The Son Who Gives Life

Equal with God

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The leaders were angry that Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath. Jesus answered them with words that told them exactly who He is.

My Father is working. Jesus said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (John 5:17). God never stops caring for His world, and Jesus works right alongside Him.

They understood. The leaders tried to kill Jesus, because He “said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). They knew Jesus was saying He is God.

The Son and the Father. “For whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19). Jesus does everything the Father does.

Loved by the Father. “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does” (John 5:20). The Father and the Son have always loved each other.

Honor the Son. Jesus said “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). Only God should be honored like God, so Jesus is God the Son.

In the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Word is Jesus.

Before Abraham. Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). I AM is the name God gave Himself when He spoke to Moses at the burning bush.

Seeing the Father. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). When we look at Jesus, we see what God is like.

He became a servant. Jesus is God, but He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant” (Philippians 2:7). A bondservant is a servant. God the Son became a man to save us.

The same God who heals. The One who healed the man at the pool is the same One who made the world. That is why His words had such power.

Every knee will bow. One day “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10), and every tongue will say that Jesus Christ is Lord.

What we learn. Jesus is not only a good teacher. He is God the Son, equal with the Father, and He died and rose again for us.

What to do. Worship Jesus. When you pray, thank Him for who He is, not only for what He gives.

In John 5:16-23 Jesus answered the leaders after the healing at Bethesda. They heard it clearly as a claim to be God, and they were right.

Working (5:17). The Greek word ergazomai (say: er-GAD-zo-my) means to work. Jesus said the Father keeps working, holding creation together and doing good, and the Son works with Him. God rested from creating on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2), but He has never stopped holding up the world or showing mercy.

“Equal with God” (5:18). Calling God His own Father in this way was more than a claim to be a good man. The leaders understood Jesus to be putting Himself on the same level as God. Jesus did not correct them. He went on to explain what it meant.

The Son can do nothing of Himself (5:19). This does not mean Jesus is weaker. It means the Son never acts apart from the Father. They share one will and one work.

Life and judgment (5:21-22). In the Old Testament, giving life and judging the world belong to God alone. Jesus said the Father has given both to the Son.

Equal honor (5:23). God says He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8). Yet the Father wants all people to honor the Son just as they honor the Father. That is only possible if the Son is God.

One God in three Persons. The Bible teaches one God who exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory. In John 5 the Father and the Son are two Persons, yet they share the same work, the same life and the same honor.

John 1:1-3. The Word was with God and was God, and all things were made through Him. The healing at Bethesda was the Creator restoring part of His own creation.

John 8:58. “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Jesus used the name God gave Himself at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), and His hearers picked up stones to throw at Him (John 8:59).

Philippians 2:5-8. Jesus “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,” yet He humbled Himself and became obedient “to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Equal with God, He became a servant to save us.

Why it matters. Only God can forgive sin and give eternal life. If Jesus were only a man, His death could not save anyone. Because He is God the Son, His death pays for sin and His life is stronger than death.

Application. Some people say Jesus was only a good teacher. Jesus' own words do not leave that choice open. Honor Him as Lord and God, as Thomas did when he saw the risen Jesus (John 20:28).

From Death to Life

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Jesus gave a sick man a strong body. Then He told the leaders about an even greater gift He gives: everlasting life.

The Son gives life. “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will” (John 5:21).

Hear and believe. “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life” (John 5:24). Everlasting means it never ends.

Yours now. Jesus said the one who believes has everlasting life. It starts the moment a person trusts Jesus. You do not have to wait until you die.

No judgment. The believer “shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). Jesus took the punishment for our sin on the cross.

Dead hearts made alive. “The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live” (John 5:25). Without Jesus we are like dead people who cannot make ourselves alive. His voice gives life.

Life in Himself. “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26). Jesus does not borrow life from anyone.

The great day. Jesus said, “The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth” (John 5:28-29). One day Jesus will raise the dead.

The resurrection and the life. Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25). Then He called her brother Lazarus out of the tomb.

Knowing God. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Eternal life means knowing God forever.

Why it was written. “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).

A free gift. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We cannot earn it. We receive it by trusting Jesus.

What we learn. Jesus gives life that never ends to everyone who hears His word and believes. A believer can know they belong to God.

What to do. If you have never trusted Jesus, you can talk to Him today. Tell Him you believe He died and rose again for you, and ask Him to give you His life.

The healing at Bethesda gave a man new strength for his body. In John 5:21-29 Jesus explained that He gives something far greater: life from the dead, now and at the last day.

The Son gives life (5:21). In the Old Testament only God raises the dead (Deuteronomy 32:39). Jesus claimed the same power and said He uses it “to whom He will.”

Zōē (5:24). The Greek word zōē (say: dzo-AY) means life. In John it often means the life of God Himself, shared with believers. Everlasting life is not only a longer life but a new kind of life.

Already true (5:24). The believer has everlasting life and has passed from death into life. Both are present realities from the moment a person believes. That is why a believer can know they belong to God.

No condemnation. Jesus promised that the believer “shall not come into judgment.” Paul says the same: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The cross is the reason: Jesus bore the judgment for us.

Two kinds of rising (5:25-29). Verse 25 speaks of spiritually dead people hearing Jesus' voice now and living. Verses 28-29 speak of a future day when all in the graves come out, “those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

Doing good (5:29). This does not teach that good works earn life. In 5:24 life comes by hearing and believing. The good that believers do is the fruit of the life Jesus has already given (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Life in Himself (5:26). Every creature receives life from God. The Son has life in Himself, just as the Father does. That is why death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24).

John 11:25. At Lazarus' tomb Jesus showed what John 5 promised. He called a dead man out of the grave with His voice (John 11:43).

John 17:3. Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. It is a relationship with God, not just a reward.

John 20:31. The whole Gospel of John was written so that its readers would believe and have life in Jesus' name. Every sign in it, including Bethesda, points there.

Application. Life comes by hearing Jesus' word and believing. Keep reading the Gospel of John, and ask God to make His words alive in you.

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Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.