EVERYONE DESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE!
God has given us the freedom of choice (Life or Death, Blessing or Cursing).
It makes no sense to Him why we humans make the wrong choice.
How can we keep from making bad choices?
Welcome to our new series.
We are exploring the unique message of the Gospel of John—a book unlike the other three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).
John’s Gospel is different in that it gives us an up-close look at Jesus’s personal interaction with individuals.
These stories reveal deep truths about Jesus, who He is, and what He means to us.
Stay with us throughout the entire series by subscribing to my YouTube Channel, Sabbath School Daily by DrBrenda Ware Davis, or go to my Website, SabbathSchoolDaily.com.
This journey through John will help you get to know Jesus intimately and personally.
It will help you decide how to relate to him and even improve your decision-making.
As always, before we begin, let’s Pray.
Inviting God’s Presence.
Holy Father, we choose life, we choose blessings, help us glorify you in what we do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 3)
The Backstory: The Prologue
(The Introduction to the
Gospel of John)
Part 1 Introduction
We all have the power to choose. God has given us this freedom because He loves us, and love does not force or coerce.
Here, we discuss one of the most important choices we can make: choosing to know and accept Jesus for who He really is.
To help us know who He is, we return to the beginning of the Gospel of John, where He establishes the direction that he, inspired by the Holy Spirit, intends to take us.
Like other New Testament writers, who often tell the main ideas they will discuss from the start, John does the same, but he takes it a step further.
He shows significant, important truths about Jesus that go back to eternity past before God created the world.
John says John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
Right from the start of his book, John wants us to know how significant Jesus is.
He wants us to know He isn’t just a man who came later in time; He has always existed, even before the world was created.
He was with God from the very beginning.
Therefore, we are going back to the first chapter of the book of John.
Here, John introduces us to some very important truths about Jesus. (Pause)
He explains things that help us understand who Jesus really is.
Many people at that time didn’t fully understand who Jesus was, but John wants to clarify this.
So, we begin with John’s introduction, John 1:1-18, which shows us the most important points John intends to discuss in his book.
These truths remind us that Jesus existed before the world began, that He was always with God, and that He is equal with God.
Even when Jesus spoke to the people, like the scribes and Pharisees, they sensed power in His words.
They recognized that there was something special about Him.
But sadly, many of them still didn’t accept Him.
Jesus said, “He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
This means that when we believe in Jesus, we are promised eternal life.
Jesus is the source of life. His life was unborrowed—no one gave it to Him, and no one could take it away from Him.
He said, “I lay it down of myself” (John 10:18).
This shows that Jesus had the power over life and death.
The life that Jesus offers us is not our regular life, which will one day end.
Instead, it is a life that lasts forever. It is a gift from God Himself. It is eternal life.
Moreover, Jesus didn’t just live like any other human being.
Even though He became human, He still held onto His divinity. Trusting God completely, He did not use His divinity to benefit himself.
He shows us that we, too, as humans, can reach out to God and trust Him for everything we need.
The cross of Jesus, where He died for our sins, is the key to understanding what true love and sacrifice are all about. (Pause)
It’s what gives us hope and the healing we need to continue our life on this earth.
Jesus said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
Accepting God and His Son, Jesus, is what gives us eternal life.
As we continue, remember that Jesus has always been and always will be.
He is the eternal Son of God, the one who gives us life.
It is up to us to choose Him and accept the life He has promised, which only He can give.
This is a choice we have been given the right to make, and it is the most important decision of our lives.
John begins his writing with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Who is the Word? What did John mean by this statement? Read John 1:1-5.
Then continue to Part 2: In the Beginning – the Divine Logos.
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 3)
The Backstory: The Prologue
(The Introduction to the
Gospel of John)
Part 2: In the Beginning, the Divine Logos
We all want freedom of choice, but sometimes, we feel that the government denies us that privilege.
But we are all given the right to choose eternal life or eternal death.
We are given the right to choose blessings or curses.
Understanding who Jesus is can help us make the best choice.
So, let’s explore the deeper truth about Jesus that can change how we see Him and help us make the right choice.
John begins his story about Jesus with something amazing:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
What does he mean? What is John trying to tell us?
Is he saying Jesus has always existed?
John points out that even before the world was made, Jesus was already with God.
He wasn’t created later; He has always been there.
