John 11:26 kjv
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 11:26 nkjv
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
John 11:26 niv
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
John 11:26 esv
and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
John 11:26 nlt
Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?"
John 11 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 11:25 | Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die..." | Jesus defines Himself as the source of life. |
| John 14:6 | Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life..." | Jesus is the essence of life itself. |
| John 5:24 | "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned..." | Hearing and believing grants present eternal life. |
| John 3:16 | "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." | Belief prevents perishing and grants eternal life. |
| John 6:40 | "...everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." | Belief leads to eternal life and future resurrection. |
| John 6:47 | "Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life." | Affirmation of present eternal life through faith. |
| John 10:28 | "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish..." | Jesus' gift ensures believers' security from perishing. |
| Rom 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Contrast between sin's consequence and God's gift. |
| 1 John 5:11-12 | And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life... | Eternal life is intrinsically found in having Christ. |
| Col 3:3 | For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. | Believers' true life is secured in Christ. |
| Phil 1:21 | For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. | Spiritual life is defined by Christ. |
| Rom 8:11 | And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies... | God's Spirit guarantees future bodily resurrection. |
| 1 Thes 4:14 | For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. | Hope in Christ includes the resurrection of deceased believers. |
| Rev 20:6 | Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them... | Believers are exempt from the "second death." |
| John 8:51 | "Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death." | Obedience to Jesus' word leads to overcoming death. |
| John 5:21 | For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. | Jesus has the same life-giving power as the Father. |
| Heb 2:14-15 | ...so that through death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. | Christ's death conquered death's power and freed believers. |
| 1 Cor 15:26 | The last enemy to be destroyed is death. | Death will ultimately be defeated. |
| Eph 2:1 | As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins... | Describes the spiritual death before Christ. |
| Col 2:13 | When you were dead in your sins... God made you alive with Christ... | Spiritual transformation from death to life. |
| Gal 2:20 | I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me... | Christ is the source and substance of a believer's life. |
| Matt 10:28 | "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul..." | Distinguishes physical death from eternal soul fate. |
John 11 verses
John 11 26 Meaning
John 11:26 conveys Jesus' profound declaration to Martha, asserting His absolute authority over life and death. He reveals that anyone who currently lives, both physically and spiritually, and places their ongoing faith in Him, will by no means experience eternal death. This promise elevates belief in Jesus as the gateway to transcending ultimate spiritual cessation and securing unending life. The verse culminates in a direct and personal challenge, urging Martha (and by extension, every hearer) to personally affirm this truth.
John 11 26 Context
John chapter 11 opens with the profound distress of Mary and Martha over their brother Lazarus's illness, culminating in his death and burial. Jesus, despite being informed, delays His arrival, allowing Lazarus to die and remain in the tomb for four days. Upon Jesus' arrival in Bethany, Martha confronts Him with the sorrowful words, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." In response, Jesus delivers the potent declaration of verses 25-26. This dialogue precedes one of Jesus' most public and significant miracles – the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Historically and culturally, first-century Jews believed in a future resurrection of the dead at the last day, as expressed by Martha in John 11:24. Jesus' statement in verse 26 transcends this eschatological hope by claiming to be the present reality and embodiment of resurrection and life, thus asserting His immediate power over death. This directly challenges and reframes their understanding of life and afterlife, pointing to an intimate relationship with Him as the key.
John 11 26 Word analysis
- And (καὶ - kai): A simple conjunction connecting Jesus' previous statement in verse 25 about being the resurrection and the life to this further explanation, showing a continuation and expansion of His claim.
- everyone who lives (πᾶς ὁ ζῶν - pas ho zōn):
- Everyone (πᾶς - pas): Universal scope, indicating that this promise is for any individual, without exclusion based on background or status.
- who lives (ὁ ζῶν - ho zōn): The present participle of the verb "to live" (ζάω - zaō) suggests a current, active state of living. In context, this refers not merely to physical existence but to those who are spiritually alive, responsive to God, distinguishing them from those spiritually dead in sin (Eph 2:1).
- and believes (καὶ πιστεύων - kai pisteuōn):
- The conjunction "and" (καὶ - kai) joins living with believing, indicating these are two interconnected and concurrent conditions. One implies the other.
- believes (πιστεύων - pisteuōn): Also a present participle, implying an ongoing, active, and persistent act of faith and trust. It's not a one-time intellectual assent but a continuous orientation of one's life towards Christ.
- in me (εἰς ἐμέ - eis eme):
- In (εἰς - eis): The preposition "into" or "in" emphasizes not just intellectual belief about Jesus, but a transformative, active faith into or towards Him, signifying commitment, union, and personal reliance upon Him as the object of faith.
- me (ἐμέ - eme): Points directly to Jesus Christ as the sole source and object of this life-giving faith. He is the specific and exclusive fount of the promised eternal life.
- will never die (οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα - ou mē apothanē eis ton aiōna):
- will never die (οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ - ou mē apothanē): This is the strongest form of negation in the Greek language (double negative with the aorist subjunctive). It expresses an absolute, unequivocal assurance that believers will by no means, never ever experience ultimate, eternal spiritual death or separation from God. It refers to a definitive end to the power of death over them, particularly the second death (Rev 20:6). While believers still experience physical death, this statement means physical death loses its ultimate sting and power to separate them from life with God (1 Cor 15:54-57).
- unto the age (εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα - eis ton aiōna): Literally "into the age" or "into eternity," meaning "forever," or "never." It intensifies the "never" and confirms the eternal nature of this promise, stretching into endless future time.
- Do you believe this? (Τοῦτο πιστεύεις - Touto pisteueis):
- Do you believe (πιστεύεις - pisteueis): A direct, intensely personal question posed to Martha (and all listeners). It is in the present tense, again signifying an active, ongoing belief and personal acceptance.
- this (Τοῦτο - Touto): Refers to the totality of Jesus' preceding claim in verses 25-26 – that He is the resurrection and the life, and that believing in Him guarantees everlasting life and protection from eternal death. It demands a personal response and commitment to the truth of His identity and promise.
John 11 26 Bonus section
This verse implies that for those united with Christ, death is less an ending and more a transition, specifically losing its power to separate them from God eternally. It shifts the definition of 'death' from merely a biological cessation to primarily a spiritual state of separation from the source of life. Therefore, a believer "lives" in a dual sense: physically in this world and spiritually alive in Christ, with the promise that the spiritual life will never be extinguished. This promise is active in the believer's life even before physical death, ensuring that their spiritual life and relationship with God are unassailable.
John 11 26 Commentary
John 11:26 encapsulates a pivotal theological claim of Jesus, directly following His declaration, "I am the resurrection and the life." While Martha held a future-oriented hope in a general resurrection, Jesus presents Himself as the present and immediate source of life and conquest over death. The phrase "everyone who lives and believes in me" highlights the ongoing, active nature of a believer's walk – a spiritual life that is sustained by continuous trust in Christ. The absolute negative "will never die" uses the strongest Greek construction, assuring believers that ultimate, eternal separation from God, or the "second death," has no power over them. This does not negate physical death but transcends it, stripping it of its victory for those in Christ. The concluding question, "Do you believe this?", transforms a theological teaching into a personal call to faith, inviting a definitive decision about Jesus' identity and power. This passage showcases Jesus as the fulfillment of eschatological hopes, offering not just a future event, but a present reality of eternal life through intimate relationship with Him.