John 17:3

And this is life eternal;— But, or now, this is the eternal life, &c. "Now, the way to this eternal life, the beginnings and earnests of it, the evidences of right and title to it, lie, not only in their approving and fiducial knowledge of thee, under the character of the only true and faithful God, in opposition to all other gods; but also in the like knowledge of me, the anointed Saviour, whom thou hast sent into the world under the character of the only true Mediator, in opposition to all other mediators, or other ways of approaching thee, and finding acceptance with thee." That our blessed Lord here speaks of the only true God, in distinction from idols, and not to the exclusion of himself, appears from his speaking of himself as the object of the same fiducialknowledgewiththeFather,andfromhisdistinguishinghimselffromtheFather, not by any essential title, but merely by his office-character, viz. Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. And the same apostle, who recorded this prayer, expressly says of Christ, This is the true God and eternal Life, in opposition to idols. See 1 John 5:20.