I. Introduction

If you study John’s Gospel in depth, you’ll find a doxological explosion of salvation benefits given through union with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It is important to recognize the sheer variety of salvation benefits offered by Jesus, because the scope of Christ’s salvation has sometimes been overlooked. When that occurs, we have fewer reasons to love the Lord more and to love the world less. The more we know about God’s salvation, the more reason we have to praise Him! But historically, those reasons have sometimes been unnecessarily narrowed to only one or two benefits. For example, Protestants have historically emphasized “justification,” the Eastern Orthodox focus on “theosis,” and some Free Grace circles elevate “eternal life” to the essential good news. But there are a multitude of benefits given to us by Christ. In this article, I want to show that the Fourth Gospel does not engage in reductionism about salvation. Instead of focusing on one benefit, John’s Gospel presents a multicolored mosaic of salvation.

This article is part of my attempt to think through John’s soteriology. In previous articles, I have shown that Jesus did not present the condition of salvation as believing in Him “for” eternal life (see here), and in another article, I gave ten reasons why an exclusively evangelistic interpretation of John is highly unlikely (see here). This article continues that study by presenting John’s holistic view of salvation. It will present the evidence in two ways.

First, it will present the benefits as they appear chapter by chapter in the Gospel. I acknowledge that some of these benefits are my interpretation of what Jesus implies. But the vast majority are simple statements of fact and can be easily confirmed by looking up the verse for yourself.

Second, it will synthesize the many benefits into categories to better understand the bigger themes that John’s Gospel calls our attention to.

II. A List of Benefits by Chapter

To begin, we’ll look at all the different benefits of salvation promised in John by going through the Gospel chapter by chapter. One of those is “eternal life.” Because of an ongoing concern with accurately understanding the meaning of zōēn aiōnion in John, and being unsatisfied with many of the assumptions made about what it means, I have rendered it as both “eternal life” and more literally as “the life of the Age.”

John 1

• Life (physical and spiritual?) (v 4)
• Right to become children of God (v 12)
• Birth from God (v 13)
• Knowledge of God (v 18)
• Sin of the world taken away (v 29)
• Baptism with the Holy Spirit (still future) (v 33)

John 3

• Seeing the kingdom (v 3)
• Born again/from above (v 3)
• Enter the kingdom (v 5)
• Born of water and the Spirit (v 5)
• Born of the Spirit (v 6)
• Born again (v 7)
• Born of the Spirit (v 8)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (vv 15-16)
• No perishing (final loss, eschatological destruction?) (v 16)
• Have eternal life/the life of the Age (v 16)
• Salvation (v 17)
• No condemnation (present verdict with future implications at the Last Judgment?) (v 18)
• The Spirit (v 34)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 36)
• No wrath (at the Last Judgment?) (v 36)

John 4

• Living water (the Holy Spirit? cf. John 7:37–39) (vv 10-11, 14)
• No thirsting (spiritually?) (v 14)
• A spring of water welling up to eternal life/the life of the Age (v 14)
• New spiritual mode of worship (vv 23-24)
• Salvation (v 42)

John 5

• Resurrection to life (v 21)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 24)
• No judgment (at the Last Judgment) (v 24)
• Passes from death to life (v 24)
• Resurrection to life (v 25)
• Resurrection to life (v 29)
• Salvation (v 34)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 39)
• Life (v 40)
• Freedom from covenantal condemnation under Moses (v 45)

John 6

• Food that endures to eternal life/the life of the Age (v 27)
• Bread from heaven (v 32)
• Bread of God (v 33)
• Life for the world (v 33)
• No hunger (spiritually?) (v 35)
• No thirst (spiritually?) (v 35)
• Never driven away (v 36)
• Not lose what has been given (v 39)
• Resurrection to life (v 39)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 40)
• Resurrection (v 40)
• Resurrected (v 44)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 47)
• Not die (v 50)
• Live forever (v 51)
• Life of the world (v 51)
• Life in yourselves (v 53)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 54)
• Resurrection to life (v 54)
• Life of the Father and Son (v 57)
• Live forever (Resurrection to life?) (v 58)
• Spirit given life (v 63)
• Eternal life/life of the Age mediated through Christ’s words (v 68)

John 7

• Freedom from spiritual thirst (v 37)
• Rivers of living water, the Holy Spirit (vv 38-39)

John 8

• Light of life (life-giving presence?) (v 12)
• Will not die in sin (vv 21, 24)
• Freedom from sin (vv 34-36)
• Belong to God (v 47)
• Will never see death (second death in the Lake of Fire)  (v 51)
• Will never taste death (second death?) (v 52)

John 10

• Salvation (v 9)
• Have life (v 10)
• Have life to overflowing (v 10)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 28)
• Never perish (in the Lake of Fire?) (v 28)
• Cannot be snatched out of Jesus’ hand (v 28)
• Cannot be snatched out of the Father’s hand (v 29)

John 11

• Last day resurrection (vv 23-24)
• Resurrection to life (vv 25-26)
• Will never die (no second death in the Lake of Fire?) (v 26)

John 12

• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 25)
• Become children of light (v 36)
• Removed from darkness (v 46)
• No judgment (at the Last Day?) (v 47)
• Salvation (v 47)
• No condemnation on the Last Day (v 48)
• Eternal life/the life of the Age (v 50)

John 14

• A room in the Father’s house (v 2)
• Life (v 6)
• Knowing the Father (v 7)
• The Holy Spirit (vv 16-17)
• Resurrection at the last day (vv 19)
• Taught by the Holy Spirit (v 26)

