Mathematically speaking, God the Father, plus God the Son, plus the Holy Spirit, equals three Gods.
Is this not polytheism, the belief in multiple gods, as opposed to Monotheism, the belief in one God?
Who is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?
How can this combination of three be one?
Welcome back to our series on the unique message of the Gospel of John.
John’s Gospel gives us an up-close and personal look at Jesus, the Source of Life, as He interacts personally with individuals while He lived on this earth.
We now examine John to understand who is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Want to know how the three are one? Stay tuned.
To view the remainder of this series,
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Sabbath School Daily by Dr. Brenda Ware Davis.
If you have not viewed the previous lesson, to get caught up, binge-watch them via SabbathSchoolDaily.com.
This journey through John will help you get to know God in a personal way.
As always, before we begin, let’s Pray.
God Almighty, we invite your presence and divine wisdom.
Give us a complete understanding as it relates to the role of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name, Amen
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 11)
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit
Part 1 Introduction
What would you do if you had a personal coach who was always there to guide you and help you make all the right choices?
That’s exactly what Jesus promises.
He promises us a Helper sent by God.
What does this mean for us today?
Jesus in John 14:26 says:
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26, NKJV).
Jesus promised this special Helper so that we wouldn’t be lost in a world filled with confusion.
Jesus loves us so much that he has provided us with our very own personal spiritual coach.
The Holy Spirit teaches us, warns us, reproves us, guides us, and brings the word of Jesus to our minds.
In fact, the Gospel of John shows us many powerful things about Jesus and what He did while living on this earth.
John writes about miracles, like turning water into wine, feeding thousands with a little boy’s lunch, bringing sight to the blind, healing the sick, and raising the dead. These miracles (signs) are not just impressive; they are proof that Jesus is the Messiah—the Savior God promised long before Jesus came to this earth.
John uses various themes to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah.
He also talks about what other people have said about Jesus and their witness in proclaiming Jesus as the Christ.
Furthermore, pointing to Jesus’ divinity, John also refers to Jesus “I AM” statements.
In John 1, all three members of the Godhead are presented —the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.
John writes in John 1:1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1–4).
Moreover, in John 1:14 it says:
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
The Word is Jesus!
In John 1:18 we find that
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:18)
Then, John tells us how the Holy Spirit appeared like a dove when Jesus was baptized in John 1:32-34
32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”(John 1:32–34).
These verses show us how all three—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—work together as one.
People have tried for centuries to understand how God can be three and still one.
Some have even rejected the idea because it doesn’t make sense to them.
But just because we don’t fully understand something or we have problems fitting it into our narrow limits of human understanding, it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Consider how we trust the wind, even though we can’t see it.
John reminds us to look at Jesus if we want to understand God.
This way of seeing God through Jesus changes everything.
You must look at Jesus and what has been revealed in the Bible: the Word of God, our basis for truth.
Looking at Jesus helps us see the broader relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and how they relate to each other and how they relate to us.
It even helps us love one another.
It helps us better understand the relationships—among the Three Members of the Godhead, and the relationship between the Members of the Godhead and us humans, and our relationship as humans among ourselves.
In John 13–17, Jesus talks a lot about the Father, and the Holy Spirit before He goes to the cross.
He wanted His followers to know how much God loves us and how the Holy Spirit would always be with us.
John has referenced the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit throughout his Gospel, but as he closes John 13-17, he presents the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit within the context of Jesus’ farewell discourse.
Jesus, as he lived on the earth, represented the Father; what was Jesus’ connection with the Father?
Read the following: John 3:16, 17; John 6:57, John 5:22, 30, John 6:32; John 14:10, 24, John 6:45 John 15:16, John 16:23.
Then continue to Part 2: The Heavenly Father
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 11)
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit
Part 2: The Heavenly Father
Sometimes, things in life can be hard to understand, but there’s one mystery that is both simple and complex: there is one God Head that exists in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To help us better understand the one God in three persons, we look at the Gospel of John.
The Gospel of John starts by connecting us to the bigger picture, going back to the very beginning of creation in Genesis 1:1
In the very beginning, “God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
But it wasn’t just one part of the Godhead working alone.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit worked together to create the heavens and the earth.
