What does Jesus say is the outcome for "whoever hears my word and believes" in John 5:24?

Life. — And now He, who had the authority to judge, and the power to enforce the execution of His sentence, speaks in a different key, unfolding teaching about grace and salvation, prefacing it with those words, which as to their repetition is restricted to this Gospel, and throughout it are the utterance of the Lord Jesus Himself. "Verily, verily, I say to you, He that hears My word, and believes Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment [not, condemnation]; but is passed from death to life" (24). He had spoken of all judgment being committed to Him. Now He would have every one hear what is the way of escape from it. How fitting and how encouraging is this! The Judge Himself tells us how we may escape the judgment. Who so fitting as He thus to speak? And if He thus speaks, what sure ground we stand upon, when we take Him at His word, and do what He says! To hear His word, He says; then it will not do to oppose Him. To believe Him (not, on Him) that sent Him. That takes us to the written Word. These are the conditions set before the creature. To have, 1st, as a present possession everlasting life; 2nd, never to come into judgment; and, 3rd, to have passed from death to life, — these are the blessings here offered without money and without price.

In this wonderful discourse the Lord made three statements on which He laid special emphasis, expressed by the words "Verily, verily." In verse 19 He emphasized His essential oneness with the Father in all His works, as we have seen. In verse 24 the emphasis again lies on His connection with the Father. As the Word became flesh He was the sent One of the Father, and in His word the Father was made known. So He did not just say, "He that hears My word and believes it," but, "believes on Him that sent Me." We believe on the Father through the word of the Son; so that presently Peter writes to saints, "who by Him do believe in God" (1 Peter 1:21). Now here He announced that such simple hearing of faith produced three amazing results: the possession of life eternal; preservation from judgment; passage out of death into life.

In verse 24 is another emphatic and insistent “most assuredly.” The word the Lord Jesus speaks has in it the full authority of God, spoken in fullest unity with the Father who has sent Him. Therefore one who honestly hears His word and believes in the Father as having sent Him, is assured of now having eternal life. Marvelous, wonderful certainty! More than this, lest there should be any misunderstanding of so magnificent a declaration, the Lord adds that, as to the future, all is perfectly settled. Such a person is quickened rather than under judgment: He will never come into judgment at all, but is already passed out of death into life.

(2) Such then is the glory of the One they are challenging He is the divine Judge of all: the Lord of life and death. Hence follows the blessed consequence: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth Him that sent Me hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but is passed out of death into life." Thus with the possession of eternal life comes deliverance not merely from condemnation, as the common version renders it, but from judgment itself; the very reception of life is an acquittal: the Judge has spoken, and there is no more judgment needing to be reached.

Verse 24 is a blessed Gospel text. Hearing and believing are the conditions to receive eternal life. There is no mention made of repentance. The word "repent" so prominent in the Gospel of Matthew in the Kingdom offer is not found once in the fourth Gospel. Faith and repentance, however, are inseparable. He that hears His words and believeth Him that sent the Son also repents. Again eternal life is spoken of as a present possession, "hath" not "shall have" or "shall receive later," but "hath eternal life." And with that gift comes deliverance from judgment. The reception of eternal life is a full acquittal; passed from death and all it means, into life.

And what is the result of hearing the Son of God? "They that hear shall live." What kind of life? It is life eternal! Not life in this world! Not life in this scene! You have that already, but it is forfeited. You cannot tell how long you may have it. Thank God, the believer has eternal life. In that 24th verse our Lord Jesus Christ brings before us the present, the past, and the future. About the present, He says, "He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life;" then as regards the past, He says the believer "is passed from death to life;" and if he look at the future, "shall not come into condemnation." The whole horizon of the soul is filled up by that one verse. How beautiful! How simple! "He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me." Do I hear His voice? Do I hear His word? Do I believe the Father sent Him? I do, from the bottom of my heart, and I confess that He is what He says He is. I confess Him Son of God, and Son of Man. I confess my need of Him, and my faith in Him. And who sent Him? The Father sent the Son. What a wonderful thing that the Father, the Eternal Father, should have sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. Yes, Scripture says, "The Saviour of the world." Wonderful and amazing truth! Yes, the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world, and that Son went into death to take you and me out of it. He died on the cross, and presented His own precious blood as an atonement for sin, so that man might be washed in that precious blood, and be presented to God, in all its cleansing efficacy, the recipient of eternal life.

To which of these two classes do I belong? The 24th verse furnishes us with the answer to this question - a simple, complete answer, and full of precious light. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life." The word of Christ is that which is presented to the soul, to bring the glad tidings of grace: the effect produced, where this word is received, is faith in the Father as having sent His Son. But He who thus believes in the Father as sending His Son, grace and truth thus come in Him, has eternal life. That is one side of the answer; he who believes is quickened. We have seen that this is one means of ensuring the Son's glory: the other means is not mixed up with this one. If Christ has quickened, it is not to put His work to the test of judgment; that is impossible: Christ would judge His own work, and would call in question its efficacy; and who is the judge? The consequence is evident: the other means of ensuring Christ's glory is not employed; he who has received life does not come into judgment. I limit myself to what the passage before us says; otherwise we should remember that He who sits as Judge is the same One who bore the sins of all those who believe. But John does not treat this side of the subject: to judge him who believes, would be to call in question the quickening work of Christ, and that of the Father also.

In chapter 4 there is no danger of thirsting, for the drinker of the water which He gives has eternal satisfaction. In chapter 5 there is no danger of coming into judgment, for the one who hears His word, and believes Him who sent Him has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed out of death into life. Such a person as is described as a hearer of His word and a believer of Him who sent Him has everlasting life. Who says so? The Life-giver. Who else could speak with any kind of authority or certainty on the question? But more than that, he shall not come into judgment. Who says so? The Judge. Who but the Judge could pronounce authoritatively on the matter?

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life." It is he that submits, "he that hears," he that owns himself to be without strength, dead altogether as to hope or help from self. If I am brought into such a place before God as to listen to Christ and receive from Him, then have I life. "He that heareth my word shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life." If my soul has bowed to Christ - if I have listened to Him - if I have learnt from Him, owning that I was lost - then have I a portion in life which settles every question of judgment. "He that heareth my word," etc. This is the very way I have learnt that I am lost, and it has just come to this - I must either take my place with those who have the real life and shall not come into judgment, or with those who will be in the resurrection of judgment because they are rejecting Christ. I am a vile sinner, but I do believe the Father sent the Son; and this settles every question of my guilt. Am I mixing up the resurrection of life with that of judgment, so that the thought of judgment is still distressing me? God has committed all judgment unto the Son. Will He judge what He has quickened into life? Most assuredly He will not. Shall I find some other God to judge me? The thought would be blasphemy. The word is particularly clear: but we, in confusing the two, lose the comfort of their meaning.

In verse 24 we have before us the person that is partaker of this life. “He that heareth My word, and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death into life.” The way we become partakers of the life is by hearing the voice of the Son of God. But there are certain effects produced in the soul who hears the voice that are made known to us in verse 24. The voice of Jesus has brought him to the recognition of the Father. He has heard the Word of Jesus, but his faith centres on the Father who sent Him; and “This is life eternal, that they should know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” He is partaker in this life, and has fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ; and fullness of joy is the result.