The Priority of Purpose
Devotions for Growing Christians
The Priority of Purpose
John 20:30-31 - 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.
1 John 5:13 - These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Purpose of John
Suppose one of your non-Christian friends agreed to read one book of the Bible. Any book - and you could choose the book! Which book would you suggest? Song of Solomon? Revelation? Leviticus?!
There's a good possibility that you would pick the Gospel of John, and that's a good choice! Why? Not only is the Gospel of John far easier for a non-Christian to understand than Song of Solomon, Leviticus or Revelation, but the stated purpose of the Gospel of John is to lead an unbeliever to salvation! Near the end of his Gospel, John tells us so! "...this has 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 20:31).
Because the purpose of the Gospel of John is evangelistic, it’s an excellent book of the Bible to share with non-Christian friends. If they read it, the Holy Spirit can use it as He purposed - to lead unbelievers to a saving knowledge of Jesus, the Son of God.
Seven “Sign Miracles”
The Gospel of John is structured around seven miracles of our Lord. These seven "Sign Miracles" were specifically selected as “signs” - or demonstrations - that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So the entire book of John should be read with that theme in mind, because John told us that this was God's primary purpose in having him write this Gospel. Is it any wonder, then, that there are so many "gospel verses" to share with an unbeliever in John’s Gospel? It’s impossible to miss the fact that Jesus is fully God, and that He is the only way of salvation.
God can certainly use Leviticus, Song of Solomon or Revelation - or any other book of the Bible - to bring a person to Himself, but evangelism is not the stated purpose of those books. Leviticus is a wonderful book of Old Testament Law, but does not contain the a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the Song of Solomon is obviously not evangelism! And the book of Revelation, with all its symbols about the future? It’s hard enough for Christians to understand, never mind unbelievers! So while the Holy Spirit can use any portion of Scripture to work in the people’s hearts, it’s a good idea to consider the priority of purpose, and suggest that our friends read the Gospel of John!
In the selection of the Seven Sign miracles of John, the Holy Spirit emphasized the deity of Christ by showing His absolute power over nature, over disease and over death. In line with the purpose of John, these miracles clearly back up Jesus' claims that He is God, and that He has the power to save and give life to those who believe in Him.
The fact that all seven sign miracles were acts of love to help and to heal people demonstrates the Lord's power, and they also demonstrate His love and desire to save those who believe in Him. Everything else included in the Gospel of John - the narrative passages, the teaching, and the "I am" statements - all tie in to that overall purpose of the book: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."
Historical Accuracy
Because John's purpose was to indisputably demonstrate the deity of Christ, it is interesting to note that he chose seven miracles that even hard-headed skeptics would have a hard time explaining away - then or today! All seven of the "Sign Miracles" were public acts, so their historicity could easily be checked - to br sure they actually happened. When John wrote his Gospel in about 85 AD, many eye witnesses of the events he recorded were still alive. They could have easily been questioned about the accuracy of the miracles. They certainly would have come forward to deny that these events had taken place - if John's record was false or exaggerated.
Consider the first of the Sign Miracles: the changing of water into wine at a public wedding. Almost everyone in the town of Cana would have been there. The power of Christ to change at least 150 gallons of water into the best-tasting "aged" wine could not be explained away as some kind of trick, or sleight-of-hand! You just can't transport and hide that much wine in a small community so you can stage a "wedding miracle" without people knowing about it! You can't "make up a miracle" of this character and magnitude, and get away with inserting it into real history, when many eye witnesses could come forward to deny the story. Skeptics can't explain it away as the “gradual exaggeration and acceptance over the years" by gullible Christians of the early Church. No! The time gap between this public event and when it was written up was too short for historical revision and reconstruction.
The only sensible explanation is that here we have an accurate account of God at work! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, graciously transformed water, a basic substance of life that He Himself had created in the beginning, into wine - a symbol of the joy of mankind, and so appropriate for this wedding occasion. This was God's stamp of approval on the union of a man and a woman in marriage as God had ordained it at Creation. In line with the purpose of the Gospel of John, in this miracle we have unmistakable and undeniable evidence that Jesus Christ is God.
A quick look at the other sign miracles indicates how hard it is for the critic to explain away such solid evidence for the deity of Christ. It would be impossible to get away with concocting the story of the instant healing of a well known public official's son (John 4). Or to invent the miracle of the healing - in broad daylight, in a very public place - of a paraplegic who had been a fixture at Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda for 38 years (John 5)! Or insert into the record the dramatic healing of a well-known adult synagogue member with congenital blindness (John 9)! And could more than 5000 people of all ages have been fooled into thinking they had been fed by a miracle, if indeed bread and fish had not been multiplied (John 6)?