They made the stars, the oceans, and the land.
They are the originators of everything that exists.
Together, they created the universe and all the living beings within it.
The most remarkable and treasured of all creation was humanity.
God’s purpose in creating us humans was for us to live in loving harmony with Him and with each other.
But things went wrong.
They didn’t stay perfect as God had planned.
A fallen angel named Lucifer introduced sin into the world.
Sin broke our relationship with God and misrepresents the character of God.
It’s like a nasty rumor that spreads lies about someone.
Sin makes it hard for us to know who God really is.
However, God didn’t leave us in this broken state.
He had a plan even before the world was created.
Jesus, God’s Son, agreed to come into our world to repair it if sin was allowed to enter.
Jesus became a human just like us to show us the truth about God and to save us from sin.
While Jesus lived on earth, Jesus submitted His life totally to the Father.
Contrary to fallen humanity, He always obeyed the Father’s guidance.
He said in John 10:30, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30, NKJV).
Jesus and the Father are completely united.
For instance, in John 10:38, He said The Father is in Me, and I in Him”(John 10:38, NKJV).
In other words, Jesus came to our world to show us exactly who the Father is.
For He said in John 10:37
“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me”
(John 10:37, NKJV).
Therefore, everything Jesus did came from the Father. (Pauser)
What role did the Father play in saving humanity?
- God loves us so much that He gave His Son to save us, as expressed in John 3:16-17:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)
And John 6:57 Jesus tells us that:
57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. (John 6:57)
- The Father gave Jesus the responsibility of judging, and Jesus does it with fairness and impartiality, according to the Father’s will as expressed in
John 5:22 and 30:
22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:22, 30)
- The Father provides us with everything we need through His Son, Jesus Christ. As indicated in
John 6:32: “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” (John 6:32)
And John 14:10, 24:
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. (John 14:10)
And John 6: 24
24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. (John 6: 24)
- The Father teaches us through his word and directs us to Jesus. As expressed in John 6:45
45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. (John 6:45 )
- The Father listens to us and answers our prayers because of Jesus. As indicated in
John 15:16:
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (John 15:16)
And John 16:23 He says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” (John 16:23)
These clearly paint a picture of the close connection of the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ.
In other words, God didn’t just send Jesus to save us; He is actively involved in every part of the process.
He provides for us, teaches us, and hears and answers our prayers.
There is One God who exists as three persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
They are united in love and purpose, working together to save us and bring us closer to Him.
This mystery might be hard to comprehend fully, but it’s a truth that brings hope and joy to all who believe in the Son.
In the context of the universe, one atheist wrote, “In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
Is this true? What does the Bible teach that shows just how right or wrong this person is? Read Genesis 3:7–9; John 1:1, 2; John 5:16–18; John 6:69; John 10:10, 30; and John 20:28.
Then, View the next segment of this video, Part 3: Jesus and the Father
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 11)
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit
Part 3: Jesus and the Father
Sometimes, we can feel lost, as if no one sees or cares about us. But from the very beginning, God has been reaching out to us. (Paudrzz0
Though we may turn away, He never stopped seeking us, loving us, and making a way to restore our broken relationship with him.
We were created by the Godhead to have a close, loving relationship with Them.
Genesis 1:26–27 tells us
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)
This “Us” shows that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Godhead—were all involved in creating us.
They made us special, unlike anything else in creation, to be in a personal relationship with Them.
But something went wrong.
Sin entered the world and disrupted that close bond.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and immediately, everything changed.
Genesis 3:7–9 says,
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. (Papuser)
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:7–9)
This shows the immediate impact of sin.
The peaceful life in the Garden of Eden was completely disrupted.
Sin causes us to feel ashamed, and it separates us from God.
Rather than Adam and Eve seeking God, notice that God sought them out, saying, Where are you?”
God didn’t wait for them to come back to Him.
He went looking for them. That’s how much He loves us.
God’s plan is to offer healing to all humanity and bridge the gap in the broken relationship caused by sin.
Even if everyone does not accept His gift, God still offers salvation to all.