John starts his book just like the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which says, “In the beginning” (Genesis 1:1).
This shows us that Jesus was already there before the universe existed.
What does this say?
It tells us that Jesus wasn’t just a regular person. John affirms this when he says: “the Word was with God.”
And In John 1:18, we read
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)
John expresses that Jesus is in the Father’s bosom, indicating his close relationship with God.
This shows us how much Jesus and the Father love each other and have always been intimately close.
But John doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say in John 1:1,
“The Word was God.”
Now, this might be a little confusing for some.
How can Jesus be with God and also be God?
Here, it is necessary to know something about the language John uses.
In the Greek language, which John used to write his book, they don’t have a word for “a” or “an” like we do.
But they do have the word “the,” which helps us know who or what someone is talking about.
In the phrase “the Word was with God,” John is talking about God the Father. (Pause)
But when John says, “the Word was God,” he doesn’t use the word “the” before “God.”
This helps us understand that John is talking about Jesus.
This helps us know that Jesus is not the Father but is still divine—he is the divine Son of God.
He is the Second Person in what we call the Godhead—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.
They are three, but they are one God.
Jesus has always been with God the Father, and there was never a time when He did not exist.
John verifies that Jesus is God in John 1:3, 4 when he says
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 1:3-4) Pause
Therefore, Jesus is the Creator of all things created.
Anything that once didn’t exist but then came into existence happened only through Jesus, the Creator God.
Jesus is not only the Son of God, but He also has life within Himself.
This life was never given to Him; it has always been His.
This is why John says in 1 John 5:12 “He that has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12).
“From the days of eternity, the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was ‘the image of God,’ the image of His greatness and majesty, ‘the outshining of His glory.’ ”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 19.
Jesus promised eternal life to those who believe in Him.
He said, “Though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
This means that if we believe in Jesus, we will live again when He returns, even if we die.
That’s the hope we have because Jesus has life in Himself.
Jesus’ life wasn’t like ours, which ends.
His life is eternal, and He shares it with us when we believe in Him.
Today, you have the choice to know and follow Jesus, the One who has always existed with God and who offers you eternal life.
He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.
Choosing Jesus is a choice for life and blessings. Let Him transform your life, and in so doing, you will receive His blessing of eternal life.
The interesting thing about Jesus, the Son of God, is that He stepped down from the heavenly realm and became human flesh. Why did He do that? Read John 1:1-3 and 14.
Then, View the next segment of this video, Part 3: The Word Made Flesh
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 3)
The Backstory: The Prologue
(The Introduction to the
Gospel of John)
Part 3: The Word Made Flesh
Good choices are best made when we have a clear understanding.
We now examine what John is saying in John 1:14 in reference to Jesus becoming flesh.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
John starts his book in a very interesting way.
He doesn’t begin with Jesus’ name or His role as Messiah/Christ.
He did not give us stories from the start about Jesus saving people.
Instead, John starts by calling Jesus “the Word,” in Greek, “logos.”
The word “logos” was familiar to people in John’s time.
Greek philosophers, like Plato, used it to discuss deep thoughts and the rules of thinking.
Around the time John was writing, various philosophers used the term logos to refer to the rational structure of the universe or the idea of logic and reason.
In fact, Plato believed there were two worlds. One was a perfect place, like heaven, where nothing ever changed.
The other was here on earth, where everything is always changing, and nothing is perfect.
Although Plato never answered the question of where absolute perfection exists, some philosophers insisted that the “logos” existed between these two worlds (the eternal forms and the perishable forms).
But John had a completely different view.
John asserts that “logos” isn’t just an idea or something far away.
He maintains that the truth, the “logos,” is a person—Jesus Christ—not some vague or abstract concept floating between heaven and earth.
John expresses that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
In other words, Jesus, the word, became human and lived among us.
He came here to live with us, to share in our lives, and to show us God’s love.
John expresses that the “logos” is the Word of God.
Even more important is that God spoke to us in the most powerful way possible:
He became a human being, just like us, so he could better communicate with us in a way that we could understand.
The everlasting God, who has always existed, came into our world as a human being.
He became human flesh.
As John 1:14 states, God showed His love by sending Jesus to live among us.
Hence, Jesus showed us who God is by how He lived and interacted with us humans.
God entered time and space to speak, act, and interrelate with us humans on a personal level.
The eternal God became a human being, one of us.
