Skip to content

Course 7 · Lesson 8.4

Shared convictions and meaningful differences

12 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 7 outline

Module 1: The World of the New Testament

  1. Second Temple Judaism in the time of Jesus
  2. Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and other movements
  3. Rome, the Herods and the province of Judea
  4. Hopes, protest and revolt in Jewish political life

Module 2: Jesus in History

  1. Sources for Jesus: Christian, Jewish and Roman
  2. The quests for the historical Jesus and their methods
  3. Criteria of authenticity and their limits
  4. Historical results and Christian confession

Module 3: The Gospels as Books

  1. The gospels and ancient biography
  2. Traditions of authorship and the arguments about them
  3. The synoptic problem: the evidence of agreement and difference
  4. Solutions: Markan priority, Q, Matthean priority and others
  5. Four portraits of Jesus: the distinct emphasis of each gospel

Module 4: Acts and the Spread of the Church

  1. Pentecost and the Jerusalem church
  2. The mission to the Gentiles and the council at Jerusalem
  3. Paul in Acts and in his own letters
  4. Acts as history and as theology

Module 5: Pauline Theology

  1. Paul and his letters: occasion, authorship and order
  2. Gospel, faith and righteousness in Romans and Galatians
  3. Christ, the Spirit and the body of Christ
  4. Reading Paul: traditional, new perspective and other approaches

Module 6: Johannine Theology

  1. The Gospel, the three letters and Revelation: authorship questions
  2. Word, light, life and love in the Gospel of John
  3. The signs and the I am sayings
  4. The Spirit, the community and the Johannine letters

Module 7: Hope, Authority and Church Order

  1. The kingdom of God and last things in Jesus and the apostles
  2. Ways of reading New Testament eschatology
  3. What an apostle was and how apostolic authority worked
  4. Offices and order in the first churches
  5. How Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches read the evidence

Module 8: The Testaments Together

  1. Fulfilment and continuity: how the New Testament uses the Old
  2. Law and covenant across the Testaments
  3. Comparing Paul and John: a method
  4. Shared convictions and meaningful differences

All courses

Program / Course 7: New Testament Theology and History / Lesson 8.4

What you will learn

  • Name the central convictions that Paul and John share about God, Christ, the Spirit, salvation and the community.
  • Describe the main differences of vocabulary, emphasis and structure between them.
  • Judge which differences are matters of style and setting and which may reflect different theological accents.
  • Write a fair comparative paragraph that satisfies both a Pauline and a Johannine reader.

The big idea

Paul and John agree on the center of the faith: the one God has acted decisively in Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection give life; the Spirit applies this to believers; and those who believe are bound to each other in love. They speak differently. Paul argues in letters about justification, the law and the body of Christ. John tells of the Word made flesh in signs and discourses, and speaks of light, life and abiding. Some differences come from genre and setting, and others may reflect distinct emphases that the church has valued together.

Key terms

Christology
Teaching about the person and work of Christ. Paul and John both have a high Christology, expressed in different language.
Forensic
Having to do with law courts. Justification is often called a forensic term when it is understood as a judge’s declaration.
Participation
The idea that believers share in Christ’s life. Paul speaks of being in Christ, John of abiding in him.
Realized eschatology
An emphasis on the future hope as already present. John is often said to emphasize this more than Paul, though both hold a future hope.
Pre-existence
The teaching that Christ existed with God before he was born as a human. It appears in John 1 and in Pauline texts such as Philippians 2 and Colossians 1.
Sacramental
Having to do with the sacraments or the belief that material things convey grace. Churches debate how sacramental Paul and John are.
Canonical unity
The conviction that the books of the New Testament, though diverse, belong together as the church’s Scripture.

Background

This lesson uses the method of the previous lesson. It draws on what the course has covered about Paul in the letters (module 5) and about John in the Gospel and letters (module 6). The aim is to describe fairly and to indicate where scholars disagree. It is not to settle which writer is greater.

