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The Christian spirituality of the love of God: Conceptual and experiential perspectives emanating from the Gospel of John

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Christians will never be able to fully grasp the identity and character of God. The Bible, despite acknowledging its divine inspiration, cannot fully communicate and explain the attributes or qualities of a God nobody has ever seen (Jn 1:18; 1 Jn 4:12, cf. 4:20). Christians do believe in the love, forgiveness and grace/mercy of God, but will never comprehend it completely; although, we still need to continuously investigate it. The objective of this study, from the perspective of the Gospel of John, was to investigate the concept of God’s transcendent love and how God can immanently be experienced as a God of love. Firstly, the article constructs a Johannine picture (concept) of love between the Father and the Son. Secondly, it points out how the love of God is foundationally linked to and ‘experienced’ of the familia Dei. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article explores one of the qualities (attributes) of God, namely, the love of God as referred to in the Gospel of John. The exploration is carried out from two perspectives: God’s love within the divine being and love of creation. It relates to biblical, systematic and practical theology and also has some implications for missiology.
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Verbum et Ecclesia
ISSN: (Online) 2074-7705, (Print) 1609-9982
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Author:
Dirk G. van der Merwe1
Aliaon:
1Department of Chrisan
Spirituality, Church History
and Missiology, School of
Humanies, University of
South Africa, Pretoria,
South Africa
Corresponding author:
Dirk van der Merwe
dirkvdm7@gmail.com
Dates:
Received: 17 July 2020
Accepted: 13 Oct. 2020
Published: 17 Dec. 2020
How to cite this arcle:
Van der Merwe, D.G., 2020,
‘The Chrisan spirituality of
the love of God: Conceptual
and experienal perspecves
emanang from the Gospel
of John’, Verbum et Ecclesia
41(1), a2130. hps://doi.
org/10.4102/ve.v41i1.2130
Copyright:
© 2020. The Authors.
Licensee: AOSIS. This work
is licensed under the
Creave Commons
Aribuon License.
Introducon
Neither the concept of love nor the term ‘love’ (ἀγάπη) is uniquely Christian. The love of God
has already been proclaimed in the Old Testament. The Jewish tradition often highlights the
abundant and special love of God towards the righteous or Israel. Biblical teachings about the
covenant prompted this Jewish tradition (Dt 7:7, 13; 10:15; 23:5; 33:3; Is 63:9; Hs 11:1). Therefore,
Isaiah could refer to the restoration of Israel after judgement because of God’s special love for
Israel (Is 43:4; 63:9; Keener 2005 [2003]:568).
Probably, the clearest expression in the Bible of the loving character of God occurs in 1 John,
which contains the statement that God is love (1 Jn 4:8, 16). This focuses attention to the essential
character of love in God to the extent that love can be regarded as a summary of how God
approaches people. This love approach should be distinguished from human love. It is God
who loves and who initiates love, not humans (1 Jn 4:10, 19). John is overwhelmed by the
thought of God’s love, which has enabled people to become children of God (τέκνα θεοῦ, 1 Jn 3:1;
also cf. Jn 1:12). Moreover, if people are to love one another, God’s love must be the source (1 Jn
4:7). In fact, those who do not show love to those in need are closing their hearts to the abiding
presence of God’s love (1 Jn 3:17).
From the Gospel of John, it is definitely clear that the Evangelist, when referring to God’s love,
does not explain an ontological characteristic of God, a quality locked up in God self. Actually, it
may be questioned whether such an abstract form of love is conceivable, as love must have an
object. The fact that so much is made of the Father’s love for the Son in John’s gospel is a strong
indication that already within the Godhead God’s love has an object. Whilst the New Testament
is mainly concerned with humans as the object of God’s love, Guthrie (1981:105) pays special
attention to the love relation between the Father and the Son in the Gospel of John. The love of the
Father can only be understood and only make sense in the event of Jesus’ incarnation, crucifixion,
resurrection and ascension.
The first reference and expression of God’s love in the Gospel of John occur in John 3:16. God
revealed his love by sending his one and only (μονογενής) Son into the world (Jn 3:16). From this
text, we can firstly deduce that Jesus Christ is the full expression of God’s love. Secondly,
Christians will never be able to fully grasp the identity and character of God. The Bible, despite
acknowledging its divine inspiration, cannot fully communicate and explain the attributes or
qualities of a God nobody has ever seen (Jn 1:18; 1 Jn 4:12, cf. 4:20). Christians do believe in the
love, forgiveness and grace/mercy of God, but will never comprehend it completely; although,
we still need to continuously investigate it. The objective of this study, from the perspective of
the Gospel of John, was to investigate the concept of God’s transcendent love and how God
can immanently be experienced as a God of love. Firstly, the article constructs a Johannine
picture (concept) of love between the Father and the Son. Secondly, it points out how the love
of God is foundationally linked to and ‘experienced’ of the familia Dei.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article explores one of the
qualities (attributes) of God, namely, the love of God as referred to in the Gospel of John. The
exploration is carried out from two perspectives: God’s love within the divine being and love
of creation. It relates to biblical, systematic and practical theology and also has some
implications for missiology.
Keywords: Christians; God; inspiration; qualities; investigate; love.
The Chrisan spirituality of the love of God:
Conceptual and experienal perspecves
emanang from the Gospel of John
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God’s love is a life-giving love. Before any person had become
a Christian, he or she was dead in his or her sins, but through
faith in Jesus as the Son of God, humans receive the authority
to become the children of God (1:12). The objective of this
study, from the perspective of the Gospel of John, investigates
how God has revealed his love and how he can be experienced
as a God of love. Firstly, the study constructs a Johannine
picture (concept) of love between the Father and the Son.
Secondly, it points out how the ‘lived experience’ of the love
of God is foundationally linked to the familia Dei and to the
mutual love between God, Jesus and Jesus’ followers.
The love of God in John: A concept
This section firstly points out how the Evangelist reflects on
the unity between the Father and the Son to contextualise the
nature and existence of the love of God. This constitutes an
example of what this love conceptually is and how this love
of God can be experienced within the familia Dei to serve as a
witness to the world. Secondly, this immanent love and unity
between the Father and the Son will be examined. Throughout
John, the following texts refer to the love of the Father for the
Son (ἀγαπάω, 3:35; 10:17; 15:9; 17: 23, 24, 26; φιλέω, 5:20) and
the Son’s love for the Father (ἀγαπάω, 14:31).1
The mutuality of love and unity in the
Gospel of John
This section primarily focusses on John 17:20–23 to reflect on
the unity between the Father, Son and indirectly with a brief
reference to the unity between the children of God with the
Father and Son. It is axiomatic that love creates unity and that
unity can induce love. Therefore, it can be deduced that love
and unity are the two sides of a coin. They complement one
another. In John 17:20–23, an extended parallelism that occurs
in these verses verifies the above reasoning. This reasoning is
further confirmed in John 17:24, 26 and 15:9–17 where Jesus
refers to the same love that exists between the Father, himself,
and his followers.
