In this verse Jesus gives us a definition of eternal life. It is coming to really know God. This is more than coming to know the way to eternal life; knowing God is life itself.

“eternal” = aionios = pertaining to an age; to the Jews it would indicate pertaining to the age to come which had no end, thus it means eternal, everlasting, without an end.

“life” = zoe = the absolute fulness of life, the state of one who is possessed of vitality.

Eternal life is life that goes on forever, but the important aspect of eternal life is not its quantity, but its quality. It is not merely endless existence, but an ever-increasing knowledge of God. Westcott speaks of the quantity issue when he says, “It is not an endless duration of being in time, but being of which time is not a measure.” (qt’d in Morris p. 227)

As far as the quality issue, we all know what a blessing it is to know certain people. In fact, every person we come to know has an influence on our lives. “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.” (The Diary of Anais Nin, qt’d in Reader’s Digest, p 49, March 1999). If knowing people can be such a blessing and influence in our lives, how much more will knowing the one, true God transform us and bring us to a much higher plane of life!

The knowledge of God was an important Old Testament concept (Hab 2:14, Hos 4:6). One Rabbinic saying was that the smallest section of scripture upon which all the essentials of the Law hang is (Prov 3:6) which literally means, “know Him and He will direct your paths.” Another saying had reduced all of the commandments to one found in (Amos 5:4) “Seek me and live.” Both of these sayings equate knowing God with finding eternal life.

Habakkuk 2:14  For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Hosea 4:6  my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

Proverbs 3:6  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Amos 5:4  This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;

But our verse also equates eternal life with knowing Jesus Christ. It was through Jesus that all things were created (John 1:3, Col 1:16-17) and all life is totally dependent upon Him (John 1:4). Notice that life is not spoken of as having existence of its own, or even being made “by” or “through” Jesus; but only as existing “in” Him. Throughout this gospel John has associated life with Jesus (3:16, 5:40, 6:51, 6:53-58, 10:10, 10:18, 10:28, 11:25).

John 1:3  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Colossians 1:16-17  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

John 1:4  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 5:40  yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

John 6:51-58  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live for ever.”

John 10:10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:18  No-one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

John 10:28  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.

John 11:25  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

Eternal life consists in knowing both God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Temple wrote, “At one time I was much troubled that the climax of the Veni Creator  should be

Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And Thee, of Both, to be but One.

It seemed to suggest that the ultimate purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit was to persuade us of the truth of an orthodox formula. But that is mere thoughtlessness. If a man once knows the Spirit within him, the source of all his aspiration after holiness, as indeed the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and if he knows this spirit of Jesus Christ within himself as none other than the Spirit of the Eternal and Almighty God, what more can he want? This is the eternal life.”

The knowledge of “the only true God” comes only through Jesus Christ (14:6 -9). We can only know God through the revelation He has made and His revelation came through His Son. We cannot know Him in any other way.

John 14:6-9  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”  Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?