Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “For this cause I have said to you that no one can come to me, unless it is given to him by my Father.”
- KJV And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
- NKJV And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
- NASB And He was saying, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
- NLT Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”
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 restates that no one can come to Him unless it is granted by the Father. He grounds the disciples' unbelief in the absence of the Father's gracious enabling.
Overview
Returning to verse 44, Jesus explains the falling away by appeal to divine grace: coming to Him is a gift the Father gives. This does not excuse unbelief but locates the source of faith in God's mercy. The verse reaffirms the Reformed conviction that salvation begins with the Father's sovereign, gracious work.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- John 6:44–45“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
- John 6:37Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.
- John 3:27John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
- John 10:26–27But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
- Eph 2:8–9For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,
- 2 Tim 2:25He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.
- Jas 1:16–18Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
- Titus 3:3–7For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
- John 12:37–41Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.
- Phil 1:29For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,
- 1 Tim 1:14And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
- Heb 12:2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- John 10:16I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
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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 6:65 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.