John Chapter 1 Study Questions

Learn more about this study.

The study uses the inductive study process of observation, interpretation, and application. It’s divided into 10 daily lessons that should take you 20-30 minutes per day. Bookmark this page in your browser on your computer, or save a link to this page on the home screen of your device for easy reference. Follow along each day in the table of contents below.

Along with these study questions, you will need a Bible that you are willing to mark in (or print out the scriptures for marking and highlighting), a notebook or binder with loose-lined paper to take your notes, and a few different colored pens or pencils.

If you are not familiar with the inductive Bible study process, be sure to read How to Use the Inductive Bible Study Method to familiarize yourself with this method.

Contents hide
John Chapter 1 Study Questions
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10

Day 1

The first step of inductive bible study is observation. It asks the question, “what does it say?”. You want to get a general birds-eye view of what we will be studying. 

  1. Start today by reading through the entire chapter of John chapter 1 to get a basic understanding of the flow of thought. In your notes, write down a brief (1-2 sentences) summary of the chapter.

Day 2

  1. Look a bit closer at the different sections in this chapter. Make a list in your notes of the paragraph breaks. Something that looks like this:
    1. 1-5 –
    2. 6-13 –
    3. 14-18 –
    4. 19-34 –
    5. 35-51 –
  2. Read through the entire chapter again. This time write a summary of each paragraph similar to what you did yesterday for the full chapter.

Day 3

Now things are about to get fun! Let’s start looking at Jesus. Today you are going to start marking your Bible. This is a great way to bring the scriptures to life! Marking the scriptures helps us see the finer details that are often overlooked. Choose a color and/or symbol for marking ‘Jesus’ in your Bible. I always use a purple cross. Choose something that makes sense to you. Refer to the Keyword Key.  

  1. Now, go through the entire chapter and mark every reference to ‘Jesus’ (including pronouns) with the marking you choose. Take your time with this. 
  2. The next step is to make a list in your notes of everything you learn from your markings. Consider what the passage reveals about the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions of Jesus. Then, write it down in a list. This process will be much easier now that you have marked the scriptures. The purpose of these markings is to bring our eye back to these references to simplify this list-building step. 

That’s all for today. Good job, my friend! Isn’t it amazing what you can learn just by observing the scriptures?

Day 4

Now, you are ready to move on to the second step of the process – Interpretation. The interpretation step asks the question, “what does it mean?”.  In order to apply God’s Word appropriately, we must interpret it accurately. 

  1. You may have already made a note of this but it’s good to look again. What is Jesus referred to in verses 1-5? If you haven’t written this down in your notes, do so now.
  2. Scripture interprets scripture. The best way to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of a passage is to look up other related passages. Look up these references and note how they relate to what we read in John 1:1-5.
    1 John 1:1-3; John 10:30; Philippians 2:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-12

Day 5

  1. Who is introduced in v. 6? Do word studies for the words ‘witness’ and ‘testify’ (NASB). Record what you learn in your notes. Note – This video shows you how to do a word study. 
  2. According to v. 6-9 what role did John the Baptist play? Just focus on these few verses for now. We will learn more about him later.
  3. Now, do word studies of the words ‘believe’ and ‘receive’ (NASB) and note what you learn. What is the result of believing and receiving Jesus? 
  4. To end today’s study, look back on your lesson notes. Are there any new truths or concepts the Lord has revealed to you? Write out your thoughts.

Day 6

  1. Start today by doing a word study of the word ‘dwelt’ in John 1:14 NASB. Record what you learn. 
  2. Who is mentioned in v. 17? How is this person contrasted with Jesus?
  3. You saw that the word ‘dwelt’ means ‘tabernacle’. What was the purpose of the tabernacle in the Old Testament? Read Exodus 40:17-38. How does this relate to what we read about Jesus in v. 14-18?
  4. Does the Lord still tabernacle with His people today? Read John 14:17 and 1 Corinthians 6:19. Record your thoughts.

Day 7

  1. Today, you will take a closer look at John the Baptist. What is his testimony regarding himself in v. 19-28? Read Isaiah 40:3. How does this relate to verse 23?
  2. Just for the sake of review, what do you learn about John the Baptist in v. 6-9? Who was he sent by? What was his role?
  3. What does John call Jesus in John 1:29? Throughout the Old Testament, a lamb was the animal God told His people to sacrifice for payment of their sin. Read Exodus 12 and take relevant notes.
  4. What is the significance of Jesus being the Lamb of God?

Day 8

  1. Look at John 1:30-34. What is John’s testimony regarding Jesus? 
  2. Read Matthew 3. What new insights do you learn about John’s testimony?
  3. Before ending your study today, read v. 35-37. Who is John the Baptist standing with? What does he tell them? How do they respond?
  4. Do you see any application for your life, friend? John the Baptist gives us a great example. As followers of Christ, we have been entrusted with the task to tell others (or testify) about who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Who in your life can you be pointing towards Jesus?

Day 9

  1. Starting in v. 37, read through the end of the chapter. What is happening?
  2. What do you see Andrew and Phillip doing in v. 40-46? 
  3. Consider the exchange between Jesus and Nathanael. What does Jesus reveal about Himself? How does Nathanael respond?
  4. Read Genesis 28:10-13. How does this relate to John 1:51? 

Day 10

  1. Today, take some time to consult your commentaries to compare your interpretation alongside other scholars.
  2. Finally, take some time pondering and praying about what it means that “the Word became flesh”. What are the implications for your life? How does this affect your relationships with others? What adjustments to your attitudes and actions do you need to make? Ask the Lord to search and reveal your heart.