And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”
Parallel translations
- WEB I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”
- KJV And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
- NKJV And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
- NASB And I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
- NLT And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
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
Jesus knows the Father's commandment is eternal life, and so He speaks exactly what the Father tells Him. It links obedience to the Father's word with the gift of eternal life.
Overview
Jesus closes His public ministry affirming that the Father's word, which He faithfully delivers, leads to eternal life. To receive His teaching is to receive the life-giving will of God. The verse presents Christ as the trustworthy mediator of the Father's saving word, perfectly aligned with the Father in both message and mission.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- John 17:3Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
- John 6:68Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
- John 6:63The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
- 1 Jn 5:20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- John 20:31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
- 1 Tim 1:16But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
- 1 Jn 3:23–24And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.
- 1 Jn 5:11–13And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
- 1 Jn 2:25And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 12:50 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.