—NoHomeworkDue /
  • Course Overview

2 / September 14 / John 1-4 /
  • Introduction to the Gospel of John
  • Brief Outline of the Gospel of John
  • Geographic Outline of the Gospel of John

3 / September 21 / John 5-7 /
  • The Grammatical Structure of Scripture
  • Introduction to Conjunctions
  • Causal Conjunctions

4 / September 28 / John 8:1-11:54 /
  • Sentence and Transitional Adverbs
  • Inferential, Telic, and Resultant Conjunctions

5 / October 5 / John 11:55-16:33 /
  • Copulative and Adversative Conjunctions
  • Suffering from Conjunctionvitis?

6 / October 12 / John 17-21 /
  • Additive, Alternative, and Continuative Conjunctions
  • Key Events in the Gospel of John
  • Full Outline of the Gospel of John

7 / October 19 / 1 John 1-5 /
  • Introduction to First John
  • Modal, Temporal, Content, and Referential Conjunctions

8 / October 26 / 2 John
3 John
Revelation 1-2 /
  • Introduction to Second John
  • Introduction to Third John
  • Introduction to Revelation
  • Brief Outline of Revelation

9 / November 2 / Revelation 3-6 /
  • Explanative, Emphatic, and Comparative Conjunctions
  • That Troublesome Word “That”

10 / November 9 / Revelation 7-10 /
  • Conditional, Exclusive, and Concessive Conjunctions

11 / November 16 / Revelation 11-14 /
  • Table of Conjunction Relationships
  • Tree and Reed-Kellogg Diagramming

12 / November 30 / Revelation 15-18 /
  • Table of Conjunctions and Transitional Adverbs
  • Four Levels of Bible Study: lexical, morphological, syntactical, contextual

13 / December 7 / Revelation 19-22 /
  • Functional Connectives
  • Full Outline of Revelation

Bible SeminarCurriculum

This course is part of the BibleSeminar Curriculum, aseriesof thirteen coursesthatguidesthestudentthroughastudyofGod’sWordfromGenesistoRevelation.ItpresentsthebooksoftheBibleinapproximatelychronologicalorder.Materialsforeachbookincludeanintroduction,outline,keyversetomemorize, and a seriesofstudyquestions. In Old Testament Seminar, studentsareaskedtoread ten to fifteen chapters each weekandanswerabout fifteen questions.InNewTestament Seminar,studentsareaskedtoread three to six chapterseachweekandanswerabout twenty questions. Weekly homeworkassignmentsrequirethreehours to complete.

The Bible Seminar Curriculum also provides instruction in inductive Bible study methods. These are presented in two cycles, one through Old Testament Seminar and the other through New Testament Seminar. Since the lessons build on one another, students are advised to study these series consecutively. Because of its greater relevancy to the Christian faith, the student may wish to complete New Testament Seminar before studying Old Testament Seminar.

BibleSeminarCourseCurriculum
OldTestamentSeminar
I / Genesis1-11;Job;Genesis12-50;Exodus
II / Leviticus;Numbers;Deuteronomy;Joshua
III / Judges;Ruth;1Samuel;2Samuel;PsalmsI
IV / 1Chronicles;PsalmsII;1Kings1-11;Ecclesiastes;2Chronicles1-9;Proverbs;PsalmsIII
V / PsalmsIV;SongofSolomon;1Kings12-22;Joel;2Kings;Jonah;2Chronicles10-36;PsalmsV
VI / Amos;Micah;Hosea;Isaiah;Nahum;Zephaniah;Habakkuk;Jeremiah1-33
VII / Jeremiah34-52;Lamentations;Obadiah;Ezekiel;Daniel;Ezra;Haggai;Zechariah;Esther;Nehemiah;Malachi
NewTestamentSeminar
I / Gospel of Luke; Acts 1-14;James;Galatians;Acts15:1-35
II / Acts15:36-18:22;1Thessalonians;2Thessalonians;Acts18:23-20:3;1Corinthians;2Corinthians;Romans
III / Matthew; Acts 20-28;Ephesians;Colossians;Philippians;Philemon
IV / Mark;FirstTimothy;FirstPeter;Titus;SecondTimothy;SecondPeter;Hebrews;Jude
V / John;1John;2John;3John;Revelation
VI / Bible Study Methods Review—Book Study of Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

Lesson2

New Testament Seminar V

TheGospelAccordingto John 1-4

Introduction to the Gospel of John

The author of the fourth gospel is John, the brother of James. Jesus called them the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17), which is remarkable given the gentle tone of John’s gospel.He was a fisherman from Galilee and along with his brother a business partner of Peter. We know that Capernaum was Peter’s city of residence (Mark 1:21-29). This indicates that James and John also lived there or nearby.

John identifies himself as the author of the fourth gospel through five subtle references to one of Christ’s disciples (John 1:35-37; 13:23; 19:26-27; 21:20-23; 21:24-25). Though he never names this disciple, it is clear that he is referring to himself. Often he designates him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). Elsewhere John refers to himself simply as “another disciple” (John 18:15) and “the other disciple” (John 18:16).

