There are promises in Scripture that leave very little room for uncertainty. Jesus’ words in John 5 are some of them.
He doesn’t say that whoever believes might receive eternal life someday. He doesn’t say we can hope we’ve done enough to escape judgment. He doesn’t leave us wondering whether salvation becomes ours only after we’ve proven ourselves faithful enough.
Jesus says:
“Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.”
Has.
Right now.
And then He says something even more incredible:
“He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
Jesus isn’t describing a possibility. He’s describing what has already happened to the person who believes.
We were dead.
Through Christ, we live.
Today’s Saving Grace of God
John 5:24–27 (ESV)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.”
Setting the Scene
Jesus has just done something extraordinary.
Near the pool of Bethesda, He encountered a man who had been unable to walk for thirty-eight years. Jesus told him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”
And the man did.
But instead of celebrating the miracle, the religious leaders were upset because Jesus had healed him on the Sabbath.
Then the confrontation became much more serious.
Jesus referred to God as His Father, and John tells us plainly that the religious leaders understood what He was claiming. They sought all the more to kill Him because He was “calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”
Jesus’ response is one of the most powerful explanations of His identity and authority in John’s Gospel.
The Son gives life.
The Son has authority to judge.
The Son deserves the same honor as the Father.
And right in the middle of that declaration, Jesus tells us what happens to the person who hears His word and believes the Father who sent Him:
He has eternal life.
He does not come into judgment.
He has passed from death to life.
The One with the authority to judge is telling us how we can be saved.
Reflection
I think it’s easy to read “eternal life” and immediately think about heaven.
And it certainly includes heaven. What an incredible promise that is.
But Jesus doesn’t speak about eternal life here only in the future tense.
He says the person who believes has eternal life.
That’s a distinction I don’t ever want to miss.
My eternal life with Christ isn’t something that begins the moment I take my final breath.
It began the moment I belonged to Him.
That doesn’t mean every day suddenly becomes easy. It doesn’t mean our struggles disappear or that we immediately become everything God is shaping us to be.
But something fundamental has changed.
We’ve crossed over.
From death to life.
And I love that Jesus doesn’t leave us guessing about whether the crossing actually happened.
Look again at His words:
“Has eternal life.”
“Does not come into judgment.”
“Has passed from death to life.”
Those aren’t uncertain words.
For someone like me who can occasionally dig up old failures that God buried a long time ago, that’s enormous.
My feelings may change.
My confidence may wobble.
There may be days when I look at myself and wonder how God could possibly extend this much grace to me.
But Jesus’ promise doesn’t wobble with me.
I have passed from death to life.
There’s another part of this passage that makes those words even more powerful.
Jesus is the One speaking them.
The very One who says He has authority to execute judgment is also the One promising that whoever hears His word and believes the Father does not come into judgment.
Think about that.
The Judge Himself has declared what is true of those who believe.
We don’t have to spend our lives standing outside the courtroom wondering what the verdict will be.
Through Christ, we already know.
Life.
Short Prayer
Jesus, sometimes I still struggle to understand how you can love a sinner like me. My thoughts are not always nice. My attitude is sometimes more like Eeyore than Pooh. I have doubts that You’re working in my life for Your glory and my good.
When old sins or failures creep back into my thoughts and make me question what You have already settled, turn my eyes back to Your promise. Remind me that my salvation isn’t held together by my ability to be perfect. It is held securely in You.
Thank You that eternal life isn’t only something waiting for me someday. Thank You for giving me new life with You now and the promise of eternity in Your presence.
Teach me to live like someone who has truly crossed over.
In Your Son’s precious name, I pray. Amen.
Reflection Question
How would your life look different if you rested completely in Jesus’ words that you have passed from death to life?
Closing Encouragement
If you belong to Christ, you don’t have to wonder whether you’re still standing somewhere between death and life.
Jesus says you’ve crossed over.
You have eternal life.
You do not come into judgment.
You have passed from death to life.
Our walk with Jesus continues. Our faith grows. God continues changing us.
But the crossing?
Jesus says it has already happened.
Helpful Daily Resources
- Read the full chapter on Bible.com ~ John 5
- Enjoy Bible.com ~ Verse of the Day
- Try Bible.com ~ Bible Recap: Read the Bible in a Year Plan