To restore this broken relationship, one member of the Godhead—Jesus—became human. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among.”
Jesus came to show us God’s love and to restore what sin had destroyed.
Through Jesus, we receive God’s grace and fullness. He shared God’s glory so we could be brought back into a relationship with Him.
John 1:16-18 points out that
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:14-18)
God offers this grace and truth freely to anyone who is willing to accept it through faith in Jesus.
This is what Jesus came to share. He came to declare the glory of God so that the relationship broken by sin might be restored, at least to all who were willing to accept by faith what has been offered them through Him.
Who is this hope offered to all who are willing to receive it:
- Jesus has always existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is eternal.
John 1:1-2
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1-2)
Jesus isn’t just a man; He is fully God. He is equal with God
John 5:16-18
16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 5:16-18)
- Jesus is the promised Savior.
John 6:69
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:69)
- Jesus offers us abundant life John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) (Papuser)
- This abundant life, he does not offer by himself, for He and His Father are united in this offer
John 10:30
30 I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30)
- As Thomas declared in John 20:28, Jesus is our Lord and our God. (John 20:28)
As beautifully written in the Book Desire of Ages, “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived” (The Desire of Ages, p. 530). Jesus gave up His divine privileges, as expressed in Philippians 2:7. He emptied Himself and took on the likeness of humanity, guaranteeing those who desire it, eternal life. (Paudr)
Sadly, humanity didn’t Know God. Their relationship with Him has been destroyed by sin.
For John 17:25 says,
25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. Because of this, God sent His only Son, Jesus, so that the Father could be known to the world (John 17:25)
Thus, Jesus came to reveal the Father’s love and to make a way for us to know Him again, as indicated in John 9:4; John 16:5
John 9:4
4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
John 16:5
5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’(John 9:4; John 16:5).
Some believe the universe is vast and uncaring. The atheist who wrote, “In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves,” is wrong!
The Bible helps us to see that God Himself stepped into our world through Jesus to save us.
He didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves.
Instead, He became one of us to bring hope and healing.
God is still seeking you today, just as He sought Adam and Eve in the garden.
He loves you and wants to restore your relationship with Him.
Through Jesus, He made a way. It is up to you to respond to His call.
Throughout the Gospel of John, John describes how Jesus, the Son, does things that point to the Father.
Why did he do this? Read John 7:16; John 8:38; John 14:10, 23; John 15:1, 9, 10; John 16:27, 28; John 17:3.
Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 4: Knowing the Son is Knowing the Father
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 11)
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one.
Part 4: Knowing the Son is Knowing the Father
The love between the Father and the Son is deep, and their connection is so powerful that it brings eternal life to all who honestly desire it.
Jesus, the Son, has an everlasting relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
These three are One working together for our salvation.
Jesus, during His time on earth, revealed the heart of the Father and showed us what it means to live fully in God’s will.
Every activity of Jesus points to the Father. Jesus came to our world to show us who the Father is.
He came to show us how much the Father loves us and to help us understand His relationship with our world.
Notice what John 1:18 says regarding the Father and the Son:
“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” (John 1:18)
In other words, Jesus explained and showed us the Father’s character and purpose.
He made the Father known.
The Greek words for making known means explain, interpret, and exposit.
This is what Jesus does again and again.
In fact, the word “Father” appears 136 times in the Gospel of John and 18 times in John’s three Letters (1st, 2nd, and 3rd John), adding up to more than one-third of the times it is used in the New Testament.
One of the most beautiful places where Jesus talks and makes the Father known is during His farewell sermon or discourse with His disciples.
Thus, Jesus came to our world as the Father’s representative. He lived on earth to show us the Father and to carry out His divine will.
He said in John 5:30:
“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” (John 5:30)
This tells us how committed Jesus was to doing what the Father wanted.
It shows how totally surrendered Jesus, as a human being, to His Father.
Jesus explained that He came to complete the work the Father gave Him.
This work was about saving people and offering a life that lasts forever.
Jesus said in John 5:36-38:
“But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.” (John 5:36–38)
These works are evidence that Jesus was sent by God the Father for our salvation.
