What does Jesus mean when He says the dead shall hear His voice?

When Jesus says “the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God,” He is speaking first about people who are dead in sin, not physically dead. Apart from Him, we are spiritually lifeless and far from God. Through the message of Christ, God calls people to faith. Those who truly “hear” His voice, meaning they receive His word with faith, are made alive. They begin a new spiritual life of trusting and walking with Him, which leads to eternal life. This present spiritual raising points forward to the future bodily resurrection as well.

What is the difference between the resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation?

Jesus says that all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come out. Some will rise to the “resurrection of life,” others to the “resurrection of damnation.” This means there will be a real, future, bodily resurrection for every person. Those who have done good, showing a life changed by faith in Him, will enter eternal life. Those who have done evil and stayed in unbelief will face judgment and punishment. Good works do not earn salvation, but they show the reality of faith. Evil works reveal a heart that has rejected God’s grace.

Why does Jesus say He can do nothing of Himself in this passage?

When Jesus says, “I can of mine own self do nothing,” He is not saying He is weak or lacking power. He is showing that He is perfectly one with the Father. Everything He does, He does in full agreement with the Father’s will. His hearing and judging are not independent or selfish but entirely in step with God. This is why He can say, “My judgment is just.” He is not acting from His own private plan or desire. He judges and works as the One sent by the Father, sharing the same purpose and wisdom.

What does it mean that the Father gave the Son to have life in Himself?

Jesus says that just as the Father has life in Himself, He has given the Son to have life in Himself. This tells us that life does not come from us, but from God. The Father has placed in the Son the power and right to give spiritual and eternal life. So when someone comes to Christ, they are not just getting help or advice. They are receiving life from the One who holds life in His own person. This also shows the deep unity between the Father and the Son, since both share this self‑existing life.

Why has Jesus been given authority to execute judgment as the Son of man?

Jesus says the Father has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of man. This title points to Him as truly human, the One who represents us. God has appointed a visible, human judge whom people can recognize, but who is also the divine Son. As the Son of man, He knows human life from the inside, yet He judges with God’s perfect righteousness. His role as judge shows both His honor and His responsibility. In the end, everyone will stand before Him, and He will judge in complete fairness.

How do good and evil works relate to the final judgment in this passage?

Jesus says those who have done good will rise to life, and those who have done evil will rise to judgment. This might sound like we are saved by our works, but the wider teaching in this passage shows that true life comes from hearing His voice and believing. Good works are the fruit of that new life. They show that a person has been changed by God’s grace. Evil works show a heart that remains spiritually dead. At the final judgment, works will reveal what was really in the heart and whether someone truly belonged to Christ.

Why does Jesus say His own witness is not true without another witness?

Jesus says, “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true,” speaking in line with human standards of testimony, where a claim needs more than one witness. He then points to “another” who bears witness of Him, meaning the Father. The Father’s works done through Jesus, and the Father’s approval of Him, confirm who He is. Jesus is not admitting that His words are unreliable, but He is meeting His listeners on their own ground. He shows that even by their own rules, His identity and authority are well supported.

What does this passage teach about the relationship between the Father and the Son?

This passage shows a close and perfect relationship between the Father and the Son. The Father has life in Himself and gives the Son to have life in Himself. The Father gives the Son authority to judge all people. Jesus does nothing by Himself, but only what fits the will of the One who sent Him. He hears, judges, and acts in full unity with the Father. This means honoring the Son is not separate from honoring the Father. To reject the Son’s voice is to reject the very life and judgment that come from God.

How can a believer today respond to Jesus’ words about hearing His voice and living?

A believer today responds by taking Jesus’ words seriously and personally. To “hear his voice” means more than just knowing the words. It means receiving them with faith, admitting our own spiritual deadness, and trusting Him to give life. This leads to a changed way of living, shown in doing good as the fruit of grace, not as a way to earn favor. His promise of a future resurrection also shapes how we view suffering, sin, and choices now. Knowing that He will judge all things calls us to seek the Father’s will, just as He did.

John.5.25

John 5:25

KJV Jesus

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

The Father and the Son

And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.

There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.

Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.

But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.

He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.