John 1:14 says that the logos “became flesh and dwelt among us.”
How powerful is that?
The Greek word for “dwelt” means to pitch or set up a tent.
This points to Exodus 25:8, where God instructed the Israelites to make a sanctuary, a tent structure so that He could live with them.
In the same way, Jesus, who is God, came to live with us in a human body.
Jesus, the divine Son of God, stepped into human flesh, covering His divinity so that we humans could come in contact with Him.
The God who created everything became one of us and lived with us. That’s so amazing.
What does that tell us about God’s love for us? (Pasuer)
Jesus willingly became human. He didn’t have to, but He chose to because of His great love for us.
Even though Jesus was still God, He didn’t show off His power.
He walked the earth just like us, experiencing hunger, thirst, and tiredness.
He gave up His heavenly riches so that we could become rich in His love.
John wants us to see that the same Jesus who created the world was the one who died on the cross for us.
Jesus knows what it’s like to live as we do because He experienced it all.
He was tempted, just like we are, but He never sinned.
His life on earth showed us what God is really like—full of grace and truth.
Jesus didn’t just come to live among us; He came to be the light of the world.
He came to show us God’s character and to lead us back to God.
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and went about doing good everywhere He went as expressed in Acts 10:38.
He healed the sick, helped the poor, and set people free from their burdens, according to Luke 4:18-19.
Jesus, the Word, became one of us to show us God’s love and to give us a way back to Him.
He came close to us, lived among us, and gave His life for us.
Today, you can choose to accept Jesus, the Word who became flesh, and let Him change your life forever. Why not choose life and receive His blessings?
How do we make that choice? Read John 1:9-13.
Then, Continue to the next segment of this video, Part 4: Hearing or Not Hearing the Word
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 3)
The Backstory: The Prologue
(The Introduction to the
Gospel of John)
Part 4: Hear or Not Hearing the Word
God has given us all the power to choose, and of course, one of the most important choices we can make is whether to accept or reject Jesus.
We now look at John 1:9–13. Here, John helps us better understand how people responded to Jesus when He came to live among us humans.
John does not only call Jesus the Word (the logos); he also refers to Him in John 1:9 as the true Light, who enlightens everyone who comes into the world.
What does light do? It helps us see clearly. Jesus is the light that shines in our hearts and minds, helping us understand the truth.
Just like the sun helps us see everything around us, Jesus helps us see and understand the truth about God.
As C. S. Lewis puts it, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”—“Is Theology Poetry?” (n. p.: Samizdat University Press, 2014), p. 15, originally presented in 1944.
But sadly, in our freedom to choose, even though Jesus, the Light, came to everyone, not everyone welcomed Him.
Some people chose to reject Him.
In fact, the people who should have known Him best, the Jews of that day, didn’t accept Him as the Messiah.
This idea appears throughout John’s story about Jesus, starting in the very first chapter.
The Messiah came to His own people, the people of Israel, and many did not receive Him as the Messiah.
In Romans 9–11, Paul talks about the many Jews who rejected Jesus.
But on a positive note, he expresses that many Jews, along with Gentiles (non-Jews), will make the right choice and accept Jesus as their Messiah.
He reminds non-Jews not to feel proud, believing they are better than the Jews.
Paul says, “For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?” (Romans 11:24).
John gives us a powerful promise in John 1:12-13:
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 1:12-13)
When we believe in Jesus, we become part of God’s family. We become His children.
This means that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can make the right choice to choose to be a part of God’s family by believing in Jesus and receiving the blessings promised by accepting Him as the Messiah.
This idea about Jesus connects John’s introduction with his conclusion.
In John 20:31, we find out why John wrote this book; he says:
31 but 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. (John 20:31)
Thus, the beginning and end of the Gospel of John are connected.
They work together to show that everything in between his introduction and his conclusion is related.
This connection highlights the main purpose of John’s Gospel: to show that people can be saved by believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The ultimate blessing in choosing to believe in Jesus Christ is eternal life.
Today, you can let Jesus into your heart and become a child of God.
If you have been running into brick walls, making this choice will change your life forever.
The theme of belief and unbelief is found throughout the Gospel of John.
Who are the believers, who are non-believers, and what will their outcome be?
