John Calvin Commentary John 5:25

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live." — John 5:25 (ASV)

Verily, verily. When the Evangelist represents the Son of God as swearing so frequently in reference to our salvation, from this we perceive, first, how eagerly He desires our well-being, and next, how very important it is that the faith of the Gospel should be deeply fixed and thoroughly confirmed.

The statement indeed seems somewhat incredible when we are told that this is the effect of the faith Christ speaks about. Therefore, He confirms by an oath that the voice of His Gospel has such life-giving power that it is powerful to raise the dead.

It is generally agreed that He speaks of spiritual death, for those who refer it to Lazarus (John 11:44), the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:15), and similar instances, are refuted by what follows.

First, Christ shows that we are all dead before He quickens us; and from this it is evident what human nature, in its entirety, can accomplish toward procuring salvation.

When Roman Catholics wish to establish their concept of free will, they compare it to the Samaritan whom the robbers had left half-dead on the road (Luke 10:30), as if by the smoke of an allegory they could obscure a clear statement by which Christ declares that we are fully condemned to death.

And indeed, since we have been alienated from God through sin since the rebellion of the first man, all who do not acknowledge that they are overwhelmed with everlasting destruction do nothing more than deceive themselves with empty flatteries.

I readily acknowledge that some remnant of life remains in the human soul, for understanding, judgment, will, and all our senses are so many parts of life.

But since no part of us rises to desire the heavenly life, we should not be surprised if the whole person, as far as it relates to the kingdom of God, is considered dead.

And Paul explains this death more fully when he says that we are alienated from pure and sound understanding, that we are enemies of God and opposed to His righteousness in every inclination of our heart, that we wander in darkness like blind people, and are given over to wicked lusts (Ephesians 2:1; Ephesians 4:17).

If such a corrupted nature has no power to desire righteousness, it follows that the life of God is extinguished in us.

Thus, the grace of Christ is a true resurrection from the dead. Now, this grace is bestowed on us by the Gospel; not that the external voice, which in many cases strikes the ears to no effect, possesses so much power, but because Christ speaks to our hearts inwardly by His Spirit, so that we may receive by faith the life that is offered to us.

For He does not speak indiscriminately of all the dead, but means only the elect, whose ears God pierces and opens, so that they may receive the voice of His Son, which restores them to life.

Indeed, Christ expressly presents this twofold grace to us in His words when He says, The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear shall live.

For it is no less contrary to nature that the dead should hear than that they should be brought back to the life they had lost; and therefore, both proceed from the secret power of God.

The hour cometh, and now is. He speaks of it this way, as something that had never happened before; and indeed, the proclamation of the Gospel was a new and sudden resurrection of the world.

But did not the word of God always give life to people? This question can be easily answered.

The doctrine of the Law and the Prophets was addressed to the people of God and, consequently, must have been intended more to preserve in life those who were already children of God than to bring them back from death.

But it was different with the Gospel, by which nations formerly estranged from the kingdom of God, separated from God, and deprived of all hope of salvation, were invited to become partakers of life.