From a Christian perspective, the Gospel of John offers a rich tapestry of symbolic language that presents Jesus as the image and revelation of God in the world. One who knows Jesus, knows God (1.18; 14.9), and one who follows the commandment of Jesus to love others in the community will abide in God's love and have complete joy (15.10). Believers have been granted eternal life and promised a place with the Father and the Son (3.16; 8.51; 14.1–3). But all of this positive imagery is accompanied by its opposite. One who does not believe has already been condemned (3.18). One who does not abide
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