Read John 3:16-21, John 9:35-41 and John 12:36-46
Then, continue to the next segment of this video: Part 5: Reappearing Themes – Belief and Unbelief
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 3)
The Backstory: The Prologue
(The Introduction to the
Gospel of John)
Part 5: Reappearing Themes – Belief and Unbelief
Every day, we make choices that shape our lives, but one of the most important choices we will ever make is whether we accept or reject Jesus.
This idea is clearly illustrated in John’s book.
He points out that there are two groups of people: the believers—those who believe in Jesus and accept Him as the Messiah—and the non-believers—those who have the opportunity to believe but choose not to do so.
John 3:16 is one of the most profound verses in the Bible:
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. (John 3:16)
This verse shows us the heart of the gospel—God’s love.
He sent Jesus to save the world, but the sad truth is that not everyone accepts Him.
John explains that some people love darkness more than light.
Those who choose to believe and accept the light are not condemned, but those who choose not to believe and choose to reject the light are condemned.
They choose to reject the light because they don’t want to change.
John 3:18-21 helps us to see that Jesus is the Light that shines on the truth, but some people are more comfortable with Satan’s lies.
They don’t want their sins exposed, so they turn away from Jesus.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:19-21).
In John 9:35–41, we see this same choice at work.
After Jesus healed a man who was born blind, the religious leaders questioned Jesus and chose to reject him.
But when Jesus asked the man if he believed in the Son of God, the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he chose to worship Jesus.
In contrast, the Pharisees, who thought they could see the truth, were actually spiritually blind because they chose to reject Jesus.
The blind man chose to accept Jesus and saw the light, but the Pharisees refused to believe and stayed in darkness.
John 12:36–46 shows this choice again.
Jesus urges the people to believe in the light while they still have it.
He is the Light, and believing in Him is like walking in the light.
But many people refused to believe despite seeing many signs through His miracles.
In John 14:9, Jesus tells Phillip that He who has seen Him has seen the Father.
Therefore, when we Reject Jesus, we are rejecting God, the Father.
Throughout John’s book, we see two groups—those who accept Jesus and those who reject Him.
In the first group, we find followers of Jesus like eleven of the disciples, as well as others such as Nicodemus, who was slow to believe at first but came to accept Him, the woman at the well, and the man born blind.
These people welcomed Jesus and His teachings, even when they experienced difficulty or opposition.
They chose to come to the Light, and they became children of God.
In the second group, we see people like the Pharisees, the high priest, the religious leaders, the people at the miracle of feeding the 5,000, and even Judas, one of his disciples, who chose to reject Jesus.
These people were more comfortable in darkness and didn’t want to accept the truth that Jesus brought.
Jesus broke their traditions, and they didn’t like it.
So, instead of letting Jesus’ teachings change them, they judged Him when, in reality, He is the Judge.
It is interesting that the noun faith/belief never appears in the Gospel of John.
One important word that John uses throughout his book is “believe.” He doesn’t just talk about faith in general.
He emphasizes the action of believing.
John wants us to understand that being a Christian is not just about saying we believe in Jesus but about living it out.
Being a believer in Jesus is something that we do, and it is demonstrated in how we live our lives.
It is not just in a set of beliefs or doctrines that we claim.
James 2:19 reminds us of this saying: even the devil believes in Jesus.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! (James 2:19)
In John, the major difference between believers and nonbelievers is how they relate to Jesus.
The believers in Jesus come to Him with an open heart and let His light shine on their lives and bring about transformation.
They accept His words, even when He corrects, confronts, or rebukes them.
They come to Jesus and do not run away. Therefore, His Light shines on them.
And by faith, by believing, they become the children of God.
But the nonbelievers, those who refuse to believe in Jesus, reject His Light.
They may come to Him, but only to fight against Him.
They hold onto lies and refuse to let His teachings change them.
They love darkness rather than light.
They find what Jesus says difficult to accept and complain that He doesn’t follow their traditions or meet their expectations.
So, Instead of letting His teachings guide and judge them, they judge Him.
This attitude was seen many times by religious leaders.
While, as the spiritual leaders of the people, they should have been the first to accept Jesus, they instead rejected Him.
Jesus asks us all the same question He asked the man born blind:
“Do you believe in the Son of God?”
If we choose to believe in Him, then we allow His light to shine in our hearts and allow Him to live in us.
If we choose to reject Him, we will remain in darkness.
It’s not enough to just know about Jesus.