The "ball is in the critic's court" to explain why some early eye-witness didn't come forward to set the record straight and inform us that this “miracle” was imagined by the early Church, or a hoax - or an outright lie!
How can the skeptic explain away the record of the raising Lazarus back to life - a specific individual from the specific small town of Bethany - after many people knew he had been dead for four full days (John 11)? Notice that once again there were many eye witnesses, some of whom were hostile to the Lord! So if John's record was false, it's just not possible that all those people would accept it, when there was only a 50 year time gap between the events and the writing. And that time gap was filled with reliable Jewish oral tradition. Would those who were actually present have let John get away with such a revision of the real facts?
The miracle of Jesus walking on water was observed only by the disciples, but it would have been hard for the skeptics to dismiss it for two reasons. If the was a made-up story, anyone in the Galilee area who was questioned could have denied that there was a violent windstorm - and a sudden calm! And anyone of the five thousand people who were fed could have denied that the Lord walked on water - if they had seen Him set out in one of the boats or walk back around the lake to Capernaum. (See John 6:22-25.)
The fact that we have no record of anyone "correcting" John's account of any of the seven sign miracles is very convincing evidence that John's purpose was accomplished. His Gospel presents irrefutable evidence that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. In fact, many 1st and 2nd century readers became believers as a result of John's gospel!
The purpose of John's Gospel continues today. As people, even skeptics, read John's account of these amazing works of Christ, the Holy Spirit convinces them that Jesus of Nazareth was not only a real Person who actually lived in history, but that He is the Son of God. The Gospel's ultimate purpose is realized when the readers not only believe John's record, but when they personally trust Christ and receive new life in His Name.
The Purpose of First John
In contrast, the purpose of the First Epistle of John is quite different from the purpose of the Gospel of John. In 1 John 5:13, John states "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life." We see that John's purpose in writing this letter was not evangelistic. He wrote this letter specifically to believers. His stated purpose was to give his Christian readers - in 90 AD and today - assurance of their salvation. But this specific purpose doesn't mean that an unbeliever can't come to saving faith in Christ as a result of reading First John!
The primary purpose of this epistle, however, is to lead believers to a greater appreciation of their sure salvation. Therefore, while 1 John might not be your first choice of recommended reading for unbelievers, it might very well be your first choice for believers who are doubting their salvation. Do you have doubts about your salvation? Then practice the priority of purpose principle, and read 1 John!
A Family Album
1 John is like a family photo album. If you open your family album and see your image scattered throughout the book with other family members, any doubts you may have had about being part of the family will disappear. On the other hand, if you leaf through the family album and don't see yourself in any of the photos, there is good reason to question if you’re in the family.
In the same way, as you read through 1 John you’ll catch glimpses of yourself if you are truly in the family of God, and you will be assured of your salvation. If, on the other hand, you don't see yourself portrayed by the descriptions of believers, you should ask yourself, "Have I ever really been born into the family of God?"
Let's look at a few of the photos of the true believer in the 1 John "family album.” In 1 John 1:8-10 you’ll see your picture if, as a believer, you readily acknowledge that you have sinned, and that you are a sinner by nature. If you desire to keep the Lord's commandments and practice righteousness instead of sin you’ll see yourself in the album (1 John 2:4-5, 2:29, 3:6-8, 3:23-24 and 5:1-3). If you are in the family of God you will be seen in the photos of happy, loving fellowship with all the members of God's family (1 John 2:9-11, 3:14 and 4:7-12). Your picture is sure to be seen in 1 John 2:22-23, 4:14-15, 5:1 and 5:10-12 if by faith you confess that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. And you’ll pop up in 1 John 3:17-18 if you're not selfish , but you’re generous and you’re willing to share what you possess with family members who are in need.
These are just a few of the photos of the true believer that are contained in God's family photo album. Did you clearly see yourself among the "photos" in First John? If you did, you can be sure of your salvation. However, if you glimpse yourself in the "negatives," such as "No one who is born of God will continue to live a life of continual sin" (3:9), or "Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother" (3:10), you need a reality check! If the picture of your life is seen primarily in the "negatives" of 1 John, you should ask yourself, "Am I really a family member?" or, "Have I been drawn away from close fellowship with my Father and family members, so my picture doesn’t appear in happy family get-togethers?" As you respond to the pictures in the 1 John album, the priority of purpose principle has operated as God intended.
The Principle in Practice
Many of the books of the Bible don’t state their purpose as clearly as the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John, but several readings of any book will generally reveal the purpose the author/Author had in mind for writing that particular book. Once we realize the purpose of the book, we should then practice the priority of purpose principle as we interpret the verses in the book.
Remember that God gave His Word in books - not in single verses! So knowing the purpose of the book will help us greatly as we seek to understand the meaning of any book of God's Word.
- Dave Reid