Gospel Of John Research Paper

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My doctrine is the doctrine of the Church. Briefly, the Church is the body of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Westminster’s Dictionary defines the doctrine of the Church as, “The theological understanding of the nature and mission of the Christian community” (“The Doctrine Of the Church”). The Church itself serves many purposes in society and in furthering the Kingdom of God, through the processes and actions of “evangelism, edification, worship, and social concern” (Erickson 347-350). The Church has played a key role in the progression of Christianity, from Adam and Eve to the universal community of Christians today. Deuteronomy 6 gives commandments to the nation of Israel, who, in the Old Testament, was the prototype for the Church. …show more content…

Acts 2:42 gives a clear example of the Church’s restored unity: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2.42). How did the Church become restored into the universal community of believers it is today? The Gospel of John gives us a perfect view into the Church’s transformation in the life of Jesus.
In the Gospel of John, the Son of Man comes to restore unity between God and mankind and God and His Bride, the Church. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees on numerous occasions. “Jesus went on immediately, however, to point out their hypocrisy and commanded the people, “But do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not” (v. 3). He then cited the hypocrisy of the Pharisees” (Walvoord). The Pharisees created a rift between the people and God; they forced them to follow rituals instead of sincere worship to God.
Jesus steps into the Gospel of John with the intention of clarifying the law and the bringing the Church together as one. In the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus reiterates His desire for the disciples and the Church. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in me, and I in You” (John …show more content…

Diotrephes is turning people away from the church with his persecution of missionaries and those who serve missionaries. Demetrius acts as a trustworthy messenger between “The Elder” and Gaius. In Swindoll’s previous statement, he claims “The Elder” is the disciple John. We see a correlation between “The Elder’s” style of writing and the disciple whom Jesus loved, John. Assuming the author is John, John writes back to the church and gives them a solution for the moment. He also tells them he will come to personally handle the situation himself.
What solution does John offer? “Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God” (III John 1.11). In this passage, he encourages the church to continue to do good, regardless of what Diotrephes says or does. He calls Diotrephes out for his arrogance and says he will come and personally confront Diotrephes’s actions. “So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church” (III Jn

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