Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
- BSB Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
- NKJV Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
- NASB Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
- NLT Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
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 answers that the work of God is to believe in the one He has sent. He makes faith in Christ, not human striving, the heart of true obedience.
Overview
Jesus reduces all the 'works of God' to a single thing: believing in Him. This does not deny that faith produces obedience, but it grounds everything in trusting Christ. The verse anchors the gospel truth that salvation comes by faith in the Son, the gift of God rather than human achievement (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Jn 3:23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
- Acts 16:31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
- John 3:36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
- Heb 5:9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
- 1 Jn 5:1Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
- Mark 16:16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
- John 5:39Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
- Rom 4:4–5Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
- Rom 9:30–31What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
- Ps 2:12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
- John 3:16–18For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- Rom 10:3–4For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
- Matt 17:5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
- Deut 18:18–19I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
- Acts 22:14–16And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 6:29 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.