5:16-23 How are we to understand what Jesus says here?
5:16-23 How are we to understand what Jesus says here?
Here Jesus proclaims His Deity. He calls God His Father, and justifies His own works of healing on the Sabbath by arguing that God too works on Sabbaths.
This means that natural laws still operate - God upholds the world and is involved in His creation on the Sabbath day as on any other day. V23 teaches that we cannot honour God and not Jesus. Those who do not acknowledge Christ's Deity will forfeit their salvation (CP Jn 14:6; 1Jn 2:22-23; 5:10-12).
See also comments on Mt 1:18-27, 3:16-17, Lu 1:35 (B), Jn 1:1, 12:41, Ac 13:33, 20:28, Php 2:5-8, Col 2:9; 1Ti 3:16, He 1:5, 5:5, 1Jn 5:6-9, Rev 1:8, and author's studies Jesus - Eternally God in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1), The Doctrine of the Trinity and Jesus in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).