John, more than any other gospel writer, reveals the deity of Christ. God Himself, John tells us, became one of us, possessing as His own a full human nature from His conception.
John tells us at the outset that the Word—Jesus—was God (see John 1:1). He tells us that Jesus claimed to be the great I AM—the One who had revealed Himself to Moses generations earlier in the burning bush (see Exodus 3). He quotes Jesus as saying, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And John tells us how Thomas cried out to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).
Who God Is
The content of John’s gospel, interestingly, centers around seven signs and seven sayings of Jesus, each one conveying something significant to us about who God is. Jesus performed His first sign when He turned water into wine at a wedding feast (see John 2). Through it Jesus let us know that God wants us to enjoy life. Each of Jesus’ signs, like this first one, illustrates an increasing revelation of God.
His seven “I am” sayings do the same. Seven times in the gospel of John, Jesus speaks the words “I am …” and then adds some description to them. In the gospel of John, Jesus takes to Himself this name, the same name that God used to reveal Himself to Israel, thus showing His deity as well as the all-sufficiency of God.
The Holy Spirit
Another unique aspect of John’s gospel is its revelation of the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The other gospel writers reference the Holy Spirit, but only in John’s gospel do we have teaching from Jesus specifically on the Holy Spirit’s person and work (see John 16).
As Jesus reveals His Father to us through signs and sayings and teachings, we notice something meaningful: God is personal. John conveys personal and even intimate interchanges that Jesus had with others. Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the sayings of Jesus, but John records Jesus’ conversations.
Life in His Name
At the end of his gospel, John even tells us why he wrote his book: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (20:31). Jesus came to show us God so that we could know Him and believe in Him. And have life—life that will overflow to those around us.