11 Most Popular Book of John Bible Verses

Exploring the Bible is always good, and we all have to start somewhere, so here are some John Bible verses you can study.

When it’s your first time reading the Bible and you don’t know where to start, many would recommend you start with the Book of John. 

Most Christians would say that the Book of John is the most interesting Gospel because it is the only one that is not one of the synoptic Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic Gospels because their accounts are close.

It is believed that Matthew and Luke used Mark as their basis for their writings, so they are quite alike. John, on the other hand, is different from the three Gospels. Some accounts can be found in the synoptic Gospels that cannot be found in John and vice versa. 

What are John Bible Verses?

John Bible verses are verses that tell the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the perspective of John. They contain the teachings of Jesus, His miracles, and His ministry as a whole. It is not about John; instead, it is about Jesus and His Gospel or Good News that John tells. Let us find out more about John and the Gospel according to John.

Introduction to John Bible Verses

Author 

There are debates about the authorship of the Gospel but the Apostle John, also known as the beloved disciple, is the one that wrote it. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and Andrew, another disciple, was his brother.

Jesus called John and Andrew the sons of thunder, possibly because of the zeal that they often show. After Jesus’ death and ascension, John continued the ministry by spreading the Word and establishing churches with his brother Andrew and Peter, another disciple.

Date and Place of writing

Papyrus containing the records of the Gospel according to John shows that it is dated around AD 135. This means that it must have been written, copied, and circulated among believers and churches way before that. Scholars estimate it was written around AD 85-100 in Ephesus in Asia Minor.

Audience

Although some would argue that the Gospels are for the vast public, we will see that the Gospels, in general, have a target audience and a purpose if we look at the writings and the purpose of their writings.

The Gospel according to John is believed to address both Jewish and non-Jewish believers. We can see that John repeats the phrase “the Son of God” when referring to Jesus, and this is to introduce Him to the Gentiles.

John also addresses a crowd of “second-generation Christians” who did not know Jesus personally and were not present in important events like the crucifixion. John was re-introducing Jesus to them.

Overall Theme

The Gospel according to John differs from the other three Gospels mainly on where it is focused. John does not have a record of Jesus’ birth but is primarily focused on the ministry of Jesus. 

The other Gospels, especially Mark, show Jesus quietly performing miracles. Still, although John did not record a lot of miracles, he recorded some of them, and he indicated that these miracles were done openly and publicly.

Best John Bible Verses

Top 5 John Bible verses

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

This verse is one of the most substantial bases of salvation. Through this verse, we get the assurance from Jesus’ lips that if we believe, we will not perish and receive eternal life with God instead.

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

This is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible because even if Jesus is not physically in the world today, He has left us His peace which passes understanding.

John 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John referred to Jesus as the Word through which everything was created. And he emphasized the fact that Jesus was God, which was not a widely accepted fact at those times. Through Him, we received salvation and so much more.

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

This verse proves that God is not concerned about our spiritual lives alone but our lives as a whole. Like a good parent, He wants us to have all the best in life to the point where He sacrificed Himself so we can have a second chance at life.

John 13:34

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

God is all about love, and unsurprisingly, He wants us to make love central in our lives, and He commanded us to direct this love towards one another.

Comforting verses in John

John 11:25

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”

Jesus said this to Martha when her brother, Lazarus, died before Jesus arrived and had a chance to heal him. Jesus assured her that anyone who followed Him could not be defeated by death. He is still giving us this promise today.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

One thing I appreciate about Jesus is the fact that He does not lie or sugarcoat, and I think this is because He wants us to be prepared to face whatever life throws at us. He also promised that He overcame the world, and He is on our side.

Verses about holiness in John

John 1:12-13

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

Being holy means being set apart for a special purpose, and God had made us holy when He welcomed us in His Kingdom and His family.

John 14:6

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The goal of holiness is to be closer to God, and Jesus said that the way to do that is to be closer to Him. We can do that by following and obeying Him.

Lifestyle verses in John

John 8:32

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

If we read the whole passage, we will see that Jesus is talking about freedom from sin. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and if we follow Him, we will be set free from sin and all its ugliness.

John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

As branches cannot choose when to connect to the vine, so we cannot choose when to connect to God and when not to. Being a Christian is not something we can turn off and on, so we should always follow where the Spirit leads.

In Summary

The Bible is the Word of God, but it is also a compilation of testimonies by people who believed in God. The different books of the Bible show how people journeyed in their faith, their struggles, and victories, and most of all, they show how God worked in each person’s life.

God speaks to us today through the Bible and the experiences of those who have gone before us, like John. Through their testimonies and experiences, may we find ourselves ever closer to God and our brothers and sisters. 

As John said in the final verse, “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31