If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
Parallel translations
- WEB If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me.
- KJV If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
- BSB If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me.
- NASB If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
- NLT Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus says that if He does not do His Father's works, they need not believe Him. He invites them to test His claims by His deeds.
Overview
Jesus appeals to evidence, willing to be judged by whether His works are truly the Father's. He does not ask for blind acceptance but points to verifiable signs. This shows the consistency of His claims with His actions.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- John 15:24If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.
- John 10:25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me.
- John 14:10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.
- Matt 11:20–24Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn’t repent.
- John 12:37–40But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,
- John 10:32Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”
- John 5:31“If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 10:37 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.