We must choose to accept Him and let His light change us.
Today, you have the choice to walk in the light or stay in the darkness.
Jesus offers us eternal life, but it’s up to us to believe and live in that light.
What did Jesus do to offer us eternal life? Read John 17:1-5
Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 6: Reappearing Themes – Glory.
The Gospel of John
(Lesson 3)
The Backstory: The Prologue
(The Introduction to the
Gospel of John)
Signs of Divinity
Part 6: Reappearing Themes – Glory
When Jesus prayed in John 17:1 “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, (John 17:1),
He was speaking about His upcoming death on the cross.
At first, it might seem strange to connect the idea of glory with the cross, a symbol of shame and suffering.
But in the Book of John, glory means much more than just fame or brightness.
It is about the honor that Jesus brings to God through His sacrifice. pauser
In the introduction of John’s Gospel, we are told that Jesus, the Word, made everything.
“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3,).
John notes the glory of His becoming a human and living among us in John 1:14
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)
Jesus came into the world full of grace and truth, and people saw His glory—the glory of the only Son of God.
John uses the words “glory” (meaning brightness, fame, or honor) and “glorify” (meaning to praise or honor) to refer to Jesus’s being honored by people and God.
Throughout the Book of John, the “time” or “hour” that Jesus speaks of refers to the moment of His death, as in
John 2:4
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)
John 7:30
30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. (John 7:30)
John 13:1
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)
See also: John 7:30, John 8:20, John 12:23–27, John 16:32, and John 17:1.
Jesus knew that the cross, while being a place of suffering, would also be the moment when God’s love and mercy would be revealed in the greatest way.
The cross is Jesus’ hour of glory.
The Crucifixion was the most shameful and humiliating way to be executed in the ancient Roman world.
The contrast of how human sees the crucifixion shows how the human story of Jesus’ death on the cross is deeply connected with God’s plan to save humanity.
Jesus’ death was not just a tragic story; it was the only way humans could be saved from their sins.
This is why the cross is also a moment of glory— it shows the depth of God’s love for us.
We might wonder how a terrible death could bring glory.
On the human level, Jesus died in agony.
Though innocent, He suffered like a criminal in human weakness, He cried out in agony, “ ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:4).
This shows the human dark side of the cross. It helps us see the deep suffering Jesus experienced.
It can be especially seen in the accounts of Matthew and Mark in Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, NKJV.
But there’s another side to the cross, a side of glory. It is through the cross that God saves us sinners.
Jesus, by giving His life, shows us what God is really like—merciful and loving.
This is especially present in Luke and John found in Luke 23:32–47, John 19:25–30.
Jesus took on our sins so that we could be forgiven. In doing so, He glorified God.
Jesus, the Son of God, gives Himself to His Father.
How ironic: God shows his greatest glory in His greatest shame on the cross, bearing the world’s sins in giving His life.
When Jesus said, “Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son,”
He was asking for the strength to complete His mission on earth.
He wanted people to see God’s love through His sacrifice. And by going through with the crucifixion, Jesus brought glory to the Father by fulfilling His purpose to save humanity.
In His prayer, Jesus also looked forward to the glory He would return to after His resurrection—the glory He shared with the Father before the world was created
John 17:5
5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world. (John 17:5)
This shows us that Jesus didn’t lose His divine nature by becoming human.
Even as He suffered and died, His divinity remained, and after His resurrection, He would return to the Father in heaven, glorified once again.
Jesus’ death on the cross teaches us just how serious sin is.
God needed to die to save us from the consequences of sin.
The fact that such a great sacrifice was required shows us how deep our need for salvation is.
Sin isn’t just a small problem; it is something that separates us from God, and only Jesus could bridge that gap by dying for us.
Jesus’ sacrifice was not the end of the story.
After His resurrection, He was glorified in heaven, and today, He is still our advocate, speaking to the Father on our behalf.
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus opened the way for all of us to be saved.
His glory shines brightest in His willingness to lay down His life for us.
The cross shows us both the worst shame and the greatest glory.
Jesus’ death reveals how much God loves us and how far He would go to save us from sin.
The choice is now ours—will we accept the gift of life that Jesus offers through His sacrifice?
By believing in Him, we too, can share in His glory and be part of God’s family forever.
Choose to believe in Jesus and live for him. There is nothing better than to live for Jesus.
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