Wednesday Bible Study Recap – John 3

Wednesday Bible Study Recap – John 3

This past Wednesday, we spent time in Gospel of John, chapter 3, and began by reflecting on the theme of identity.

I invited everyone to think about a few simple but powerful questions:

• Who are you? (Your name, gender identity, where you were born.)
• What is your lineage?
• What shapes your sense of self?

We talked about how the four Gospels — Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke, and Gospel of John — are deeply concerned with helping us understand who Jesus is. In many ways, the Bible gives us four whole books to answer one question: Who is Jesus?

I connected this to last week’s sermon about Jesus’ temptation, when the tempter said, “If you are the Son of God…” — challenging Jesus’ identity. Identity matters deeply in Scripture because it shapes how we live, trust, and respond to God.

If we ask, “Who is Jesus?” and look specifically at the Gospel of John, here’s where we find clear answers:

⸻

1. Who is Jesus?

📖 The Word (Logos)

• John 1:1–3 – “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.”

• John immediately identifies Jesus as eternal and divine.

📖 God in the flesh

• John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

• Jesus is not just sent by God — He is God incarnate.

📖 The Son of God

• John 1:34 – John the Baptist testifies: “This is the Son of God.”

• John 20:31 – The purpose of the book: “That you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.”

⸻

2. What is His lineage / origin?

John doesn’t start with a genealogy like Matthew. Instead, he gives a cosmic origin story:

📖 Eternal origin

• John 1:1 – “In the beginning…”

• Jesus’ lineage is not just human — it is divine and eternal.

📖 Sent by the Father

• John 6:38 – “For I have come down from heaven…”

• John 8:42 – “I came from God and now I am here.”

John emphasizes that Jesus’ true origin is the Father.

⸻

3. What defines His identity? (The “I Am” statements)

One of the strongest identity markers in John is the repeated “I Am” (ἐγώ εἰμι) language — echoing God’s name in Book of Exodus 3:14.

Here are key references:

• 📖 John 6:35 – “I am the bread of life.”

• 📖 John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world.”

• 📖 John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd.”

• 📖 John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life.”

• 📖 John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

• 📖 John 15:1 – “I am the true vine.”

And most dramatically:

• 📖 John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was, I am.”

• This is a direct claim to divine identity, which is why the crowd tries to stone Him (John 8:59).

⸻

4. How do others identify Him?

John also answers the identity question through witnesses:

• John 1:29 – “The Lamb of God.”

• John 4:26 – Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman.

• John 9:38 – The man born blind worships Him.

• John 20:28 – Thomas declares, “My Lord and my God!”

⸻

Why is identity so central in John?

Because belief depends on identity.

John 20:31 makes it clear: the entire Gospel is written so that we may believe Jesus is the Son of God — and by believing, have life.

Identity in John is not abstract theology. It’s relational, saving, and life-giving.

And that makes all the difference.

We then divided John 3 into four movements:

1. Jesus and Nicodemus – A conversation about being born from above and spiritual transformation.
2. The Bronze Serpent and Faith – Looking back to Moses and the wilderness, and how faith leads to life.
3. The Heart of the Gospel – God’s love revealed: not condemnation, but salvation.
4. Light and Darkness – The invitation to step into the light and live transparently before God.

We also reflected on grace through a Wesleyan lens — prevenient grace (God reaching out first), justifying grace (God saving and restoring us), and sanctifying grace (God continuing to transform us).

Some of the questions we sat with were:

• How does it change your understanding of God to focus on love instead of condemnation?
• How can our church reflect this love in our community?
• Is there any area of your life where God is inviting you into the light?

It was a rich and honest conversation. John 3 reminds us that our identity is rooted not in fear or shame, but in being loved by God — and invited into the light.