Explain & Apply John 5:22-23

[Enow]

John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

John 5:22 reads to me as a judgment that is over every believer in our walk with Him.

John 5:23 is the standard of that judgment that is over every believer. The latter end of that verse 23 is signifying the negative of not honoring the Son which is not honoring the Father. It reads to me that it is by "only" honoring the Son is how any believer can honor the Father.

I am applying that to mean there is to be no honoring of the Holy Spirit in worship because that is not the will of the Father in how He wants us to honor Him by in worship.

If the latter part of verse 23 was not written, then there would be no opposition to honoring the Holy Spirit since it left that honor wide open to honor the Father in other ways, but since it does exists, then whenever the believer stops honoring the Son, then they are no longer honoring the Father for why the honoring of the Holy Spirit is not an option in honoring the Father.

Taking a step back; there are no verses that supports the "practice" of worshiping the Holy Spirit with the Father & the Son. Yes, the Holy Spirit is God of the Triune God, but scripture has narrowed the way in how we are to honor the Father by and that is by only honoring the Son.

If we look at sinners in the world like the American Indians that dance and chant for the "Great Spirit" to come whom liken being drunk with alcohol as the same as for when they were communing with the "Great Spirit", then we can see "why" all invitations to come to God the Father in worship all points to honoring the Son as the only way to come to God the Father by in worship.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber....7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

Why does it have to be this way? By not having the focus or spotlight on the Holy Spirit in worship, how else can a sinner called away from their former spirit worship and other sinners that commune with such spirits, know they are coming to God the Father in worship? How else can they know that they have repented and departed from such spirits unless the focus is only on the Son in worship? How can the church know that these sinners have repented and not calling forth their "familiar spirits" if there was a spotlight on the Holy Spirit in worship? How can any believer test the spirits unless they know that the real Holy Spirit indwells in them to keep the spotlight on the Son so that spirit in the worship place, visiting with signs and lying wonders to draw believers away from honoring the Son in worship to go chasing after them is the spirit of the antichrist as discerned in 1 John 4:1-6 ?

Didn't Jesus warned about false prophets coming into the churches being ecumenical in nature as the modified Nicene creed of 381 A.D. did introduce the practice of worshiping the Holy Spirit with the Father & the Son ( Matthew 7:15-16 ) thus broaden the way in the worship place ( Matthew 7:13-14 ) whereby many do fall for not heeding His words that Jesus is the only way to come to God the Father by in worship in these "movements" of what they assume was the Holy Spirit ( Matthew 7:24-27 ) in spite of the miraculous in Matthew 7:21-23 because they were in iniquity for broadening the way, thus workers of iniquity? Although some will judge their extra phenomenon to be of God, and judge others as not of God, yet they share the same tree when the focus is on the Holy Spirit in worship ( Matthew 7:17-20 ) and so they fail to see they are judging other fruits as not of God when judging the other fruits are from that same tree.

Is the only way to avoid this iniquity in the latter days is to narrow the way back to the straight gate by only honoring the Son in worship if they wish to honor the Father? Luke 13:24-30 seems to suggest this strenuously to avoid the consequence in being left behind.

So how do you read & apply John 5:22-23 in these latter days where confusion reigns and yet God is not the author of confusion ( 1 Corinthians 14:32-33 ) ? Is overlooking John 5:22-23 the reason why Jesus said only a few will find the way in coming to God the Father?

 

[Windmillcharge]

reads to me as a judgment that is over every believer in our walk with Him.

Yet Jesus is not talking to believers but to hostile Jewish leaders. So it has to be understood in this context and not in the context of Christian worship.

 

[Renniks]

I think you are stretching the Word considerably.
There's nothing in there about not worshipping the Holy Spirit.

 

[Enow]

Yet Jesus is not talking to believers but to hostile Jewish leaders. So it has to be understood in this context and not in the context of Christian worship.

Thank you for sharing.

Does what Jesus says to the hostile Jewish leaders cannot be applied to saved believers who do not honor the Son? If we take what Jesus said by itself as only directed at the hostile Jewish leaders, then why in that way?

John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Therefore the only way to honor the Father is by honoring the Son. john 5:22 cites the standard of judgment on every one that lives that the moment they stop honoring the Son, they are no longer honoring the Father and that has to include worship. How can it not?.

 

[Enow]

I think you are stretching the Word considerably.
There's nothing in there about not worshipping the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for sharing.

I have searched the entire Bible for verses that teaches the practice of worshiping the Holy Spirit with the Father & the Son, and found none.

That practice was introcuded by the modified Nicene creed in 381 A.D. and although there is a web site that gave a scriptural reference for each line in that Nicene creed, if any one did their due diligence and checked them, they would find that Matthew 3:16-17 does not teach for the practice of worshiping the Holy Spirit with the Father & the Son. All that reference did was show how the Holy Spirit bore witness by alighting on the Son to make the verbal witness of the Father from Heaven true as per required of men to give a true witness in John 8:17, and so does the Triune God in regarding the Son being God too. So there is no scripture testifying to honoring nor worshiping the Holy Spirit with the Father & the Son.

But to the contrary of what you had posted, the latter part of verse 23 states that when we stop honoring the Son, we are not honoring the Father. Jesus knows about the Holy Spirit and so He did not "forget" to mention that the honoring the Holy Spirit is another way to honor God the Father. So the latter part of that verse 23 is Jesus saying there is no other way to honor the Father by and that is the judgment rendered on everyone.

Understand that the Holy Spirit is God and of the Triune God, but because of sinners in the world that relates to spirits and the supernatural visitations, all invitations to coming to God the Father for anything is by the only way of the Son so sinners can depart from those spirits and the church can know that they have repented too.

