1 John 2:23 Commentary and Bible Study

It is the will of the Father that all honour the Son (John 5:23), so that those who think they can bypass the Son and come straight to the Father find instead that they have only provoked the Father’s anger in the attempt. They dishonour the one whom he honours above all others, for though the Father subjected him to a state of infinite degradation; he raised him up and gave him a name that is above every name. They also arouse the Father’s wrath because they act as if the death of Christ on the cross was unnecessary and it is possible to approach God without a propitiation for sin. They want to define the terms on which God will receive them even though he will never alter his decree. Both times he puts the Son first, for the one who denies the Son forfeits the Father, but on the other hand the one who acknowledges the Son brings with him the Father also.