The following is an extended parallelism (Figure 1) constructed
from John 17:20–23 to indicate how important the Evangelist
regards the concept of unity between the Father, Son and
God’s children for the comprehension of the love of God.
This parallelism is founded on the ‘grammatical structure,
the theological content as well as the rhetorical argument’
(Van Der Merwe 2017a:5). More parallels occur also in ‘words,
phrases and prepositional structures’. The repetition2 in this
parallel is used by the Evangelist for emphasis and to
expound the unity theme, which constitutes the medium for
love in the Gospel of John (cf. Van Der Merwe 2017a:5) which
is evident from John 15:9–17.
1.The love of God/the Father for the world occurs in 3:16 (ἀγαπάω) and 16:27
(φιλέω). See Varghese (2009:14–15); also Shin (2019:145–147) for thorough
reference to all the ‘love’ texts in John.
2.Parcipaon or engagement is oen enhanced by repeang words, principles and
concepts. The reader engages the created images and dialecc embedded in the
rhetoric of the text. Yoder points out, from a didacc perspecve, that the value of
‘repeon has long been recognised as an eecve means to clarify, emphasise and
recapitulate; moreover, its connecon with memory makes it of specic didacc
value’ (2005:174). According to her, repeon ‘principally serves as a means to
“interpellate” readers; that is, to call on mes again to take up a parcular subject
posion’ (2005:175).
The first cluster of verses (17:20–21) denotes the mutual
immanence of the Father and Jesus (17:21) and consequently
(ἵνα) also denotes the disciples to be ‘in’ Jesus and the Father
(17:21). The second cluster3 of verses (17:22–23) refers to the
oneness between the Father and Jesus (ἡμεῖς ἕν, 17:22) and to
the immanency of the Father in Jesus (καὶ σὺ ἐν ἐμοί, 17:23)
and consequently (ἵνα) that the disciples may be completely
one. The disciples are said to be in the Father and Jesus in
verse 17:21 (‘ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ὦσιν’), and Jesus and the
Father are in the disciples in verse 17:23 (‘ἐγὼ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ σὺ
ἐν ἐμοί’; cf. Van Der Merwe 2017a:5). These formulae of
immanence explain how the love in the Godhead and
between Jesus and his disciples and mutual love amongst the
disciples corporately is constituted and consequently evolved
into the disciples’ experience of divine love.4 Beasley-Murray
(1999:302) interprets this unity between Jesus’ disciples as
mutual participation in ‘that unity within the Godhead’.
The three interactive levels as shown in Figure 2 of the
relationship emanate from Figure 1.
Figure 2 indicates that the unity and implied love5 between
Jesus and the Father create a paradigm (καθς) of unity and
love that should exist between Jesus and his disciples and
amongst the disciples communally. The unity and love reality
(Jn 15:1–17) between Jesus and his disciples should constitute
3.The variaons in the second cluster of texts oer new perspecves. This is evident
from the inclusion of new maers: δξαν, τετελειωμνοι, γάπησας (Van Der
Merwe 2017a:5).
4.See Moltmann (2008:372–378) for an excellent discussion on trinitarian
perichoresis, perichorec community and perichorec unity.
5.Although there is no reference to love in these texts, love is implied as a result of the
two references to love (17:24, 26) between the Father and the Son and John 15
where the immanence of love between the Father, Son and disciples is described.
Source: Van Der Merwe, D.G., 1996, ‘Discipleship in the Fourth Gospel’, Unpublished doctoral
thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
FIGURE 1: A paralellism stressing the unity between God, Jesus and the disciples.
20 ‘Ο περ τούτων δ ρωτ μόνον,
λλ κα περ τν πιστευόντων
δι το λόγου ατν εσ μέ,
21 ἵνα πάντεσ ν σιν,
καθὼσ σύ,
πάτερ, ν μο κγ ν
σοί,
ἵνα κα ατο ν μν σιν,
ἵνα  κόσμοσ πιστεύ
ὅτι σύ με πέστειλασ’
22 ‘κγ τν δόξαν ν δέδωκάσ μοι
δέδωκα
ατοσ,
ἵνα σιν ν
καθὼσ μεσ ν
23 γ ν ατοσ
κα σ ν μοί,
ἵνα σιν τετελειωμένοι εσ ν,
ἵνα γινώσκ  κόσμοσ
ὅτι σύ με πέστειλασ
κα γάπησασ ατοσ
καθσ μ γάπησασ’
Source: Van Der Merwe, D.G., 1996, ‘Discipleship in the Fourth Gospel’, Unpublished doctoral
thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
FIGURE 2: Three interacve levels of unity.
EXAMPLE (καθώσ)
Father/Jesus relaonship
BASIS (ἐν / ἓν)
Jesus / Disciples
PURPOSE (ἵνα)
Disciples’
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the basis (ἐν/ἓν) for the disciples’ love and unity as the
fundamental objectives (ἵνα) of love and unity in the Christian
community. Jesus endeavours here to emphasise the existence
of unity amongst his disciples. He parallelises their unity
with the unity existing between the Father and himself. These
disciples must also realise that their unity with Jesus6 and
amongst themselves can only be achieved through their love
for one another. This is specifically evident from John 13–15.
The disciples’ unity is only complete (τετελειωμένοι) when
they are united in God (‘ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ὦσιν’) through
their love for one another. Then their unity reflects the love of
God (15:9–10) and becomes the love of God experiential by
both – those who receive love and those who show love.
Ridderbos (1997) is convinced that the prescribed unity by
the Evangelist is:
[T]he great object that Jesus aimed at during his life on earth
and now also desires from the Father for the future of the
Christian communion: ‘in order that they may be all in one7 even
as we are one’. (p. 559)
All this constitutes the context for what follows now.
The love and unity between the Father and
the Son
The noun ‘Father’ (πατήρ) appears to be the most familiar
metaphoric depiction of God in the Gospel of John. It appears
nearly 120 times in comparison to the 108 times of the
appearance of ‘God’ (θεός; Juel 1997:316; Reinhartz 1999:1, 6;
Thompson 1999:24). All appearances are in the singular form.