Many readers have found a Pauline emphasis on justification and a Johannine emphasis on union with God. These descriptions point to something real, but also oversimplify. Paul writes of union (in Christ, the Spirit, the body), and John writes of judgment, belief and the cross. Careful comparison finds more overlap than a first impression suggests, along with some differences that deserve respect.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: Shared convictions

Both writers hold that God is one and is Father. Both give Jesus a place beside God that goes beyond that of a prophet or teacher: for Paul he is Lord and Son (1 Corinthians 8:6, Galatians 4:4), and for John the Word who was God (John 1:1) and the Son who reveals the Father. Both say that God sent the Son out of love (Romans 8:32, John 3:16), that he became human (Philippians 2:7, John 1:14), that his death is the means of salvation (Romans 5:8, John 1:29, 12:24), and that God raised him.

Both teach that the Spirit is given to believers, who are made children of God (Romans 8:14 to 16, John 1:12, 1 John 3:1). Both teach that faith is the response of the human person, and that it works through love (Galatians 5:6, John 14:15, 1 John 4:19). Both see the community of believers as one in Christ, and both stress love of one another as the mark of the church (Romans 12:9 to 10, John 13:34 to 35). Both see conflict between the light of the gospel and the powers of the world, and both look for a final fulfilment.

Step 2: Differences of language and form

The first differences are in form. Paul writes occasional letters, often arguing with opponents, and uses legal, financial and bodily images: justification, redemption, reconciliation, the body. John writes a narrative with signs and extended discourses, and uses images of light, life, bread, water, vine and shepherd. Paul’s vocabulary of righteousness, justification, law and works is nearly absent from John. John’s vocabulary of knowing, abiding, truth, the world and eternal life is less prominent in Paul, though present.

The second difference is in how Jesus appears. Paul says little about Jesus’ earthly teaching, though he knows some of it (1 Corinthians 7:10, 11:23). John builds the whole Gospel around Jesus’ words and works. In John, Jesus speaks openly about his identity, with the I am sayings, while in the synoptic gospels he is more reserved. Paul’s emphasis falls on the cross and resurrection as events of salvation. John also centers on them, but they are the hour of glory and are announced earlier.

Step 3: Differences that may be differences of emphasis

Several differences are debated. On the law, Paul argues at length about its place and the inclusion of Gentiles, while John mentions the law mainly as the Jewish Scripture that bears witness to Jesus and speaks of ‘the Jews’ in a way that reflects tension with the synagogue. On the future, Paul’s letters speak often of the return of Christ and the resurrection at the last day, while John speaks more of eternal life as already given, though he too speaks of the last day (John 5:28 to 29, 6:39 to 40). On the church, Paul speaks of the body with its gifts and offices, while John speaks of the flock, the vine and love among friends and says little about offices.

Another difference concerns the world. John says that God loved the world (John 3:16) and also that believers are not of the world (John 17:14). Paul speaks of this present evil age (Galatians 1:4) and of the world’s wisdom as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:20). Both use the word in more than one sense. Scholars debate whether John’s language of belonging and separation reflects a smaller, more embattled community than Paul’s missionary churches.

Step 4: Reading them together

The churches have read Paul and John together for nearly two thousand years. Augustine drew on both to teach grace and love. The Reformers read Paul and John together on faith. The Orthodox read both through the Fathers. A fair summary is that the two writers complement each other. Paul shows how the cross and resurrection bring forgiveness, new life in the Spirit and a new people from all nations. John shows who the person is who does this, and what it means to know him and abide in him.

A student who wishes to write a fair comparison should state the agreements first, then the differences, and then indicate what remains open. It is a mark of a good comparison that both a Pauline scholar and a Johannine scholar would find their writer accurately described. The test of this course is whether the student can do so without caricature.

  1. Which shared convictions of Paul and John are most important to Christian faith?
  2. How much of the difference between the two do you think comes from genre and setting?
  3. Why might John say little about justification and Paul little about the I am sayings?
  4. In what ways do both writers speak of life in Christ and the Spirit?
  5. What difference does the setting of each community make to their language about the world?
  6. How would you write a paragraph on love in Paul and John that each scholar would accept?

Examples

Two hymns of Christ

Philippians 2:6 to 11 describes Christ in the form of God who emptied himself and was exalted. John 1:1 to 18 describes the Word with God who became flesh. The two share the pattern of pre-existence, descent and glory, and use different language. Many scholars see in them parallel early confessions.