John 15

• Made clean (v 3)
• The Advocate/Holy Spirit (v 26)

John 16

• Receiving the Advocate (Holy Spirit, v 7)
• Peace (v 33)

John 17

• Eternal life/the life of the Age (vv 2-3)
• Knowing God and Jesus (v 3)
• Protection (v 11)
• Oneness with one another like the oneness of the Trinity (v 11)
• Protection from being lost (v 12)
• Protection from evil one (v 15)
• Sanctification (vv 17, 19)

John 18

• Not losing the ones given (v 9)
• Belonging to a heavenly kingdom (v 36)

John 20

• Holy Spirit (v 22)
• Forgiveness of sins (v 23)
• Life (v 31)

III. Synthesis of Benefits in John’s Gospel

Since many of the benefits listed above recur throughout the Gospel and overlap in meaning, in this section, I have grouped them together to provide a clearer understanding of John’s main themes of salvation. This is a very subjective section, though I think the main groupings are clear enough (e.g., resurrection).

Personally, I am struck by John’s deeply eschatological vision of salvation. Jesus’ kingdom was coming. Only believers would enter it. The Lord would soon give the Spirit. On the last day, there would be a resurrection in which believers would be raised to life. Jesus has been made the Judge, and He has already declared that believers have the life of the Age.

A. Life and Life of the Age to Come

• Eternal life/the life of the Age (3:15-16, 36; 4:14; 5:24; 6:27, 40, 47, 54; 10:28; 11:25–26; 12:25; 17:2–3)
• Life in Christ (1:4; 6:33, 51; 10:10; 11:25)
• Life in yourselves (6:53)
• Life of the Father and Son (6:57)
• Spirit and life (6:63)
• Life through Christ’s word (6:68)
• Life in His name (20:31)

B. Resurrection

• Resurrection to life (5:21, 25, 29; 11:25)
• Raised on the last day (6:39, 40, 44, 54)
• Will live even if he dies (11:25)
• Will never die (11:26)

C. New Birth/Child of God

• Born from above/born again (3:3, 7)
• Born of water and Spirit (3:5)
• Born of the Spirit (3:6–8)
• Birth from God (1:13)
• Right to become children of God (1:12)
• Become children of light (12:36)

D. Freedom from Eschatological Judgment

• No condemnation (3:18)
• No judgment (5:24)
• Judgment deferred to last day (12:48)
• Not judged (12:47)
• No wrath (3:36)

E. Preservation

• Not perish (3:16)
• Not lose those given (6:39; 18:9)
• Never driven away (6:37)
• Never perish (10:28)
• Cannot be snatched from Jesus’ hand (10:28)
• Cannot be snatched from the Father’s hand (10:29)

F. Sin and Its Power Broken

• Sin of the world taken away (1:29)
• Not die in sin (8:21, 24)
• Set free from sin (8:34–36)
• Cleansed (13:10)
• Forgiveness of sins (implied) (20:23)

G. Death Overcome

• Will not see death (8:51)
• Will not taste death (8:52)

H. The Gift of the Holy Spirit

• Baptism with the Holy Spirit (1:33)
• Living water / Spirit (4:10–14; 7:37–39)
• Spirit given without measure to Christ (3:34)
• Spirit dwelling in believers (14:16–17)
• Spirit teaching and reminding (14:26)
• Spirit given by risen Christ (20:22)

I. Knowledge of God

• Light of men (1:4–9)
• Light of life (8:12)
• Delivered from darkness (12:46)
• Knowledge of God (1:18; 14:7)
• Knowing God = eternal life (17:3)

J. Spiritual Satisfaction

• Living water (4:10–14)
• Never thirst (4:14; 6:35)
• Bread of life (6:32–35)
• No hunger (6:35)
• Food that endures (6:27)
• Life to the full (10:10)

K. Union with Christ

• Remain in Me/I in you (6:56; 15:4–7)
• Life through Christ (15:5)
• Mutual indwelling (14:20, 23)

L. Sanctification

• Cleansed by the word (15:3)
• Sanctified in truth (17:17)

IV. Conclusion

John’s Gospel presents a rich view of salvation. It does not mean only one thing to him, nor does John present any one benefit as being more important than the rest. Although “life” is certainly a major theme, what that means for John is multifaceted in itself, ranging from creation to new birth to life in the Spirit to the future resurrection to life of the Age to come (if zōēn aiōnion is best understood as a reference to that). John presents salvation not as a single moment but as a whole life of participation in the life of Christ, given now, grown into now, but only completed when we are raised on the last day. It is a holistic salvation suited to the divine Messiah who is the source of all life—past, present, and future—and suiting the needs of a believing community seeking to learn what it means to abide in Christ.

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Read the other blogs in this Rethinking John series:
https://freegrace.in/is-believe-in-jesus-for-eternal-life-the-saving-message/
https://freegrace.in/is-johns-gospel-exclusively-evangelistic/
https://freegrace.in/all-that-jesus-gives-the-benefits-of-salvation-in-john/
https://freegrace.in/when-does-someone-become-a-believer-in-johns-gospel-the-evidence-of-the-confessions/
https://freegrace.in/who-counts-as-an-unbeliever-statements-of-doubt-and-unbelief-in-johns-gospel/

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Shawn Lazar (DPT, McMaster Divinity College) is the pastor of Gateway United Baptist Church in Denton, TX. Purchase his book One-Point Preaching here and his latest book Once Saved Always Saved? here.