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

19“Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.” 22Afterwards, Yeshua and His disciples came to the land of Judea. There He was staying with them and immersing. 23Now John also was immersing at Aenon near Salim, because much water was there and many were coming and being immersed;

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Butδέde · thenG1161
• he that doethποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225
• comethἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• toπρόςpros · to/withG4314
• the lightφῶςphōs · lightG5457
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• deedsἔργονergon · workG2041
• may be made manifestφανερόωphaneroō · to revealG5319
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• they areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• wroughtἐργάζομαιergazomai · to workG2038
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for John 3:21

• John 1:47Yeshua saw Nathanael coming toward Him. He said, “Look, a true Israelite! There’s nothing false in him.”
• John 5:39You search the Scriptures because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about Me.
• Psalms 1:1Happy is the one who has not walked in the advice of the wicked, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of scoffers.
• Psalms 119:80My heart will have integrity in following Your decrees, so that I would not be ashamed.
• Psalms 139:23Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts,
• Isaiah 8:20To Torah and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no light.
• Acts 17:11Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, because they received the message with goodwill, searching the Scriptures each day to see whether these things were true.
• 1 John 1:6If we say we have fellowship with Him and keep walking in the darkness, we are lying and do not practice the truth.
• John 15:4Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. The branch cannot itself produce fruit, unless it abides on the vine. Likewise, you cannot produce fruit unless you abide in Me.
• Isaiah 26:12Adonai, You will establish shalom for us, for all our works You have done for us.
• Hosea 14:8Those dwelling in his shadow will return. They will grow grain and bud like a vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
• 1 Corinthians 15:10But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace toward me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than them all—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
• 2 Corinthians 1:12For our reason for boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world, and most especially toward you, with simplicity and godly sincerity—not by human wisdom but by the grace of God.
• Galatians 5:22But the fruit of the Ruach is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
• Galatians 6:8For the one who sows in the flesh will reap corruption from the flesh. But the one who sows in the Ruach will reap from the Ruach eternal life.
• Ephesians 5:9(for the fruit of light is in all goodness and 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