John 5:24-27

²⁴"I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. ²⁷And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man.

Again, Jesus begins with, “I tell you the truth,” so listen up! John Calvin summarizes this verse well: “Here is the described way and manner of honoring God, that no one may think that it consists solely in any outward performance, or in frivolous ceremonies. For the doctrine of the Gospel seems as a scepter to Christ, by which He governs believers whom the Father has made His subjects…Christ demands from us no other honor than to obey His Gospel.” Jesus likewise commends the fruit of obedience – eternal life, that we may be more willing to obey. It’s hard for us to imagine being so hardened as to keep from submitting to Christ, when the reward of eternal life is offered, and it is painful to see a great number of people refuse to come to Christ. This truth is both a fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 7:13-14) and a great witness to human depravity. It pains believers that so many choose to perish of their own accord than to surrender to obedience to the Son of God. Yet we humbly acknowledge that our surrender was solely by His grace.

By saying, “Whoever believes will not be condemned,” Jesus is saying that all are under condemnation and only by believing in Him can we escape these wages for our sin against God (John 3:36; Romans 8:1). When Jesus speaks of the believer having “crossed over from death to life,” does not mean that we will not experience physical death; rather, we are free from the state of death – that is, separation from God – thanks to the life that has only begun in us. Believers are so certain of obtaining this state of eternal life that we ought not fear death; after all, we are united to Him who is the inexhaustible fountain of life.

Jesus one more time in this passage begins with, “I tell you the truth.” Pay attention, because this is a critical statement. He goes on: “The dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man and live.” Some commentators suggest He is talking only about physical death, prophesying of Lazarus’ physical resurrection to come (John 11:44), as he heard Jesus’ voice while physically dead; but most agree that He is talking about spiritual death and will add the physical in v28. When Jesus calls our name, we are quickened to spiritual life, and our hearts are opened to receive Christ through the hearing of the Gospel (ala Mary in John 20:16). Note Jesus’ comment that “the dead will hear, and those who hear will live.” There is a double-grace given here – first that the spiritually dead would hear and second that upon hearing the spiritually dead would come alive.

One more possibly confusing element is found in v25. Jesus says, “A time is coming and has now come” when this will happen. Calvin comments: “He thus speaks of it as a thing which had never before happened; and, indeed, the publication of the Gospel was a new and sudden resurrection of the world. But did not the word of God always give life to men? This question may be easily answered. The doctrine of the Law and the Prophets was addressed to the people of God, and consequently must have been rather intended to preserve in life those who were the children of God than to bring them back from death. But it was otherwise with the Gospel, by which nations formerly estranged from the kingdom of God, separated from God, and deprived of all hope of salvation, were invited to become partakers of life.”

In v26, we read that the Father and Son have life in Themselves. Certainly this means that They are Self-existent, but it’s more than that. They have the authority and power to grant life. And wrapping up with v27, we learn why Christ was given authority and power and the right to judge. It is because He is the Son of Man. He did not require that title, but it was given Him as the Author of life for us as a result of His humbling and exaltation (Philippians 2:7-10). It can be explained by saying, “What had been hidden in God is revealed to us in Christ as the Son of Man, and life, which was formerly inaccessible, is now placed before our eyes.” The Son of Man, as the Light of life, reveals life to us in the flesh.