Objection · Case 12 · Jehovah’s Witnesses
In the very next verse (John 5:19) Jesus says the Son can do nothing of his own accord, only what he sees the Father doing. Isn’t that a disclaimer of equality rather than a strengthening of the claim?
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Response
Witnesses cite 5:19, and it deserves an answer. Verses 19 to 23 describe a Son who does everything the Father does, gives life as the Father gives life, and is to be honored as the Father is honored; can do nothing of his own accord expresses the unity of action between them, not inferiority of nature, which is why the passage ends with equal honor. The dependence language is real and the Trinity affirms it: the Son is eternally from the Father. The Trinity case’s claim on submission and equality sitting side by side treats this at length.
About this exhibit
This objection is to The Gospel of John, chapter 5, verses 18 to 23.
John reports that they sought to kill Jesus because he was “making himself equal with God.” In the next verses Jesus says he does whatever the Father does and should receive the same honor as the…
Under Claim 07: In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ hearers understood his calling God his own Father as a claim to equality with God, and Jesus did not take it back.