He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The Son hath life - `THE life.' Bengel, The verse has two clauses: in the former the Son is mentioned without "of God," for believers know the Son; in the second, the addition "of God" is made, that unbelievers may know what a serious thing it is not to have Him. In the former, "has" bears the emphasis; in the second, life. To have the Son is to be able to say as the bride, "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine." By faith the regenerate HAVE Christ as a present possession, and in Him have life in its germ now, and shall have life in its fully developed manifestation hereafter. Eternal life here is:
(1) initial; an earnest of that which is to follow; in the intermediate state
(2) partial, belonging but to a part of man, though his nobler part, the soul separated from the body; at the resurrection
(3) perfectional.
This life is not only natural, consisting of union of soul and body (as that of the reprobate in eternal pain, which is rather death eternal, not life), but also spiritual, the union of the soul to God, and supremely blessed forever (for life implies happiness) (Pearson 'On Creed').