EvrwinBW
19 Feb

The Gospel of John

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INSTRUCTOR: Pastor John M. Irwin
TIME: March 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2025 (Saturday 9:00 – 11:15; workdays 18:00 – 20:15) (Riga time)
PLACE: In-Class Lectures (with simultaneous translation channel in Russian on Zoom)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to study the Gospel of John in the light of its stated purpose in order to better preach, teach and use the Gospel in pastoral ministry. Together we will explore traditional elements of summarizing John such as the “Signs” and the “I Am” statements in the book as well as how each of these elements fits snugly into the author’s purpose. We will also explore how John touches on basic Reformed doctrine such as the Sovereignty of God, the person and role of the Holy Spirit, and the so-called “five points of Calvinism” even as we look at the various modes and sources of testimony given by John to prove the identity of Christ and persuade the reader of the truth about Jesus.

INSTRUCTOR

Pastor John M. Irwin is a minister in the Presbyterian Church of America with over 25 years of pastoral experience in Tennessee, South Dakota and currently in South Carolina at Faith PCA in Myrtle Beach. He graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis with an M.Div. in 1999. Pastor Irwin’s wife Jennifer has decades of experience in Christian education as a teacher in Christian schools in the United States, Belize, and Niger as well as Children’s Ministry in the churches the Irwins have attended. Together they have three children, one each in college, the US Army and high school.

COURSE CONTENTS

  • Basic Background of the Gospel
  • Purpose of the Book
  • Use of the Gospel for Evangelistic Purposes
  • The Prologue of John
  • Categories of Testimony in John
  • The Claims of Jesus (“I Am” Statements)
  • Brief Comparison and Contrast
  • The Works (Or Signs) of Jesus
  • The Passion of Jesus in John
  • The Appearances of Christ after the Resurrection
  • Role of the Holy Spirit in John
  • Reformed Theology in the Book of John

Course Requirements for students

  1. Attendance at all class sessions (10%).
  2. Required reading (15%): 
    • !!! The Gospel of John in its entirety – this is a non-negotiable requirement in order to pass the course and it is recommended to read through the book more than once.
    • Merrill C. Tenney: John: the Gospel of Belief, Edermans– Grand Rapids, Mich. (Read: Introduction, Part I & Part III)
    • Robert A. Peterson: Getting to Know John’s Gospel, P & R Publishing – Phillipsburg, NJLeon Morris: New Testament Theology, Zondervan Academic – Grand Rapids, Mich. (Chapters 12-15)
    • Herman Ridderbos: The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary, Edermans – Grand Rapids, Mich. (Read pages 123-143; 291-324;  481-567; 592-597 (if you can read in English))
    • Deadline: March 15, 2025 (by the beginning of the course)
  3. Writing Assignments:
    • Final Exam (40%). Deadline: March 30, 2025
    • Expositional Outline (25%). Deadline: April 6, 2025
  4. Scripture Memorization: (10%)
    • John 20:31;
    • the “I am” statements;
    • John 1:1,14.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Andrejs Prieditis (aprieditis@brts.edu.lv)

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