Jesus was sure eternal life is in who you know

JESUS WAS SURE- ETERNAL LIFE IS IN WHO YOU KNOW
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You
have sent.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Knowledge And Life: A Sermon For The Young
John 17:3
J.R. Thomson
We cannotdoubt that God knows us. We cannotconceive ofhim otherwise
than as knowing all things. "He telleth the number of the stars;" and at the
same time he reads the secrets ofevery heart. The psalmist took a just view of
his Godwhen he exclaimed, "Thou art acquainted with all my ways:for there
is not a word in my tongue, but lo Lord, thou knowestit altogether." But
whilst God knows us perfectly, we can only know him imperfectly. Yet it is
both a wonderful and a happy thing that we can know him at all.
I. THERE IS MUCH WE CANNOT KNOW OF GOD. If we are often baffled
in studying the works of his hands, we cannotbe surprised that the Divine
artificer is too high for us to comprehend him. If we are perplexed in our
endeavors to understand the soul of man, how can we expect to fathom the
mysteries of the Divine nature? It is said that King Hiero askedthe

philosopher Simonides, "Who is God?" The wise man askedfor a day to
reflectand to prepare an answer. Finding this insufficient, he askeda week,
and then a year. But time and meditation brought no light which could satisfy
him, and the query remained unanswered. Godin the spiritual realm is like
his universe in the material realm; of which the greatPascalsaid, "It is a
circle whose centeris everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." It is
said that the Emperor Trajan, addressing a Jewishrabbi, Joshua by name,
said, "Show me your God." The sage answered, "Comeout of the house, and
see one of his ambassadors." Leading him into the daylight, the rabbi bade the
emperor look upon the sun, then shining in his strength. "What! cannot you
look in the face of the ambassador? are you blinded by his dazzling presence?
How can you look upon the countenance of the King?" "No man hath seen
God at any time." Who can by searching find out God? We see glimpses, we
hear whisperings, of his powerand wisdom; but there is an infinity which
comes not within our ken. A child follows the course of the brook which flows
through his father's fields; he reaches the point where it joins the river in the
valley; but he dreams not of the sea into which that river empties itself.
II. WE CAN KNOW OF GOD WHAT IS OF MOST VALUE TO US. If we
cannot understand the Divine nature, if there are some of his attributes, as,
for example, his omnipresence, whichutterly baffle our intellect, still there is
much that is within our apprehension. We can know that the Lord our Godis
one God, that he is wise, that he is just and faithful, that he is compassionate
and merciful. Now, whatdoes it matter to a child that he cannot understand
his father's occupations, that he is not able to appreciate his father's abilities,
so long as he is sure that his father will give him goodadvice, so long as he is
sure that his father will provide for his wants, bodily and mental? Suppose the
father to be a statesman;the child cannot enter into the reasons ofnational
polity. Suppose the father to be a lawyer;the child cannot form any opinion of
his father's conduct of a case in court. But the child can know that his father
will receive with kindness any application which may be made to him for
guidance, for help, for the means of acquiring knowledge orrational
enjoyment. The child can know that the father's house will not be shut against
him, that he is ever welcome to the father's table, that the father's time is

always at his service. In like manner we are quite capable of knowing what is
God's will, of understanding the propriety of obedience to that will, of valuing
the opportunities we have of learning and obeying our heavenly Father.
III. THERE ARE SPECIAL WAYS IN WHICH GOD GIVES US
KNOWLEDGE OF HIMSELF. We cannot see him directly, but we cansee
him, so to speak, by reflection. He has given us two mirrors in which the
spiritual lineaments of his Divine characterbecome visible to us.
1. There is the mirror of nature. It is allowedus "to look through nature up to
nature's God."
"There's nothing bright above, below,
From flowers that bloom to stars that glow,
But in its light my soul cansee
Some feature of the Deity." It is said that on one occasionNapoleon
Bonaparte was on the deck of a ship on a calm summer night, when his
officers around him were magnifying nature, and disputing the existence of
God. The great commander listened, and then pointed to the hosts of heaven,
saying, "All very well, gentlemen, but who createdthese?"
2. There is the mirror of our own spiritual mature. The psalmist lookedinto
this mirror, and saw therein the reflectionof the Lord, the Ruler, the Judge,
of all. "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so pantethmy soul after
thee, O God."
IV. IT IS IN JESUS CHRIST THAT GOD GRANTS US THE CHIEF
REVELATION OF HIMSELF. Nature and conscience are mirrors; Christ is

the very shining forth of the Divine glory. We must not make an image of
God; but God has given us a perfect image of himself, of his moral attributes.
When we have once seenGod in his dear Son, we recognize his presence
everywhere and in all things. As the sun illumines a hundred snow-cladpeaks,
and every summit glows and glitters forth his splendor, so when Godappears
in Christ, his attributes are seenin all his works and all his ways. Especially
do we through Jesus come to the knowledge ofthe Divine holiness,
righteousness, andlove.
V. IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN CHRIST IS THE ETERNALLIFE.
Of our Lord Jesus an apostle affirms," This is the true God, and the Eternal
Life." Now, an ignorant, uninformed, uninstructed soul is a dead soul. It is
knowledge that enkindles mental life, that calls forth the intellectual powers.
And it is the highestknowledge which is the Divine means of awakening the
highest life. This life is calledeternal, because it is not like earthly life which
perishes, but because it is of a higher kind - because it is the life of God
himself, spiritual and Divine. A boy taken from an inferior position, with few
opportunities of improvement and no profitable companions, may be brought
into a position where advantages are many, opportunities precious, associates
inspiring. He may come to say, "This is life indeed! So Saul became Paul -
when he had seenand known Christ. - T.
Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom You have sent.
Sermons
Deathof Fisher W. Baxendale. John 17:3
Eternal Life in the Knowledge of God and Christ Phillips Brooks, D. D.
John 17:3
Knowledge -- Powerin Religion W. Veenschoten John 17:3

Knowledge and Life: a Sermon for the Young J.R. Thomson John 17:3
On Knowing GodI. S. Spencer, D. D. John 17:3
Saving Knowledge B. Wilkinson, F. G. S. John 17:3
The Everlasting Life J. Spence, D. D. John 17:3
The Knowledge of God J. Hannah, D. D. John 17:3
The Knowledge of God is Eternal Life W. Landels.John 17:3
What Eternal Life is Given for D. Young John 17:3
A Petition Urged by a ThreefoldArgument W. Harris. John 17:1-5
Christ's Authority R. H. Story.John 17:1-5
Christ's Prayer for Himself T. Whitelaw, D. D. John 17:1-5
God has no Son Without Prayer C. H. Spurgeon. John 17:1-5
Supreme Things in Man's Spiritual History D. Thomas, D. D. John 17:1-5
The Divine Glorification J. Spence, D. D. John 17:1-5
The Final Hour of the Son of God R. Watson. John 17:1-5
The MediatorialGlory of Christ T. Alexander, M. A. John 17:1-5
The Momentous Hour Homiletic Magazine John 17:1-5
The Prayerof Christ B. Wilkinson, F. G. S. John 17:1-5
The RoyalPrerogative T. Alexander, M. A. John 17:1-5
The Supreme Hour W. Braden. John 17:1-5
The Supreme Hour T. Alexander, M. A. John 17:1-5

Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Knowledge And Life: A Sermon For The Young
John 17:3
J.R. Thomson
We cannotdoubt that God knows us. We cannotconceive ofhim otherwise
than as knowing all things. "He telleth the number of the stars;" and at the
same time he reads the secrets ofevery heart. The psalmist took a just view of
his Godwhen he exclaimed, "Thou art acquainted with all my ways:for there
is not a word in my tongue, but lo Lord, thou knowestit altogether." But
whilst God knows us perfectly, we can only know him imperfectly. Yet it is
both a wonderful and a happy thing that we can know him at all.
I. THERE IS MUCH WE CANNOT KNOW OF GOD. If we are often baffled
in studying the works of his hands, we cannotbe surprised that the Divine
artificer is too high for us to comprehend him. If we are perplexed in our
endeavors to understand the soul of man, how can we expect to fathom the
mysteries of the Divine nature? It is said that King Hiero askedthe
philosopher Simonides, "Who is God?" The wise man askedfor a day to
reflectand to prepare an answer. Finding this insufficient, he askeda week,
and then a year. But time and meditation brought no light which could satisfy
him, and the query remained unanswered. Godin the spiritual realm is like
his universe in the material realm; of which the greatPascalsaid, "It is a
circle whose centeris everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." It is
said that the Emperor Trajan, addressing a Jewishrabbi, Joshua by name,
said, "Show me your God." The sage answered, "Comeout of the house, and
see one of his ambassadors." Leading him into the daylight, the rabbi bade the
emperor look upon the sun, then shining in his strength. "What! cannot you
look in the face of the ambassador? are you blinded by his dazzling presence?
How can you look upon the countenance of the King?" "No man hath seen
God at any time." Who can by searching find out God? We see glimpses, we
hear whisperings, of his powerand wisdom; but there is an infinity which
comes not within our ken. A child follows the course of the brook which flows

through his father's fields; he reaches the point where it joins the river in the
valley; but he dreams not of the sea into which that river empties itself.
II. WE CAN KNOW OF GOD WHAT IS OF MOST VALUE TO US. If we
cannot understand the Divine nature, if there are some of his attributes, as,
for example, his omnipresence, whichutterly baffle our intellect, still there is
much that is within our apprehension. We can know that the Lord our Godis
one God, that he is wise, that he is just and faithful, that he is compassionate
and merciful. Now, whatdoes it matter to a child that he cannot understand
his father's occupations, that he is not able to appreciate his father's abilities,
so long as he is sure that his father will give him goodadvice, so long as he is
sure that his father will provide for his wants, bodily and mental? Suppose the
father to be a statesman;the child cannot enter into the reasons ofnational
polity. Suppose the father to be a lawyer;the child cannot form any opinion of
his father's conduct of a case in court. But the child can know that his father
will receive with kindness any application which may be made to him for
guidance, for help, for the means of acquiring knowledge orrational
enjoyment. The child can know that the father's house will not be shut against
him, that he is ever welcome to the father's table, that the father's time is
always at his service. In like manner we are quite capable of knowing what is
God's will, of understanding the propriety of obedience to that will, of valuing
the opportunities we have of learning and obeying our heavenly Father.
III. THERE ARE SPECIAL WAYS IN WHICH GOD GIVES US
KNOWLEDGE OF HIMSELF. We cannot see him directly, but we cansee
him, so to speak, by reflection. He has given us two mirrors in which the
spiritual lineaments of his Divine characterbecome visible to us.
1. There is the mirror of nature. It is allowedus "to look through nature up to
nature's God."

"There's nothing bright above, below,
From flowers that bloom to stars that glow,
But in its light my soul cansee
Some feature of the Deity." It is said that on one occasionNapoleon
Bonaparte was on the deck of a ship on a calm summer night, when his
officers around him were magnifying nature, and disputing the existence of
God. The great commander listened, and then pointed to the hosts of heaven,
saying, "All very well, gentlemen, but who createdthese?"
2. There is the mirror of our own spiritual mature. The psalmist lookedinto
this mirror, and saw therein the reflectionof the Lord, the Ruler, the Judge,
of all. "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so pantethmy soul after
thee, O God."
IV. IT IS IN JESUS CHRIST THAT GOD GRANTS US THE CHIEF
REVELATION OF HIMSELF. Nature and conscience are mirrors; Christ is
the very shining forth of the Divine glory. We must not make an image of
God; but God has given us a perfect image of himself, of his moral attributes.
When we have once seenGod in his dear Son, we recognize his presence
everywhere and in all things. As the sun illumines a hundred snow-cladpeaks,
and every summit glows and glitters forth his splendor, so when Godappears
in Christ, his attributes are seenin all his works and all his ways. Especially
do we through Jesus come to the knowledge ofthe Divine holiness,
righteousness, andlove.
V. IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN CHRIST IS THE ETERNALLIFE.
Of our Lord Jesus an apostle affirms," This is the true God, and the Eternal
Life." Now, an ignorant, uninformed, uninstructed soul is a dead soul. It is
knowledge that enkindles mental life, that calls forth the intellectual powers.
And it is the highestknowledge which is the Divine means of awakening the

highest life. This life is calledeternal, because it is not like earthly life which
perishes, but because it is of a higher kind - because it is the life of God
himself, spiritual and Divine. A boy taken from an inferior position, with few
opportunities of improvement and no profitable companions, may be brought
into a position where advantages are many, opportunities precious, associates
inspiring. He may come to say, "This is life indeed! So Saul became Paul -
when he had seenand known Christ. - T.
Biblical Illustrator
This is life eternal.
John 17:3
The everlasting life
J. Spence, D. D.
I. THE INESTIMABLE BLESSING OF WHICH OUR LORD SPEAKS. Life
is a greatboon. "My kingdom," a dying monarch is reported to have said,

"for an inch of time." Yet after all what is this present life in itself (James
4:14)? And when it is most eagerlyprized and most hilariously spent, its
possessormay in the saddestsense be dead (Romans 8:6). Eternal life is the
highest possible life for man. Two causes may end our life on earth. It may be
terminated by external force or by inward disease.Eternallife —
1. Has nothing to terminate it from without. Force from God alone can end
life; and the Divine poweris entirely on the side of this life.
2. Is without anything to end it from within. Diseasedestroys physicallife. But
eternal life is the progress and consummation of a life begun on earth by a
new birth from God, and has in it no element of evil.
II. HOW CAN THIS LIFE BE REALIZED? It is not that this knowledge
leads or points out the way to attain it. Life itself consists in this knowledge —
1. God and Christ are its objects. The Father is called"the true God" in
opposition to false deities. The juxtaposition of Christ with the Father, and the
knowledge ofboth being defined to be eternallife, is the strongestinferential
evidence of the Godheadof the Son. But why does Jesus, as Mediator, thus
make the knowledge ofHimself essentialto life?(1) Becausethe Father can be
known only through the Son; and(2) knownas gracious towards mankind
only in Him.
2. But we must not suppose that this is bare intellectual knowledge. It is the
conscious possessionofGod. Certain truths about Godmay be seenin many
ways and everywhere;but the spiritual perception of God Himself can only be
reachedin Christ.

3. This knowledge involves spiritual submissionto God, or the personal
receptionof Him. Only to the soul that receives Him will He revealHis glory
(Revelation3:20; John 14:23). To all who receive Him, He manifests Himself
as He does not unto the world. With respectto our fellow-men, we frequently
use such language as this: "I scarcelyknow him," or "I knew him well," and
the phraseologyvaries according to our acquaintance with the man's
characteror his moral and socialqualities. We may believe from report in a
man's generosity;but how different is our estimate or appreciationof his
characterwhen we can sayfrom experience that we know it. Abraham
believed God and obeyed; but when the Divine promise was fulfilled, and the
Divine faithfulness proved, the patriarch knew God in a way that he did not
know Him before.
III. HOW COMES IT THAT THIS TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS
LIFE? We know what connectionthere is betweenknowledge andthe energy
and enjoyment of our every-day life. "Knowledge is power." It has the power
of salvation, transformation, progress. It is knowledge whichlifts up the life of
the savage. The highestknowledge for man must be the highestlife.
1. The true knowledge ofour heavenly Father involves the communication of
influence, and influence flowing forth from God is quickening. Real
knowledge cannot be receivedwithout a healthful influence on the soul. A
penitent child cannot know that his father has forgiven him without feeling
emotions of tenderness and joy. What, then, must be the influence of the
knowledge ofthe true God, our God and Father!
2. This knowledge promotes fellowshipand communion with God, which is
life. To man, as a socialbeing, fellowshipwith others is life. The contactof
thought with thought, and the communion of affectionwith affection, are
elements of men's true life on earth. What, then, must be the fellowship of the
soul with God, but life of the highest order?

3. This knowledge promotes likenessto God; and this assimilationto God is
the very highest life (1 Colossians 3:10).
(J. Spence, D. D.)
The knowledge ofGod is eternal life
W. Landels.
I. WHAT IS COMPRISED IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD?
1. In answering this question, we need hardly remark that it implies a
knowledge ofGod's existence. The remark is self-evident. The knowledge that
He is the beginning of all knowledge ofGod. But whilst this is comprised in a
knowledge ofGod, it does not constitute the knowledge. A man may know that
there is a God; he may not only know it from the statements of others, but he
may have actually examined it, and may be well conversant with the evidence
of God's existence with which nature abounds, and be able to give to every
man that askethhim a reasonfor his belief, and yet he may be destitute of that
knowledge whichis "eternallife." How exquisitely the Scripture speaks upon
this point! "Thou believestthat there is one God; thou doestwell; the devils
also believe and tremble." You need to know something more — something
that devils do not, and cannot, know — in order to the enjoyment of eternal
life.
2. Again, it comprises a knowledge ofGod's attributes, such as His eternity.
His omnipresence — that, as He existed throughout all time, so He fills all
space and pervades all worlds. His omniscience — that, existing throughout
all time, and pervading all space, He knows all things. Such are some of the
attributes which are essentialto Divinity; and I need not say that the
knowledge ofthese is comprised in a knowledge ofGod. But, then, all that,

along with the knowledge ofGod's existence, does not constitute the
knowledge ofwhich our text speaks.There is reasonto believe that devils
know God's nature as well as existence;and yet they tremble. Ah, my brother,
this knowledge might well drive thee to despair: but it cannotgive thee peace.
It may convince thee of sin, and fill thee with alarm, but it cannot give thee
peace. The knowledge ofsomething more than this is necessaryto eternal life.
3. In proceeding to show what it is which constitutes this knowledge, I beg you
to notice that it is what is describedin the text as the knowledge ofJesus
Christ, whom God has sent. It is so described because it is through Christ that
the knowledge is communicated.(1)And, first of all, you have in Christ a
manifestation of God's hatred of sin. In proof of this I might refer you to the
distance at which He kept Himself from all that was sinful, though inhabiting
a world in which sin was fashionable, and where temptations to sin were
abounding, Not at a distance as regards locality, but distance as regards
character. I might refer you, too, to the manner in which He denounced the
wickednessofthose over whose sin He mourned and wept. If God did not
wink at sin in the personof His own Son, how, think you, will He wink at sin
in you? If it could not be allowedto pass unpunished when it was beheld in
Christ, though He prayed, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
Me," will it be allowedto pass unpunished if found in you? You think God is
merciful, so He is; but He is just, and He is holy — a God of spotless purity.
This truth, at first sight, may excite your fears;yet it is needful for you to
know it, because it supplies a powerful motive which is necessaryto keepyou
back from sin; to lead you to mortify sin, and thus to produce in you meetness
for heaven— the truth that it is not enough to know that God hates sin. This
will never give you a title to heaven, nor will it produce in you a meetness for
the enjoyment of eternal life.(2) You need to have something more than this,
in order to your enjoying eternal life; and this leads me to observe, secondly,
that in Christ you have a manifestation of the love of God. But even this is not
enough. It is not enough to know that God loves us; that though He is just, He
must punish sin. You need have something more in order to your enjoying life
eternal. Oh, then, ponder the statements ofGod's Word in which that truth is
found; and until it falls on your understanding, until it is impressedon your

hearts, never to be erased — and, thank God, you need not wait long — for
oh, it is plain and easy, and even now you may open your hearts to the
perception of it, and even now you may enter into faith; even now you may
look up to your God as your Fatherand your Friend; for both by word and by
deed does God say, "I have acceptedMy Son's work for thee, O sinner; I was
well pleasedwith what He has done for thee; His death is a perfectatonement
for all thy sins; I am satisfiedwith it; be thou satisfiedwith it, be at peace, be
thou reconciledto God." I do not mean to say that what I have setbefore you
contains anything like full knowledge ofGod. No man canfind out the
Almighty to perfection. It does not amount to even an index of what might be
known; it is only of the knowledge whichis necessaryto life.
II. And now let me proceed, in the secondplace, to show, as briefly as I can,
HOW THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS ETERNALLIFE, or in what sense it
is.
1. And, first of all, it is so, if you considereternal life as consisting in the
enjoyment of God's favour. We read in this book, "And in His favour is life."
Now, the knowledge ofGod is essentialto the enjoyment of His favour. It is
true that His favour rests on men, whether they know Him or not; for how
else could they accountfor the varied blessings which they are daily
receiving? But, then, though it rests on them, they do not enjoy it whilst they
do not know Him. Their own feelings are just as unpleasant; their relation to
God is as painful; they are as much alienated from God as if He were really
their enemy.
2. And, then, again, the knowledge ofGod is eternal life, if you regard eternal
life as signifying the privileges and enjoyments of the heavenly cities. The
knowledge ofGod imparts that character, orproduces in man that character,
which increases the enjoyment of heaven. The characteron which heavenis
conferredis "conformedinto God's image" — sympathy with his feelings and

