This infographic highlights the key facts from John 17:3, where Jesus identifies His Father as the only true God and Himself as the Christ sent by God. It also connects Jesus' teaching with the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), Mark 12:29, and the apostles' consistent testimony that there is one God, the Father.
John 17:3 — Jesus Himself Confirmed That the Father Alone Is the Only True God
Part 1 – Jesus Defines Eternal Life
By Simon Brown
Among all the words Jesus ever spoke, few are more important than those recorded in John 17:3.
On the night before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus lifted His eyes toward heaven and prayed to His Father. This was not a discussion with His disciples or a debate with the religious leaders. It was Jesus speaking directly to God.
Within this prayer, Jesus gave one of the clearest definitions found anywhere in Scripture. He explained what eternal life is.
"And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
John 17:3
These words deserve careful attention because Jesus is not merely discussing eternal life—He is defining it.
Notice that Jesus identifies two distinct persons.
First, He addresses "You," referring to His Father in heaven.
Second, He speaks of "Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
The distinction is unmistakable. The Father is identified as "the only true God," while Jesus identifies Himself separately as the Christ, the One whom the Father sent into the world.
This immediately raises an important question.
If Jesus Himself calls His Father "the only true God," what did He intend His followers to understand?
Was Jesus including Himself within that description?
Or was He carefully distinguishing between God the Father and His Messiah?
These are not questions that should be answered by later traditions or theological systems. They should first be answered by listening carefully to the words of Jesus Himself.
Throughout this study, we will examine the immediate context, compare Scripture with Scripture, and allow Jesus' own teaching to explain what He meant.
For if Jesus Himself tells us what eternal life is, there can surely be no greater authority.
Next: Part 2 – Who Did Jesus Call "The Only True God"?
Part 2 – Who Did Jesus Call "The Only True God"?
The words of Jesus in John 17:3 are remarkably simple, yet they have enormous theological significance.
Jesus prayed:
"And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
John 17:3
The first question we must ask is:
Who is "You"?
The answer is obvious from the context.
Jesus is praying to His Father.
Throughout John 17, Jesus repeatedly addresses God as "Father."
"Father, the hour has come." (John 17:1)
"Holy Father, keep them in Your name." (John 17:11)
"O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You." (John 17:25)
There can therefore be no doubt that when Jesus says:
"You, the only true God,"
He is speaking directly to His Father.
This is one of the clearest statements Jesus ever made concerning the identity of God.
Notice carefully what Jesus does not say.
He does not pray:
"We are the only true God."
He does not pray:
"I am the only true God."
Nor does He include the Holy Spirit within this description.
Instead, Jesus identifies one person as "the only true God"—His Father.
Immediately afterwards He distinguishes Himself by saying:
"and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
The sentence naturally presents two distinct identities.
The Father — the only true God.
Jesus Christ — the One whom the Father sent.
This distinction appears repeatedly throughout John's Gospel.
Jesus continually speaks of Himself as the One whom the Father sent.
He never describes Himself as sending the Father.
Likewise, Jesus repeatedly refers to the Father as His God.
Even after His resurrection He declared:
"I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God."
**John 20:17
These statements are completely consistent.
The Father is Jesus' God.
Jesus is the Father's Messiah.
John 17:3 therefore stands as one of the clearest summaries of this relationship in the entire New Testament.
Rather than blurring the distinction between God and His Messiah, Jesus plainly identifies His Father as the only true God while identifying Himself as Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent.
If we truly wish to understand who God is, there is surely no better place to begin than with the words of Jesus Himself.
Next: Part 3 – John 17:3 and the Greatest Commandment: The Shema Confirmed
Part 3 – John 17:3 and the Greatest Commandment: Jesus Confirmed the Shema
Many Christians read John 17:3 without realising that Jesus was not introducing a new teaching. He was reaffirming the very foundation of Israel's faith—the same truth He had taught throughout His ministry.
When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, His answer was immediate:
"The first of all the commandments is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.'"
Mark 12:29
Jesus was quoting directly from the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4:
"Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one."
This was not simply another commandment among many. Jesus said it was the first and the greatest commandment.
Everything else in the Law and the Prophets rested upon this truth.
The God whom Israel was commanded to worship was one God—not many gods, not several persons called one God, but the one God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Remarkably, when Jesus later prayed in John 17:3, He did not change this confession. Instead, He confirmed it.
He prayed:
"This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
Notice the harmony between these passages.
In Mark 12:29, Jesus declares that there is one God.
In John 17:3, He identifies exactly who that one God is.
It is the very One to whom He is praying—His Father.
Jesus does not redefine the Shema.
He does not expand it.
He does not alter it.
Instead, He identifies His Father as the only true God, exactly as faithful Jews had always confessed that there is one God alone.
This should not surprise us. Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently directed people's worship toward His Father. He taught His disciples to pray:
"Our Father in heaven..."
(Matthew 6:9)
He declared:
"The Father is greater than I."
(John 14:28)
After His resurrection He said:
"I ascend to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God."
(John 20:17)
Every one of these statements points in the same direction.
