1 John 5:12

12 Whoever has the Son has life, but 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 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. Anyone who does not believe makes God a liar, because that person does not believe what God told us about his Son.
11 This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God so you will know you have eternal life.
14 And this is the boldness we have in God's presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.