Davies (1992:120) identifies that the noun ‘Father’ expresses a
relation. In the Gospel of John, it specifically refers to the
relation between the Father and Jesus (and believers referred
to as the children of God, 1:13). Consequently, such a relation
makes God knowledgeable and explicitly experiential.8 God
is distinctively the Father of Jesus who is the Son. Almost all
the assertions about God as Father incorporate the function
and identity of the Son vice versa. Hence, assertions about
the Father are assertions about the Son – to declare the Son
involves declaring the Father (Thompson 2014:155). God is
exclusively characterised in relationship to Jesus; he is then
presented as Father and Jesus as Son (Juel 1997:317).
In the prologue (Jn 1:18), God is referred to as the Father of
the μονογενής θεὸς (only God/Son),9 which again is signified
6.The unity between Jesus (God) and his disciples is not ‘ontological’ but ‘funconal’.
This unity is constuted by God’s love and comprises obedience (say and do, will of
God), gloricaon, ‘abiding in’ and laying down one’s life for other and to die in
oneself.
7.The phrase ‘in order that they may all be one’ occurs in 17:11, 21, 22 and 23.
11: ‘να σιν ν καθς μες’
21: ‘να κα ατο ν μν σιν’
22:’ να σιν ν καθς μες ν’
23: ‘να σιν τετελειωμνοι ες ν’
8.On the physical level, Jesus embodies God’s love for the world by feeding the hungry
(6:5–16), healing the sick (4:46–54; 5:2–9; 9:1–7) and giving money to the needy
(13:29; Shin 2019:146).
9.Robertson maintains that the way in which Jesus is ‘Son’ of God is dierent from the
way in which we can become ‘children of God’ (Jn 1:12): Jesus’ relaonship with God
‘stands apart’ (Robertson 2011:325). The reference to Jesus as ‘only Son’ in the Gospel
of John claims that Jesus has a unique inmacy and unity with God. Therefore, he
could be ‘speaking God’s words...doing God’s work...and sharing in God’s glory’
(Edwards 2003:96; cf. Jn 17:1–8). Jesus’ inmate relaon with God demonstrates
the unity of the ‘the Father’ and ‘the Son’. Jesus claims that he has ‘seen the Father’
(Jn 6:46); and later asserts that ‘just as the Father knows me... I know the Father’
as Jesus Christ in John 1:17. Twice (Jn 1:14, 18; cf. also
Jn 3:16, 18) in the prologue, the adjective μονογενής (‘only one
of its kind, one and only, unique’ according to ed. Danker
2000:658) climaxes Jesus as the only Son of the Father.
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to God as Father.
Jesus titles God as ‘my Father’, ‘the Father ’ and distinctively
as ‘the Father who sent me’. Even, in his editorial clarifications,
the Evangelist denotes God to be the Father where Jesus’
distinct sonship is brought up. A suitable example is used in
John 5:1–18. Here, Jesus decisively calls ‘God his own
Father, thereby making himself equal to God’ (Jn 5:18; cf. Jn
8:27; Thompson 1999:19). The Evangelist also pointed out
categorically that Jesus did not do ‘the will of God’, but the
‘will of the Father’ (Jn 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 8:29 and 7:18; 8:50 by
implication). In Jesus’ dialogues with God, he addresses
God as Father. These indications validate why the noun,
Father (πάτερ), ‘has become the most significant term, other
than θεός (God) itself, to refer to God’ (Van Der Merwe
2019:3) – to awake the concept of love. In the Johannine
account the Father’s love for the Son is the main evidence
that love is an essential characteristic of God (Jn 3:35; 5:20;
10:17; 15:9; 16:27; 17:23f.). Jesus was deeply conscious of the
Father’s love for him as the foundation stone and pattern of
God’s love for people (17:23).
The Father’s love is not directed to the Father self, but always
to other (cf. Shin 2019:146) and lies on two levels – love within
the trinity and love towards God’s creation in which humans
are situated. The love of the Father is central in the Father’s
relation with the Son. This is evident from John 17:24, ‘[y]ou
loved Me before the foundation of the world’. This love was
at work before the incarnation.10 It also fits the relationship of
the risen and exalted Jesus to God, as the Gospel says that he
is now ‘in the bosom of the Father’ (1:18). The image is like
that of a banquet where people recline around a table. The
one who receives special favour lies with his head on the
chest of his father who is the host. The Gospel uses this
familiar image to depict the Father’s love for the Son in a
manner and idiom that can be understood to some extent by
human beings. At the same time, it emphasises the unique
character of this relationship. The Father loves the Son in an
idiosyncratic way and this has implications for understanding
Jesus’ mission and ministry (Keener 2005 [2003]:583).
The authority the Father gives to the Son also expresses his
love; and the Son uses this authority to convey love. The Son
experiences the love of the Father in the responsibilities
the Father gave him as well as the power to execute them.
The Gospel says that ‘[t]he Father loves the Son and has given
all things into His hand’ (3:35), ‘and shows Him all things
(Jn 10.15). Nobody can know God without recognising the identy of Jesus: ‘If you
knew me’, Jesus once said, ‘you would know my Father also’ (Jn 8:19). Jesus is the
ulmate revealer of God, the one who is ‘close to the Father’s heart, who has made
him known’ (Jn 1:18). The revealing of God’s inner being is regarded by the writer of
John as the primary reason for Jesus’ incarnaon (Jn 1:18). Jesus’ very consciousness
is ‘dominated by the consciousness of God’ (Robertson 2011:328).
10.Cf. ‘ὁ λγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεν, … οὗτος ἦν ν ἀρχῇ–πρὸς τὸν θεν’ (Jn 1:1, 2). In
John 17:24, the Evangelist refers to the Father’s love for the Son prior to the
foundaon of the world (‘γάπησάς με πρὸ καταβολῆς κσμου’. The inmacy of
the love between them is also evident from verse 1:18, referring to the Son to be
‘in the bosom of the Father’ (cf. Koester 2008:49).
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that He Himself does’ (5:20; cf. 5:27; 17:2). According to
John 3:35, Jesus is certainly the special object of the Father’s
love. The immense love of the Father for the Son later (17:23)
constitutes the Father’s love for Jesus’ disciples (Keener 2005
[2003]:583). Love is what binds the Father to the Son11 ; and
this love is what the Son extends to others. Although the
occurrence of intimacy and feeling is attached to love and
understands the Evangelist love primarily is a ‘bond of
commitment’ (Koester 2008:49) – ‘I have glorified You on the
earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to
do’ (17:4). There is a resemblance between the love between
the Father and the Son. If the Father loves the Son (3:35), it is
also true that the Son loves the Father (14:31).
