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Bible study notes: Gospel of John, Acts, Romans
I had finished the book of Acts yesterday evening, in about a week since I finished the Gospel according to John (I decided to skip the first three gospels for some reason, then just planned to continue on until Paul’s letters; I will come back to it before I finish the NT with Revelation). I had a lot of notes from John, mainly affirming Jesus’ authority, divinity, teaching and resurrection.
A memorable scene for me (as I typically imagine the story play out in my head while reading) is towards the end when the Risen Christ sits down, eats and talks with Peter and John, the disciple he loves, who also says to have written the book. After previously being denied three times when He was being tried, Jesus gives Peter a chance to redeem himself in an almost poetic, parallel manner:
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
John 21:15-17 NKJV
There are many important events in the gospel, but to me that was the most heartfelt and impactful. How the Lord is so good and faithful, even to us who fail Him! Truly He is God and Savior. I was even more in love with Jesus.
And indeed Peter redeems himself—in the next book, Acts, he preached Jesus everywhere, despite facing persecution from both Romans and Jews. As Jesus said to Peter, “On this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” We see the apostles laboring to get the church off the ground. They were brave and emboldened by the Spirit, and did many wonders in Jesus’ name. I truly believe the apostles’ testimony of the Risen Christ. This is the cause of our faith: the apostles testified that Jesus is the Messiah, and that He rose from the dead, and we must repent and be baptized so we may be forgiven for our sins.
Again, one of my favorite “scenes” from this is when the crowd had plotted to kill Peter and the apostles who miraculously escaped from jail with God’s help, and a council teacher named Gamaliel stands up to them and says:
[…] keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
Acts 5:38-39 NKJV
And it made me think, yes! Indeed it is the work of God. If our faith was in vain, it would not have survived and persisted for 2000 years amidst all challenges. How else could you explain that a small group of men started what pretty much was a cult that was heavily persecuted during those times, and that became a dominant global religion that it is today? Jesus told the disciples to preach and baptize “to the ends of the earth” and said, “I will be with you to the end of age.”
God is faithful! In Romans, Paul writes “If God is for us, who can be against us?” In this first book of letters he shows his incredible reasoning and oratory skills. He argues between law and grace, how salvation came first to the Jews then to the Gentiles, and both are equally saved by the same faith in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: translations, how I read and study, and keeping reverence for the Bible
I have been reading the Bible for about two weeks now. I use NKJV personal size by Thomas Nelson, and I absolutely love it. It’s large print, easy to read, leather copy cover, big and sturdy to hold which makes reading that much more enjoyable. I like my bible clean, I don’t make any marks, and I take good care of it, not only because it cost me money, but also I believe there is a way to study and show respect for the Bible. One thing I realized is that I don’t need to make too many highlights or notes simultaneously. Sometimes the busyness makes you think you’re understanding when you’re actually not, so it’s better to simply read and enjoy and reflect on the text. I can always deep dive a second time. This is how I feel I can go through the Bible quite easily. At this rate I might finish the NT in less than two weeks.