John opens his gospel, writing, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1:1-3).These echo the opening words of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. “ (Genesis 1:1). The Greek Septuagint translation of Genesis 1:1 and the Greek text of John 1:1 are identical, both starting with the words “en arche,” “in the beginning.”

Unlike the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which are very similar, the author of the fourth gospel takes a different approach to telling Jesus’ story. Much of his material is unique, possibly as much as 90% of it. Additionally, John gives greater emphasis to the final days of Jesus’ life than do the synoptic writers. About 40% of his gospel is dedicated to the final Passover, crucifixion, and resurrection. This is an effective technique for slowing down the action and causing the reader to enter more deeply into this most important period of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

John 1:4 could well serve as a theme-verse for John’s gospel: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). John formerly states his purpose for writing late in the book, stating, “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).

A Chronological Outline of The Gospel of John

I.Pre-Passover27ad—Jesus’ Ministry Begins in the Jordan Valley and Galilee 1:1-2:12

II.Passover27ad—Jesus’ MinistryinJerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee2:13-4:5

III.Feastof28ad—Jesus’ Healing Ministry in Jerusalem 5:1-47

IV.Passover29ad—Jesus’ Miracles and Teaching Ministry in Galilee6:1-7:1

V.FeastofBooths29ad—Jesus’ Teaching Ministry inJerusalem7:2-10:21

VI.FeastofDedication29ad—Jesus’ Ministry in Jerusalem, Beyond Jordan, Bethany, and Ephraim 10:22-11:54

VII.Passover30ad—Jesus’ Saving Ministry in Jerusalem and Appearance in Galilee 11:55-21:25

A.EventsImmediatelyBeforePassover11:55-12:50

B.Jesus’ FinalMinistrytoHisDisciplesatthePassoverFeast13:1-17:26

C.Jesus’ ArrestandTrials18:1-19:16

D.Jesus’ CrucifixionandBurial19:17-42

E.Jesus’ ResurrectionandAppearances20:1-21:25

As can be seen from the outline above, John’s Gospel is organized around the annual Jewish feasts. John refers to the Passover in John 2:13; 2:23; 6:4; 11:55; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28; 18:39, and 19:14. He mentions the “Feast of Booths” in John 7:2. He refers to the “Feast of the Dedication” in John 10:22. In John 5:1, John refers to “a feast of the Jews.” This is probably a reference to Pentecost or the Feast of Booths. Without these references, it would be much more difficult to know when the events in Jesus’ life occurred. With respect to Jesus’ adult life, Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention only the Lord’s final Passover.

A Geographic Comparison of the Gospels of John and Matthew

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are organized around the geographic locations in which the events in Jesus’ life occurred. Each gospel has the same basic structure.

Below is an outline of the Gospel of John based on the geographic locations mentioned in the book. When compared to the geographic outline of the Gospel of Matthew to the right, significant differences are apparent. Note that while Matthew refers only to the Lord’s final visit to Jerusalem, John records five visits by Jesus to Jerusalem. About 65% of John’s Gospel takes place in Jerusalem, whereas about 36% of Matthew’s Gospel records events that occurred there.

Gospel of John / Gospel of Matthew
1. Prologue: Location not Specified 1:1-18
1. Bethlehem 1:1-2:12
2. Egypt 2:13-18
3. Nazareth 2:19-23
2. Bethany Beyond the Jordan 1:19-51 / 4. Judean Wilderness 3:1-4:11
3. Galilee 2:1-12 / 5. Galilee and the North 4:12-18:35
4. Jerusalem 2:13-3:21
5. Judea 3:22
6. Samaria 3:23-4:42
7. Galilee 4:43-54
8. Jerusalem 5:1-47
9. Galilee 6:1-7:9
10. Jerusalem 7:10-10:21
11. Jerusalem 10:22-42
12. Bethany 11:1-53
6. Judea Beyond the Jordan 19:1-20:34
13. Ephraim 1:54-57
14. Bethany 12:1-11
15. Jerusalem 12:12-20:31 / 7. Jerusalem 21:1-28:15
16. Galilee 21:1-25 / 8. Galilee 28:16-20

Questions related to Pre-Passover27ad—Jesus’ Ministry Begins in the Jordan Valley and Galilee—John 1:1-2:12

1. John opens his gospel, writing, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He continues, stating, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

A. List seven things that we learn about the “Word” from John1:1-14?

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

B. Why does John refer to the Lord Jesus as the “Word”? What is the significance of this term?

2. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, John writes, “InHim was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Explain what John means by this and how it relates to your life.

3. When telling of John the Baptist’s ministry, the writers of the three synoptic gospels emphasize his preparation of the Jewish people for the reception of the Messiah. They tell of John’s call to repentance and of people confessing their sins and being baptized. Where does John place the emphasis of John the Baptist’s ministry in the fourth gospel (John 1:6-36)?

4.John describes the miracle at Cana, writing, “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). John records other signs performed by Jesus and states that there were many (John 2:23, 3:2; 6:2; 6:14; 11:47). Complete the table below, listing each of the miraculous signs specifically described by John.

