“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
My Notes
What Does John 17:3 Mean?
Jesus defines eternal life — and the definition is not what most people expect. It is not duration. It is relationship. Eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ whom he sent.
The word "know" (ginosko) means intimate, experiential knowledge — not facts about God, but personal relationship with God. This is the knowing of deep friendship, not the knowing of a textbook.
"The only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" establishes two objects of this knowing: the Father and the Son. Eternal life exists in the relationship between the believer and both persons.
Jesus prays this in John 17 — his high priestly prayer before his arrest. He is defining the purpose of everything he has done: that people would know God. Not just go to heaven. Know God.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How is knowing God different from knowing about God?
- 2.What does it change that eternal life is defined by relationship rather than destination?
- 3.How do you deepen your experiential knowledge of God?
- 4.If eternal life starts now through knowing God, how does that affect how you live today?
Devotional
This is life eternal, that they might know thee. Not that they might go to heaven. Not that they might escape punishment. That they might know God.
Eternal life is not primarily about duration. It is about relationship. Knowing God — personally, intimately, experientially — is eternal life. It starts now, not after death.
If your picture of eternal life is an endless future somewhere beyond the clouds, Jesus refocuses it: it is knowing the only true God. The relationship is the life. Not the setting. Not the duration. The knowing.
That changes everything about faith. It is not a system to master or a checklist to complete. It is a person to know. And the knowing deepens over a lifetime — and apparently beyond it.
Do you know God? Not know about God — that is different. Do you know him the way you know someone you have spent time with, talked to honestly, trusted with real things? That knowing is the life Jesus is talking about. And it is available now.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And this is life eternal,.... That is, the beginning and pledge of it, the way unto it, and means of it, and what will…
This is life eternal - This is the source of eternal life; or it is in this manner that it is to be obtained. The…
This is life eternal - The salvation purchased by Christ, and given to them who believe, is called life:
1. Because the…
Here we have, I. The circumstances of this prayer, Joh 17:1. Many a solemn prayer Christ made in the days of his flesh…
And this is life eternal More exactly, But the life eternal is this. - Thelife eternal" means that which has just been…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture