John wrote his Gospel account “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). This purpose is evident in the way John lays out reasons to believe in Jesus. World Bible School, therefore, takes the basic approach of John for its course Knowing Jesus. The lesson titles show progressive evidences: Knowing Jesus through… His Messenger (John the Baptizer), His Witnesses, His Prophecies, His Signs (miracles); then Knowing Jesus as… The Light, The Life, The Lord.
When dealing with believers, some teachers skip lessons about God and Jesus. They jump straight into conversion. But we must ask, “Converted to what, to a plan, to a response, to a group?” Each has its place, but the true Gospel’s message is Jesus (Mark 1:1; Acts 8:35). Believers should be converted to Him and become His disciples (Mark 8:34). People may claim faith in Jesus, but is their Jesus the true Christ of the Bible or a ‘Jesus’ made up by human minds? (See Mark 13:22 and 2 Corinthians 11:4.) Even if they have a correct understanding of Jesus, we should still reaffirm His centrality. Otherwise, we seem to be emphasizing human response over the Gospel’s emphasis, which is God’s initiative to save us by sacrificing and raising His Son. As Paul says, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Did Paul teach Gospel response? Certainly (Romans 6), but he kept it in the right context, which is a full focus on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.