his desires;or, in other words, it is living in a oneness withGod. Now, the
knowledge ofGod necessarilyand invariably produces this characterin man.
The Cross ofChrist contains a motive powerwhich the human heart,
depraved as it is, cannotboth contemplate and resist. No man can truly and
intelligibly saythat Christ died for me, and gave Himself for me; God's wrath
was suspendedover me, the Saviour stepped betweenme and that wrath, that
it might fall on Him, and that I might be saved — no man can say that without
loving God in return.
3. And then, again, the knowledge ofGod is eternallife, if you understand the
knowledge ofGod as heavenly happiness. Whence, let me ask, do the
redeemedin heavenderive their happiness? Is it from the splendour of the
place which they occupy? from the beauty and sublimity of scenes upon which
they gaze? is it from the music with which their ears are charmed, or from the
delicious fruits with which they regale themselves, orfrom their exalted
companionship? No. They know that God is love, and that is their happiness.
God is setforth to their contemplation as a God of love, and they find their
employment, and their enjoyment too, in meditating on the proofs of His love
with which the universe abounds — every new discoverygiving a new impulse
to their zeal and a new zestto their praise. And, hence, you find John
speaking as if this were the consummation of the saint's desire: "We know
that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
(W. Landels.)
Eternal life in the knowledge ofGod and Christ
Phillips Brooks, D. D.
1. When Jesus saidthese words, the transitoriness of life was pressing upon
Him and His disciples. When life seemedfrailest and most unreliable, they
heard Him praying, "This is life eternal." The assertionof something in life,

which lasted and did not go to pieces, must have come in very solidly and
nobly. So often when we are most conscious ofmortality, when disease is
triumphing over that which disease cantouch, the leastreminder of that
which is immortal restores us, puts courage into our frightened hearts.
2. What is it, then, whose eternity Jesus proclaims so confidently? When
everything else decays, whatis it that is imperishable? Jesus says it is the
knowledge ofGod and of Himself. Now, remember that the knowledge ofGod
and Christ must mean, and in the Bible always does mean, s personal
relationship with God and Christ. It is not mere absolute knowledge. It is
what He is to us, not what He is to Himself, that we may know of God. So that
to know Christ and God is to have to do with Christ and God in the wayof
love and service. And Jesus says that the permanent part of our life is the part
which has to do with God.
3. Here is a very clearand simple test of all our life. Our houses must decay.
What is there in them that will last? That which had to do with God. Not their
bricks and mortar, but the tempers and the hearts that were cultivated in
them. Our institutions will perish — even our churches. But that which really
knew God in them no tooth of time can touch. Our friendships and
relationships have a promise of permanence only as they are real spiritual
intimacies knit in with one common union to God.
4. When we fastenour thoughts on this, how it changes the whole aspectof the
lives and deaths of men! Here is a poor, holy man dying. How little difference
death makes to him! He is to keepall that has to do with God, and to lose all
the rest. What is there for him to lose? How much there is that he will keep!
But another man, so much richer, lies dying. What an enormous change death
is to him! All his life has been worldly. What is there that he can keep? How
almost everything he must lose!

5. Thus the eternal part of us is not that which Godshall choose atsome
future day to endow with everlasting life. Eternity is a true quality in the thing
itself. This really brings me to what I wanted to preach about — the regulative
and shaping powerof a Christian faith in this life. What are the great
deficiencies ofdaily moral life?
I. THE DIFFICULT BALANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY. Menknow what
duty is, but the even, steadypressure of duty upon the whole surface of a
man's life is something which thoughtful men are always missing. On one day
the sense ofresponsibility is overwhelming. The next day it is all gone. The
consequence is doubly bad. Some tasks are wholly neglected, and others are
done under a burden and a strain which exhaust us. Our life grows all
spasmodic. Oh, for some power which, with broad, even weight, should press
every duty into its place, coming down from such a height that it should be
independent of their whims and moods, and weighupon to-morrow and to-
day alike, calm, serene, eternal. Now hear our text. There is the answerto our
longing! To love God out of gratitude, and to want to serve Him out of love —
there is the rescue!The doing of all duty, not only for itself, but for His sake
who wants it done — this is what puts force and pliability at once into duty,
making it strong enough for the largest, and supple enough for the smallest
tasks, giving it that power which the greatsteamengine has, with equal
fidelity to strike down a mountain and to pick up a pebble, adapting its
movements to such different work. Is not that the redemption of
responsibility?
II. THE DIFFICULT SENSE OF BROTHERHOOD. The decayof the power
of feeling this is one of the sad things of all advancing life. It is not so hard for
children. The young man has not settled yet into the fixed tastes and
occupations which decide for him with whom he should have to do. And so he
easilystrikes hands with everybody, and has a certain superficialbrotherhood
with every one he meets. But as the man grows olderhis life draws in. He
cannot reachout and take in a larger circle. Even patriotism is harder than it

used to be. And to let his affectiongo sweeping out to the ends of the earth and
down into the gutter where the outcasts lie — this seems preposterous. How
can one keepand grow humane? "This is life eternal," &c. If I have lostsight
of my brethren, I must go back to my Father to find them. It is the Father's
house that we must meet. I am not merely a merchant among the merchants, a
lawyer among the lawyers, a minister among the minister. I am a sonof God,
doing His will out of love; a sonof God among the sons of God.
III. THE BEARING OF TROUBLE. Trouble comes to everybody, and what
men ordinarily callbearing it, is apt to be one of the dreariestand forlornest
things conceivable. How you hate and dread to go into that house of suffering.
What you do find is apt to be either a man all crushed and broken into
fragments, or else a man proud, cold, stern, hard, whom you pity all the more
for the wretchedness ofhis proud, hard misery. But now neither of these men
is really bearing his sorrow. Neitherof them has really taken his trouble on
his shoulders, to carry it whither he pleases. Eachofthem, in different ways,
is borne by his sorrow. And now, what is the matter with both these men?
Simply that they laid out a plan of life which was not broad enough or deep
enough to have any place for trouble. When they designedtheir lives, they left
sorrow out. So many lives are like. ships sailing for Europe in the brilliant
morning of a summer's day, and, by and by, when they are out in mid-ocean,
and the night comes, andthe sky and water both grow black, finding that they
have brought no lights of any kind. And then, if I turn aside and find a man
who really does bear his sorrow, whatis it that is different in him? It must be
this: that he has some notion of life which is large enough to take in trouble.
The Christian enters into the profoundness of consolationbecausehe loves his
Governorand his Educator. "This is life eternal," &c.
IV. THE LACK OF NOBLENESS.There come occasionalmoments in every
man's long life when he feels that he is living nobly. Something makes him
forgethimself, with ardent enthusiasm fire up for a principle, with easyscorn
push back temptation, with deep delight glory in some friend's greatness,

greaterthan his own. The man is pitiable who has known no such moments.
But one or two such in a man's life only show out by contrastthe generallow
level at which our lives are lived. There is a littleness that wearies us. There is
a drag to everything, that makes us ask:"Is it worth while?" Now all those
qualities which make up nobleness must become permanent and constantin
any man who really knows and loves God and Jesus Christ? Be a Christian
constantly, and you must be noble constantly. Know Christ's redemption, and,
seeing all things redeemed in Him, their possibilities, their ideas must shine
out to you. Unite your life to God's, and it must glow with the enthusiasm of
His certainhopes. Give yourself up to your Redeemer, and you must be
rescuedfrom selfishness. Love God, and you must hate His enemies, treading
sin under foot with all His contempt and indignation.
(Phillips Brooks, D. D.)
On knowing God
I. S. Spencer, D. D.
I. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
1. The existence of God lies at the foundation of all religion: and, therefore,
the knowledge ofGodis the touch-stone of its principles. Error and falsehood
are not going to yield to any science but that of Deity.
2. It is the lack of this knowledge which sustains impiety. The stupidity of
sinners would be gone if they saw clearlywhat God is. That one thing they
shun. They do not like to retain God in their knowledge.
3. If Christians knew God better, their piety would be increased. Those
ancient saints, whose happy attainments held them superior to the world,
always nurtured their piety by much study and fellowshipwith God.

4. This subjectof knowledge canneverbe exhausted. A finite mind, perhaps,
may reachsome point in eternity when it shall have compassedallother
subjects, and be able to look down upon and over all other fields of knowledge
without darkness and without a doubt. But God still lies above it — beyond it!
5. By a true knowledge ofGod, we shall have a clearand experimental
discernment of the beauty and grandeur of His character. Hence, we shallfeel
the desirablenessofbeing like Him.
6. Our relations to God are such that we ought greatly to desire to know Him
well. He is our Maker;He wilt be our Judge.
II. SOME ARGUMENTS FOR THIS STUDY. This knowledge ofGod tends
—
1. To humble us. When we know Him best we know ourselves best. It is this
that dissipates our delusions. "Woe is me! I am undone." Why? "Mine eyes
have seenthe King, the Lord of hosts."
2. To crucify us to the world. To have a spiritual understanding of the
exceeding excellencies ofGod makes the world seembut a very little thing. It
shows us its emptiness. The heart uses that new arithmetic, to count all things
loss for the excellencyof the knowledge ofGod in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. To purify the heart. No sight is so transforming as that of God. When we
can have our minds and hearts brought so as to see with open face the glory of
the Lord, we are changedinto the same image from glory to glory.

4. To confirm and establishthe believer's heart. Speculationcannot do this.
Self-examination, submission to creeds and forms, and all study of doctrines,
cannot do it. To have full views of God; to know Him by direct fellowship;to
live in His presence, andlie down and feelthat the everlasting arms are
around him, shows to the believer the fulness and the faithfulness of God, and
confirms his heart in something like the full assurance ofhope. Now he can
call God his Father.
5. Hence such a knowledge ofGod is most satisfying and safe.
(I. S. Spencer, D. D.)
The knowledge ofGod
J. Hannah, D. D.
The Holy Scriptures often use the phrase, "knowledge ofGod," or "the
knowledge of the Lord," as a characterof true religion. This phrase is
particularly applied to that premised period in which the power of religion
shall universally prevail. "They shall all know Me, from the leastunto the
greatest.""The knowledgeofthe Lord shall coverthe earth," &c. In the
ancient Scriptures the knowledge ofGod was usually propounded simply;
here it is propounded in a manner corresponding to the clearerlight of the
Christian dispensation in its inseparable connectionwith the knowledge of
Jesus Christ. And note that our Saviour connects the knowledge ofGod with
the universal prevalence of Divine truth (ver. 2).
I. THE NATURE AND PROPERTYOF THIS KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. It
comprehends —

1. A just conceptionof His existence, attributes, and administration — i.e., of
Him as "the only true God." Consider —(1) His matchless Deity.(2)His
inimitable truth. "The true God," says our Lord —
(a)In opposition to all the false deities.
(b)In His enactments, promises, threatenings;so that He will in no sense deny
Himself.
(c)As the sole and inexhaustible source of truth.(3) His exclusive claim — "the
only true God."
2. Experimental acquaintance with Him as our God and Father and our
portion. This is knowledge ofthe heart. By the other the eyes of the
understanding are enlightened; by this the desires and affections of our hearts
are filled and sanctified. It is this knowledge ofGod which is of the utmost
importance. It is not speculationwhich may teachyou to inquire, but faith,
which constrains you to trust, which gives you the right knowledge ofGod.
3. A practicalacknowledgmentof His authority and government. This last
particular shows that the true knowledge ofGod embraces all religion, as it
elevates the mind, sanctifies the heart, and regulates the conduct. "The
children of Eli knew not the Lord"; that is, they gave practical evidence that
they were utterly estrangedfrom an obedient acknowledgmentofHim. "And
thou Solomon, my son," says David, "know thou the God of thy father." He
amplifies and explains that direction in what follows:— "And serve him with
a perfect heart," &c.

