Conceptualising holiness in the Gospel of John: The mode and objectives of holiness (part 1)

Abstract

This article investigates the code of holiness as well as the objectives of holiness in the Gospel of John. The en route to holiness will be dealt with in a following article, ‘Conceptualizing holiness in the Gospel of John: the en route to holiness and the character of holiness (Part 2)’. In the Gospel of John, the holiness of the trinity constitutes the theological environment for the code of holiness and forms the basis for the exhortation to holiness. The code of holiness is described in the light of the interaction of three levels of relationships: the unity between Father and the Son as the example of holiness, the unity between Jesus and the disciples as the basis for holiness and the unity among the disciples as the inducting objective for holiness. For the Fourth Evangelist, the objective of holiness is fourfold: The first objective is to constitute a unity among the followers of Jesus (17:20–23), although it is not explicitly defined in this context. The second objective refers to the preparation of Jesus’ disciples to continue Jesus’ mission. The third objective for holiness is that the world (ὁ κόσμος) may believe (πιστεύῃ) and may know (γινώσκῃ) that God has sent his Son (ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας) (17:20–23). The fourth and the ultimate objective is the glorification of God (17:4).