Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-01-05
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON, JAN. Z
John lila.
Golden Text: "In him was life; and
the life was the light of men," John la.
DIR. MARION MICH. HULL

For the next six months We shall
study the life of Christ as recorded in
John. 1t may be well. therefore, for
US to take a brid's -eye view of the book
before entering into it's detail study.
1t differs very materially from the
other three gospels. Matthew, Mark
and Luke are known as the synoptic
gospels, because they set forth the
events in the life of Christ in a more
or less chronological aspect, the d1t-
ference being dependent somewhat upon
the viewpoint from which they were.
Matthew wrote to the Jews 10
prove that Jesus of Nazareth was the
Messiah of prophecy. Mark wrote to
the Romans to prove that Jesus of Naz-
areth was Man of Power. Luke wrote
to the Greeks to prove that Jesus OF
Nazareth was Perfect Man, while John
many years later writes to Christians
all over the world to prove that Jesus
of Nazareth is the Son of God. He
states his purpose in Oh. 2O:3O-5l.
MANY other signs truly did Jesus In
the presence of His disciples which is
not written in this book, but these are
written that you may believe that Jesus
is Christ, the Son of God, and that be-
lieving you may have life through His
name" We must recognize this pur-
pose as we see how he works IL out
through his plan.
With that in view he records only
those miracles which were SlgnSi those
which could not be accounted for In any
other way than that Jesus was the Son
of God, as for instance, the turning OF
water into wine; the healing of the no
blemans son at a distance; giving sight
TO the ma nwho was born blind; feeding
the five thousand, and raising Lazarus
from the dead. These could not be eX-
planned in any other way. lie RECORDS
more of the discourses or Jesus thah
any other of the evangelists, but the
discourses are those which follow some
sign which he has done, and which are
evidences of the 'Sonship" of Jesus.
The book is also characterized by the
claims which are made. They would De
| extravagant if made by any other than
the Son of God. Their very apparent
extravagance is a proof of Johns point.
Note particularly chapter 1923 and its
result in verse 30. In this connection
Johns gospel is unique in the claims
| which Jesus makes to being equal win
| God. There can be no doubt from Jonn 5
| GOSPEL but that Jesus claimed petty
! equality with God. Note chapter o.le'
chapter 1O:33-36, and chapter 1877
| There are some today who 90 not Oe
lieve in the Deity of Christ but who ad-
I
submit this question: how can man
| be perfect and claim to be something
that he is not? And here Johns record
| is that Jesus claimed to be the Son OF
| God so decidedly that the Jews put HIM
| TO death on account of this claim.
Recause of these facts the fourth gos-
mel has been the object of the seVerest
! attacks o fthe critics he mas proven
| his point so we'll that the only way they
can stress their point is to deny the
authorship or to criticise MS methou'
THE PROLOGUE.
Let us look for a few moments more
carefully into the prologue. There are
tbrea nronositions which he laid down
in the first. fourteenth and eighteenth
verses. respectively. They are, hrst'
that the Word was in the beginning
that the Word was with God, and that
tn Word was God. In other words,
that there was a person in the Deity
who was the One through whom eDlty
expressed Himself and who was DEITY
Himself. .,.,-
The second proposition is that this
person of the Deity. the Word, was
made flesh and dwelt among us that
God became incarnate.
The third proposition is that no man
hath seen God at any time ana that
only the Son or God haIh reNeaieu iiii''
The verses which follow the first are in
amplification of the thought contained
in the first proposition. Those which
follow the fourteenth amplify the
thought in the second proposition anu
the rest of the book is in amplihcation
of the third proposition. AS you read
the gospel of John, notice how the Son
reveals the Father; being God Himself
in human form, the Word became flesh