The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 364

II. THE JEWISH INTERPRETATION PUT UPON OUR LORD'S DECLARATION. "There• fore sought they the more to kill him, because he not only ha,] bmken the sabbath, but said also that God was hie Father, making himself equal with God." The intcrpreta• tion was perfectly just, and, accordingly, Jesus, instead of repudiatin" it, uses fouT arguments to confirm its truth. 1. First argumene. His perfed S~hip involvM identity of will and operaeion with the Father. "The Son can do nothing of himself but whr1t he sooth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (1) 'fhe Arian infers from the words, "The Son can do nothino- of himself," that Christ is not equal to the Father. (2) But the Lord asserts that separate action is impossible on account of the unity of the FatheT and the Son; and (a) that the action of Father and Son is coextensive in virtue of the sameness of nature. 2. Second argument. The l01Je of the Father t-0 the Son karls to his communicating to tlte Son "all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel." (l) The :Jt'ather's love to the Son iB based on their essential nature. (2) Love is the perfect revelation of the Father, and is therefore communicative in its very nature. (3) It is through the Son tbi~ love of the Father streams downward to believers (eh. xvi. 27). (4) The greater works yet to be done might excite the wonder of the Jews, and leave them without excuse in their unbelief. Wonder ought to excite to faith. 3. Third. argume-r,t. The Son is ;'oined with the Father in quickening the dead. "For as the Father raiseth up the dead,and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." (1) This work is an act of omnipotence possible to God only. If Christ can do it, he must be God. (2) The work is impossible to man, whether it be regarded as referring to the resurrection of the dead at the judgmenl.day, or to the 3piritual resurrection of sinners in the present life. (3) Christ'1:1 power was manifest (a) in raising Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain, and the daughter of Jairus; (b) in the conversion of many souls during his ministry; (c) and will be still more gloriously manifest in the final resurrection of the dead. ( d) He is sovereign in the exercise of his power: "The Son quickeneth whom he will." (a) Yet his will is not independent of the Father's will, for he quickeneth all whom the Father ha.th given to him. (fJ) But the salvation that springs out of this quickening is not of workA, nor of him that runneth, but of him that showeth mercy. 4. Fourth argument. Judgment belongs to the Son. " For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son." (1) The Father is, in a. true sense, Judge of all the earth, but he does not judge without the Son; for he will yet jnd(J'e the world in righteousness by his Son (Acts xvii. 31). (2) Yet he has committed the judgment to the Son of man. This prerogative of judgment implies equality of Father and Son. (3) 'l'he desigu of this arrangement. "•rnat all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." This text condemns those Socinians who refuse to worship Christ as they worship the Father. (4) The Jews of our Lord's day, like the Socinians of our day, dishonour the Father in the very act of refusing due homage to the Son. "He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father who hath sent him." Divine honour can only be given to a Di vine person. "My glory will I not give to another," saith God. Vers. 24-30,:.-The two resurrections and. the two judgme-nts by the Son. The ·dews hitherto expressed in a summary form are now exhibited at length in their concrete aspects. I. THE· NATURE AND RESULT OF THE SPmITUAL RESURRECTION. "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not iii to condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." 1. The two conditions of eternal life. (1) Knowledge of Christ's will. "He that henreth my word." (a) Christ ii; the Author of revelaUon; as the Word, he makes known the Father's mind and will for our salvation. (b) It is a word for hearing, because "faith cometh by hearing, and boa.ring by the Word of God" (Rom. x. 17). " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." "The Word first began to be spoken by him, and afterwards by them that heard him" (lleb. ii. 3). (2) :Jt'aith in God. (a) This implies more than belief in God's existence. (b) It implies a heartfwt trust in him as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (c) Faith in God implies faith in Christ (John xiv. 1); (a) because the Father speaks through tho Son; (tl) beo~use the Father's love reaches man through the Son; (-y) because "our  228 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S'l'. JOHN. [cu. v. 1-47.