Monday 4 March 2013

Does John 5:18 Prove Jesus's Divinity?

Does John 5:18 Prove Jesus's Divinity?

Bismillah Hir Rehman Ir Raheem
Start In the Name Of Allah The Most Beneficent The Most Merciful

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Does John 5:18 Prove Jesus's Divinity?

John 5:18 is used by many trinitarians to prove Jesus divinity and to claim that Jesus is equal to God. The verse is
"For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God." [John 5:18]

In the verse, Jesus didn't claim anything rather it were the Jewish ideas who were seeking to persecute him.
"So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him" [Johnn 5:16]
Iit is quite clear then that John is not giving us his own opinion about something which he thinks is true. It is plain that John would not be telling us that Jesus said he is equal to the Father rather, John is telling us what the Jews had in mind.

Further, Jesus himself rejects in the next verse that he is not equal to God denying the charge immediately
"Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." [John 5:19]
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." [John 5:30]

Further in the Biblical culture being called the Son of God does not make you equal with God since others were called sons of God and children of God in the Biblical times. Secondly, Jesus calling God his Father, or own Father does not mean much. What Christians forgets to mention is that Jesus called God the Father of his people to, so when Jesus reffered to God as my Father he was doing this when he was adressing himself, it is common self if you are adressing yourself you will say my Father, or my house etc. For Example
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." [Matthew 6:9]
"But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." [Mark 11:26]
 Thus the evidence shows that these Jews were falsely accusing Jesus. He was not making himself equal with God.

Moreover, Jesus himself said that Father is greater than him

"Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his Lord, nor is one who is sent greater than the One who sent him." [John 13:16] (see 4:34; 5:30, 7:16; 9:34; etc.)
"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all." [John 10:29]
"The Father is greater than I." [John 14:28]
And we know that greater than is not equal to

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