 

[Renniks]

But to the contrary of what you had posted, the latter part of verse 23 states that when we stop honoring the Son, we are not honoring the Father. Jesus knows about the Holy Spirit and so He did not "forget" to mention that the honoring the Holy Spirit is another way to honor God the Father. So the latter part of that verse 23 is Jesus saying there is no other way to honor the Father by and that is the judgment rendered on everyone.

Why do you think honoring the spirit means we cease to honor Jesus?
Some will say we should not pray to Jesus but only to the father. But it all seems like an argument made from silence, not scripture.
Perhaps I don't understand what you are opposing? Is it bizarre activities that people attribute to the Holy Spirit? Isn't baptizing people in the name of the Holy Spirit honoring him?

 

[Enow]

Thank you for your questions.

Why do you think honoring the spirit means we cease to honor Jesus?

A brother in India testified how he never believed that the Holy Spirit did those manifestations as He did back in the early days of the church any more. Then he went on to talking about that calendar day Pentecost Sunday where after his adult calls on the Holy Spirit, they held a worship service to honor the Holy Spirit in worship. Then he felt something like liquid nitrogen seeping through his skull and he began confessing an apology against his will TO the Holy Spirit. The discernment is God would have a willing apology rather than a coerced one. So why did this happen? Why did God allowed that strong delusion to occur? Because they believe the lie that they can receive the Holy Spirit again apart from salvation.

The holy laughter movement went across the denominational divide in 1994 when it was no longer a streamlined Pentecostal/Charismatic event as it was happening in Catholic and Protestant churches. As many fall because the focus was on the "Holy Spirit", I apply Jesus's words of Matthew 7:24-27 as cause and effect for broadening the way in the worship place ( Matthew 7:13-14 ) for providing another way to come to God the Father by in worship which is an iniquity regardless of the absence of signs and lying wonders as per Matthew 7:21-23 that sometimes is a result when focus or honor is on the Holy Spirit in worship. Luke 13:24-30 teaches us that we are to narrow the way in the worship place or risk being left behind.

Since the devil is a roaming lion seeking whom he may devour, it is no wonder why it doesn't happen all the time, but it is happening in greater droves even in these latter days. Indeed, many are praying TO the Holy Spirit as if He is the also the Mediator between God and man; He is not.

So the moment we stop honoring the Son, we are not honoring the Father. Those led by the Spirit of God & scripture will only honor the Son.

Some will say we should not pray to Jesus but only to the father. But it all seems like an argument made from silence, not scripture.

Hebrews 4:12-16 would silence that notion that we are only to pray to the Father.

Perhaps I don't understand what you are opposing? Is it bizarre activities that people attribute to the Holy Spirit?

Yes and more than that when Luke 13:24-30 talks about eating and drinking in His Presence whereby believers believe when they come to communion, they are coming into His Presence at that moment when He has been with us always. That alone is an iniquity because it denies Him as always being in us so that there is no coming into His Presence at communion. Then there are those that believe Christ's Presence are in the bread & the wine to receive again and again and again which is also an iniquity for it denies the promise of having been received whereby we would no longer hunger nor thirst after Him and His righteousness to be filled as being always Spirit-filled since salvation is a testimony that we are saved.

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Matthew 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Isn't baptizing people in the name of the Holy Spirit honoring him?

In the Book of Acts, when they baptize new believers, it is done in the name of Jesus Christ. So that means the name, and not name(s), of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost is Jesus Christ as that is the name of God to call upon to be saved.

We acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is God and of the Triune God, but per Jesus's words, the only way to honor the Father is by honoring the Son, and when we stop honoring the Son, we are no longer honoring the Father. The iniquity is not honoring the Father when we are not only honoring the Son. So when the way has been broadened in the worship place, and many believers fall and confusion comes when focus and honor is on the Holy Spirit, we should not suffer a thief to break thru by narrowing the way back to the straight gate, the Son of God in worship ( John 13:31-32 & Philippians 2:5-13 ), prayer ( John 14:13-14 ), & fellowship ( 1 Corinthians 1:9-10 & 1 Corinthians 2:2 ).

So I believe believers as well as churches needs to repent of that iniquity of not only honoring the Father by the Son before the Bridegroom comes.

 

[Windmillcharge]

Thank you for sharing.

Does what Jesus says to the hostile Jewish leaders cannot be applied to saved believers who do not honor the Son? If we take what Jesus said by itself as only directed at the hostile Jewish leaders, then why in that way?

John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Therefore the only way to honor the Father is by honoring the Son. john 5:22 cites the standard of judgment on every one that lives that the moment they stop honoring the Son, they are no longer honoring the Father and that has to include worship. How can it not?.

Christians who don't honour the Son, isn't that a contradiction.

As Christians we should be obeying Jesus's command, if you love me you will obey me.

 

[Enow]

Christians who don't honour the Son, isn't that a contradiction.

As Christians we should be obeying Jesus's command, if you love me you will obey me.

Heed this command then.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Can you come to the Father by going to the Holy Spirit? No. The only way to come to God the Father and that has to include worship, is to come to the Son in honoring Him in worship in order to honor the Father in worship. That is the obedience Paul was talking about for believers to have that mind of Christ in worship.

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

It is not the Person of the Holy Spirit when He dwells in us to testify of the Son in seeking His glory and it is not by addressing the Trinity or the Triune God in worship in how God the Father is glorified but by only glorifying the Son. There is no other way to glorify God the Father by as there are no other name or reference by which we are to glorify God the Father by but by the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 13:31 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.