From the Gospel, it became evident that the most radical
expression of love is Jesus’ crucifixion when he lays down his
life to communicate God’s love to the world. The crucifixion
fractures and reconstitutes the familiar patterns of fatherly
love. At one level, the crucifixion is utterly inexplicable on
the basis of love. Ordinarily, a father who loved his son
would do everything (Koester 2008:49) possible to protect the
child from harm. No loving father would allow his son to be
treated this way. Yet, God is no ordinary Father and Jesus is
no ordinary Son. John finds that in the end, the only thing
that explains the inexplicable is love. If God truly loves the
world and the Son, then the only way to bring the world back
to relationship is by communicating love to it. Moreover, God
does this in the crucifixion. The Son is able to bring love into
the world because he receives love from his Father (3:35;
10:17). The Son is also willing to bring love into the world
because he himself loves the Father (14:31; 15:9–10). Love is
what the Father and Son share to constitute the unity between
them and this love has been given to humans through the life
and crucifixion of Jesus. The reason is that the ‘love that
comes from God makes it possible for people to relate to
Father and Son and to become part of a community that is
shaped by their love in 17:23–26’ (Koester 2008:50).
The love of God in John:
A ‘lived experience’
Spirituality and mindset: A ‘lived experience’
of God’s love
The title of this article starts with the phrase ‘The Christian
spirituality of the love of God’. Owing to a plethora of
definitions, it is necessary to define how the notion, ‘Christian
spirituality’, is used in this article. The definitions of three
influential scholars in Christian spirituality will be consulted
to define a working definition for this study. Philip Sheldrake
(2000:40) defines [Christian] spirituality as ‘a conscious
relationship with God, in Jesus Christ, through the indwelling
of the Spirit and in the context of the community of believers’.
For Sandra Schneiders (2000:254), it refers to ‘the experience of
consciously striving to integrate one’s life, in terms not of
isolation and self-absorption, but of self-transcendence
toward the ultimate value one perceives’. … ‘Spirituality,
then, as a lived experience, is by definition determined by the
11.Although we can talk and refer to the love and unity between the Father and the
Son, it sll remains a mystery.
particular ultimate value within the horizon of which the
life project is pursued’. For Kees Waaijman (2002:312),
spirituality refers to ‘the divine-human relational process of
transformation’.12
Against the background of these three related definitions of
Christian spirituality, I have drawn up a working definition
of spirituality for the purpose of this article. Spirituality has
been used to refer to ‘living a life of transformation and self-
transcendence that resonates with the lived experiences of
the divine’. This definition entails two features: ‘a lived
experience of God in a divine-human relationship’ and
‘living a life of transformation and self-transcendence that
resonates with the lived experiences of God in the believer’s
life’. Spirituality then becomes a matter of ‘lived experiences’ –
the ‘lived experiences’ of God’s love in this context.
Describing God’s love should not be a matter of theory only
but should also focus on the ‘lived experiences of the love of
God in everyday life’; it is, in fact, a ‘lived experience’ of God
self (God’s immanence and God’s transcendence) that will
transform the person’s life.
The ‘lived experiences’ of the love of God requires a specific
mindset for any awareness of divine presence or experiencing
divine involvement. The believer must continuously be
attentive to experience divine involvement. This will
consequently result in that believers reaching out to God
through prayer, obedience and devotion. This can materialise
formally or informally. Formally, in prayer, or by showing
love to others. Any practise of intentional engagement can
reveal the presence of God to fellow believers. It can also
happen informally. Believers can just become aware that
something happened and respond by saying: ‘did not our
heart burn within us’ (Lk 24;32, cf. Adams 2016:276).
Believers should regard their relationship with God as a
partnership that can cause the greatest excitement when
experiencing God’s love and involvement in their lives
(cf. Adams 2016:278).
In conclusion, distinguishing the love activities of God in this
world should not be only a matter of observation or
perception but also requires a discernment of eyes of faith
(Brümmer 2011:156). It must create a consciousness to become
aware to see, hear and experience God’s involvement in one’s
life. It requires a specific attitude of continuous enquiring
about divine involvement in one’s life. If not, a person can
miss such involvement.
The familia Dei and ‘lived experience’ of the
love of God
The familia Dei
In early Christianity, authors made use of the ‘most intimate
social phenomenon’ in ancient times, ‘the family’ as a
metaphor for describing the existential reality of being, of
love or any form of Christian living (cf. Van Der Watt
1999:494). These authors employed this language of kinship
12.Cf. also the work of McGrath (1999:2–5); Principe (2000:43–60); Perrin
(2007:31–32). See Sheldrake (2007) for A brief history of spirituality.
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and applied it to describe the relation between them and
their readers in relation to the God they worshipped. They
spoke about God, talked to God and experience this divine
being within the human idiom.13 This involves the typical
structures and features of Mediterranean family life and the
numerous modes of family featuring (Esler 2000:167).
In the Gospel of John, it is evident how the Evangelist applies
a ‘coherent network of metaphors, related to the social reality
of first-century family life’ (cf. Lassen 1997:103; ed. Moxnes
1997; Van Der Watt 1999:491) to explain the most essential
Christian concepts, identity and ethical conduct. The
Evangelist integrated conventional customs from everyday
family life. He applied them to the community activities and
ministries to explicate what the Christian community life
encompasses. This form of application was to ‘rhetorically
activate the social experiential dynamic of the mutual
relatedness between a father and his child in the mind of the
first century reader’ (Van Der Watt 1992:272–279).14
For the Evangelist, the love motif is the fundamental form of
existence of the Christian life in the Johannine community –
figuring as the familia Dei (Van Der Watt 2000:157, 161–394;
also cf. Rusam 1993:105ff; Van Der Merwe 2005:443f.; Van
Der Watt 1999:494ff.). Here, God featured as the Father
(1:14, 18) and the head, Jesus as the Father’s only Son
(1:14, 18; 3:16, 18) and the believers – God’s children (τέκνα
θεοῦ, 1:12). The Holy Spirit (14:26) constituted the Father’s
presence in the familia Dei. Through these metaphors, the
Evangelist brings together the Father, the Son, the Spirit and
the believers to compose a familial love relationship
(cf. Tollefson 1999:88).
