1 John 5:12

12 Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 John 5:12

He that hath the Son
Has a spiritual and experimental knowledge of him, true faith in him; who has him dwelling in his heart, and living in him:

hath life:
not only spiritual life, being quickened by him, and living by faith on him, but eternal life; the knowledge he has of him is eternal life; he has it in faith and hope, and has a right unto it, and the earnest of it, as well as has it in Christ his representative, whom he has, and in whom this life is:

[and] he that hath not the Son of God;
no knowledge of him, nor faith in him, nor enjoyment of him:

hath not life;
he is dead in sin, he is alienated from the life of God, has no title to eternal life, nor meetness for it, nor shall enjoy it, but shall die the second death.

1 John 5:12 In-Context

10 So those who believe in the Son of God have this testimony in their own heart; but those who do not believe God, have made a liar of him, because they have not believed what God has said about his Son.
11 The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in his Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I am writing this to you so that you may know that you have eternal life - you that believe in the Son of God.
14 We have courage in God's presence, because we are sure that he hears us if we ask him for anything that is according to his will.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.