John study section

John word studies

A handful of Greek words carry the theology of John. Tap the speaker next to any word to hear it pronounced.

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Key words

λόγος (logos): “Word”

Usage: John 1:1, 14

Meaning: Word, reason, message, the expression of thought. John’s title for the pre-existent Son.

Theological Significance: The eternal Logos, who “was God” and made all things, “became flesh.” Jesus is God’s full and final self-expression, the Word who reveals the Father and by whom all things exist (John 1:1-3, 14; Hebrews 1:1-3).

πιστεύω (pisteuō): “To Believe, Trust”

Usage: John 3:16; 20:31; and nearly one hundred times

Meaning: To believe, trust, rely on; often “believe in” or “into” (eis) Jesus, a personal trust, not mere assent.

Theological Significance: Believing in Jesus is the one way to eternal life and the very purpose of the Gospel: “that you may believe... and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31; 3:16, 36).

ζωή (zōē): “Life”

Usage: John 1:4; 3:16; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6

Meaning: Life: especially the divine, eternal life that is in the Son and shared with those who believe.

Theological Significance: Jesus is life itself and came that His people “may have life and have it abundantly.” This zōē is not merely endless existence but the very life of God, begun now and consummated forever (John 1:4; 10:10; 17:3).

ἀγάπη (agapē): “Love”

Usage: John 3:16; 13:34-35; 15:9-13

Meaning: Love: self-giving, sacrificial love that seeks the good of another.

Theological Significance: God’s agapē gave the Son for the world, and Jesus’ agapē laid down His life for His friends. The new commandment is that His people love one another with that same love, the mark of true discipleship (John 13:34-35; 15:13; 1 John 4:10).

μένω (menō): “To Abide, Remain”

Usage: John 15:4-10

Meaning: To abide, remain, dwell, continue. “Abide in me, and I in you.”

Theological Significance: Union with Christ is pictured as abiding in Him like a branch in the vine, the source of all fruitfulness, for “apart from me you can do nothing.” To abide is to live in continual, dependent fellowship with Jesus (John 15:4-5; 1 John 2:28).

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