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And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:11 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
  • BSB And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
  • NKJV And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
  • NASB And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
  • NLT And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God's testimony is this: he has given us eternal life, and that life is found in his Son. Eternal life is a gift located entirely in Christ.

Overview

John summarizes the content of God's witness as the gift of eternal life through Jesus. This life is not earned but graciously given, and it exists only 'in his Son,' so that to have Christ is to have life. The verse points to the gospel's heart: salvation is a present possession for those united to the Son.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 36

  • Rom 6:23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • 1 Jn 2:25And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
  • John 3:36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
  • 1 Jn 5:20And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
  • John 1:4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
  • 1 Jn 4:9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
  • 1 Jn 1:1–3That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
  • John 17:2–3As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
  • John 10:28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
  • John 5:26For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
  • John 19:35And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
  • 1 Jn 5:10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
  • John 6:40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
  • John 6:68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
  • 1 Tim 1:16Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
  • Titus 1:2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
  • John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
  • 1 Jn 5:12–13He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
  • 1 Jn 5:7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
  • 3 Jn 1:12Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.
  • Col 3:3–4For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
  • John 3:15–16That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
  • Jude 1:21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
  • John 11:25–26Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
  • John 12:50And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
  • John 4:36And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
  • Rev 1:2Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
  • John 1:32–34And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
  • John 6:47Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
  • Matt 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
  • Rev 22:1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
  • John 5:21For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
  • John 8:13–14The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
  • Rom 5:21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • John 1:19And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
  • John 4:4And he must needs go through Samaria.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 John 5:11YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Jesus is the Word of life made manifest, the propitiation for our sins, the Son in whom is eternal life — 'that you may know that you have eternal life.'

How 1 John 5:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.