John Chapter 5 Part 2

Part 2 of John Chapter Five deals specifically with the deity of Christ. In His discourse He makes three bold claims to be equal to God in nature, power, and authority. In His nature, the very core of His being, His work and mission are identical to the Father. In power, Jesus is equal to God in that the same life-giving power is in Him (V26) Finally Jesus is equal to God in authority, as the father ‘has committed all judgment to the Son’. (v22) These claims made to a 1st-century Jewish audience would have been understood as Jesus blatantly claiming to be God in the flesh. In fact, Verse 18 demonstrates to the reader that His words were enough to make the Jews want to kill him. So why do so many people believe that Jesus was just a man? If Jesus was ‘just a man’ how can he make these claims and still be considered a moral teacher? Would you follow a liar to the grave? Many of the apostles did, and many more modern martyrs were executed for believing in the resurrection and deity of Christ. The bottom line is the claims Jesus makes about himself in John Chapter Five (in historical context) are hard to argue with as they point directly to His Godhood and heavenly authority. If it could be interpreted any other way, where would that leave the rest of scripture? If Jesus was not sent, but rather only ‘blessed’ how would that change the Gospel? What would Luke Chapter One look like? 

Read John 5:16-30 with your group. What is Christology, Ex Nihlio, and the Asiety of God? Why is it important to understand these theological doctrines?