“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.”
(John 5:26)
God is revealed not only as Creator and Governor, but as the everlasting Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is precisely in this relationship that His glory shines with a peculiar and unsurpassed brightness. Scripture repeatedly calls believers to adore and worship God as “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:6; Eph. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:3) and the Son as “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3).
Had God been known only as the Father of men or even of angels, His glory would still have been great, but not displayed in the same height and depth now made known. Angels, though glorious, possess only a finite excellence. But the Father eternally begets a Son equal with Himself, without division, diminution, or change in His own essence.
John 5:26 echoes this truth, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” The Father is self-existent, and this self-existent life He communicates to the Son by eternal generation. The Son receives subsisting life from the Father, yet this reception does not make Him dependent as creatures are dependent.
Scripture is clear that the Son also “hath life in himself” (John 5:26), quickens whom He will (John 5:21), is one with the Father (John 10:30), and is rightly understood as equal with God (John 5:18). The Jews perceived correctly that Christ’s claim to Sonship was a claim to equality with God, as both possess the same divine nature, power, will, and glory.
Because Christ shares fully in the divine essence, He also shares fully in divine honor. No angel ever received such words as, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Heb. 1:5). For this reason, God commands all the angels to worship Him (Heb. 1:6). Moreover, the worship of Christ does not compete with the glory of the Father. Rather, it magnifies it. When every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, it is “to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11). The Father loses nothing by the equal glory of the Son, because the Son’s glory is the Father’s glory expressed.
Because of this, Christ is to be honored with the same worship as the Father. “That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). Scripture adds a solemn warning: “He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23). Any attempt to deny the Godhead of the Son under the pretense of honoring the Father is rejected by God Himself. That is to say, to abide in the doctrine of Christ is to have both the Father and the Son; to depart from it is to have neither (2 John 1:9).
This glory does not terminate with Father and Son alone. The Holy Ghost also shares in this divine life and glory. The Father and the Son together breathe forth the Spirit by eternal spiration. The Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 15:26) and is sent by the Son.
All divine works toward the creature—creation, preservation, and redemption—are inseparable works of the one God. The same God who is Alpha is also Omega, fully and perfectly God in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.[1]
The eternal generation of the Son and the eternal procession of the Spirit arise from who God is. We look upon the Son and bless the Father. We look upon the Father and bless the Son. We look upon Father and Son and bless the Spirit. We confess one God, blessed forever, and draw near with reverence and confidence, through the Son, by the Spirit.
Contemplations:
- Life that depends on no one. I receive breath, strength, and time all from outside myself. But You, O God, have life in Yourself. You do not depend on circumstances, resources, or approval; You are life itself, meaning my salvation rests on something far stronger than my emotions or consistency.
- Honoring the Son as I honor the Father. I realize how easy it is to speak about Christ in ways that sound respectful but stop short of worship. Yet Scripture leaves me no room to treat Him as anything less than fully God. My prayers, my obedience, and my trust must rise to Christ with the same reverence that I owe the Father, because to withhold that honor is to dishonor both.
- The Spirit as God with me. I often think of the Holy Spirit only in terms of help or comfort, but this text reminds me that He is equally divine. He is not a force or influence, but God dwelling in me. That changes how I view holiness. If my body is His temple, then I am grieving God when I continue in sin.
- A mystery that calls for worship, not control. I feel the need to want everything explained, yet the mystery of the Trinity is a truth I cannot understand but am called to believe as a foundation of my faith. This also reminds me that my faith does not grow by mastering God, but by trusting Him where my understanding runs out.
Prayer (Adoration)
Most holy and living God, You are complete, full, and lacking nothing. I worship You as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom all divine life eternally flows—without beginning, without decay, without interruption.
I bless You for the glory of Your Son, eternally begotten, light from light, true God from true God. I gladly confess that He has life in Himself, just as You have life in Yourself. I worship Him not as a lesser image, but as fully equal with You, sharing the same divine essence, power, and will.
I worship You also, Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, true God dwelling with and within Your people. I praise You for Your work in revealing the Son, sealing the promises of God, and making Your presence real in the hearts of believers. Teach me to regard Your dwelling within me with reverence and obedience rather than neglect.
Blessed Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one God, forever worthy of praise, I confess that my thoughts fall short and my words cannot reach the height of Your glory. Yet You have made Yourself known and invited Your Church to worship You as You truly are. I adore You for a life that does not fail, a truth that does not bend, and a glory that does not fade. Receive my worship, not because it adds anything to You, but because You alone are worthy.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for John 5:26:
John 1:4; Psalm 36:9; John 5:25; Col. 3:4
[1] Francis Cheynell, The Divine Trinunity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, (London: T.R. and E.M. for Samuel Gellibrand .., 1650), 54–63.
