Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 5:24

"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 hath passed out of death into life." — John 5:24 (ASV)

The Son is the arbiter of destiny. The determination of this destiny is immediate, as the present tense in this verse implies. Eternal life becomes the possession of the believer at the moment of acceptance; the future judgment will only confirm what has already taken place.