Birth into the familia Dei
The only manner to gain access to the familia Dei is through a
new birth being begotten by God (1:12; born of the Spirit,
3:3–8). Becoming children of God means sharing the same
Father with Jesus (20:17) and experiencing the same divine
love. Only the revealers from above could truly induct them
into the heavenly realm (3:13–18). To become children of God
entails the reception of the divine nature or character of
which Jesus is the perfect image (Keener 2005 [2003]:403).
When a person believes in Jesus (1:12), he or she has been
born into the familia Dei by God (1:13). In 3:3–13, the Evangelist
elaborates and explains this birth from God in more detail.
This birth transforms people to become children of God. New
birth is more than a metaphor of social conversion from one
group to another; although it includes that it is, in fact, an
image of absolute transformation (Keener 2005 [2003]:552),
which enables the newborn to experience God’s love, God’s
presence and God’s involvement in everyday life.
The phrases given in Figure 3 have been used by the
Evangelist to refer to this new birth into the familia Dei from
different perspectives.
13.In fact, this is how God, I believe, has revealed Godself in anquity to humans.
14.See Varghese (2009:30–32) for imagery on love in the Gospel of John. He deals
with this under the imagery of ‘bridegroom–bride’, ‘friendship’ and ‘covenant’.
The Gospel of John presents divine childhood always as a
new birth ‘of God’, ‘the Spirit’ or ‘from above’ (cf. vs. 13;
3:3f.). This shows that it is not a natural quality that every
human being has as a creature of God. It is the gift that is
given, through love only to those who believe in the Word
(Ridderbos 1997:46). This new birth into the familia Dei was
made possible by means of God’s love for the world (3:16)
through the incarnation (1:14), crucifixion and resurrection
(19 & 20) of Jesus, the Son of God and the purifying work of
the Spirit (16:8). This ‘birth from God’ is essential for believers
to become aware and experience God’s love involvement in
their every-day life.
Life in the familia Dei
John 15:1–17 provides a brief orientation about life in the
familia Dei.15 Life in the Johannine familia Dei revolves
around the person and life of Jesus Christ16 (Varghese
2009:347). The pronouns for Jesus in the primary phrases
‘abide in me’ (15:4) and ‘obey my commandments’ (15:10)
underline this point. Throughout this pericope (Jn 15:1–17),
Jesus speaks about himself in the first person. Also, the
consistent repetition of the axiom, ‘μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί’, the
recurrent use of the pronoun ἐμοί and other expressions
emphasise the centrality of Jesus. Although all these
components are connected to Jesus, are they also
complementarily connected to one another? Their
accomplishment within this family will lead to the
glorification of God and the experience of joy amongst
God’s children. According to John 15:1–17, Figure 4
illustrates the experiential principal components of life in
the familia Dei.
These components will now be discussed in their relationship
to God’s love.
15.The theme of bearing fruit saturates the whole pericope, giving it a pragmac
thrust (Varghese 2009:350).
16.Jesus was deeply conscious of the Father’s love for him as the foundaon stone
and paern of God’s love for people (17:23). It is integral to the teaching of Jesus
that for man, the most desirable thing is to be the object of God’s love (Jn 14:21,
23; Guthrie 1981:104).
Source: Van Der Merwe, D.G., 1996, ‘Discipleship in the Fourth Gospel’, Unpublished doctoral
thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
FIGURE 3: New birth from dierent perspecves.
1:13, ἀλλʼ ἐκ θεοῦ γεννήθησαν
3:3, ……………….γεννηθ ….νωθεν
3:5, ……………….γεννηθ ἐξ ὕδατοσ καὶ πνεύματοσ
3:6, ……………...γεγεννημένον......ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματοσ
3:7, ……………….γεννηθναι νωθεν
3:8, …………... γεγεννημένοσ…..ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματοσ
Source: Van Der Merwe, D.G., 1996, ‘Discipleship in the Fourth Gospel’, Unpublished doctoral
thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
FIGURE 4: Life in the family.
Fruit Love
Jesus
Joy
Abide Obedience
Glorify
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Abide in Jesus: The disciples’ obedience to the commandments
of Jesus reflects the effect of their love for Jesus (14:15, 21, 23).
Jesus stresses this crucial fact in 15:9–10 (Figure 5). These two
verses are complete and chiastically composed. Its point of
departure and point of return indicate the love of the Father.
These two καθς-clauses are arranged chiastically with the
admonishment to abide in Jesus’ love in the centre, revolving
around obedience to the commandment of Jesus.
The appeal is this chiasm is to give depth to the admonishment:
μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί’. The emphasis in this chiasm is obedience.
Jesus emphasises his example of obedience to be an example
(καθς) to his disciples to be followed – to abide in him. The
love relation between the Son and the Father is principally
sustained by the unconditional obedience of the Son to the
Father (Shin 2019:147).
Those who will abide in Jesus will be labelled as disciples
of Jesus, as a designation of their new identity in Jesus.
This reciprocal indwelling will cause an austere conversion.
‘To abide’ (μένω) will then become a fundamental
activity for experiencing the love of God and for being
obedient.17 This will cause the followers of Jesus to mature
over a length of time into a new community of love and
friendship. In such an environment, ‘to abide’ is then to
be openly interconnected to the conduct of obedience
and the love of Jesus. The following two expressions form
a parallelism to explain what ‘abiding in Jesus’ means
(cf. Van Der Merwe 1996:443):
15:4 μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί .…...…. κἀγὼ ……………….. ἐν ὑμῖν
15:7
ἐὰν μείνητε ἐν ἐμοὶ .……… καὶ τὰ ῥήματά μου …. ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ
This parallelism explains that the constitution and
maintenance of the disciples’ mutual indwelling relationship
with Jesus is constituted by their abiding (μένω) in the
words of Jesus. The words of Jesus would have a purifying
effect on them (15:4). Therefore, they should constantly
abide (nurtured) in them (15:7). Then in verse 15:9, Jesus
also commands his disciples to ‘abide in his love’ (‘… κἀγὼ
ὑμᾶς ἠγάπησα· μείνατε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ’). When believers
dwell in the words (15:7) and love (15:9) of Jesus, it
constitutes a lasting transformation of the manner of life in
the community. Their behaviour had to resound Jesus’ new
love commandment (Jn 13:34; 15:12–17; Stander 2017:166;
Van Der Merwe 2017b:8–9). John 17:20–23 provides the
theological underpinnings for such a union between the
17.In verse 9, Jesus implies what it means to abide in him; it means to abide in his love
(see also 15:7); to connue to have fellowship with him; and to love (and obey)
him, similarly as he loves and obeys the Father (15:10; Peterson 2015:24). See also
John 15:4–7, 9–10, 16.
disciples and Jesus. The mutual indwelling of the Father
and Son is the source and standard of Christ’s mutual
indwelling in believers. John 15 applies the union to the
obedience and love life of believers (Peterson 2013:24–25).18
Obedience and the love commandment: Love and
obedience characterise life in the familia Dei. A valuation of
Jesus’ love command (15:9–10) denotes that ‘obedience
evolves out of love and reciprocally love out of obedience’
(cf. Barrett 1978:476). Jesus brought his disciples into the
unity and love of the Father-Son relationship (Köstenberger
1998:189). He was endorsed and sent by the Father to
accomplish this distinctive task on behalf of the
Father; hence, ‘the one who (Thompson 2014:158) obeys the
Son is the one who works in full harmony with the Father’
(2014:159).19 The implication is that the love, existent from
the beginning (cf. Jn 1:1) ‘between God and the Word,
between the Father and the Son’, emanated in the human
sphere (Moloney 2013:37–70; cf. Keener 2005 [2003]:1064).
Therefore, the words of Jesus ‘that the love with which You
loved Me may be in them, and I in them’ (Jn 17:26).
In the literary context of the Son of Man (Jn 3:14) being
‘lifted up’ in crucifixion, the aorist ἔδωκεν in John 3:16 clearly
refers to Jesus’ death on the cross.20 This passage defines the
crucifixion as the ultimate expression of divine love for
humanity (cf. Rom 5:5–8)21 as well as the ultimate expression
of Jesus’ obedience to the Father. The reference in John 3:16
‘[f]or God so loved the world’ is a qualitative reference to
God’s love rather than quantitative expression. The adverb
Οὕτως in John 3:16 means, ‘[t]his is how God loves the world’.
This God’s love is sensible from the incarnation (ἔδωκεν) as
well as the crucifixion (ἔδωκεν). Both the incarnation and
cross are the ultimate expression of God’s love. Nowhere in
this Gospel does God say, ‘I love you;’ rather, he demonstrates
his (Keener 2005 [2003]:566) love for humanity by self-
sacrifice (13:34; 14:31); the culmination of his obedience to the
Father. Here, God gives the gift of his Son (τὸν υἱὸν τὸν
μονογενῆ) to the world. This love is of the same sort as the
Father’s (Keener 2005 [2003]:567) love for the Son (3:35; 15:9;
17:23). This act of love is exemplified on a narrative level in
Jesus’ love for his friends.22 He entered the realm of hostility
to bring them life (11:5, 7–8) by means of the cross (13:34). It
18.See Peterson for a thorough discussion on the mutual indwelling between the
Father and Jesus and Jesus and the disciples (2015:25–27): Jesus the Bread of Life
in John 6:32–35, 48–58; Mutual Indwelling of the Father and the Son in John
10:37–38; Mutual Indwelling of the Father and the Son, and the Son and Believers
in John 14:8–11, 20, 23; Jesus the Vine, Believers the Branches in John 15:1–17;
Mutual Indwelling of the Father and the Son, and of the Son and Believers in John
17:20–26.
19.Jesus refers to this mutual love between the disciples in chapters 13 and 14.
20.The Evangelist stresses the signicance of Jesus’s incarnaon for union with him.
John 6 refers on six occasions to Jesus, the bread of life, who came ‘from heaven’
(6:32, 33, 38, 50, 51, 58) and four occasions to the Father who ‘sent’ him (6:38, 39,
44, 57). The incarnaon is indispensable for the atonement and resurrecon of the
Son of God and for sinners to be united with him. It was imperave for Jesus to
become one of us that we could be united with him. For Jesus’s words: ‘[w]hoever
feeds on my esh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him’ (v. 56), for this
feeding and drinking to occur, God had to become a man. It is axiomac: no
incarnaon and no union with Christ (Peterson 2015:15).
21.Both aorists ‘loved’ and ‘gave’ in John 3:16 ‘refer to the supreme act of love’
(Brown 1975:1, 133).
22.In his feet washing of the disciples, Jesus (the Son) expressed his love as a
self-giving service (Jn 13:1–5; see also Jn 3:16).
Source: Van Der Merwe, D.G., 1996, ‘Discipleship in the Fourth Gospel’, Unpublished doctoral
thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
FIGURE 5: Love constutes obedience.
15:9 ‘καθσ γάπησέν με  πατήρ, κγ μσ γάπησα·
μείνατε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ.
15:10 ν τσ ντολάσ μου τηρήσητε,
μενεῖτε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ μου,
καθσ γ τσ ντολσ το πατρόσ μου τετήρηκα
κα μένω ατο ν τ γάπ’
A
B
C
B’
A’
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also postulates the example of self-sacrificial love believers
had to make for one another (13:34–35; 15:12; 1 Jn 3:16; 4:11, 19).
This immense love of the Father and Son was already
perceived in early Christianity (Rm 8:37; Gl 2:20; Eph 2:4;
5:2, 25; 2 Th 2:16) was unquestionably also cherished in the
community of Johannine believers (1 Jn 3:16; 4:10, 19;
Rv 1:5; 3:9). The depiction of divine love is distinctively
expressed in early Christianity in terms of self-sacrificing,
which is well developed and explained in the Gospel of
John (cf. Keener 2005 [2003]:568). Therefore, God demands
the same practical demonstration of love from his children
(14:15, 21–24; 21:15–17).23
God’s love culminated in the crucifixion (17:1) where Jesus
(μονογενlm θεεο, 1:18) declared ( 1:18) 1:18ατο, 1:18) the love of
the Father. The love that is shared between the Father and Son
comprises a love that immanently unites them. In the Farewell
Discourses, Jesus articulates why he has proclaimed the Father
– he wanted (asking the Father, Jn 17) his disciples to be drawn
into the same relationship with God he has had at all times.
The two expressions given in Figure 6 construct a parallelism,
which expresses the intimate relationship between the Father,
Jesus and the disciples.
According to this analysis, the nature of love is at the
beginning parallel or equivalent to the love at the end. This
designates the representative flow of this love. This implies
that the Son allocates the love that emanates from the Father
to the Son to the disciples; and it is expected of each disciple
to express this love mutually. The love of the Father for Jesus
constitutes the example (καθς, 15:9; also cf. Figure 2) of
Jesus’ love for his disciples. The Son, therefore, loves his
disciples with the same divine love as the Father loves him
(Brown 1972:663). The mutual love between Jesus and his
disciples constitutes the basis of the disciples’ mutual love for
one another. In the same sense, the disciples must love one
another. The tendency here is that love is transferred beyond
borders. Within the community of the disciples, their mutual
love is a group countenance – the identity of disciples is
determined by and becomes evident from their mutual love
relationship (cf. Van Der Merwe 1996:446).