He made it clear that the Father sent Him and that our way to the Father is only through Him. He said in John 6:40 and 44:
“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)
This shows how much the Father and the Son are in agreement in their desire for us to have a life that is everlasting.
Jesus promises to raise us up from the dead at His Second Coming.
The following are verses that talk about Jesus and His relationship with the Father:
In John 7:16: Jesus said:
“My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” (John 7:16)
This shows that everything Jesus taught came from the Father.
John 8:38:
“I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” (John 8:38)
John 14:10, 23:
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:10, 23)
John 15:1, 9, 10: Jesus compared Himself to a vine and the Father to a gardener. He showed that the Father’s love flows through Him to us:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1)
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:9)
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10)
In John 16:27, 28, Jesus said the Father loves us because we believe in Him and that He came from the Father into the world and would return to Him.
John 17:3:
“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
These verses show us how closely Jesus and the Father worked together and how much They love and care for us.
Together, they work to save us sinners.
All of these things that Jesus said show that He and His Father are very close in their hearts and minds.
Therefore, Jesus’ example teaches us to let our lives be guided by the Father’s will.
We can start by trusting Jesus, studying His words, and asking God to guide us each day.
The Father loves us so much that He sent Jesus to bring us back to Him.
When we believe in Jesus, we see the Father’s love and plan for our lives.
Live each day knowing that we are deeply loved by the one true God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Yes, the Holy Spirit plays an important role in saving us humans.
What is the role of the Holy Spirit? Read John 1:10–13, John 3:5–8, John 6:63, John 14:26, John 15:26, and John 16:7–11.
Then, continue to the next segment of this video: Part 5: The Holy Spirit
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 11)
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one.
Part 5: The Holy Spirit
Think of a friend who never leaves your side, always guiding you, comforting you, and helping you make the right choices.
That’s what the Holy Spirit is like.
The Holy Spirit is a precious gift from God sent by Jesus to help us understand truth, overcome sin, and live as children of God.
In the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned as often as the Father and the Son, but His work is essential to everything Jesus came to do.
The Holy Spirit helps us believe in Jesus, and when we believe, we become children of God.
John 1:10-13 says:
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:10-13)
Becoming a child of God isn’t something we can do on our own.
It’s not about where we come from or our efforts.
Our desire to connect with God is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit, who works to bring a change in our hearts as we submit to Him.
We are given a new heart that desires to do the will of God.
Thus, the Holy Spirit’s work extends beyond helping us to believe.
Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we become children of God.
Here are some of the amazing things the Holy Spirit does, according to the following verses:
John 3:5–8:
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8)
John 6:63: Jesus explains
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. (John 6:63)
The Spirit makes the Word of God come alive in us; He makes the Word of God clear.
In John 14:26, Jesus called the Spirit “the Helper,” who teaches us everything and reminds us of all He has said.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (John 14:26)
In John 15:26: Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. (Pause)
26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, (John 15:26)
In John 16:7–11 he said it was better for Him to leave so that the Holy Spirit could come. He explains that the Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, guiding us into truth.
In explaining the work of the Holy Spirit, The Book The Desire of Ages mentions that Jesus, in describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart…The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail.
White further expresses that the power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.
In other words, Sin is powerful, but the Holy Spirit is mightier. It is the Holy Spirit that helps us resist temptation.
This is why John 3:33 says,
33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. (John 3:33).
Thus, the Spirit shows us what is right, true, and good.
It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment according to John 16:8–11.
So, the Holy Spirit isn’t just a distant helper.
He works in our hearts to guide us daily.
He convicts us of sin when we stray.
He shows us what righteousness looks like and He reminds us of God’s coming judgment.
When we submit our lives to the work of the Holy Spirit, we gain wisdom and strength to live out God’s plan for us.
Therefore, the way to know and understand what is right, true, and good is by reading God’s Word, our basis for what is truth and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and pay attention to Him moving in our life experiences.
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to help us live transformed lives.
He brings us closer to Jesus, guides us in truth, and gives us power to overcome sin.
