That You May Believe
A Greek Word Study of the Gospel of John
The Gospel of John pauses, near its end, to tell you exactly why it was written: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). Everything in the book is bent toward those two words — believe and life. It is also the Gospel where a confessional Lutheran feels most immediately at home: the Word made flesh, the new birth of water and the Spirit, the bread of life, the Spirit who points always to Christ, and a cross that is itself the hour of glory.
That You May Believe walks the Gospel in ten sessions — not verse by verse, but along the spine of John’s great words: logos, egō eimi, menō, tetelestai. Every Greek word is transliterated and translated, for readers with little or no Greek as much as for those who have some, and where a translation choice changes the meaning it is flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. An excursus takes up the question the sixth chapter always raises: does John 6 teach the Lord’s Supper?
It is free — a manuscript-length study to read on your own or to open with a class, free for congregational use. If it serves you, Ordinary Means is where new material is announced first.
Several of John’s key words have full entries in the free Greek Word Explorer — including logos, zōē, monogenēs, pneuma, paraklētos, and doxa.
Who it's for
Readers who want to read John the way he asks to be read — that you may believe — and anyone teaching the Gospel of John to an adult class.
What you'll find inside
- Ten sessions along the spine of John's great words — Word, new birth, bread, the seven 'I am' sayings, the vine, the hour, 'it is finished'
- Every Greek word transliterated and translated; no Greek required
- An excursus on John 6 and the Lord's Supper, read confessionally
- Free and manuscript-length, for personal study or an adult class
Keep reading
- Standalone
The Hollow Altar
A Confessional Lutheran Invitation to Weary Evangelicals
For evangelicals who are tired — an invitation to something older, deeper, and full of grace.
View The Hollow Altar → - Standalone
The Knowledge of Him
A Greek Word Study of the Second Letter of Peter
A free, manuscript-length Greek word study of 2 Peter — the whole letter opened word by word, for readers who want to grow in the knowledge of Christ against every counterfeit.
View The Knowledge of Him →
Reading path: For Bible Readers →