John 5:26
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus is revealing a crucial aspect of His divine nature: just as the Father is the uncaused source of life, He has also been given the same independent, self-sustaining life. This isn't about an eternal generation of the Son, but about the Father entrusting the incarnate Son with this inherent, life-giving power for His mission in the world.
Jesus is explaining his authority to heal and give life, claiming a power that belongs solely to God. He's responding to Jewish leaders who questioned his actions on the Sabbath, and he's asserting his divine identity by linking his authority to the Father's. The verses following will further elaborate on his role in judgment and resurrection, emphasizing his unique relationship with God.
How can Jesus claim to give life to the dead? It's because He shares the ultimate source of life itself with the Father.
This verse is a powerful declaration of the Son's divinity and equality with the Father.
Life as an Intrinsic Quality
The verse states, 'For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.' The phrase 'life in himself' (Greek: zoen en heauto) points to life that is not borrowed or derived, but is inherent and self-sufficient. The Father is the ultimate, unoriginated source of all life.
A Gift, Yet Divine Equality
While the text says the Father 'gave' this to the Son, it's crucial to understand this doesn't imply the Son lacked life inherently. Commentators suggest this giving refers to the Son's manifestation in human form, or His exaltation after the incarnation. Even in His earthly role, the Son possesses life intrinsically, just as the Father does. This isn't a lesser life, but a shared, divine attribute. It underscores that the Son's ability to give life is not dependent on someone else, but flows from His own divine nature.
Jesus speaks of raising the spiritually dead, but this verse hints at a power that extends even beyond that.
The ability to grant life, as spoken of here, has profound implications, touching both the spiritual and the future physical resurrection.
The Immediate Context: Spiritual Resurrection
Jesus has just said in verse 25, 'the hour is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.' This refers primarily to spiritual life – awakening from sin and alienation from God.
The Deeper Implication: Ultimate Authority
However, the commentators also highlight that this intrinsic life-giving ability also points to Jesus' authority over physical death. The Father gave the Son the power not just to impart spiritual life, but also to execute judgment (John 5:27), which includes the resurrection of the dead. Because the Son possesses life in Himself, He has the inherent authority to both give and restore life, whether it's the inner spiritual life or the ultimate bodily resurrection.
Understand the original words
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 echoes John 5:26 by stating 'In him was life, and the life was the light of men,' directly linking the Son to the very essence of life, mirroring the Father's self-existent life.
John 6:57Jesus declares 'As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me also will live because of me,' highlighting the reciprocal relationship of life between the Father and the Son, and then extending that to believers.
Philippians 2:6-7While John 5:26 speaks of the Son having life in Himself as a divine attribute, Philippians 2:6-7 beautifully describes the Son, who existed in the form of God, humbling himself and taking the form of a servant, which provides context for the 'giving' mentioned in John 5:26 in the economy of salvation.
Colossians 1:19This passage states 'For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,' reinforcing the idea that the Son possesses divine life within Himself, a fullness that originates from the Father and is inherent to His divine nature.
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…
Jesus is revealing a crucial aspect of His divine nature: just as the Father is the uncaused source of life, He has also been given the same independent, self-sustaining life. This isn't about an eternal generation of the Son, but about the Father entrusting the incarnate Son with this inherent, life-giving power for His mission in the world.
Jesus is explaining his authority to heal and give life, claiming a power that belongs solely to God. He's responding to Jewish leaders who questioned his actions on the Sabbath, and he's asserting his divine identity by linking his authority to the Father's. The verses following will further elaborate on his role in judgment and resurrection, emphasizing his unique relationship with God.
Jesus is explaining his authority to heal and give life, claiming a power that belongs solely to God. He's responding to Jewish leaders who questioned his actions on the Sabbath, and he's asserting his divine identity by linking his authority to the Father's. The verses following will further elaborate on his role in judgment and resurrection, emphasizing his unique relationship with God.
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"For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself." — Jesus is revealing a crucial aspect of His divine nature: just as the Father is the uncaused source of life, He has also been given the same independent, self-sustaining life. This isn't about an e…
