For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While Jesus has life intrinsically, just like the Father, this verse highlights that this "life in himself" was given to Him. This isn't about a lesser, derived life, but about the Father communicating His own self-sustaining life to the Son, especially in His incarnate role, so that He could then bestow life on others.
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is explaining his authority to heal and to give life, pushing back against those who question him. He's just claimed that the Father gives him the power to heal and grant life, and this verse elaborates on the divine source of that power, linking it directly to his unique relationship with the Father. This sets the stage for him to assert his divine authority to judge as well.
Have you ever stopped to think about where life itself comes from? Jesus points us to the ultimate source.
Jesus declares in this verse that the Father has 'life in himself.' This isn't just about existing; it means the Father is the uncaused, unoriginated, and absolute source of all life. He doesn't depend on anything or anyone else for His existence or His ability to give life. He is life.
This is a profound theological truth. It sets God apart from everything else in creation. We, and all things, receive life as a gift, but God possesses it inherently. He is the eternal 'I Am.'
Jesus doesn't just mirror the Father; He shares in that same divine, independent life. How is this possible?
The verse continues, 'so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.' This is a staggering declaration of Jesus' divinity. Just as the Father possesses life inherently, the Father has given this same capacity for independent, unorigotten life to the Son. This isn't life that the Son merely receives from another source in a dependent way, but life that He possesses in Himself, just as the Father does.
This points to the eternal relationship within the Godhead. While the Father is the ultimate fountain, the Son, in His divine nature, shares that same self-existent life. This shared divine nature is the basis for Jesus' authority and power, including His ability to give life to those who are spiritually dead.
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zōē en heautō · Greek Noun phrase
The essential attribute of God as the self-existent Source of all existence; it denotes that God possesses life inherently and does not depend on anything external for His existence.
This verse describes 'life' being 'in' the Word (Jesus), directly paralleling John 5:26's assertion that the Son has life 'in himself'.
John 6:57Jesus states 'I live because of the Father,' which echoes the concept of deriving life from the Father, as mentioned in John 5:26, while also highlighting the unique relationship.
Philippians 2:6-7This passage describes Jesus, though divine, emptying himself and taking the form of a servant, which relates to the idea that the Father 'gave' the Son to have life in himself, especially in his incarnate state.
Colossians 1:19It states that all fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ, which connects to the Son possessing life in himself as a divine attribute bestowed by the Father.
ellicottJohn 5:26: "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;"
(26) Hath he given to the Son. —Better, gave He to the Son also. Life in himself.—The Son has spoken of the dead hearing His voice and living, but this giving of life to others can only be by one who has in himself an original source of life. This the Father has, and this the Son also has. To the Son in His pre-existent state it was natural, as being equal with the Father. To the Son who ha…
calvinJohn 5:25-29: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
- Verily, verily, I say to you, That the hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. 26. For as the Father hath life in himself, so also hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. 27. And he hath given him power to execute judgment also, because he is the Son…
While Jesus has life intrinsically, just like the Father, this verse highlights that this "life in himself" was given to Him. This isn't about a lesser, derived life, but about the Father communicating His own self-sustaining life to the Son, especially in His incarnate role, so that He could then bestow life on others.
Jesus is explaining his authority to heal and to give life, pushing back against those who question him. He's just claimed that the Father gives him the power to heal and grant life, and this verse elaborates on the divine source of that power, linking it directly to his unique relationship with the Father. This sets the stage for him to assert his divine authority to judge as well.
Jesus is explaining his authority to heal and to give life, pushing back against those who question him. He's just claimed that the Father gives him the power to heal and grant life, and this verse elaborates on the divine source of that power, linking it directly to his unique relationship with the Father. This sets the stage for him to assert his divine authority to judge as well.
"For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself." — While Jesus has life intrinsically, just like the Father, this verse highlights that this "life in himself" was given to Him. This isn't about a lesser, derived life, but about the Father communica…
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Last reviewed October 2026