BiblicalReference / Description
John 2:1-11 / Jesus turns water into wine.
John 4:46-54
John 5:1-9
John 6:1-14
John 6:16-21
John 9:1-12
John 11:1-44
John 20:1-18
John 21:5-11

5. Jesus’ first miracle was to change water into wine (John 2:1-11). Assuming for moment that He had at His disposal any reasonable resource of His day, how might Jesus have faked this miracle? In other words, if this was not a genuine miracle, how might have Jesus fooled His disciples and the headwaiter into thinking that He had actually changed water into wine? In your opinion, was the changing of water into wine a notable miracle or something that could easily have been faked?

Questions related to Passover27ad—Jesus’ MinistryinJerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, John 2:13-4:54

6. John records Jesus’ first public act in Jerusalem in John 2:12-22. Explain how the prophecies in the two following Old Testament passages add meaning and significance to this event.

A. Psalm 69:9

B. Malachi 3:1-4

7. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:5-7). Carefully considering the context, what does Jesus mean when He tells Nicodemus that he must be “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5)?

8. The Gospel of John contains the best-known verse in the Bible: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

A. What does the word “for” at the start of the verse express?

B. What is the subject of the main clause in the verse? (An main clause is an independent clause can stand on its own and is not dependent upon any other clause for its meaning.)

C. What is the verb of the main clause?

D. What is the direct object of the main clause?

E. How does the clause “that He gave His only begotten Son” relate to the rest of the verse? In other words, what does this clause express with relationship to the rest of the sentence?

F. How does the clause “that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”relate to the rest of the verse? What does this clause express with relationship to the rest of the sentence?

9. According to Jesus, why do some sinners refuse to come to Him for salvation (John 3:19-21)?

10. What important principle of Christian ministry can we draw from John the Baptist’s example in John 3:22-36?

11. Jesus told the Samaritan woman whom He met at the well outside the city of Sychar, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).

A. What does it mean to worship God “in spirit and truth”?

B. How should we apply this truth to our lives?

12. List four principles related to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with sinners that we can draw from Jesus’ example in John 4:1-42.

A.

B.

C.

D.

13. Jesus told His disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34). What did Jesus mean by this and how can you apply this truth to your life?

14. Jesus told His disciples, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, andthencomes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in thiscasethe saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor” (John 4:35-38). What principles do you see in these verses that should cause us to be enthusiastic and optimistic when telling others about salvation through Jesus Christ?

Lesson 3

New Testament Seminar V

TheGospelAccordingto John 5-7

The Importance of the Grammatical Structure of Scripture

Our goal in Bible study is to understand the Holy Spirit’s intended meaning as expressed through the human writer. To accomplish this, we must carefully examine the scriptural, historical, and grammatical context, for this conveys to us its meaning. In New Testament Seminar V, we will be primarily focusing on the grammatical structure of the text. For example, consider once more John 3:16, which was discussed in the previous lesson.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”(John 3:16).

A grammatical analysis of the verse yields the following.

  • For is a conjunction introducing the explanation that follows. It connects the verse to what goes before it.
  • God is the subject of the independent clause.
  • Loved is the verb of the independent clause. It is in the past tense, simple aspect, third person, singular form.
  • So is an adverb expressing manner (in this way, as follows) or emphasis (thus). Emphasis fits the context best: God loved in such a manner that. . . .
  • The world is the direct object of loved.
  • That (the first one) is a conjunction expressing result, meaning with the result that.
  • That He gave His only begotten Son is a subordinate result clause.
  • He is the subject of the subordinate clause.
  • Gave is the verb of the subordinate clause. It is in the past tense, simple aspect, third person, singular form.
  • Son is the direct object.
  • Begotten is the past participle of the verb beget and modifies Son.
  • Only is an adverb modifying begotten.
  • That (the second one) is a conjunction expressing purpose, meaning with the intended goal that.
  • That whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life is a subordinate purpose clause communicating God’s goal in giving His Son.
  • Whoever believes in Him is the subject of the subordinate purpose clause.
  • Whoever is an indefinite relative pronoun introducing a relative clause.
  • Believes is the verb of the relative clause. It is in the present tense, simple aspect, third person, singular form.
  • In Him is a prepositional phrase expressing the logical sphere in which faith is applied.
  • Should perish is the verb of the subordinate purpose clause. It is in the subjunctive mood (expressing a future potential idea), present tense, third person, singular form.
  • Not is an adverb of manner answering the question: How is it done? It is not.
  • But is a conjunction joining the two verbs of the subordinate purpose clause. It expresses adversity and sets up a contrast.
  • [Should] have is the second verb of the purpose clause. The word should is implied as an extension of the first should. It is in the subjunctive mood (expressing a future potential idea), present tense, third person, singular form.
  • Life is the direct object of have.
  • Eternal is an adjective modifying life.

More could be said about the grammatical information contained within John 3:16, but even this much yields insight into the meaning of this verse. The main clause tells us that, “God loved the world.” The first subordinate clause informs us that as a result, “He gave His only begotten Son.” The second subordinate clause is subordinate to the first subordinate clause. It explains God’s purpose in giving His Son. He did so “that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”