II. THE APPOINTED METHOD IN WHICH THIS KNOWLEDGE IS
ATTAINABLE BY US. By approaching Him through the believing knowledge
of Jesus Christ, whom He hath sentas our Saviour.
1. Man, until visited by the "DaySpring from on high," is destitute of the
knowledge ofGod. Is not his mind coveredwith darkness? Is not his heart
alienatedby guilt and depravity? Is not his life one continued scene of
rebellion againstthe MostHigh?
2. This knowledge ofGod cannotbe obtained by man alone. Man has had
opportunities to try to do so on the largestscale. Go, then, through all the
resources ofhuman wisdom, the splendid sceneswith which His universal
temple is hung around; listen to all the voices which are incessantlysounding
in our ears and proclaiming our Creatorand Preserver;traverse the spacious
Temple, mark its stately proportions, and gaze on its sublime beauty; and
when you have done all, inquire, "Whatmust I do to be saved?" There is
nothing in all this that teaches me, a guilty and fallen creature, the way to
God.
3. This is the way — the way which is opened by Jesus Christ. You cannot
come to God as your Father, especiallyto Godas your reconciledand
gracious Father, but by Jesus Christ.
III. THE INESTIMABLE BLESSING WITHWHICH THIS KNOWLEDGE
IS IDENTIFIED. "This is life eternal." Considerthe knowledge ofGod in
Christ —
1. In its commencement. Go to that simple and happy Christian believer who
has just found this knowledge.He will give you, perhaps, not a doctrinal

statement, but a living pattern, which in many respects is better. While he
speaks ofthe knowledge ofGod in Christ, he associatesit with inward
experience. He will testify that he who believeth in the Son of God hath
everlasting life; that he has the life of pardon and peace. He was "deadin
trespassesandsins," but he is "quickenedtogetherwith Christ."
2. In its more mature progress. Go to the experiencedChristian. He may be an
unlettered man, perhaps, and be perplexed if you askedhim a definition, or to
expound a difficult passageofthe Holy Scripture; but, under the assistance of
the Spirit of God, he has embracedthe systemof truth itself. In all his course,
the knowledge ofGodin Christ has been inseparable from advancementin
the Divine life.
3. In its consummation. Then we shall "see as we are seen, and know also as
we are known."Conclusion:
1. Have we acquired this knowledge? Ifwe have not, may I not say, "Some of
you have not the knowledge ofChrist; I speak this to your shame." Have you
spent twenty, thirty, forty, or more years, yet dark, dead, rebels againstGod?
2. Let me earnestlyexhort you who are in quest of this knowledge ofyour
God, that you seek it in the right way. "Yea, doubtless," says the Apostle,
"and I count all things but loss for the excellencyofthe knowledge ofChrist
Jesus my Lord." To know Him is to know the way that leads to the Father.
3. Let me exhort you to do all you possibly can to promote this knowledge of
God in Christ. We ought to do that on a large scale;we ought to unite in those
truly sublime societieswhichare aiming to extend the knowledge ofGod in
Christ to the uttermost parts of the earth. But if it be valuable for the ends of

the earth, it is valuable for your own homes. If pagan families and vicinities
ought to have it, yours ought to have it.
(J. Hannah, D. D.)
Knowledge -- powerin religion
W. Veenschoten
(Text, and Hosea 4-6):— The adage. "knowledge is power, is of universal
application. That many actcontrary to the truth in their possessionis no
proof that this is not so. That the wickedremain wicked, the drunkards
remain drunkards, the selfishselfish, only proves there is another power
within them which decides their course rather than the dictates of knowledge.
I. THE IMPORTANCEOF RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE RECOGNIZED IN
THE SCRIPTURES,
1. Mosescommandedthe Israelites to teach their children (Deuteronomy 6:9).
2. The prophets were teachers.
3. The Levitical tribe was not only a tribe of priests, but also of teachers.
4. Christ Himself is a Prophet.
5. The apostles were instruments of salvationby proclaiming its principles.

6. The work of the Church in all ages is to bear witness to the truth — to make
it known.
II. HOW IS KNOWLEDGE POWERIN RELIGION?
1. Necessaryto begin a new life.
(1)We are to know God, His law, duty, and our failure to obey, in order to
repent.
(2)We are to know Christ, His power, His acceptablenessto God, His
willingness to save, in order to believe in Him. "How shall they believe in Him
of whom they have not heard?"
2. Knowledge necessaryto the growth of the new life. Life must be fed —
vegetable, animal, intellectual, and spiritual life.
3. Knowledge necessaryto be useful. I do not underrate silent influence of the
faithful. But still the Church needs —
(1)Fathers and mothers.
(2)Sabbath-schoolteachers.
(3)Superintendents.

(4)Helpers in prayer meetings.
(5)Church officers, and —
(6)Christians in the walks of private life, with copious religious knowledge.
III. HOW IS KNOWLEDGE TO BE SECURED?
1. In the early Church it was chiefly oral instruction by preaching and
catechizing.
2. In palmy days of EuropeanProtestantismit was —
(1)Family catechizing.
(2)Extensive religious instruction in common schools,religious text-books.
(3)Catechizing by the Church authorities before confirmation.
3. With us the Sabbath Schoollargelytakes the place of these.
4. What are we to do?

(1)Seek to appreciate the fact statedin the text. "Destructionfor lack of
knowledge,"and "Life eternalby knowledge."
(2)Return to perform the parental duties of instructing the young.
(3)Literature inculcating fact rather than fiction, e.g., sacredhistory, Church
history, history of the Reformation, doctrine.
(W. Veenschoten)
Saving knowledge
B. Wilkinson, F. G. S.
I. SALVATION CONSISTS IN THE POSSESSIONOF LIFE. It is clearfrom
the previous verse that the two are synonymous, and it is easyto see from the
frequent connectionof the two by Christ and the apostles how accurate it is to
call salvationeternal life. Men as sinners are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1).
The powerof evil has so workedupon their souls as to make them deaf to the
voice, insensible to the goodness,and indifferent to the claims of God. So far,
then, as the life of love, trust, and obedience, and joy are concerned, sinners
are dead. What they need, then, is a salvationwhich shall put them in
possessionoflife, which shall consistin the quickening of their dormant
powers, in the righting of their perverted affections, in the bringing back of
their souls into likeness to, and fellowshipwith, the living God. This was just
the salvationChrist was sent to impart, and for which He had power over all
flesh. Consequently, this is "life eternal," not as being a life that belongs to
eternity, but a life that is distinct from and opposedto temporal, earthly and
carnal — eternal in its quality. From the moment that we acceptChrist as our
Saviour it is ours (John 10:27, 28; 1 John 5:13).

II. THE LIFE IN WHICH SALVATION CONSISTSHAS ITS ROOT AND
GROUND IN KNOWLEDGE. The words must be takenas they stand. This
knowledge is not the means of, but is eternal life-a representationto which
attention needs to be callednow-a-days. Many attach to knowledge a
subsidiary importance in relation to the spiritual life. There is no statement
more common in certainquarters than that religion is not a creed, but a life.
This divorces tell. glen from the intellect and makes it a purely emotional
thing. Christ here declares that eternal life is founded on knowledge, thus
teaching that before Christianity canbe a life it must be a creed. Learn here
—
1. The sacredness ofknowledge.
2. Its importance.
3. Its perpetuity.
III. THIS KNOWLEDGE IS THAT OF GOD AND CHRIST.
1. Of God.(1)There is a sense in which God cannotbe known. He is so
different from ourselves in the constitution of His Being, and so superior to us
in His attributes, that there is a greatgulf which no thought or imagination
can overpass (Job11:7, 8). Indeed, if we could know God as we know one
another, He would not be God. He would not be infinite, for the finite cannot
comprehend the infinite.(2) But there is a sense in which we can know Him; in
so far as He has revealedHimself in the gospel, and sufficient for intelligent
and trustful love. This knowledge then —(a) Is not simply the knowledge that
we can gleanfrom God's works. Here we can know God's power, skill,
thought, care;but not Himself: just as from a book we may getoccasional

glimpses of the working of the author's mind and the features of his character,
but fail in any real measure to know the man.(b) Is not merely the knowledge
we can gain from His Word. We may be familiar with the contents of
Scripture and yet know no more of God Himself than we do of a man from
what others have written about him.(c) Is the knowledge whichcomes also
from fellowship betweenour souls and God. This is the true ground of our
knowledge ofothers. Souls must reveal themselves to souls through
friendship.
1. We must study God's works and read His Word, but besides this we must
get into cordial fellowship. In this we must ask for the help of His Spirit, and
lay ourselves opento what His Spirit shall teach.
2. Of Christ also. The line of thought just pursued must be followedhere. The
persons are two, but the knowledge is the same. And for this reasonthe
mission of Christ was the manifestation of the Father. Exactlyin the degree in
which we know Christ the Revealershallwe know God the Revealed. This
knowledge must come —
(1)Through the Scriptures that teachus concerning Him.
(2)Through the fellowshipwhich unites us to Him.
(3)Through the Spirit who takes ofthe things of Him and shows them unto
us.When in these ways the mind has come to acceptChrist, and in the
acceptanceofChrist has acceptedGodin Him, eternal life is ours.
(B. Wilkinson, F. G. S.)

COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(3) And this is life eternal.—Forthese words, whichare more frequent in St.
John than in any other of the New Testamentwriters, comp. John 3:15-16;
John 3:36; John 5:24; John 5:39; John 6:27; John 6:40; John 6:47; John 6:54;
John 6:68; John 10:28; John 12:25;John 12:50;1John1:2; 1John 2:15; 1John
3:15; 1John 5:11; 1John5:13; 1John 5:20. The thought of the previous verse is
that the Messianic work ofChrist is to give eternal life to those whom God has
given Him. The thought of the following verse is that He has accomplishedthis
work. In this verse He shows in what its accomplishmentconsists—viz., in
revealing to men the only true God through Jesus Christ.
That they might know thee the only true God.—Better, Thatthey might
recognise Thee as the only true God. (Comp. Notes on John 1:9; John 14:7.)
And Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.—Better, And Him, whom Thou didst
send, Jesus, as Messiah. Eternallife consists in the knowledge ofthe Father as
the only Being answering to the ideal thought of God; and in this knowledge
manifested in Him, whom God anointed and sent into the world-to declare His
attributes and character. Only in the Word made flesh can we hear the voice
of mercy, forgiveness, love, fatherhood;which comes to men as the breath of
life, so that they become living souls.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:1-5 Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediatorof his people; yet he
spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father.
Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both
glorified the Father, and was glorified of him. This is the sinner's way to
eternal life, and when this knowledge shallbe made perfect, holiness and
happiness will be fully enjoyed. The holiness and happiness of the redeemed,
are especiallythat glory of Christ, and of his Father, which was the joy set
before him, for which he endured the cross and despisedthe shame; this glory
was the end of the sorrow of his soul, and in obtaining it he was fully satisfied.
Thus we are taught that our glorifying God is neededas an evidence of our
interest in Christ, through whom eternallife is God's free gift.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
This is life eternal - This is the source of eternallife; or it is in this manner
that it is to be obtained. The knowledge ofGod and of his SonJesus Christ is
itself a source of unspeakable and eternal joy. Compare John 11:25; John
6:63; John 12:50.
Might know thee - The word "know" here, as in other places, expressesmore
than a mere speculative acquaintance with the characterand perfections of
God. "It includes all the impressions on the mind and life which a just view of
God and of the Saviour is fitted to produce." It includes, of course, love,
reverence, obedience, honor, gratitude, supreme affection. "To know God as
he is" is to know and regard him as a lawgiver, a sovereign, a parent, a friend.
It is to yield the whole soul to him, and strive to obey his law.
The only true God- The only God, in opposition to all false gods. What is said
here is in opposition to idols, not to Jesus himself, who, in 1 John 5:20, is
called"the true God and eternal life."
And Jesus Christ - To know Jesus Christ is to have a practical impressionof
him as he is - that is, to suffer his characterand work to make their due
impression on the heart and life. Simply to have heard that there is a Saviour

is not to know it. To have been taught in childhood and trained up in the belief
of it is not to know it. To know him is to have a just, practicalview of him in
all his perfections as God and man; as a mediator; as a prophet, a priest, and
a king. It is to feel our need of such a Saviour, to see that we are sinners, and
to yield the whole soul to him, knowing that he is a Saviour suited to our
needs, and that in his hands our souls are safe. Compare Ephesians 3:19;
Titus 1:16; Philippians 3:10; 1 John 5:20. In this verse is contained the sum
and essenceofthe Christian religion, as it is distinguished from all the
schemes ofidolatry and philosophy, and all the false plans on which men have
sought to obtain eternal life. The Gentiles worshipped many gods; the
Christian worships one - the living and the true God; the Jew, the Deist, the
Muslim, the Socinian, profess to acknowledge one God, without any atoning
sacrifice and Mediator;the true Christian approaches him through the great
Mediator, equal with the Father, who for us became incarnate, and died that
he might reconcile us to God.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
3. this is—that.
life eternal, that they might—may.
know, &c.—This life eternal, then, is not mere conscious and unending
existence, but a life of acquaintance with God in Christ (Job 22:21).
thee, the only true God—the sole personalliving God; in glorious contrast
equally with heathen polytheism, philosophic naturalism, and mystic
pantheism.
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent—This is the only place where our Lord
gives Himself this compound name, afterwards so current in apostolic

preaching and writing. Here the terms are used in their strict signification—
"Jesus,"becauseHe "saves His people from their sins";"Christ," as anointed
with the measurelessfulness of the Holy Ghost for the exercise ofHis saving
offices (see on [1874]Mt1:16);"Whom Thou hast sent," in the plenitude of
Divine Authority and Power, to save. "The very juxtaposition here of Jesus
Christ with the Father is a proof, by implication, of our Lord's Godhead. The
knowledge ofGod and a creature could not be eternal life, and such an
associationofthe one with the other would be inconceivable" [Alford].
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Those who deny the Divine nature of Christ, think they have a mighty
argument from, this text, where Christ, (as they say), speaking to his Father,
calleth him
the only true God. But divines answer, that the term only, or alone, is not to
be applied to thee, but to the term God; and the sense this: To know thee to be
that God which is the only true God: and this appeareth from 1Jo 5:20, where
Christ is saidto be the true God, which he could not be if the Fatherwere the
only true God, consideredas another from the Son. The term only, or alone, is
not exclusive of the other two Persons in the Trinity, but only of idols, the gods
of the heathen, which are no gods;so 1 Timothy 6:15,16, and many other
Scriptures: so Matthew 11:27, where it is said, that none knoweththe Son, but
the Father;neither knowethany the Father, save the Son; where the negative
doth not exclude the Holy Spirit. Besides, the term alone is in Scripture
observednot always to exclude all others, as Mark 6:47. Our Saviour saith, it
is life eternalto know him who is the only true God, that is, it is the way to
eternal life, which is an ordinary figure used in holy writ. He adds,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hastsent; by which he lets us know, that the
Father cannotbe savingly known, but in and by the Son. Knowing, in this
verse, signifies not the mere comprehending of God and of Christ in men’s

notions; but the receiving Christ, believing in him, loving and obeying him,
&c.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And this is life eternal,.... Thatis, the beginning and pledge of it, the way unto
it, and means of it, and what will certainly issue in it:
that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou
hast sent. The knowledge ofGod here spokenof, is not the knowledge ofhim
by the light of nature, and works of creation;for a man may know God in this
sense, and not know him in Christ, nor anything of Christ; yea, may know
God and profess him in words, and in works deny him, as the Heathens did;
nor is eternallife known hereby, nor connectedwith it: nor is it such a
knowledge ofGod as is to be obtained by the law of Moses,in which God is
representedas a righteous and incensed Being;nor is there in it any discovery
of God, as a God of love, grace, andmercy in Christ; nor any revelation of a
Mediator, Saviour and Redeemer;nor can it either show, or give to persons
eternal life; and yet what is here said of the knowledge ofGodand Christ, the
Jews sayof the law (d),
"one man said to his friend, let us dash them againstthat wall and kill them,
because they have left , "eternallife"; (the gloss upon it is, "the law";) and
employ themselves in a temporary life, the gloss says ofthis world, which is
merchandise.''
More truly does Philo the Jew say(e), that
"fleeing to the Divine Being, "is eternallife"; and running front him is
death.''

But this is to be understood of an evangelic knowledgeofGod, as the God and
Father of Christ, as the God of all grace, pardoning iniquity, transgression
and sin, and of Christ Mediator; not a general, notional, and speculative
knowledge;but a practicaland experimental one; a knowledge ofapprobation
and appropriation; a fiducial one, whereby a soul believes in Christ, and
trusts in his blood, righteousness, andsacrifice for salvation;and which,
though imperfect, is progressive. The Arians and Unitarians urge this text,
againstthe true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus, andhis equality with the
Father, but without success;since the Father is calledthe only true God, in
opposition to the many false gods of the Heathens, but not to the exclusionof
the Sonor Spirit; for Christ is also styled the one Lord, and only Lord God,
but not to the exclusionof the Father; yea the true God and eternallife; was
he not, he would never, as here, join himself with the only true God; and
besides, eternallife is made to depend as much upon the knowledge ofhim, as
of the Father. The reasonof this different mode of expression, is owing to the
characterof Christ as Mediator, who is said to be sent by the only true God,
about the business of man's salvation. Noris it of any moment what the Jew
(f) objects, that Jesus here confesses, thatthe true God is only one God; nor
does he call himself God, only the Messiahsentby God; and that the Apostle
Paul also asserts the unity of God, 1 Timothy 1:17; and therefore Jesus cannot
be God: for Christ and his Father, the only true God, are one;and that he is
the one true God with his Father, he tacitly suggests here by joining himself
with him; and what the Apostle Paul says of the one and only wise God, may
as well be understood of Christ, the Son of God, as of the Father; since all the
characters in the text agree with him, and of him he had been speaking in the
context.
(d) T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 21. 1.((e)De profugis, p. 461. (f) R. Isaac Chizzuk
Emuna, par. 2. c. 55. p. 445.
Geneva Study Bible

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the {b} only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
(b) He calls the Father the only true God in order to set him againstall false
gods, and to include himself and the Holy Spirit, for he immediately joins the
knowledge ofthe Fatherand the knowledge ofhimself together, and
according to his accustomedmanner sets forth the whole Godheadin the
person of the Father. So is the Fatheralone saidto be King, immortal, wise,
dwelling in light which no man can attain unto, and invisible; Ro 16:27; 1Ti
1:17.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
John 17:3. The continuative δέ adduces, in keeping with the connection, a
more precise definition[187] of ζωὴ αἰώνιος (not a transposition of its idea, as
Weiss holds), and that with a retrospective glance to the glorificationof the
Father in John 17:1. On ἐστίν, comp. on Romans 14:17;John 3:19.
In this consists eternallife, that they should recognise (ἵνα, comp. on John
6:29) Thee as the only true God (as Him to whom alone belongs the reality of
the idea of God, comp. 1 Corinthians 8:4), and Thy sent one Jesus as Messiah.
This knowledge ofGod here desired (which is hence the believing, living,
practicalknowledge, καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι, 1 Corinthians 8:2), is the ζωὴ αἰώνιος,
so far as it is the essentialsubjective principle of the same, unfolding this ζωή
out of itself, its continual, ever self-developing germ and impulse (comp. Sap.
John 15:1; John 15:3), even now in the temporal evolution of eternallife, and
at a future time, besides, after the establishment of the kingdom, in which
faith, hope, and love abide (1 Corinthians 3); the fundamental essenceof
which is in truth nothing else than that knowledge, whichin the future αἰών
will be the perfectedknowledge (1 Corinthians 13:12), comp. 1 John 3:2. The
contents of the knowledge are stated with the precisionof a Confession,—a
summary of faith in opposition[188]to the polytheistic (τ. μόνον ἀληθ. θεόν,

comp. John 5:44; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9)
and Jewishκόσμος, whichlatter rejectedJesus as Messiah, althoughin Him
there was given, notwithstanding, the very highest revelation of the only true
God. It is in the third person, however, that the praying Jesus speaksof
Himself from John 17:1 forwards, placing Himself in an objective relation
towards the Fatherduring the first intensity of this solemn mood, and first at
John 17:4 continuing the prayer with the familiar ἐγώ; He indeed mentions
His name in John 17:3, because in the connectionof the self-designation
through the third person, it here specificallysuggesteditself, in
correspondence to the confessionalthought.
Χριστόν] is an appellative predicate: as Messiah, comp. John 9:22. To connect
it as a proper name with Ἰησ. (Jesus Christ, comp. John 1:17), to ascribe to
the evangelistanoffence againsthistoricaldecorum (Bretschneider, Lücke, De
Wette), and to see in this a proof of a later reproduction (comp. Tholuck and
Weizsäcker, p. 286;also Scholten, p. 238), would be to accuse the writer,
especiallyin the report of such a prayer, of a surprising want of consideration.
Luthardt also takes Χριστόν as a proper name, which he thinks was here, in
this extraordinary moment, used for the first time by Jesus, and thereby at the
same time determined the use of the word by the apostles (Acts 2:38). So also
Godet, comp. Ebrard. But Jesus prayed in Hebrew, and doubtless said ֵ‫עּוׁש‬
ַ‫מ‬ ‫ש‬ִּׁ ‫הי‬ַַ, from which expressiona proper name could by no means be
recognised. The predicative view of Τ. ΜΌΝ. ἈΛ. ΘΕΌΝ and of ΧΡΙΣΤΌΝ is
also justly held by Ewald.
Although Τ. ΜΌΝΟΝ ἈΛΗΘ. ΘΕΌΝ refers solelyto the Father, the true
divine nature of Christ is not thereby excluded (againstthe Arians and
Socinians, who misused this passage), allthe less so as this, in accordance with
His (Logos)relationship as dependent on the Godheadof the Father, forms
the previous assumption in ὋΝ ἈΠΈΣΤΕΙΛΑς, as is certainfrom the entire
connectionof the JohanneanChristology, and from John 17:5. Comp.
Wetstein, and Gess, Pers.Chr. p. 162. Hence it was unnecessary,—moreover,