Similarly, the obedient love relations of the disciples should
expose their love for their master (and the Father). The
maxim, ‘[i]f you love me, you will keep my commandments’
(Jn 14:15; cf. Jn 14:21), relates to ‘[t]hose who love me will
keep my word’ (Jn 14:23) and constitutes the following
parallelism:
Ἐὰν .…ἀγαπᾶτέ με, τὰς ἐντολὰς τὰς ἐμὰς τηρήσετε’ (Jn 14:15)
Ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ... με τὸν λόγον ……..μου τηρήσει’ (Jn 14:23)
With regard to the interpretation of this parallelism, two
assumptions can be made: (1) Jesus sets an example: ‘[I] do as
the Father has commanded me’ (Jn 14:31). His identity as
God is revealed here through his devoted relationship and
23.Love was certainly not simply a maer of feelings (see Malina & Rohrbaugh
1998:87).
unity with God. The phrase, ‘τὰς ἐντολὰς τὰς ἐμὰς τηρήσετε
(‘you will keep my commandments’, Jn 14:15), is a designation
of their unity and attachment with Jesus. (2) All this denotes
that the love of Jesus and his disciples will be equal to
the love of the Father. This infers an obedience from the
disciples to be equivalent to the obedience of Jesus to the
commandments of the Father. The love of the disciples has to
reverberate Jesus’ love because the love of God defines the
quality of this love. This implies that the love of Jesus’
behaviour (Van Der Merwe 1996:448; Van Der Watt 1992:83)
will epitomise their unity. According to Van Der Watt
(1992:86), the obedience of Jesus to the will of the Father
(4:34; 5:30; 8:38; 8:29) has then become his will. Consequently,
his will has become similar to the Father’s will. If this
reasoning is true, then it denotes that Jesus’ commandments
to his disciples relate to the Father’s will for Jesus. Then, the
Father’s will for Jesus parallels the Father ’s will for them.
Any clarification of the presence of love in a person must
refer to God as the origin of love (cf Furnish 1972:133). This
love of God then is concretely revealed in Jesus. When a
person accepts Jesus and his revelation of God faithfully
(1:12), the love of God will certainly manifest in him (see
17:23–26; cf. Koester 2008:50). This then implies that the love
of the Father and the Son is equivalent to that experienced by
the disciples. This love does not refer to love as a personal
affection, rather to the existential being of a disciple of
Jesus for fellow disciples. It determines the person’s entire
existence. To abide in love, as demanded by Jesus, means to
continue in the love they have received from Jesus, which he
again experienced from the Father (cf. Bultmann 1941:416).
The disciples of Jesus will experience God and God’s love
through mutual love for one another. God works through
people with people. When a person lives in a close relationship
with God, God becomes a bigger reality and is experienced
by those who make contact with these people – Jesus and
later his disciples.
In conclusion, the Father sets an example of how love should be
performed. Analogously, the Son and the disciples have to
love. Therefore, the love of Jesus’ disciples should not differ
from Jesus’ love, because the quality of Jesus’ love is defined
by God’s love. This consequently implies that the disciples’
love is purely an expression and a manifestation of God’s love.
Their conduct must equate to the conduct of Jesus in particular
situations (Van Der Watt 1992:83) in order to bear much fruit.
Bearing much fruit: In verse 15:8, Jesus said, ‘[b]y this My
Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit’. The bearing of
Source: Van Der Merwe, D.G., 1996, ‘Discipleship in the Fourth Gospel’, Unpublished doctoral
thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
FIGURE 6: The disciples’ experience of the love of the Father.
‘καθσ γάπησέν με  πατήρ.. ………….. κγ ………. μσ γάπησα’ (15:09)
‘να…. γαπτε λλήλουσ…...……...…… καθσ ……... γάπησα μσ (15:12)
The content of this parallelism can be constructed as follows:
Father loves Son // Son loves disciples
Son loves disciples // Disciples love Disciples
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fruit lies on two levels24: (1) in the disciples’ obedience to love
which would foster unity with Jesus and unity amongst
themselves25 and (2) when their love and unity will influence
‘the world to believe (πιστεύῃ, 17:21)/to know (γινσκῃ, 17:23)
that God has sent his Son into the world’.26 The disciples
will bear much fruit when they know Jesus intimately (abide,
Jn 15), and when they obey Jesus’ commands and follow
his example (Jn 13). Their relationship with Jesus is to reveal
Jesus’ relationship with the Father (cf. Köstenberger 1998:191f).
The readers of the Gospel of John must realise that any failure
to honour the Son implies failure to honour God (5:23;
Carson 1991:518). From the reasoning so far, it is evident that
the ‘intimate union’ Jesus promises to the disciples is not a
mystical experience. It comprises a relational encounter
because of its labelling with the term ‘love’ (15:9–10; cf. Dodd
(1998 [1953]:199–200). Through their obedience to Jesus’
commandments, they will demonstrate this love concretely
(15:10; cf. 14:15, 21; 15:14) just as Jesus obeyed the Father’s
command to lay down his life (10:18; 14:31) to demonstrate
the Father’s love.
The unity of the Church sought for and achieved by the
redemption of the Son of God has brought about ‘that
the world may believe and may know’. The Church has to be
the embodiment of the redemption and revelation brought
by Jesus Christ into the world. The world should not only
hear the message that Jesus is the Christ who has brought
about redemption for all but also experience that Christ’s
redemptive revelation has the power to convert sinners into
the likeness of God. This would bring about a loving
communion and community that the world needs (Beasley-
Murray 1999:303). The world will then experience the love of
God (3:16).
The eects of consummang the love of God in the
familia Dei
Experiencing joy in abundance: Joy (15:11) relates very
well to friendship and love. Jewish teachers also related joy
seriously with the keeping of God’s commandments,27 as
stated in John 15:10–12. The phrase ‘your joy may be full’
(πληρόω, 15:11; 16:24; 17:13; 1 Jn 1:4; 2 Jn 12) was an
accustomed form of communication. In early Christianity,
joy was related with love to be a result of God’s presence
(Gal 5:22) and to signify the presence of God’s reign
(Rm 14:17; Keener 2005 [2003]:1004).
