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CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTIONEvery book of the Bible is equally inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16), but certain bookswithin the canon of Scripture seem to play a larger role in the plan of God. This iscertainly true with the Gospel of John, which is widely regarded as one of the mostinfluential, popular, and widely read books in the Bible. The large number and the highpercentage of extant Greek manuscripts of John attest to the fact that it was one of themost frequently copied books by the early church.1John’s Gospel has also proven to be one of the most useful books of the Biblefor personal evangelism over the centuries. Many believers in Jesus Christ today,including this writer, can recall with deep gratitude specific passages from John that theLord used to assure them of Christ’s finished work, the simplicity of faith in Him as thesole condition for salvation, and the personal2 possession of everlasting life.The Gospel of John not only plays a central role in God’s purpose ofevangelism toward the lost but also theologically for the doctrines of soteriology andChristology.3 John’s simple language not only allows unbelieving, first-time readers andnewborn Christians to easily understand its message, but this Gospel also contains someof the deepest, richest, and most profound theology of any book in the Bible. Thesignificant role that John’s Gospel has had in Christianity is beyond dispute. But since somany books and studies on the Gospel of John exist already, why is there a need foranother?1Currently there are over sixty extant papyrus and uncial manuscripts containing portions orall of the Greek New Testament that date to the second and third centuries. The Gospel of John is the mostattested book of the New Testament among this group with eighteen manuscripts. The Gospel of Matthewis next with twelve manuscripts. This general pattern of attestation continues over the centuries as oneconsiders the remaining copies of minuscule manuscripts and versions. See Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland,The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and the to the Theory and Practiceof Modern Textual Criticism, rev. ed., trans. Erroll F. Rhodes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 85; LarryW. Hurtado, The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Origins (Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, 2006), 20; Michael J. Kruger, Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of theNew Testament (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 234-35.2Readers of John’s Gospel often note its highly personal nature, but few studies have beendevoted to this subject. For a recent exception, see the chapter on “Individualism” in Richard Bauckham,Gospel of Glory: Major Themes in Johannine Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015), 1-19. Seealso, C. F. D. Moule, “The Individualism of the Fourth Gospel,” Novum Testamentum 5 (July 1962): 17190.3Michael D. Halsey, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospelof John (Duluth, MN: Grace Gospel Press, 2015), 85; Andreas J. Köstenberger, A Theology of John’sGospel and Letters (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 316.1

2REASONS FOR THIS STUDYThere exists a need for an in-depth study of the date, audience, purpose, and savingmessage of John’s Gospel because of the sharp disagreement today between segments ofReformed and Free Grace evangelicalism over John’s teaching on the reception of eternallife through faith in Jesus Christ. From the Reformed theological perspective, the purposeand message of John’s Gospel is often regarded as evangelistic but only through thetheological prism of perseverance theology with its requirement of a productive andenduring faith as the necessary result of regeneration and genuine initial belief in Christ.4Consequently, there is a need to reexamine John’s evangelistic purpose and message withspecial attention given to the nature of belief in Christ for eternal salvation. Does John’sevangelistic message teach that not only does belief in Jesus Christ result in eternal life,but true “saving faith”5 will always persevere and be productive to the end of one’s life?Conversely, many who reject the lordship salvation of Reformed theology andespouse Free Grace theology hold that John’s Gospel has theological priority as the onlyevangelistic book in the Bible6 and that John’s “saving message”7 states that the lost may4D. A. Carson, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives inTension (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 194-95; John F. MacArthur, Jr., The Gospel According to Jesus(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 37-58; Ernest C. Reisinger, Lord & Christ: The Implications of Lordshipfor Faith and Life (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1994), 4, 40; Robert L. Reymond, John,Beloved Disciple: A Survey of His Theology (Fearn, Great Britain: Christian Focus, 2001), 86-88, 127-34.For an in-depth response to perseverance theology and how it has changed the nature of the gospel fromgrace to works, see Thomas L. Stegall, Must Faith Endure for Salvation to Be Sure? A Biblical Study of thePerseverance Versus Preservation of the Saints (Duluth, MN: Grace Gospel Press, 2016).5As used throughout this dissertation, the expression “saving faith” does not mean a specialquality of faith, such as working faith, obedient faith, persevering faith, heart faith versus head faith, and soforth. Though many adherents of Lordship Salvation use “saving faith” with this meaning, nowhere inScripture does God require a special quality or kind of faith to be eternally saved. Biblically, salvation is amatter of having the right content or object of one’s faith (Charles C. Bing, Lordship Salvation: A BiblicalEvaluation and Response, GraceLife ed. [Burleson, TX: GraceLife Ministries, 1992], 57). Robert Lightnerexplains: “Sometimes people speak of ʻsaving faith.ʼ By this they imply faith for salvation is different fromfaith exercised for other things. But God does not require some special kind of faith for salvation differentfrom ordinary faith. . . . It is not, however, the person’s faith which saves. The New Testament teaches thatChrist and Christ alone saves. No one can be saved without faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His death inthe sinner’s place. But it is not the kind nor the amount of faith that brings life to the one dead in trespassesand sin” (Robert P. Lightner, Sin, the Savior, and Salvation: The Theology of Everlasting Life [Nashville:Thomas Nelson, 1991], 240). Thus, to have faith in one’s works plus Jesus means that one’s faith ismisplaced and will not result in salvation—it is not “saving” (Rom. 4:5). To have faith in Jesus Christ aloneis to have a faith that will save, hence a “saving faith.” The real question regarding salvation is not, “Whatkind of faith do I have?” but “Who or what am I trusting to be saved?” Though the phrase “saving faith”never occurs in the Bible and can be easily misconstrued, it is used here with these qualifications because itis still common theological language pertaining to both the nature and content of faith for eternal life.6Bob Bryant, “The Search for the Saving Message Outside of the Gospel of John,” GraceEvangelical Society Conference, Fort Worth, TX, March 6, 2008; John Niemelä, “Greetings,” Message ofLife Ministries. www.mol316.org/pages/greetings.html (accessed February 9, 2009); Robert N. Wilkin,“The Gospel According to Evangelical Postmodernism,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 20(Spring 2007): 11.7The phrase “saving message” must also be clarified. My own view expressed throughout thisdissertation is that the “saving message” is synonymous with “the gospel of Christ,” which is the messageGod requires the lost to believe in order to have eternal life. However, “saving message” has become a

