Bible Strands
1 John 5:12
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — John, writing to believers in the name of the Son (v. 13), states the summary of the testimony he has just laid out (v. 11).
The words — ζωή (zōē) carries both halves of the verse without qualification; the context (v. 11) identifies it as eternal life, but the word itself is simply "life," the noun that divides the two clauses.
The thread — John 3:36 mirrors the same binary: Son / life on one side, rejection / no life on the other. John 5:24 and John 1:12 supply the believing-and-receiving condition that makes the possession real.
Why it lands — The verse reduces the question to a single fact: whether the Son is yours. It asks the reader to check which side of that line they actually stand on, not to add works or feelings to the equation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Cross-references
- John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
- John 5:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
- John 1:12 But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
- Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
- John 3:15 that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
- 2 John 1:9 Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.
- Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
- Hebrews 3:14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.
- 1 John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.