It is our duty, therefore, to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead us, step by step, into the fullness of God’s love and purpose for our lives.
Some, after reading John 17, maintain that the only thing that matters is unity and love.
Is that correct? Read John 17:1-26 and tell me what you think in the comment section.
Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 6: The Prayer of Jesus.
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 11)
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one.
Part 6: The Prayer of Jesus
Having a friend who loves you so much that they would pray for your protection, joy, and unity even as they face death for your sake can only be a gift from God. That’s the heart of Jesus.
In John 17, Jesus offers a powerful prayer for His disciples.
As he was preparing to lay down his life for us sinners, Jesus prayed for us.
His prayer shows just how deeply He wants a relationship with us.
John 17 is often called the “High Priestly Prayer” because Jesus prays for His disciples just as a high priest would intercede for the people.
This chapter is filled with Jesus’ longing for His followers to experience the same close relationship of love that exists between Him, the Father, and the Spirit.
Ultimately, Jesus came to this earth to restore humanity to its original personal relationship with God.
This He faithfully did through the signs and wonders He performed as instructed by the Father.
He carried out the work the Father gave Him to do.
In words and acts, He communicated God to the people.
Knowing that He would soon be leaving this earth, he wanted his followers to understand the close relationship between Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
And He wanted to give the opportunity to have that same personal relationship with God the Father and the Spirit that He had.
Let’s look at some of the phrases in Jesus’ prayer found in John 17 that express His desire to have a close, loving relationship with His Father and with us.
Note that Many people think that John 17 implies that the only things that are important are love and unity. Of course, God’s plan does include healing our relationship with Him and with all people. But if we read John 17 more carefully, we see a more essential connection between love and truth.
He says in John 17:3
This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God” (John 17:3, NKJV).
Note that Jesus called God the “only true God.” Not whoever we deem as God.
Then, He asserts in John 17:6 and 8 that He has revealed God’s character to His followers so they could know the truth about Him.
6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. (John 17:6, 8)
Thus, He asks His Father in John 17:17 to
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (John 17:17) These words show that Jesus’ prayer wasn’t just about love and unity but about love grounded in truth.
He wanted His disciples to be united in their understanding of who God is and, in their mission, to share His truth with the world.
Jesus came to reveal the truth about God because so many people had false ideas about Him.
In John 1:14, we read that Jesus is the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth.
He lived a life that showed God’s love and justice perfectly.
If truth didn’t matter, why would Jesus endure so much?
He faced rejection, betrayal, and even death to reveal the true character of God.
Ellen G. White writes in The Desire of Ages that the Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Truth, helps us understand and live by this truth (p. 671).
She says that false ideas about God lead to broken lives, but the truth of God’s Word brings peace and comfort.
The Spirit of Truth works through the scriptures to correct our misunderstandings and help us live in a way that pleases God.
In John 17:3, Jesus says, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Knowing God is more than just knowing about Him.
It means having a personal relationship with Him, experiencing His love, and letting His truth shape our lives.
If someone asked you, “Do you know God?”
How would you answer?
Think about how Jesus fits into that answer.
He is the way to know God because He reveals who God is.
When we spend time with Jesus—through prayer, reading the Bible, and following His example—we grow closer to God.
In His prayer, Jesus says, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15, NKJV).
This reminds us that as Christians, we are called to live in the world without being influenced by its sinfulness.
Our choices matter.
When we choose to trust God, follow His Word, and resist temptation, we allow Jesus’ prayer to be fulfilled in our lives.
When Jesus says, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17),
He reminds us to let the Bible guide our daily lives.
The Bible isn’t just a book of rules; it is our source of wisdom, comfort, and direction.
It is our basis for what is truth.
By living according to God’s Word, we reflect His love and truth to others.
Jesus prayed for you.
He prayed for your protection, unity, and relationship with God.
His prayer shows how much He loves you and wants you to know the truth that sets you free.
Live each day rooted in His love, grounded in His truth, and shining His light to the world.
Know that you serve One True God in the Person of God the Son, God The Father, and God the Holy Spirit. In the mathematics of divinity, God the Father, plus God the Son, plus God the Holy Spirit, equals One True God.
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