3be regenerated simply by believing Jesus guarantees everlasting life, regardless of whatother knowledge they may have or what misconceptions they may hold about Him.8According to this recent theological view, John’s Gospel does not require belief in JesusChrist’s deity, substitutionary death, or bodily resurrection in order to receive eternallife.9 Those Free Grace proponents who hold to this “promise of life” or “promise-only”view of the saving message10 consider it to be “theological legalism”11 or “doctrinallegalism”12 to interpret John’s Gospel as requiring belief in Jesus’ deity, death for sin,and resurrection for eternal life. This stands in contrast to the classical Free Grace view ofthe contents of “saving faith,” in which these elements have been considered necessary tobelieve for eternal life.13 To date, no substantive written work has appeared that directlytechnical expression for many within the Free Grace community who view it as a narrower message than“the gospel,” which God supposedly does not require the lost to believe for eternal life (Bryant, “TheSearch for the Saving Message Outside of the Gospel of John”; Robert N. Wilkin, “Gospel Means GoodNews,” Grace Evangelical Society Southern California Regional Conference, August 24, 2007; idem, “IsIgnorance Eternal Bliss?” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 16 [Spring 2003]: 13). This studydistinguishes Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as Gospels (capitalized), which contain good news aboutJesus Christ, from the gospel (lowercase), which is the particular “saving message” the lost must believe toreceive eternal life. Support for this distinction can be found in Thomas L. Stegall, “Is the Gospel a Broad,Non-Soteriological Message?” in The Gospel of the Christ: A Biblical Response to the Crossless GospelRegarding the Contents of Saving Faith (Milwaukee: Grace Gospel Press, 2009), 213-70.8Zane C. Hodges, “How to Lead People to Christ, Part 1: The Content of Our Message,”Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 13 (Autumn 2000): 9; idem, “How to Lead People to Christ, Part2: Our Invitation to Respond,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 14 (Spring 2001): 12; Robert N.Wilkin, Secure and Sure (Irving, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2005), 74-75.9Hodges, “How to Lead People to Christ, Part 1,” 6-7; René A. López, Romans Unlocked(Springfield, MO: 21st Century Press, 2005), 212; John Niemelä, “The Message of Life in the Gospel ofJohn,” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 7 (July-September 2001): 18; Robert N. Wilkin, GraceEvangelical Society News (June 1990): 4.10“Promise-only” is an apt description of this view of the saving message or content of faithfor eternal life. Though advocates of this view generally eschew this label, along with others such as“crossless gospel,” they nevertheless teach that God requires only the promise of eternal life to be believedfor regeneration, rather than belief in the promise, person (deity, humanity), and work (substitutionarydeath, resurrection) of Christ. John Niemelä espouses the “promise-only” view and writes: “John oftenrecords Jesus telling groups of unbelievers how to receive everlasting life. His message of life tounbelievers is a one-step pronouncement: The promise of life for the believer. It is not a two-step message:First explaining why He is able to give life [i.e., because of His deity, humanity, death, and resurrection]and second explaining the promise” (“Who Is Able to Guarantee Everlasting Life?” Grace in Focus 23[November-December 2008], 3).11Zane C. Hodges, “The Hydra’s Other Head: Theological Legalism,” Grace in Focus 23(September/October 2008): 2.12Bob Wilkin, “Essential Truths About Our Savior,” Grace in Focus 23 (NovemberDecember 2008): 2; idem, “Scavenger Hunt Salvation Without a List,” Grace in Focus 23 (May-June2008): 1.13Bing, Lordship Salvation, 57; Lewis Sperry Chafer and John F. Walvoord, Major BibleThemes, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 60; Fred Chay, The Glorious Grace of God:Understanding Free Grace Theology (n.p.: Grace Line, 2009), 14; G. Michael Cocoris, Evangelism: ABiblical Approach (Chicago: Moody, 1984), 61, 74; idem, The Salvation Controversy (Santa Monic

While the primary purpose of John’s Gospel is evangelism, it is not the only evangelistic book in the Bible, as many Free Grace adherents claim. A comparison of John’s Gospel with Romans and Luke-Acts shows that each of these books shares the same saving message. Ch