Conservative Friends Bible Study of The Gospel of John #29
John 17:20-26
We read The Gospel of John in Greek and sit with Jesus’ prayer that believers share a living unity that convinces the world. We trace how words like logos, doxa, and onoma point past outward religion toward inward immersion in the Spirit, then we pivot into John 18 and the roots of the Quaker peace testimony.
- Reading and translating John 17:20-26 with attention to Greek grammar
- Logos as proclaimed witness that carries spiritual power
- Unity as mutual indwelling in the Spirit rather than an outward agreement
- Doxa as glory, honor, and the manifested presence of God
- “Made perfect” as maturity and completion in spiritual awareness
- “Name” as character, essence, and what God is like
- Baptism as immersion into God’s life, not a debate about water
- Quaker rejection of original sin as a later doctrine
- Kingdom as an inward state, not a physical realm
- John 18’s arrest scene and the significance of “I am he”
- “Put your sword back” and the historic peace witness of early Christians and Friends
- Constantine, just war thinking, and how the church’s stance on violence changed
The quote in our introduction was taken from parts of George Fox’s 56 Epistle.