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Here in John 5 we have a beautiful account of a deep mystery of our LORD: Jesus' wquality with God. This is like only a single grain of sand of all the sand on the the beaches of the world; so many and hidden are the mysteries of providence! Yes, in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily a beauty, unattainable, unmatched and only to be revered and adored.
"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." - John 5:21.
"(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." - Romans 4:17.
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." - Romans 8:11.
Note also that the Son gives life to whom He wishes; it is not a matter of our personal choice.
Brother, sister: isn't it altogether wonderful that we carry our crosses and inherited our ambassadorship for none other than Jesus? How sweet is such a blessing. To wait upon the LORD and have our hopes strengthened that we may soar on wings from above.
Jesus said in John 5 that those who reject Him reject the Father who sent Him. In a like manner, when we come with the gospel as ambassadors for Christ and part of the eternal assembly, the body of Christ, those who reject us as we bring the gospel, so too reject Christ who sent us.
"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me." - Luke 10:2-16.
"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." - John 5:22,23.
No person, such as the Jews, can honor God if they do not worship Jesus. And in turn no man will believe Christ is LORD, unless the Father draws Him (John 6:44). Yet Christ and God are one, again an awesome divine mystery. Also, whenever possible, a Christian should not be involved with any organization that refuses to honor Jesus Christ as LORD. If Christ is the LORD of ones life, they will not be ashamed of this fact (Romans 1:16,17); Jesus is God!
Those who do not honor Jesus as God are condemned by John 5:23. If one does not worship Christ, they are in no way worshipping God. Either one has Christ, or they have nothing! Jesus was not simply a human teacher as He is so often portrayed by the misguided, nor was He even as great prophet from God as some others also incorrectly teach. He must be adored and loved as Creator, Saviour and Judge.
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." - 1 John 2:22,23.
The significance of truly honoring the Son is not a good work on our part, but rather an evidence of salvation from above. The Son gives life to whom He wishes as we read in John 5:21. In turn, they will hear the gospel, believe in God, be given eternal life and pass out of eternal death into eternal life through the faith of Christ.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." - John 5:24.
"Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me." - John 12:44.
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3;18.
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." - 1 John 3:14-18.
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