He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Parallel translations
- WEB One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
- KJV He 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.
- BSB Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
- NASB The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
- NLT And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”
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
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life now, but whoever rejects him will not see life and remains under God's wrath. One's relationship to the Son is a matter of life and death.
Overview
This concluding verse sharpens the choice: present possession of eternal life through faith, or abiding wrath through disobedient unbelief. 'Disobeys' shows that unbelief is a refusal to submit to the Son, not mere doubt. It presents the gospel's urgency, that life is found only in trusting and obeying Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 31
- John 5:24“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
- John 1:12But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:
- 1 Th 5:9For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
- Eph 5:6Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.
- John 3:15–16that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- 1 Jn 5:10–13He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
- Rom 1:17–18For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
- Rom 5:9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him.
- John 8:51Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”
- John 3:3Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”
- John 10:28I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
- 1 Th 1:10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
- Rev 21:8But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
- John 6:47–54Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.
- 1 Jn 3:14–15We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death.
- Rev 6:16–17They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
- Rom 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
- Ps 106:4–5Remember me, Yahweh, with the favor that you show to your people. Visit me with your salvation,
- Num 32:11‘Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me,
- Ps 36:9For with you is the spring of life. In your light shall we see light.
- Rom 8:24–25For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees?
- Gal 3:10For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
- Heb 2:3how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation — which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard;
- Luke 3:6All flesh will see God’s salvation.’”
- Job 33:28He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life shall see the light.’
- Ps 49:19he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.
- Hab 2:4Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith.
- Heb 10:29How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
- Ps 2:12Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
- Rom 4:15For the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.
- Luke 2:30for my eyes have seen your salvation,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 3:36 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.