The Knowable God: A Fresh Look at the Fourth Gospel

In this thoughtful introduction to the Gospel of John, Brain (Jesus Hope Realised), a minister within the United Reformed Church, makes the case that readers too often overlook the fourth gospel’s distinctive theology. Brain urges readers to engage John’s gospel as a whole, from the famous opening (“In the beginning was the word”) through Jesus’s dying words: “It is finished.” Brain argues that John’s central focus on convincing readers that salvation comes through believing in the incarnation (God’s choice “to become flesh” in Jesus of Nazareth) led the gospel writer to omit essential tenets of Christianity—such as Jesus’ ethical teachings—which can be found in the other gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Therefore, he argues, John’s gospel alone cannot represent Christian teaching. Brain also acknowledges and unpacks the gospel of John’s troubling elements, such as John’s scornful attitude to Jews, and contends that those who have used these texts to justify atrocities ignore John’s central message of God’s love for all humanity. This nuanced study will fit well into both individual and small group Bible study. (July)