John appears to me to give the most concise presentation of the precise information that must be communicated and believed in order for the recipient to have eternal life.
That is: Something Jesus Christ did is enough to save me.
It is the transference of faith that saves:
From: something I do saves me (my good works must outweigh my bad works, etc..)
To: something Jesus Christ did saves me.
Most importantly, I do not necessarily need to know or understand the "something" of what Jesus Christ did in order to have eternal life.
This is the Minimalist Gospel.
For example, the gospel can simply be presented as: "Look to Jesus Christ, the Lifted Up One and Live"
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. John 3:14-15.
I actually give this presentation here:
Here is an excellent article which gives a more detailed presentation of the Minimalist Gospel--this is a position hated and attacked by many Christians (e.g., "Easy Believism") but I feel very strongly that it is the essence of the Gospel, with all the superfluities stripped away.
http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2000ii/Hodges.htm
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