“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness,
to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.” (John 1:6–7, NKJV) 

Standing before Pontius Pilate, Jesus declared: “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:36–37). To Jesus’s statement Pilate replied, “What is truth?” (v. 38).                                   

What is truth? That’s not an easy question to answer. What would you say if a child asked you that? It’s one of those deep metaphysical inquiries that defies simple explanation. In fact, John records no answer from Jesus. Perhaps the reason is that the entire gospel of John addresses that question.

In his gospel account, John is concerned to distinguish truth from error and to highlight the uniqueness and exclusivity of Jesus as the truth. One of John’s favorite words is witness. We might think of a witness in a trial who testifies to what he or she has seen. That testimony serves to confirm, to authenticate, to verify. John regularly brings witnesses to the stand to give testimony about Jesus’s identity and mission.                                   

He begins his gospel account with John the Baptist: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light” (John 1:6–8). While the other three Gospels call this forerunner John “the Baptist” (e.g., Matt. 3:1; Mark 6:14; Luke 7:20), John the gospel writer never does. For him, he is John the Witness. As a witness he points to Jesus as the Christ who was to come, the Lamb provided by God for the salvation of the world.                                   

Certainly John the Witness personally testifies of Jesus, as is recorded in the first chapter of John’s gospel: “Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ… And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God’” (1:19–20, 34).                                   

But it is John the Witness’s place in the prologue to John’s gospel (1:1–18) that cements his role as witness. Those first eighteen verses provide themes for the rest of the gospel. We might wonder why John the Witness would find such a prominent place in the few verses of the prologue to John’s gospel. It’s because of his function as a witness.

John stands as a representative of Old Testament prophecy and promise that point to Jesus Christ as the one in whom all is fulfilled. John is the greatest of the Old Testament prophets (cf. Matt. 11:11) because he is the last of its prophets. The One prophesied about has come. The One who is Himself the message prophesied has come. He is the Word incarnate (John 1:1, 14).                                   

John the gospel writer fills his book with words of testimony so that the reader is left without a shadow of doubt that Jesus is the Christ who was to come, the Savior of the world. That verdict affects the whole world, both geographically and historically, across generations past, present, and future. 

Toward the close of his account, John explains the significance of the evidence and verdict that have been put forward: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (20:31). 

Adapted from The Christian's Creed: Embracing the Apostolic Faith (Stanley D. Gale, Reformation Heritage Books, pages 12-14)