“Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Parallel translations
- WEB “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.
- KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
- BSB Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
- NKJV “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
- NLT “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
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 hears Jesus' word and believes the Father has eternal life and has passed from death to life. Faith in Christ brings present, secure salvation.
Overview
This is one of the clearest gospel promises in John: hearing Christ's word and believing the Father brings eternal life now and escape from condemnation. The believer has already crossed from death into life. Salvation is a present possession grounded in faith, not merely a future hope.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 23
- John 3:36One 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.”
- John 6:40This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
- 1 Jn 5:11–13The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
- John 3:18He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
- 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.
- John 6:47Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.
- John 11:26Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
- John 10:27–30My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
- John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- John 20:31but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life 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,
- 1 Jn 3:14We 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.
- John 8:51Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”
- Rom 10:11–13For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”
- 1 Jn 5:1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.
- Mark 16:16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
- Rom 8:16–17The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
- 2 Th 2:13–14But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;
- John 12:44Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.
- Rom 8:33–34Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies.
- 1 Pet 1:21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.
- 1 Pet 1:5who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- Rom 8:28–30We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
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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 5:24 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.