In the Gospel of John, joy seems to be a fundamental motif
(especially in 15:11; 17:13). Joy is presented or understood
as a result of love. It points out those believers who are
24.Scholars dier in their understanding and interpretaon of ‘fruit bearing’. See Bolt
(1992:13–14) for a brief discussion on this.
25.This statement can be veried from the high occurrence of love terminology in the
pericope (15:1–17).
26.The missions of Jesus and his followers culminate in bringing glory to God (Brown
1972:662; Köstenberger 2004:455; Moloney 1998:421). The ‘bearing of much fruit’
would also have included, laying down their lives (cf. 13:35) in love as Jesus did
(cf. 12:24).
27.See Keener (2013:II, 4069) in his commentary on Acts (fn 1254) for an extensive list
of Jewish sources.
involved in a close relationship with God in Christ.
Complete joy exposes God’s presence in Jesus who
mediates divine presence amongst people. A joyful life
that glorifies God contributes to a continuous devotional
life of mutual divine human indwelling. In the Gospel, the
‘indwelling of God’, ‘love’, ‘obedience’, ‘bearing of fruit’
and ‘joy’ relate very closely (Stander 2017:166; Van Der
Merwe 2017b:9).
To accomplish this joy, Jesus requests his disciples to ‘abide
in his love’ (15:10). Hence, joy results from both love and
obedience, which connect it with Jesus (χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ, 15:11;
17:13). Like love, joy is a heavenly quality, as possessed by
Jesus (15:11). Therefore, he can award joy to his disciples as a
consequence of their obedience (see 15:9; cf. Barrett 1978:509;
Carson 1991:546). The joy of the disciples is only mentioned
succinctly in 14:28, whilst 15:11 refers emphatically (πληρωθῇ,
aorist, passive and subjunctive) to the joy, which results from
communion with Christ. It is remarkably in the Last
Discourses (15:11; 16:21f, 24) and the prayer (17:13) where
Jesus addresses the new way of life, unity, obedience of
abiding in Jesus (15:4), his love (15:9) and his word (8:31) that
he refers more frequently to joy.
Glorifying the Father: John 17:1–5 is the culmination of the
glorification theme and reasoning in the Gospel of John.
The verb, δοξάζω, occurs four times (all in the aorist) and the
noun, δόξα, once. The four verbs form a chiastic pattern
with ‘eternal life’ as the centre. This means that the
glorification of both the Son and the Father relates with the
accomplishment of salvation, which includes the revelation
of both Father and Son (1:18). This chiasm emphasises that
the essence of salvation is the love of God for the world and
is manifested in the crucifixion (and resurrection) of Jesus,
the Christ (Figure 7).
‘Eternal life’ implies here, life in the familia Dei. Verse 3 reads,
‘[n]ow this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’. The main
verb here is ‘know’ (γινσκω, present, active, subjunctive),
which refers to knowledge that advances beyond the intellect
to include a loving relationship and communion. The Son’s
revelation of this causes entrance into a loving fellowship
(κοινωνία) with the Father and the Son. This, according to the
Evangelist, is the core of life (cf. Rv 21:3; 22:3–5; Beasley-
Murray 1999:297; Köstenberger 2004:488).28
In John 17:1–5, the Evangelist describes how Jesus’ love for
the Father and the Father’s love for the world culminated on
28.The rest of the verse reads, ‘να γινώσκωσιν σὲ τὸν μνον  ληθινὸν θεὸν κα
ὃν  πστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστν’
Source: Van Der Merwe, D.G., 2002, ‘The glory-mof in John 17:1–5: An exercise in biblical
semancs’, Verbum et Ecclesia 23(1), 226–249. hps://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v23i1.1250
FIGURE 7: Chiasm of the glory-mof.
A δόξασόν σου τν υόν (1:1)
B να  υσ δοξάσ σέ (1:1)
C ἡ αἰώνιοσ ζωὴ28 (1:3)
B1 γώ σε .. δόξασα (1:4)
A1 δόξασόν με σύ (1:5)
Page 9 of 10 Original Research
hp://www.ve.org.za Open Access
the cross29 (‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son,
that Your Son also may glorify You, John 17:1, and ‘I have
glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work
which You have given Me to do’, 17:4). In the same event, the
Father is glorified when His love becomes evident in the
glorification of the Son. The Father will be further glorified30
when his children love one another and are obedient to Jesus’
commands.
Conclusion
The Gospel of John is probably the book in the New Testament
that gives us the best explanation of the love quality of God.
Chapters 15 and 17 complement one another with regard to
what God’s love comprises. The Evangelist succeeds in the
presentation of Jesus as not only the personalisation and
objectification of God’s love but also the content around which
the love of God revolves and emanates, for the Son is part of
the divine.
The Gospel of John clearly communicates that the familia
Dei is the environment in which the children of God should
experience this love every day. Experiencing this love of
God lies in the ‘mutual abiding of Jesus/disciple; the mutual
loving of God/Son/other; obedience and the bearing of
fruit in abundance’. The unity generated through this love
should contribute to be a powerful witness to the world to
come to faith in Jesus and to know and to experience that
Jesus has been sent by the Father (God) into this world.
In the familia Dei, the love of God is seen and experienced
every day when Paul says:
[L]ove suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does
not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does
not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1 Cor 13:4–7)
Acknowledgements
Compeng interests
The author has declared that no competing interest exists.
Author’s contribuons
D.G.V.D.M. is the sole author of this research article.
Ethical consideraon
No ethical clearance was required for this study.
29.Three mes (cf. 8:28; 12:32, 34) the Evangelist uses the verb ὑψωθῆναι (‘lied up’)
to refer to Jesus’ crucixion. his verb has a double meaning, linking Jesus’ exaltaon
with his elevaon on a cross (Köstenberger 2004:128; see also Ridderbos
1997:136–37). This implies that Jesus and the Father were gloried in his act of
love – his crucixion.
30.Each gloricaon reference in these verses has a dierent meaning. Of relevance
here is the third reference to gloricaon: ‘I have brought you glory (δοξάζω) on
earth by compleng the work you gave me to do’. (17:4). Here, δοξάζω refers to
Jesus’ obedience as referred to in 4:34 (‘[m]y food is to do the will of Him who sent
Me, and to nish His work’). In 5:36, the plural ‘works’ (τὰ ἔργα) relate to the
diverse works that the Father has given to the Son to accomplish (Beasley-Murray
1999:297) and which he did successfully (17:4).
Funding informaon
This research received no specific grant from any funding
agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data availability statement
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data
were created or analysed in this study.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or
position of any affiliated agency of the authors.
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