John 3:21

John 3:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
• New International Version (NIV)But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Context of John 3:21

19And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.” 22After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized. 23Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.

John 3:21 word by word

ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἵνα φανερωθῇ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα ὅτι ἐν θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα.¶Read the interlinear

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• whoeverὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• practicesποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225
• comesἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• intoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• Lightφῶςphōs · lightG5457
• so thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• it may be seen clearlyφανερόωphaneroō · to revealG5319
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• has doneἔργονergon · workG2041
• has beenεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• accomplishedἐργάζομαιergazomai · to workG2038
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for John 3:21

• John 1:47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”
• John 5:39You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,
• Psalms 1:1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
• Psalms 119:80May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.
• Psalms 139:23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.
• Isaiah 8:20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
• Acts 17:11Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
• 1 John 1:6If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
• John 15:4Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
• Isaiah 26:12O LORD, You will establish peace for us. For all that we have accomplished, You have done for us.
• Hosea 14:8O Ephraim, what have I to do anymore with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing cypress; your fruit comes from Me.
• 1 Corinthians 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
• 2 Corinthians 1:12For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
• Galatians 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
• Galatians 6:8The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
• Ephesians 5:9for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Commentaries on John 3:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Wrought in God - In his presence, and through his assistance. This is the end of our Lord's discourse to Nicodemus; and though we are not informed here of any good effects produced by it, yet we learn from other scriptures that it had produced the most blessed effects in his mind, and that from this time he became a disciple of Christ. He publicly defended our Lord in the Sanhedrin, of which he was probably a member, John 7:50, and, with Joseph of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Are that doeth truth - He who does right, or he that obeys the truth. Truth here is opposed to error and to evil. The sinner acts from falsehood and error. The good man acts according to truth. The sinner believes a lie - that God will not punish, or that there is no God, or that there is no eternity and no hell. The Christian believes all these, and acts as if they were true. This is the difference between a Christian and a sinner. Cometh to the light…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-21The original Greek text does not include quotation marks. Because of this, translators must decide where the words of Jesus end and where John's explanation begins. John 3:16–21 might be John’s explanation of what Jesus said.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-2117-21. not to condemn, &c.--A statement of vast importance. Though "condemnation" is to many the issue of Christ's mission (Joh 3:19), it is not the object of His mission, which is purely a saving one.Read the comment

Topics related to John 3:21

• Darkness
• Jesus, the Christ
• Light
• Righteous
• Righteousness
• Works

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Born
• Condemn
• Condemnation
• Darkness
• Decrease
• Faith
• Increase
• Love

Commentaries on John 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings