John 15:22 kjv
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
John 15:22 nkjv
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15:22 niv
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15:22 esv
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15:22 nlt
They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 15:22 | "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." | Jesus' Testimony |
| John 9:41 | "Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin. But you say, 'We see,' so your sin remains.'" | Sight and Sin |
| Romans 1:20 | "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." | God's Revelation |
| Romans 3:23 | "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," | Universal Sin |
| Romans 5:13 | "For sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law." | Law and Sin |
| Romans 5:20 | "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more," | Grace Over Sin |
| Romans 7:7 | "What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet I would not have known sin except for the law." | Law Reveals Sin |
| 1 Corinthians 15:56 | "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law." | Law and Sin's Power |
| 1 John 1:8 | "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." | Self-Deception |
| 1 John 3:8 | "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, because the devil has been plotting from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." | Destruction of Sin |
| Acts 17:30 | "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent," | Repentance from Ignorance |
| Deuteronomy 32:5 | "They have corrupted themselves; they are not his children, but his flaw—a crooked and perverse generation." | Perversion |
| Psalm 51:5 | "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." | Original Sin |
| Isaiah 53:5 | "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." | Sin Bearer |
| Matthew 1:21 | "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." | Jesus Saves from Sins |
| Luke 5:32 | "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." | Calling Sinners |
| John 1:14 | "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." | Grace and Truth |
| John 3:16 | "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." | God's Love and Salvation |
| John 14:6 | "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." | Jesus the Way |
| Romans 2:14-15 | "For when Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show the work of the law written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness. They accuse or even excuse one another" | Conscience as Law |
| Ephesians 4:17-19 | "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, working all uncleanness, greedy." | Ignorance and Sin |
John 15 verses
John 15 22 Meaning
Jesus is stating a profound truth about sin. He asserts that if He had not come into the world to preach and reveal God's truth, then those who have no conviction of sin would indeed bear no guilt for it. Their ignorance would mean they would not be held accountable in the same way.
John 15 22 Context
This verse is spoken by Jesus in his "Farewell Discourse" to his disciples during the Last Supper, just before his arrest and crucifixion. He is preparing them for his departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate. In the preceding verses (John 15:18-21), Jesus explains that the world will hate and persecute his followers because they are not of the world, just as the world hated Him first. He emphasizes that their identity in Him sets them apart and makes them targets for the world's opposition. John 15:22, therefore, addresses the reality of sin and the world's culpability, framing it within the context of Jesus' revelation of God's truth. His coming and teaching make excuses impossible.
John 15 22 Word Analysis
- "If": A conditional particle. It introduces a hypothetical situation.
- "I": Refers to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- "had not come": A past perfect subjunctive, indicating a hypothetical past event that did not happen.
- "and spoken":
lalēsai(λαλῆσαι) - fromlaleō(λαλέω), meaning to speak, to say, to utter. It signifies more than mere words; it implies the communication of God's truth. - "to them": Refers to the Jewish leaders and the people who rejected Him, and by extension, to all humanity.
- "they": Pronoun referring back to "them."
- "would not have sin":
ou gar an eichon hamartian(οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἶχον ἁμαρτίαν) - "they would not have had sin." This signifies the absence of accountability for sin due to lack of knowledge or confrontation with truth. - "but now": Indicates the present reality in contrast to the hypothetical past.
- "they have no excuse":
ouechousinprophasisin(οὐκ ἔχουσιν πρόφασιν) - "they do not possess an excuse" or "they have no pretext." The coming and speaking of Jesus eliminate any legitimate plea of ignorance.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "If I had not come and spoken to them": This phrase encapsulates Jesus' incarnational ministry and His divine message. His coming was God's ultimate act of revelation; His speaking was the divine truth conveyed.
- "they would not have sin": This is not to say they would be sinless, but rather that their guilt and condemnation would be significantly less, or absent, without the direct revelation of God's truth in Christ. It highlights that divine revelation brings with it increased responsibility.
- "but now they have no excuse for their sin": The conjunction "but now" introduces the definitive change brought by Jesus. His presence and message leave no room for justification for continued sin or rejection of God's offer. The phrase "no excuse" points to the clarity and conclusiveness of Jesus' testimony regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment (as detailed in John 16:8-11).
John 15 22 Bonus Section
The concept that "not having sin" means not having guilt for sin, rather than being sinless, is key. Prior to Jesus, humanity, including Gentiles without the Mosaic Law, had a "law written on their hearts" and a conscience (Rom. 2:14-15), which meant they were accountable even without explicit divine revelation in the same way as Israel. However, Jesus' coming brings the fullest and final revelation, thus increasing accountability for those who hear. This passage aligns with the broader theme in John's Gospel that belief in Jesus leads to life, while rejection leads to condemnation (John 3:18). The 'sin' here refers not only to individual acts but to the fundamental state of opposition to God that Jesus confronts and has the power to overcome.
John 15 22 Commentary
Jesus underscores a crucial principle: ignorance of God's truth, while perhaps mitigating guilt in certain limited respects, is completely removed by the advent of divine revelation. His presence and teachings are not just informational; they are salvific. By revealing God, exposing the depth of human sin, and offering the path to righteousness and eternal life, Jesus makes a clear verdict. Those who encounter Him and His message and still choose sin or unbelief have no justifiable plea for their actions. Their rejection is not of mere opinion but of divine truth made manifest. This establishes accountability. The law also played a similar role, revealing sin without providing the solution, a problem Jesus' ministry resolves.
Optional: List of few short examples for practical usage
- A person living in complete isolation with no exposure to any moral or religious teaching might be considered differently before God than someone who has heard the Gospel and rejected it.
- After hearing a sermon about God's love and judgment, one cannot claim ignorance of the need to repent.
- Conversely, if someone has never heard of Jesus or God's redemptive plan, their standing regarding sin is understood differently in relation to those who have been presented with this truth.