even a perversion of the passage,and running counter to the strict
monotheism of John, when Augustine, Ambrose, Hilary, Beda, Thomas,
Aretius, and severalothers explained it as if the language were:ut te et quem
misisti JesumChristum cognoscantsolum verum Deum. Only One, the
Father, can absolutely be termed the μόνος ἀληθ. θεός (comp. ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων
θεός, Romans 9:5), not at the same time Christ (who is not even in 1 John 5:20
the ἀληθινὸς θεός), since His divine entity stands in the relation of genetic
subsistence to the Father, John 1:18, although He, in unity with the Father,
works as His commissioner, John 10:30, and is His representative, John 14:9-
10.
[187]No formal definition. See the apposite observations ofRiehm in the
Stud. u. Krit. 1864, p. 539 f.
[188]An antithesis which might present itself naturally and unsought to the
world-embracing glance ofthe praying Jesus, onthe boundary line of His
work, which includes entire humanity. But He had also thought further of the
ἐξουσία πάσης σαρκός, which was given to Him. This likewise in opposition to
Weiss, Lehrbegr. p. 56, who considers the antithesis foreign to the connection.
Expositor's Greek Testament
John 17:3. αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή ἵνα … On ἵνα in this construction, see
Burton, 213, and cf. John 15:8; ὅτι in John 3:19 is not quite equivalent. In
Isaiah37:20 God is designatedὁ Θεὸς μόνος, and in Exodus 34:6 ἀληθινός; cf.
2 Thessalonians 1:10. He is the only true God in contrastto many that are
“calledgods,” 1 Corinthians 8:5-6. But cf. especially1 John 5:20. It was by
making known to them this God, and thus glorifying the Father, that Christ
“gave men eternal life”. The life He gave consistedin and was maintained by
this knowledge.But to the knowledge ofthe Father, the knowledge of“Him
whom Thou didst send, Jesus Christ,” was necessary, John1:18, John 14:6. As
in John 1:17, so here, ἸησοῦνΧριστόν is the double name which became
common in Apostolic times, and not (as Meyer and others)“an appellative

predicate,” “Jesusas the Messiah”. WhetherJesus’naming of Himself as a
third person canbe accountedfor by the solemnity of the occasion(“der
feierliche Gebetstyl,” Lücke), or is to be ascribedto John, is much debated.
Westcottseems justified in saying that “the use of the name ‘Jesus Christ’ by
the Lord Himself at this time is in the highest degree unlikely.… It is no
derogationfrom the truthfulness of the record that St. John has thus given
parenthetically, and in conventionallanguage (so to speak), the substance of
what the Lord said at greaterlength.”
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
3. And this is life eternal] More exactly, But the life eternal is this. ‘The life
eternal’ means that which has just been mentioned; and ‘is this’ means ‘this is
what it consists in:’ comp. John 3:19, John 15:12.
that they might know] Literally, in order that they may recognise;comp. John
6:29, John 15:12;1 John 3:11; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 1:6. The
eternal life is spokenof as alreadypresent (see on John 3:36, John 5:24, John
6:47; John 6:54); hence ‘may,’ not ‘might.’ Moreoverit is the appropriation
of the knowledge thatis speciallyemphasized; hence ‘recognise’ratherthan
simply ‘know.’Comp. Wis 15:3.
thee the only true God] i.e. ‘Thee as the only true God.’ For‘true’ see note on
John 1:9 and comp. John 4:23, John 6:32, John 15:1 : ‘the only true God’ is
directed againstthe many false, spurious gods of the heathen. This portion of
the truth was what the Gentiles so signally failed to recognise.
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent] Better, Him whom Thou didst send—Jesus
Christ; or, Jesus as Christ. This portion of the truth the Jews failedto
recognise.But the words are not without difficulty, even when, we insert the
‘as;’ and the run of the Greek words is rather againstthe insertion of ‘as.’If
‘Christ’ were a predicate and not part of the proper name we should expect

‘Jesus, whom Thou didst send, as Christ.’ Probably in this verse we have the
substance and not the exact words of Christ’s utterance. That He should use
the name ‘Jesus’here is perhaps improbable; that He should anticipate the
use of ‘Jesus Christ’ as a proper name is very improbable; and the expression
‘the true God’ is not used elsewhereby Christ and is used by S. John (1 John
5:20), We conclude, therefore, that the wording here is the Evangelist’s,
perhaps abbreviated from the actualwords.
Bengel's Gnomen
John 17:3. Ἔστιν) is; not merely brings with it.—γινώσκωσι, that they may
know)Knowledge in the matter of our salvationis of the greatestmoment:
John 17:26, “The world hath not known Thee, but I have known Thee, and
these have known,” etc.—μόνον, the only, the alone)The Son and Holy Spirit
are not excluded by this word. Comp. μόνος, ch. John 8:9, “Jesus wasleft
alone, and the woman.” But those meant to be excluded are the false gods,
with the idolatrous worship of which the world was crowded. And Jesus in
this place speaks ofHimself, as the Apostle of the Father[ἀπέστειλας:
Hebrews 3:1].—ὃν ἀπέστειλας, whom Thou hast sent) The aspect(relation)
under which (the ground upon which) Jesus Christ is to be acknowledged. His
being ‘sent,’ presupposes the Son to be one with the Father.—Χριστὸν, Christ)
A most open (plain) appellation, which subsequently became altogether
prevalent.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 3. - The life eternal, of which Jesus has just spoken, is this (cf. for
construction, John 15:12; 1 John 3:11, 23; 1 John 5:3), that they might know -
should come to know - thee, the only veritable God. All ideas of God which
deviate from or fall short of "the Father" revealedto us by Christ, are not the
veritable God, and the knowledge ofthem is not life eternal. The Fatheris
here setforth as the fens Deitatis. This does not exclude "the Son," but is
inconceivable without him. The Fatherhoodexpressesan eternalrelation. The
one element involves the ether as integralto itself: "I am in the Father, and
the Fatherin me." There is a knowledge ofthe Father possible even now.
"Henceforth, he has said, ye have seenhim, and known him;" yet not till the

veil is lifted, and we see face to face, shall we know as we are known (1
Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2), shall we see him as he is. And him whom thou
didst send, Jesus the Christ (not Jesus to be, or as Christ, but rather "Jesus
the Christ," as the expansion and explanation of the more indefinite term,
"him whom thou didst scud"). Why does our Lord add to this expressionone
that at first sight seems so incompatible with the idea of this prayer? It has led
so careful and reverentiala commentatoras Westcottto remove the difficulty
by supposing that the whole verse is a gloss ofthe evangelist, expressing the
sense ofwhat our Lord may have uttered at greaterlength. We are loath to
admit this method of exegesis, especiallyas the sole reasons forit are the
supposedstrangeness ofour Lord's here using a phrase so unaccustomed, and
thus giving himself not only his PersonalName, but his ownofficial title. It is
unusual. The phrase does undoubtedly belong to a later period for its current
and constantuse. Yet it must not be forgotten
(1) that this is a unique moment in his career, and unique expressions may be
anticipated;
(2) that it was calculatedto strengthen his disciples, to allow them to hear once
from his ownlips the solemnclaim to Messiahship(see Godet);
(3) that John himself at once adopted it as his own (Acts 3:6, 20;1 John 1:3; 1
John 2:1, 22; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 4:2, 3; 1 John 5:1-20; Revelation1:1, 2, 5);
moreover,
(4) in 1 John 5:20 Jesus Christis, himself lifted up into the regionof the
ἀληθίνος, and the apostle adds, "This is the true God, and eternallife"
(Hengstenberg). It is from these very words that some critics imagine that the
evangelist, rather than the Lord himself, framed the clause;

(5) yet it is quite as rational to suppose that the words uttered by Jesus dwelt
like a strain of sacredmusic in the memory of the apostle. Moreover,
(6) the knowledge ofthe only true God is really conditioned by the knowledge
of him who was indeed the greatRevelation, Organ, and Effluence of the
Father's glory. The fullness of this knowledge is the end of all Christian
striving. Paul said, "I count all things but loss for the excellencyof the
knowledge ofChrist Jesus... andthat I may know him" (Philippians 3:10).
How much is there yet to know!
(7) Finally, as our Lord is rising more and more into the glory of an utter self-
abandonment, and into the glory which he had with the Fatherfrom eternity,
the human nature which he still inhabits becomes almostan appendage of his
Divine Personality, and he might with awful significance, whenreferring to
the objectof human faith and knowledge,say, "Him whom thou hast sent -
Jesus the Christ." Moreover, on any hypothesis of the compositionor framing
of an intercessoryprayer for the Logos Christos to utter, there is an equal
difficulty in the insertion into such prayer by St. John of this reference to
himself as the Christ. The knowledge ofthe Father as the only true God, in
opposition to the heathen traditions and philosophicalspeculations of the
world, coupled with a corresponding knowledge ofthe only adequate
expressionof the Father's heart and nature, sent forth from him, as One
promised, consecrated, and empoweredto representhim, is life - ere half life.
Vincent's Word Studies
Life eternal
With the article:the life eternal. Defining the words in the previous verse. The
life eternal(of which I spoke)is this.
That (ἵνα)

Expressing the aim.
Might know (γινώσκωσι)
Might recognize or perceive. This is striking, that eternal life consists in
knowledge, orrather the pursuit of knowledge, since the present tense marks
a continuance, a progressive perceptionof God in Christ. That they might
learn to know. Compare John 17:23;John 10:38; 1 John 5:20; 1 John 4:7, 1
John 4:8.
"I say, the acknowledgmentof God in Christ
Acceptedby thy reason, solves forthee
All questions in the earth and out of it,
And has so far advanced thee to be wise.
Wouldst thou improve this to reprove the proved?
In life's mere minute, with powerto use that proof,
Leave knowledge and revert to how it sprung?

