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If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15:22 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
  • KJV If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
  • BSB If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
  • NKJV If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
  • NLT They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

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

Had Jesus not come and spoken, the people would not be guilty of this sin, but now they have no excuse. Rejecting Christ's clear revelation deepens guilt.

Overview

Jesus' coming and teaching brought decisive light, removing any excuse for unbelief. Their continued rejection is therefore a culpable sin against revealed truth. This does not mean they were sinless before, but that rejecting the revelation given in Christ brings a heightened and inexcusable guilt, underscoring the seriousness of responding to the gospel.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • John 9:41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
  • Jas 4:17To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.
  • Acts 17:30The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
  • Rom 1:20For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse.
  • John 12:48He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day.
  • Ezek 33:31–33They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.
  • Heb 6:4–8For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
  • John 3:18–21He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
  • 1 Pet 2:16as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.
  • Ezek 2:5They, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them.
  • 2 Cor 2:14–16Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.
  • Luke 12:46then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn’t expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn’t know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful.
  • Rom 2:1Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things.
  • John 19:11Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 15:22YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 15:22 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.