Jesus never departed from the greatest commandment He Himself proclaimed.
Instead, He lived it.
He believed it.
He taught it.
And in His final prayer before His death, He confirmed it once again by identifying His Father as the only true God.
This raises a question that every sincere Christian should consider.
If Jesus Himself upheld the Shema throughout His ministry, and if He identified His Father as the only true God, should His followers not believe exactly as He believed and taught?
For Jesus said that this knowledge is not merely an interesting doctrine—it is eternal life.
Next: Part 4 – Why Did Jesus Separate Himself from the Only True God?
Part 4 – Why Did Jesus Distinguish Himself from the Only True God?
One of the most striking features of John 17:3 is that Jesus not only identifies His Father as "the only true God," but He also clearly distinguishes Himself from Him.
Jesus prayed:
"And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
John 17:3
Notice the order of Jesus' words.
First, He identifies the Father as the only true God.
Then He identifies Himself as Jesus Christ, the One whom the Father sent.
This distinction is not accidental.
It reflects the relationship Jesus described throughout His entire ministry.
Again and again, Jesus spoke of Himself as the One whom God had sent into the world.
He declared:
"My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me."
(John 7:16)
He also said:
"I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge... because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
(John 5:30)
These are not the words of someone claiming to be the God who sent Himself.
Rather, they are the words of God's obedient Messiah—the Son who came to accomplish His Father's will.
Jesus repeatedly spoke of receiving everything from His Father.
His authority came from the Father.
His teaching came from the Father.
His works were given by the Father.
His mission was given by the Father.
Even His life was given by the Father.
Everything points to the same relationship: the Sender and the One sent.
This distinction continues after Jesus' resurrection.
Speaking to Mary Magdalene, Jesus said:
"I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God."
John 20:17
These words are remarkable.
The risen Jesus still calls the Father "My God."
If Jesus has a God, then the One He calls "My God" cannot at the same time be identical to Him.
The Scriptures consistently present the Father as the God of Jesus.
This does not diminish the glory, honour, or authority that God has given His Son. On the contrary, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, the One exalted to God's right hand, and the Lord appointed over all creation by His Father.
But none of these glorious titles change what Jesus Himself declared.
The Father remains the only true God, and Jesus remains the Christ whom the Father sent.
The distinction is simple.
The Father is God.
Jesus is God's Christ.
The Father is the Sender.
Jesus is the One sent.
The Father is the only true God.
Jesus is the Son of the only true God.
This is exactly how Jesus described the relationship, and it is the understanding He said leads to eternal life.
Next: Part 5 – Why Did Jesus Say This Knowledge Is Eternal Life?
Part 5 – Why Did Jesus Say This Knowledge Is Eternal Life?
When Jesus prayed to His Father in John 17, He was only hours away from His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. He knew His earthly ministry was coming to an end. Every word He spoke carried tremendous significance.
Yet among His final prayers, Jesus made this remarkable statement:
"And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
John 17:3
Notice that Jesus did not say this knowledge is merely helpful or beneficial.
He did not say it is an interesting doctrine that Christians may disagree about.
He said:
"This is eternal life."
Those words should cause every believer to pause and reflect.
If Jesus Himself defines eternal life in this way, then surely we must understand why.
According to Jesus, eternal life begins with knowing two truths.
First, knowing the Father, who alone is the only true God.
Second, knowing Jesus Christ, the One whom the Father sent into the world.
These two truths are inseparable.
To know the Father is to recognise Him as the only true God.
To know Jesus is to recognise Him as God's Christ, God's only begotten Son, and the One sent by the Father to accomplish His saving purpose.
Throughout John's Gospel this distinction is repeated again and again.
John begins his Gospel by saying:
"No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known."
(John 1:18)
Jesus Himself declared:
"My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work."
(John 4:34)
And later He said:
"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
(John 6:29)
The consistent message is clear.
The Father is the One who sends.
Jesus is the One who is sent.
The Father is God.
Jesus is God's Messiah.
This is not a minor point within the Gospel of John—it is one of its central themes.
The apostle John confirms this purpose near the end of his Gospel:
"These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."
John 20:31
Notice carefully what John says.
He does not say his Gospel was written so that people would believe Jesus is Almighty God.
He says it was written so that people would believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
This perfectly agrees with the words of Jesus in John 17:3.
The Father is the only true God.
Jesus is the Christ, the Son whom the Father sent.
To know and believe these truths, Jesus says, is eternal life.
This should encourage every Christian to examine the Scriptures carefully. If Jesus Himself chose these words to define eternal life, then they deserve our deepest attention and our most careful study.
Next: Part 6 – Could the Apostles Have Understood the Father to Be the Only True God?
Part 6 – Did the Apostles Continue Teaching What Jesus Taught?
If Jesus declared that eternal life is knowing the Father as the only true God and Jesus Christ as the One whom the Father sent, we should expect His apostles to teach exactly the same message.
That is precisely what we find throughout the New Testament.
The apostle Paul wrote:
"Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."
