Anchor My Faith

Honoring Jesus Honors the Father

Scripture: John 5:22-24

Jesus is watching the Father working and he works accordingly in conjunction with him. Now we see an additional responsibility given to Jesus. ^{Jn 5:22} “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.”

We saw in the previous lesson in Deuteronomy 32:39 that only God can create life and in Genesis 18:25 (ESV) we read: “Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Judgment is the exclusive prerogative of God and in delegating judgment to Jesus supports his claim to deity.

To honor the Son as we honor the Father is another claim to deity since only God is to be worshiped. Any religion that sees Jesus as merely a good teacher or a great prophet are suppressing the truth and fail to honor and worship Jesus and anyone who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him.

The next statement Jesus makes is profound and indicates how one obtains eternal life. ^{Jn 5:24} “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.”

Eternal life comes from hearing the words of Jesus and by faith believing them. Such words as “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV). Eternal life is available only from Jesus. This life that only he can give as a gift, begins immediately upon belief in a partially realized but significant way. Having this gift of eternal life, we will not come into judgment. Every person will either receive eternal life as a gift from Jesus or will stand in judgment before him.

Conclusion

How important it is that we know and understand who Jesus is and respond to his invitation to come to him in faith to receive eternal life. The purpose of these lessons is to help us know Jesus, to understand his message to us, to believe in him and by faith receive eternal life from him as a gift, and then to walk in righteousness with him. Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit will use this material in the lives of my readers.