Letters to the Prison - Week 25

Hello, everyone.  We’re so grateful for the chance to consider God’s word with you.  We’re about to begin looking at one of the most important books in the Bible:  The Gospel of John.  If there was ever a good time to start reading the Bible, this would be it.  So, let us encourage you to begin studying Scripture with us today.  If you need a Bible, ask for one!

The Gospel of John is a very good place to start reading the Bible for this reason:  
In life, people face many important questions like: Where should I go to college?  Who should I marry?  Or, even more importantly:  What is the meaning of life?  What happens to us when we die?

We as Christians say that the single most important question anyone could ever ask -the Main question of everyone’s life- is this:
Is Jesus Christ who he says he is?  
This is a “yes” or “no” question.

Why is that such an important question?  Because the answer (yes or no) determines the answer to every other question we might ever consider in our lives.  If you’re not sure whether or not that’s true, consider an important question you might ask yourself, and then consider how your answer might change depending on whether or not your answer to the Main question is “yes” or “no.”  For Christians, considering all of our actions and words in light of our answer to that Main question helps to guide our thoughts and behavior.

But you might be thinking: “OK.  The Main question might be important.  But who does Jesus say he is?”  That’s another very important question because how do you answer “yes” or “no” to the Main question without knowing who Jesus claims to be?  This is where the Gospel of John becomes so important.  John makes some very clear statements about who Jesus is.  But, even more importantly, John’s Gospel records some very important things that Jesus says about himself.  So, when we encounter these statements, we’re not considering whether or not to take someone else’s word for it.  We’re considering what Jesus said about himself and answering the Main question for ourselves:  Is Jesus who he says he is?

For a Christian, the answer to the Main question is, of course, Yes.  Jesus is precisely who he says he is.  This answer then informs every other part of our lives.  It is important for us to remember also that when we answer “Yes” to the main question, we’re not agreeing to what someone else said about Jesus, we’re agreeing with what Jesus said about himself.  

This means also that if our answer is “no,” we are denying Jesus and his words directly, not what anyone else says about him.  Further, if our answer is “no,” we’re only saying that we don’t believe Jesus is who he says he is.  Our “yes” or “no” answer does not change the actual truth about Jesus.  We will soon see that Jesus’ words are true whether we chose to believe them or not… whether we answer “yes” or “no” is our choice.  But that choice does not alter the truth.  So, begin reading what John has recorded in his Gospel.  We will consider chapter 1 next week!  

Dean A.