8:51 if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. Death, as eternal separation from fellowship with God, is the judicial punishment for sin (Rom. 6:23). Since Jesus died as the substitute for His people, those who belong to Him are freed from the penalty of sin because Christ endured it for them.

never. In extending the promise beyond this life, Jesus lays claim to a divine prerogative. The Jews understood the statement as promising avoidance of physical death (v. 52). Earlier statements made clear what Jesus meant (5:24–29).