Do John 5 and John 8 Contradict?
Do John 5 and John 8 Contradict?
“But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me,” (John 8:16 NASB1995).
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,” (John 5:22 NASB1995).
The types of judgments being referenced are very different. John 5 is specifically referring to the second coming: “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment,” (John 5:25-29 NASB1995).
John 8, rather, is specifically referring to the Pharisees who are trying to condemn the Lord. Jesus notes that the Son is not alone in believing this for the Father also testifies on this fact: “So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me,” (John 8:13-18 NASB1995).
To summarize, the two passages refer to different acts of judgment. John 5 is specifically referring to the final judgment while John 8 is referring to the fact that the Father and Son both agree, that the Father acts as a witness of the Son.
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NASB 1995 Bible. United States, American Bible Society, 1995.