Love as the fulfilment of the law

Paul writes that love is the fulfilment of the law (Romans 13:10), and John records the new commandment to love one another (John 13:34). The two statements reflect a common teaching of the church that goes back to the teaching of Jesus (Mark 12:28 to 31).

Union language

Paul says ‘I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me’ (Galatians 2:20), and John records ‘Abide in me, and I in you’ (John 15:4). The two phrases express the same experience of union in different idioms.

Different perspectives

Catholic view

The Catholic Church teaches that the Pauline and Johannine writings belong to the one apostolic deposit. It draws on Paul for grace, the body of Christ and the sacraments, and on John for the Word, the Eucharist and love. Catholic scholars note both the richness of the differences and the unity of faith.

Orthodox view

The Orthodox Church honors both Paul and John, calling the latter the Theologian. It finds in John the deepest account of divine life, and in Paul the fullest account of the economy of salvation. It reads them together, and holds that the differences express the one mystery.

Protestant view

Protestants have often privileged Paul for the doctrine of justification, and valued John for assurance and for the call to believe. Evangelical Protestants speak of the unity of Scripture, and many mainline Protestants highlight the diversity. Both appreciate the combination of faith and love.

Scholarly view

Scholars hold that Paul and John share a core of early Christian belief, and that their differences result from different settings, audiences and gifts. Some argue for a tension between Paul’s emphasis on justification and John’s on eternal life, and others see them as complementary.

Why it matters

The comparison of Paul and John gathers the work of the whole course. It shows both the unity of the New Testament and its variety, teaches careful reading, and prepares the student for the final assignment. It also models how Christians of different traditions can study together, naming what they share and honoring what differs.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: Paul is the theologian of faith and John the theologian of love.

Correction: Both write of faith and love. Paul says faith works through love, and the first letter of John says that those who believe must love. The labels describe emphasis, not exclusive subjects.

Misunderstanding: John is less concerned with the cross than Paul.

Correction: John presents the cross as the hour of glory and the Lamb of God taking away sin. The emphasis differs, but the cross is central in both.

Misunderstanding: Differences between the New Testament writers show that the early church had no common faith.

Correction: Differences in language and emphasis sit within a common confession of Jesus as Lord, raised from the dead, giving the Spirit. Scholars debate the extent of diversity, but the shared core is well attested.

Misunderstanding: A comparison must decide which writer is right.

Correction: The task is to describe accurately. Churches have received both as Scripture and read them as complementary.

Knowledge check

Name four convictions that Paul and John share.

That God sent the Son out of love, that the Son became human and died for salvation, that God raised him, that the Spirit is given to believers who become children of God, and that believers are united and are to love one another.

Name two differences of vocabulary.

Paul often uses righteousness, justification, law and works, which are rare or absent in John. John often uses the verb believe, abide, truth, light and eternal life, with the noun faith missing from the Gospel, while Paul speaks often of faith.

How do the two differ on Jesus’ earthly teaching?

Paul says little about Jesus’ earthly life, though he cites a few sayings, and centers on the cross and resurrection. John builds the Gospel on Jesus’ words and works, with signs and long discourses in which Jesus speaks openly about who he is.

How do they differ on the future?

Paul speaks often of the return of Christ and the resurrection, and John stresses eternal life as present, while also mentioning the last day. Both hold present and future together, with different accents.

What is a fair way to state the relationship?

They share the core of the faith and differ in style, setting and emphasis. Paul shows how the cross and resurrection create a new people through faith and the Spirit, and John shows who Jesus is and what it is to abide in him. The churches read them as complementary.

Think it through

  1. What have you learned about the New Testament’s unity and diversity in this course?
  2. Which writer do you find easier to read, and why? Does that preference shape how you read the other?
  3. How could Christians who prefer Paul and those who prefer John learn from each other?
  4. What question about Paul or John do you still want to study?

Independent assignment

A comparative study of Paul and John

In your own notebook, write 700 to 900 words as the final study of the course. Choose one topic (for example, love, the Spirit, the world or eternal life). Use the method of the previous lesson: state a question, name your texts, list agreements, differences and open questions, and cite at least four passages from each writer. Close with a paragraph describing where Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant readers might agree or differ. Do not send this to anyone.

Further study