1 Corinthians 8:6
Notice how closely Paul's words reflect the teaching of Jesus.
Paul identifies:
One God — the Father.
One Lord — Jesus Christ.
Just as Jesus distinguished Himself from the only true God in John 17:3, Paul distinguishes between the one God, the Father, and the one Lord, Jesus Christ.
Likewise, Paul wrote:
"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
1 Timothy 2:5
Again, the distinction is unmistakable.
There is one God.
There is one mediator between that one God and mankind.
That mediator is the man Christ Jesus.
A mediator cannot be the same person as the one between whom he mediates. Jesus stands between God and humanity because He is the Messiah appointed by God to reconcile mankind to Himself.
The apostle Peter preached the same message on the Day of Pentecost:
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."
Acts 2:36
Peter did not say that Jesus is the God who made Himself Lord and Christ.
He declared that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ.
This agrees perfectly with Jesus' own teaching that the Father sent Him into the world and later exalted Him.
John also ends his Gospel by explaining why he wrote it:
"These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."
John 20:31
Notice John's purpose.
He does not say his Gospel was written so that people would believe Jesus is Almighty God.
He says it was written so that people would believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
This is exactly what Jesus taught in John 17:3.
The message of Jesus became the message of His apostles.
The Father is the one true God.
Jesus is the Christ, the Son whom the Father sent.
There is remarkable unity throughout the New Testament. Jesus did not teach one doctrine while His apostles taught another. Instead, they faithfully proclaimed the same truth they had learned from their Master.
This consistency should give every Christian confidence to examine these passages carefully and allow Scripture to interpret Scripture.
Next: Conclusion – Will We Believe Jesus' Own Definition of Eternal Life?
Conclusion – Will We Believe Jesus' Own Definition of Eternal Life?
Throughout this study, we have examined the plain words of Jesus Himself.
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father and declared:
"And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
John 17:3
These are not the words of a theologian writing centuries later.
They are not the conclusions of a church council or a creed.
They are the words of Jesus Christ Himself.
Jesus identified His Father as the only true God.
He identified Himself as the Christ, the One whom the Father sent into the world.
This perfectly agrees with the greatest commandment that Jesus Himself proclaimed:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."
Mark 12:29
It agrees with the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4.
It agrees with the preaching of the apostles.
It agrees with Paul's declaration that there is one God, the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6).
It agrees with Peter's preaching that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
It agrees with John's purpose for writing his Gospel:
"...that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
John 20:31
The testimony of Scripture is wonderfully consistent.
The Father is the only true God.
Jesus is His Christ, His only begotten Son, whom He sent to save the world.
Every Christian must therefore ask an honest question.
If Jesus Himself defines eternal life as knowing the Father as the only true God and Himself as the Christ whom the Father sent, can we afford to believe something different about the identity of God?
This is not a question of tradition.
It is not a question of denominational loyalty.
It is not a question of what became popular in later centuries.
It is a question of whether we will believe the words of Jesus.
None of us should be content simply to inherit our beliefs from parents, pastors, churches, or teachers. Instead, we should follow the example of the Bereans, who examined the Scriptures daily to see whether the things they were taught were true (Acts 17:11).
If our understanding agrees with the clear teaching of Christ, then our faith is strengthened.
But if our understanding differs from His own words, then humility requires us to let Jesus correct us.
After all, if anyone knows who the only true God is, surely it is the Son whom the Father sent.
So let us return to the simple confession taught throughout Scripture.
There is one God, the Father.
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
To know the Father as the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ whom He sent, is the very definition of eternal life given by Jesus Himself.
May every reader prayerfully examine these Scriptures and ask God for wisdom, remembering the promise:
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)
And may we always follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who directed all glory, honour, and worship to His Father—the One whom He called "the only true God."
RELATED ARTICLES
- The Greatest Commandment Ever Given — Who Is the One True God?
- Mark 12:29 — Why Did Jesus Quote the Shema?
- Deuteronomy 6:4 — The Shema: "Hear, O Israel, Yahweh Our God Is One"
- John 10:30 — What Did Jesus Mean by "I and the Father Are One"?
- John 8:58 — What Did Jesus Mean by "Before Abraham Was, I Am"?
- John 20:28 — Did Thomas Really Call Jesus Almighty God?
- John 14:9 — "He Who Has Seen Me Has Seen the Father" Explained
- John 17:5 — Did Jesus Exist with the Father Before the World Began?
- John 1:1 — Does "The Word Was God" Mean Jesus Is Almighty God?
- 2 Peter 1:1 — Another Trinitarian Misunderstanding?
- Colossians 1:15–17 — Does "Firstborn of All Creation" Mean Jesus Was Created?
- Hebrews 1:2 — Did God Create the Universe or the Ages Through His Son?
- Who Is the Alpha and the Omega?
- Did the Doctrine of the Trinity Originate with Jesus Christ and His Apostles?
- Is Jesus God, or the Son of God? What Does the Whole Bible Teach?
- Scriptures Proving Yahweh: The One True God of Israel Is the Creator Alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment