THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life

Part XVI: Believing On Christ Due To His Public Teaching On His Deity, John 5:16-47

A. Trusting In Christ Due To His Teaching On The [Triune] Godhead Versus Pagan Polytheism

(John 5:16-30)

I. Introduction

A. John's Gospel presents Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God so men might trust in Him to be saved, Jn. 20:31.

B. Thus, Jesus' public address to the religious leaders in Jerusalem (John 5:1, 16, 17ff) on His divinity in response to their desire to kill Him for claiming to be God (John 5:17-18) is an important address to consider.

C. The first part of that discourse, the nature of the Godhead, is highly instructive for us, for many cults that deny belief in the Trinity to which we hold claim we teach pagan polytheism that is countered by Deuteronomy 6:4.

D. Jesus directly countered this charge of polytheism in John 5:16-30, and we view His comments for our insight:

II. Trusting In Christ Due To His Teaching On The [Triune] Godhead Versus Pagan Polytheism.

A. In a clear assertion as to His deity in His Hebrew culture, Jesus claimed that His Father "is [always] working" (present tense of ergazomai) "until now" (hoes arti), that He had been working at all times until that day (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 339), and that "I also am working" (present tense of ergazomai), Ibid.; John 5:17.

B. Thus, the religious leaders sought the more to kill Him, for not only had Jesus broken the Sabbath law in to their legalistic view, a violation that was a capital offense (Exodus 31:15), but He had said "that God was his Father, making himself equal with God" in the Jewish culture, John 5:18 KJV.

C. This claim to His deity with the Father to Hebrew religious leaders would lead them to think Jesus held to pagan polytheism, belief in multiple gods that functioned independent of each other and in competition with one another, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 290. Thus, Jesus clarified that He did not teach pagan polytheism, and explained the truth about the One, unified Godhead He had with the Father, John 5:19-47 (as follows):

1. Jesus explained His claim to deity, stating that, opposite pagan polytheism, Jesus and God the Father worked in unity as One Godhead, John 5:19-21; Ibid.

a. Christ explained that He only mimicked what God the Father did in total unity with Him, John 5:19.

b. He added that the Father was not competing against the Son, either, but that He loved Him, and showed Him all things that He did, and would show Him greater works to do that Israel might marvel, John 5:20.

c. Indeed, the Father would direct the Son to raise the dead as He did, John 5:21.

2. Jesus explained that God the Father had given God the Son power to judge the human race, John 5:22-30:

a. He taught the Father had given the Son the office of judging the human race that all men might honor the Son, John 5:22-23. There was no competition between the Father and the Son on being honored!

b. Jesus added that those who trusted in Him as the Son had eternal life, and had permanently passed over (metabebeken = perfect tense of metabaino, "pass over," Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 511-512) from the status of condemnation to eternal life, Jn. 5:24. This is eternal security!

c. He also explained that the time would come when those who were dead would hear the voice of God the Son and would be made alive, John 5:25. This statement applies to spiritual quickening unto salvation (v. 24) as well as to physical resurrection, John 11:43; Ibid., B. K. C., N. T. This event would occur since the Father granted the Son to have life in Himself and authority to execute eternal judgment, John 5:26-27.

d. In the final judgment, Jesus added that God the Son would speak, and that all the physically dead in the graves would hear His voice [as God], and would come forth to life either unto the resurrection of the blessing of eternal life or unto the resurrection of eternal damnation, John 5:28-29.

3. In concluding this explanation of the Godhead, Jesus repeated His opposition to pagan polytheism: as He heard from the Father, so He judged, and His judgment was just since He did not seek His own will as a competing deity independent of the Father, but the will of the Father as part of the Godhead, John 5:30.

Lesson: Jesus claimed to be the Son of God equal with the Father and clarified that this did not mean there was a pagan polytheistic relationship between Him and the Father as if He was acting independently of or competing against the Father as a deity, but that God the Father and God the Son belonged in a Perfectly Unified Godhead.

Application: (1) May we believe Jesus and the Father are both deity. (2) May we trust in the One Godhead versus polytheism. (3) May we answer opponents of Trinitarianism that we do NOT hold to competing, independent gods as in pagan polytheism, but to One Triune Godhead of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.