Thou hast it; use it, and forthwith, or die.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
This is life eternal - The salvationpurchased by Christ, and given to them who
believe, is called life:
Becausethe life of man was forfeited to Divine justice; and the sacrifice of
Christ redeemedhim from that death to which he was exposed.
Becausethe souls of men were dead in trespassesandsins; and Christ
quickens them by his word and Spirit.
Becausemen who are not savedby the grace of Christ do not live, they only
exist, no goodpurpose of life being answeredby them. But when they receive
this salvationthey live - answerall the Divine purposes, are happy in
themselves, useful to eachother, and bring glory to God.
It is called eternallife to show that it reaches beyond the limits of time, and
that it necessarilyimplies -
The immortality of the soul;
the resurrectionof the body; and
that it is never to end, hence called αιωνιος ζωη, a life ever living; from αει,
always, and ων, being or existence. And indeed no words can more forcibly

convey the idea of eternity than these. It is called ἡ αιωνιος ζωη, That eternal
life, by wayof eminence. There may be an eternalexistence without
blessedness;but this is that eternallife with which infinite happiness is
inseparably connected.
The only true God- The way to attain this eternal life is to acknowledge,
worship, and obey, the one only true God, and to acceptas teacher, sacrifice,
and Savior, the Lord Jesus, the one and only true Messiah. BishopPearce's
remark here is well worthy the reader's attention: -
"What is said here of the only true God seems saidin opposition to the gods
whom the heathens worshipped; not in opposition to Jesus Christ himself,
who is calledthe true God by John, in 1 John 5:20."
The words in this verse have been variously translated:
That they might acknowledgethee, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, to
be the only true God.
That they might acknowledgethee, the only true God, and Jesus, whomthou
hast sent, to be the Christ or Messiah.
That they might acknowledgethee to be the only true God, and Jesus Christ
to be him whom thou hast sent. And all these translations the original will
bear.
From all this we learn that the only way in which eternallife is to be attained
is by acknowledging the true God, and the Divine mission of Jesus Christ, he
being sent of God to redeem men by his blood, being the author of eternal
salvationto all them that thus believe, and conscientiouslykeephis
commandments.
A saying similar to this is found in the Institutes of Menu. Brigoo, the first
emanatedbeing who was produced from the mind of the supreme God, and
who revealedthe knowledge ofhis will to mankind, is representedas

addressing the human race and saying:"Of all duties, the principal is to
acquire from the Upanishads (their sacredwritings) a true knowledge ofone
supreme God; that is the most exalted of sciences, because itensures eternal
life. For in the knowledge andadoration of one God all the rules of good
conduct are fully comprised." See Institutes of Menu, chap. xii. Inst. 85, 87.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on John 17:3". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/john-
17.html. 1832.
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Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
This is life eternal - This is the source of eternallife; or it is in this manner
that it is to be obtained. The knowledge ofGod and of his SonJesus Christ is
itself a source of unspeakable and eternal joy. Compare John 11:25; John
6:63; John 12:50.
Might know thee - The word “know” here, as in other places, expressesmore
than a mere speculative acquaintance with the characterand perfections of
God. “It includes all the impressions on the mind and life which a just view of
God and of the Saviour is fitted to produce.” It includes, of course, love,
reverence, obedience, honor, gratitude, supreme affection. “To know God as
he is” is to know and regard him as a lawgiver, a sovereign, a parent, a friend.
It is to yield the whole soul to him, and strive to obey his law.

The only true God- The only God, in opposition to all false gods. What is said
here is in opposition to idols, not to Jesus himself, who, in 1 John 5:20, is
called“the true God and eternallife.”
And Jesus Christ - To know Jesus Christ is to have a practical impressionof
him as he is - that is, to suffer his characterand work to make their due
impression on the heart and life. Simply to have heard that there is a Saviour
is not to know it. To have been taught in childhood and trained up in the belief
of it is not to know it. To know him is to have a just, practicalview of him in
all his perfections as God and man; as a mediator; as a prophet, a priest, and
a king. It is to feel our need of such a Saviour, to see that we are sinners, and
to yield the whole soul to him, knowing that he is a Saviour suited to our
needs, and that in his hands our souls are safe. Compare Ephesians 3:19;
Titus 1:16; Philemon 3:10; 1 John 5:20. In this verse is containedthe sum and
essenceofthe Christian religion, as it is distinguished from all the schemes of
idolatry and philosophy, and all the false plans on which men have sought to
obtain eternallife. The Gentiles worshipped many gods;the Christian
worships one - the living and the true God; the Jew, the Deist, the Muslim, the
Socinian, profess to acknowledge one God, without any atoning sacrifice and
Mediator; the true Christian approaches him through the greatMediator,
equal with the Father, who for us became incarnate, and died that he might
reconcile us to God.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography

Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon John 17:3". "Barnes'Notes onthe Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/john-17.html.
1870.
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The Biblical Illustrator
John 17:3
This is life eternal
The everlasting life
I.
THE INESTIMABLE BLESSING OF WHICH OUR LORD SPEAKS. Life is
a greatboon. “My kingdom,” a dying monarch is reported to have said, “for
an inch of time.” Yet after all what is this present life in itself (James 4:14)?
And when it is most eagerlyprized and most hilariously spent, its possessor
may in the saddestsense be dead (Romans 8:6). Eternal life is the highest
possible life for man. Two causesmay end our life on earth. It may be
terminated by external force or by inward disease.Eternallife
1. Has nothing to terminate it from without. Force from God alone can end
life; and the Divine poweris entirely on the side of this life.

2. Is without anything to end it from within. Diseasedestroys physicallife. But
eternal life is the progress and consummation of a life begun on earth by a
new birth from God, and has in it no element of evil.
II. HOW CAN THIS LIFE BE REALIZED? It is not that this knowledge
leads or points out the way to attain it. Life itself consists in this knowledge
1. God and Christ are its objects. The Father is called“the true God” in
opposition to false deities. The juxtaposition of Christ with the Father, and the
knowledge ofboth being defined to be eternallife, is the strongestinferential
evidence of the Godheadof the Son. But why does Jesus, as Mediator, thus
make the knowledge ofHimself essentialto life?
2. But we must not suppose that this is bare intellectual knowledge. It is the
conscious possessionofGod. Certain truths about Godmay be seenin many
ways and everywhere;but the spiritual perception of God Himself can only be
reachedin Christ.
3. This knowledge involves spiritual submissionto God, or the personal
receptionof Him. Only to the soul that receives Him will He revealHis
Revelation3:20; John 14:23). To all who receive Him, He manifests Himself as
He does not unto the world. With respect to our fellow-men, we frequently use
such language as this: “I scarcelyknow him,” or “I knew him well,” and the
phraseologyvaries according to our acquaintance with the man’s characteror
his moral and socialqualities. We may believe from report in a man’s
generosity;but how different is our estimate or appreciationof his character
when we cansay from experience that we know it. Abraham believed Godand
obeyed; but when the Divine promise was fulfilled, and the Divine faithfulness
proved, the patriarch knew Godin a way that he did not know Him before.

III. HOW COMES IT THAT THIS TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS
LIFE? We know what connectionthere is betweenknowledge andthe energy
and enjoyment of our every-day life. “Knowledge is power.” It has the power
of salvation, transformation, progress. It is knowledge whichlifts up the life of
the savage. The highestknowledge for man must be the highestlife.
1. The true knowledge ofour heavenly Father involves the communication of
influence, and influence flowing forth from God is quickening. Real
knowledge cannotbe receivedwithout a healthful influence on the soul. A
penitent child cannot know that his father has forgiven him without feeling
emotions of tenderness and joy. What, then, must be the influence of the
knowledge ofthe true God, our God and Father!
2. This knowledge promotes fellowshipand communion with God, which is
life. To man, as a socialbeing, fellowshipwith others is life. The contactof
thought with thought, and the communion of affectionwith affection, are
elements of men’s true life on earth. What, then, must be the fellowship of the
soul with God, but life of the highest order?
3. This knowledge promotes likenessto God; and this assimilationto God is
the very highest life (1 Colossians 3:10). (J. Spence, D. D.)
The knowledge ofGod is eternal life
I. WHAT IS COMPRISED IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD?

1. In answering this question, we need hardly remark that it implies a
knowledge ofGod’s existence. The remark is self-evident. The knowledge that
He is the beginning of all knowledge ofGod. But whilst this is comprised in a
knowledge ofGod, it does not constitute the knowledge. A man may know that
there is a God; he may not only know it from the statements of others, but he
may have actually examined it, and may be well conversantwith the evidence
of God’s existence with which nature abounds, and be able to give to every
man that askethhim a reasonfor his belief, and yet he may be destitute of that
knowledge whichis “eternallife.” How exquisitely the Scripture speaks upon
this point! “Thou believestthat there is one God; thou doestwell; the devils
also believe and tremble.” You need to know something more--something that
devils do not, and cannot, know--in order to the enjoyment of eternal life.
2. Again, it comprises a knowledge ofGod’s attributes, such as His eternity.
His omnipresence--that, as He existed throughout all time, so He fills all space
and pervades all worlds. His omniscience--that, existing throughout all time,
and pervading all space, He knows all things. Such are some of the attributes
which are essentialto Divinity; and I need not say that the knowledge ofthese
is comprised in a knowledge ofGod. But, then, all that, along with the
knowledge ofGod’s existence, does not constitute the knowledge ofwhich our
text speaks.There is reasonto believe that devils know God’s nature as wellas
existence;and yet they tremble. Ah, my brother, this knowledge might well
drive thee to despair: but it cannot give thee peace. It may convince thee of
sin, and fill thee with alarm, but it cannot give thee peace. The knowledge of
something more than this is necessaryto eternal life.
3. In proceeding to show what it is which constitutes this knowledge, I beg you
to notice that it is what is describedin the text as the knowledge ofJesus
Christ, whom God has sent. It is so described because it is through Christ that
the knowledge is communicated.

