Should Jesus be worshipped?

by Melody 25 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Wonderment
    Wonderment

    aqwsed: "In sum, the linguistic, canonical, and historical data converge on a single verdict: the Son is to be worshipped."

    Vanderhoven7: "There is not one example of the disciples or anyone else in scripture limiting their expression of worship of Christ."

    ---

    Yet, the Son himself directed religious worship toward the Father:

    Nevertheless, the hour is coming ... when the true worshippers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for indeed, the Father is looking for ones like these to worship him. (John 4.23)

    In reply Jesus said to him [Satan]: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” (Luke 4.8)

  • aqwsed12345
    aqwsed12345
    @Wonderment

    Your argument presumes a zero-sum dynamic between the Father and the Son, as though exclusive devotion to the Father were logically or theologically incompatible with the full, cultic worship of the Son. John 4:23 is not an exclusion of the Son from worship, but rather sets the stage for a new mode of worship, “in Spirit and in truth,” inaugurated by the coming of Christ. In Johannine theology, “truth” is not a mere abstraction; it is intimately bound to the person of Jesus, who unambiguously declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Far from relativizing the Son or reducing Him to a mere conduit, this identification means that the very act of true worship is now mediated through and oriented by Christ Himself. Hence, the same Gospel repeatedly depicts Jesus as the recipient of proskynesis—formal acts of worship—which He never rebukes (John 9:38; cf. John 20:28). If Johannine Christology intended to delimit worship to the Father alone, this narrative and theological motif would be inexplicable.

    The citation of Luke 4:8 likewise fails as an Arian prooftext. Jesus is here quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, affirming the Shema and the monotheistic devotion that defines Israel’s worship. Yet, what the objector overlooks is that the entire shape of NT devotion to Christ is forged precisely within this monotheistic matrix. The earliest Christians, themselves monolatrous Jews, would have recoiled at any suggestion of creaturely worship that rivaled God. Yet the canonical texts—especially Revelation 5:13-14—portray the Lamb as enthroned alongside the Father, receiving the same doxological acclamation, the same proskynesis, the same universal blessing, honor, glory, and power “forever and ever.” The language is not distributive but unitive: a single throne, a single worship, a single sovereignty. The divine prerogatives that belong to the Lord God of Israel are, astonishingly, extended to the Son without any hint of rivalry or diminution. The singular grammar of Revelation 22:3—“his servants will worship him”—further demonstrates that the Father and the Lamb are recipients of the same cultic service.

    Moreover, the Arian reading misrepresents the logic of Trinitarian theology. The doctrine does not posit three gods, nor does it teach a division of the divine essence. Rather, the one God exists eternally as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons, such that to worship the Son is not to draw honor away from the Father but to honor the Father as He has revealed Himself—in the Son and by the Spirit. As Jesus Himself declares in John 5:23, “That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” This is not a statement of “relative honor” but of equal, unqualified, and divine honor. The economic mission of the Son—His incarnation, ministry, and mediatorial work—unfolds within the unity of the divine will and does not negate His intrinsic divinity or His worthiness of worship.

    Furthermore, the worship offered to Christ in the NT is not merely that of honor or respect, but of the cultic, doxological adoration owed to God alone. Thomas’s acclamation, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), is not an aberration but the climactic confession of the Johannine narrative. The hymnic traditions in Philippians 2:6-11 and Colossians 1:15-20 explicitly ascribe to Christ the name, authority, and creative prerogatives of the Lord God. The cosmic liturgy of Revelation crowns this witness, culminating in the prostration of every creature before both the Father and the Lamb.

    In conclusion, the objection that Jesus’ direction of worship to the Father in a few isolated texts precludes the worship of the Son simply does not withstand the force of the full canonical and theological evidence. The NT’s vision is not one of competitive devotion, but of an integrated, tri-personal worship wherein to worship the Son is, by divine appointment and self-revelation, to worship the Father. The earliest Christian communities—composed of strict monotheists—consistently rendered cultic adoration to Christ precisely because they recognized Him as the definitive manifestation of Israel’s God. To deny the Son this worship is not to uphold biblical monotheism, but to rend asunder the unity of revelation and to impoverish the faith delivered once for all to the saints. The Church’s unwavering confession, expressed in creed, canon, and liturgy, remains: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”

  • Wonderment
    Wonderment

    Vanderhoven7: "The truth is that ALL MEN SHOULD HONOR THE SON EVEN AS THEY HONOR THE FATHER (Jn.5:22, 23)" (Capital letters, his)

    ---

    I agree! However, the problem facing Trinitarians is that, either by action or tradition, they fail to honor the Father as they honor the Son. Besides, the message here is not that Christ followers should honor the Son to the same degree in a quantitative sense as they do with the Father. Rather, the Jewish audience (in the 1st Century), who traditionally worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, must now welcome this new arrival sent by The God as venue of salvation, as if it was God himself. (John 3.16; 1 Tim. 2.5; 1 John 5.13)

  • Vanderhoven7
    Vanderhoven7

    @Wonderment

    That Jesus worshiped the Father does not preclude Jesus being entitled to worship...as the closing verses of Revelation 5 declare.

    Jesus invites believers to commune with Him. However, those who see Him merely as a glorious angel do not commune with Him; talk to Him or share their burdens with him.

    "Come unto me!", is the gospel call cascading down the corridors of time. No relationship with Jesus is death. The lives of those who know Jesus will be filled with praises prompted by the Holy Spirit whose role is to glorify the Son for His grace, mercy and salvation.

    For example

    https://youtu.be/HSDHP-Oncxk?si=ksXQ2ITCbXuK1KA0

  • stan livedeath
    stan livedeath

    should jesus be worshipped ?

    sure--why not. Whatever floats your boat.

    Or are you afraid something will happen to you if you dont ?

    Either way--i dont suppose Haysoos could give a toss.

  • Melody
    Melody

    I'm just learning how to operate this board so I don't know how to reply to a specific answer. However, there have been some beautiful, explicit answers to the question of whether Jesus should be worshipped.

    The explanation of προσκυνέω is perfect. The problem is, explaining this to someone who is PIMI is simply not possible. They would not listen that long. I'm trying to figure out how to simplify all of this to counter the argument they have that Jesus should not be worshipped at all. I hope that makes sense.

    Thank you too everyone who has explained this is such detail!

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