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.”
Parallel translations
- 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.
- BSB Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.”
- 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 6:44–45No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.
- John 6:37All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
- John 3:27John answered, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.
- John 10:26–27But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you.
- Eph 2:8–9for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
- 2 Tim 2:25in gentleness correcting those who oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth,
- Jas 1:16–18Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers.
- Titus 3:3–7For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
- John 12:37–41But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,
- Phil 1:29Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,
- 1 Tim 1:14The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
- Heb 12:2looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- John 10:16I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with 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.