(2) You need to have something more than this, in order to your enjoying
eternal life; and this leads me to observe, secondly, that in Christ you have a
manifestation of the love of God. But even this is not enough. It is not enough
to know that God loves us; that though He is just, He must punish sin. You
need have something more in order to your enjoying life eternal. Oh, then,
ponder the statements of God’s Word in which that truth is found; and until it
falls on your understanding, until it is impressed on your hearts, never to be
erased--and, thank God, you need not wait long--for oh, it is plain and easy,
and even now you may open your hearts to the perceptionof it, and even now
you may enter into faith; even now you may look up to your God as your
Father and your Friend; for both by word and by deed does Godsay, “I have
acceptedMy Son’s work for thee, O sinner; I was well pleasedwith what He
has done for thee; His death is a perfect atonement for all thy sins; I am
satisfiedwith it; be thou satisfiedwith it, be at peace, be thou reconciledto
God.” I do not mean to say that what I have setbefore you contains anything
like full knowledge ofGod. No man can find out the Almighty to perfection. It
does not amount to even an index of what might be known; it is only of the
knowledge whichis necessaryto life.
II. And now let me proceed, in the secondplace, to show, as briefly as I can,
HOW THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS ETERNALLIFE, or in what sense it
is.
1. And, first of all, it is so, if you considereternal life as consisting in the
enjoyment of God’s favour. We read in this book, “And in His favour is life.”
Now, the knowledge ofGod is essentialto the enjoyment of His favour. It is
true that His favour rests on men, whether they know Him or not; for how
else could they accountfor the varied blessings which they are daily
receiving? But, then, though it rests on them, they do not enjoy it whilst they

do not know Him. Their own feelings are just as unpleasant; their relation to
God is as painful; they are as much alienated from God as if He were really
their enemy.
2. And, then, again, the knowledge ofGod is eternal life, if you regard eternal
life as signifying the privileges and enjoyments of the heavenly cities. The
knowledge ofGod imparts that character, orproduces in man that character,
which increases the enjoyment of heaven. The characteron which heavenis
conferredis “conformedinto God’s image”--sympathy with his feelings and
his desires;or, in other words, it is living in a oneness withGod. Now, the
knowledge ofGod necessarilyand invariably produces this characterin man.
The Cross ofChrist contains a motive powerwhich the human heart,
depraved as it is, cannotboth contemplate and resist. No man can truly and
intelligibly saythat Christ died for me, and gave Himself for me; God’s wrath
was suspendedover me, the Saviour stepped betweenme and that wrath, that
it might fall on Him, and that I might be saved--no man cansay that without
loving God in return.
3. And then, again, the knowledge ofGod is eternallife, if you understand the
knowledge ofGod as heavenly happiness. Whence, let me ask, do the
redeemedin heavenderive their happiness? Is it from the splendour of the
place which they occupy? from the beauty and sublimity of scenes upon which
they gaze? is it from the music with which their ears are charmed, or from the
delicious fruits with which they regale themselves, orfrom their exalted
companionship? No. They know that God is love, and that is their happiness.
God is setforth to their contemplation as a God of love, and they find their
employment, and their enjoyment too, in meditating on the proofs of His love
with which the universe abounds--every new discoverygiving a new impulse
to their zeal and a new zestto their praise. And, hence, you find John
speaking as if this were the consummation of the saint’s desire: “We know
that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
(W. Landels.)

Eternal life in the knowledge ofGod and Christ
1. When Jesus saidthese words, the transitoriness of life was pressing upon
Him and His disciples. When life seemedfrailest and most unreliable, they
heard Him praying, “This is life eternal.” The assertionof something in life,
which lasted and did not go to pieces, must have come in very solidly and
nobly. So often when we are most conscious ofmortality, when disease is
triumphing over that which disease cantouch, the leastreminder of that
which is immortal restores us, puts courage into our frightened hearts.
2. What is it, then, whose eternity Jesus proclaims so confidently? When
everything else decays, whatis it that is imperishable? Jesus says it is the
knowledge ofGod and of Himself. Now, remember that the knowledge ofGod
and Christ must mean, and in the Bible always does mean, s personal
relationship with God and Christ. It is not mere absolute knowledge. It is
what He is to us, not what He is to Himself, that we may know of God. So that
to know Christ and God is to have to do with Christ and God in the wayof
love and service. And Jesus says that the permanent part of our life is the part
which has to do with God.
3. Here is a very clearand simple test of all our life. Our houses must decay.
What is there in them that will last? That which had to do with God. Not their
bricks and mortar, but the tempers and the hearts that were cultivated in
them. Our institutions will perish--even our churches. But that which really
knew God in them no tooth of time can touch. Our friendships and
relationships have a promise of permanence only as they are real spiritual
intimacies knit in with one common union to God.

4. When we fastenour thoughts on this, how it changes the whole aspectof the
lives and deaths of men! Here is a poor, holy man dying. How little difference
death makes to him! He is to keepall that has to do with God, and to lose all
the rest. What is there for him to lose? How much there is that he will keep!
But another man, so much richer, lies dying. What an enormous change death
is to him! All his life has been worldly. What is there that he can keep? How
almost everything he must lose!
5. Thus the eternal part of us is not that which Godshall choose atsome
future day to endow with everlasting life. Eternity is a true quality in the thing
itself. This really brings me to what I wanted to preach about--the regulative
and shaping powerof a Christian faith in this life. What are the great
deficiencies ofdaily moral life?
I. THE DIFFICULT BALANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY. Menknow what
duty is, but the even, steadypressure of duty upon the whole surface of a
man’s life is something which thoughtful men are always missing. On one day
the sense ofresponsibility is overwhelming. The next day it is all gone. The
consequence is doubly bad. Some tasks are wholly neglected, and others are
done under a burden and a strain which exhaust us. Our life grows all
spasmodic. Oh, for some power which, with broad, even weight, should press
every duty into its place, coming down from such a height that it should be
independent of their whims and moods, and weighupon tomorrow and to-day
alike, calm, serene, eternal. Now hear our text. There is the answerto our
longing! To love God out of gratitude, and to want to serve Him out of love--
there is the rescue!The doing of all duty, not only for itself, but for His sake
who wants it done--this is what puts force and pliability at once into duty,
making it strong enough for the largest, and supple enough for the smallest
tasks, giving it that power which the greatsteamengine has, with equal
fidelity to strike down a mountain and to pick up a pebble, adapting its

movements to such different work. Is not that the redemption of
responsibility?
II. THE DIFFICULT SENSE OF BROTHERHOOD. The decayof the power
of feeling this is one of the sad things of all advancing life. It is not so hard for
children. The young man has not settled yet into the fixed tastes and
occupations which decide for him with whom he should have to do. And so he
easilystrikes hands with everybody, and has a certain superficialbrotherhood
with every one he meets. But as the man grows olderhis life draws in. He
cannot reachout and take in a larger circle. Even patriotism is harder than it
used to be. And to let his affectiongo sweeping out to the ends of the earth and
down into the gutter where the outcasts lie--this seems preposterous. How can
one keepand grow humane? “This is life eternal,” &c. If I have lost sight of
my brethren, I must go back to my Fatherto find them. It is the Father’s
house that we must meet. I am not merely a merchant among the merchants, a
lawyer among the lawyers, a minister among the minister. I am a sonof God,
doing His will out of love; a sonof God among the sons of God.
III. THE BEARING OF TROUBLE. Trouble comes to everybody, and what
men ordinarily callbearing it, is apt to be one of the dreariestand forlornest
things conceivable. How you hate and dread to go into that house of suffering.
What you do find is apt to be either a man all crushed and broken into
fragments, or else a man proud, cold, stern, hard, whom you pity all the more
for the wretchedness ofhis proud, hard misery. But now neither of these men
is really bearing his sorrow. Neitherof them has really taken his trouble on
his shoulders, to carry it whither he pleases. Eachofthem, in different ways,
is borne by his sorrow. And now, what is the matter with both these men?
Simply that they laid out a plan of life which was not broad enough or deep
enough to have any place for trouble. When they designedtheir lives, they left

sorrow out. So many lives are like ships sailing for Europe in the brilliant
morning of a summer’s day, and, by and by, when they are out in mid-ocean,
and the night comes, andthe sky and water both grow black, finding that they
have brought no lights of any kind. And then, if I turn aside and find a man
who really does bear his sorrow, whatis it that is different in him? It must be
this: that he has some notion of life which is large enough to take in trouble.
The Christian enters into the profoundness of consolationbecausehe loves his
Governorand his Educator. “This is life eternal,” &c.
IV. THE LACK OF NOBLENESS.There come occasionalmoments in every
man’s long life when he feels that he is living nobly. Something makes him
forgethimself, with ardent enthusiasm fire up for a principle, with easyscorn
push back temptation, with deep delight glory in some friend’s greatness,
greaterthan his own. The man is pitiable who has known no such moments.
But one or two such in a man’s life only show out by contrastthe generallow
level at which our lives are lived. There is a littleness that wearies us. There is
a drag to everything, that makes us ask:“Is it worth while?” Now all those
qualities which make up nobleness must become permanent and constantin
any man who really knows and loves God and Jesus Christ? Be a Christian
constantly, and you must be noble constantly. Know Christ’s redemption,
and, seeing all things redeemedin Him, their possibilities, their ideas must
shine out to you. Unite your life to God’s, and it must glow with the
enthusiasm of His certain hopes. Give yourself up to your Redeemer, and you
must be rescuedfrom selfishness. Love God, and you must hate His enemies,
treading sin under foot with all His contempt and indignation. (Phillips
Brooks, D. D.)
On knowing God

I. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
1. The existence of God lies at the foundation of all religion: and, therefore,
the knowledge ofGodis the touch-stone of its principles. Error and falsehood
are not going to yield to any science but that of Deity.
2. It is the lack of this knowledge which sustains impiety. The stupidity of
sinners would be gone if they saw clearlywhat God is. That one thing they
shun. They do not like to retain God in their knowledge.
3. If Christians knew God better, their piety would be increased. Those
ancient saints, whose happy attainments held them superior to the world,
always nurtured their piety by much study and fellowshipwith God.
4. This subjectof knowledge canneverbe exhausted. A finite mind, perhaps,
may reachsome point in eternity when it shall have compassedallother
subjects, and be able to look down upon and over all other fields of knowledge
without darkness and without a doubt. But God still lies above it--beyond it!
5. By a true knowledge ofGod, we shall have a clearand experimental
discernment of the beauty and grandeur of His character. Hence, we shallfeel
the desirablenessofbeing like Him.
6. Our relations to God are such that we ought greatly to desire to know Him
well. He is our Maker;He wilt be our Judge.

II. SOME ARGUMENTS FOR THIS STUDY. This knowledge ofGod tends
1. To humble us. When we know Him best we know ourselves best. It is this
that dissipates our delusions. “Woe is me! I am undone.” Why? “Mine eyes
have seenthe King, the Lord of hosts.”
2. To crucify us to the world. To have a spiritual understanding of the
exceeding excellencies ofGod makes the world seembut a very little thing. It
shows us its emptiness. The heart uses that new arithmetic, to count all things
loss for the excellencyof the knowledge ofGod in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. To purify the heart. No sight is so transforming as that of God. When we
can have our minds and hearts brought so as to see with open face the glory of
the Lord, we are changedinto the same image from glory to glory.
4. To confirm and establishthe believer’s heart. Speculationcannot do this.
Self-examination, submission to creeds and forms, and all study of doctrines,
cannot do it. To have full views of God; to know Him by direct fellowship;to
live in His presence, andlie down and feelthat the everlasting arms are
around him, shows to the believer the fulness and the faithfulness of God, and
confirms his heart in something like the full assurance ofhope. Now he can
call God his Father.
5. Hence such a knowledge ofGod is most satisfying and safe. (I. S. Spencer,
D. D.)
The knowledge ofGod

Jesus was sure eternal life is in who you know

Jesus was sure eternal life is in who you know

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