Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
- KJV Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
- BSB Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
- ESV Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has 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 quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 3:23This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded.
- Acts 16:31They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
- John 3:36One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
- Heb 5:9Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation,
- 1 Jn 5:1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.
- Mark 16:16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
- John 5:39“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.
- Rom 4:4–5Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed.
- Rom 9:30–31What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;
- Ps 2:12Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
- John 3:16–18For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- Rom 10:3–4For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
- Matt 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
- Deut 18:18–19I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.
- Acts 22:14–16He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from 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.