Kress Biblical Resources :: Jesus Is the Light of the World—Declaring Himself to Be Yahweh, the “I Am” (John 7:53-8:59)

Detailed Outline of John

The Word of God, Jesus Christ the Son of God has come to bring light and eternal life—believe in Him

2. The prominent signs and statements that confirm that Jesus Christ is God incarnate and eternal life (Jhn 1:19-12:50)
   2. The public ministry and teaching of the Son of God [largely to the multitudes] in the face of opposition (Jhn 5:1-12:50) (continued)
      4. Jesus is the light of the world—declaring Himself to be Yahweh, the “I Am” (Jhn 7:53-8:59)
         1. The testing of Jesus—the question of stoning the accused adulterous dropped due to the lack of testimony (Jhn 7:53-8:11)
            1. The setting (Jhn 7:53-8:2)
            2. The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ test—the question of stoning the accused adulterous (Jhn 8:3-6a)
            3. The silence, while writing in the dirt (Jhn 8:6b)
            4. The sovereign/divine wisdom in response to the test (Jhn 8:7)
            5. The silence again, while writing in the dirt (Jhn 8:8)
            6. The self-evaluation of the accusers (Jhn 8:9)
            7. The scarcity of accusers (Jhn 8:10-11a)
            8. The sovereign mercy of God (Jhn 8:11b)
         2. The testimony of Jesus—which led to an attempted stoning of Him (Jhn 8:12-59)
            1. The claim of deity—I am the light of the world (Jhn 8:12)
            2. The controversy about His testimony (Jhn 8:13-20)
               1. Jesus’ testimony was challenged by the unbelieving Pharisees (Jhn 8:13)
               2. Jesus’ testimony was corroborated by the truth and the Father Himself (Jhn 8:14-20)
                  • The incomprehensibility of heavenly truth apart from divine revelation (Jhn 8:14)
                  • The inadequacy of human judgment (Jhn 8:15a)
                  • The inerrancy of divine judgment (Jhn 8:15b-16)
                  • The inviolability of two divine witnesses (Jhn 8:17-18)
                  • The ignorance of unbelief (Jhn 8:19)
                  • The irrepressibility of divine providence (Jhn 8:20)
            3. The call to believe that Jesus is God (Jhn 8:21-30)
               1. His warning against unbelief (Jhn 8:21-24)
                  • Jesus’ presence among them was coming to an end (Jhn 8:21)
                  • Jesus’ prophetic warning was misunderstood (Jhn 8:22)
                  • Jesus’ prophetic warning was a call to faith in Him as the “I am” (Jhn 8:23-24)
               2. His Word reveals His identity (Jhn 8:25-30)
                  • His Word reveals who He is (Jhn 8:25)
                  • His Word reveals truth from the Father (Jhn 8:26-27)
                  • His Word reveals the plan of the Father and the Father’s presence with the Son (Jhn 8:28-29)
                  • His Word engendered an initial response of belief in many (Jhn 8:30)
            4. The call to continue believing in His Word and the promise of freedom from slavery to sin (Jhn 8:31-47)
               1. The call to continue in the faith and the promise of freedom (Jhn 8:31-32)
               2. The concern over the implication that they were in bondage (Jhn 8:33)
               3. The correction concerning slavery to sin and the freedom found in the Son (Jhn 8:34-36)
               4. The confrontation of their unbelief as Satanic (Jhn 8:37-47)
                  • Physical descent from Abraham does not equal a spiritual grasp of God’s Word (Jhn 8:37)
                  • Physical descent from Abraham does not equal a spiritual relationship to God as Father (Jhn 8:38-41a)
                  • Professing God is your Father and yet rejecting Jesus and His Word is Satanic (Jhn 8:41b-47)
            5. The call to eternal life in Christ as the “I am”—the ever-living One (Jhn 8:48-58)
               1. The faithless ultimately call light darkness (Jhn 8:48)
               2. The faithful Son calls the faithless to eternal life in Him through His Word (Jhn 8:49-51)
               3. The faithless call the Truth a liar (Jhn 8:52-53)
               4. The faithful Son calls liars to see that Truth that Abraham saw (Jhn 8:54-56)
               5. The faithless cannot discern divine truth (Jhn 8:57)
               6. The faithful Son calls Himself the “I am”—pre-existent, eternal God (Jhn 8:58)
            6. The conclusion of unbelief—an attempted, but unsuccessful stoning and silencing of the Truth (Jhn 8:59)