John 5:47 kjv
But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
John 5:47 nkjv
But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"
John 5:47 niv
But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"
John 5:47 esv
But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"
John 5:47 nlt
But since you don't believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?"
John 5 47 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 3:15 | And I will put enmity between you and the woman... | Protoevangelium, prophecy of Christ |
| Deut 18:15, 18 | The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you. | Moses prophesying a greater prophet, Jesus |
| John 1:45 | Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law..." | Philip connects Jesus to Moses' writings |
| Luke 24:27 | And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. | Jesus teaches disciples about OT pointing to Him |
| Luke 24:44 | Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. | Jesus confirms fulfillment of OT in Himself |
| Matt 5:17-18 | Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets... | Jesus upholds the enduring authority of the OT |
| Acts 3:22-23 | For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people...' | Peter uses Moses' prophecy to preach Christ |
| Rom 10:4 | For Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. | Christ as the end/fulfillment of the Law |
| Heb 1:1-2 | In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets... but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. | God's progressive revelation culminates in Christ |
| Heb 3:1-6 | Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses... | Jesus' superiority over Moses' role |
| John 5:38 | You do not have His word abiding in you, because you do not believe Him whom He sent. | Lack of God's word leads to rejecting Jesus |
| John 5:39 | You search the Scriptures... for they testify about Me. | The purpose of the Scriptures is to reveal Christ |
| John 5:45 | There is one who accuses you: Moses, in whom you have put your hope. | Moses, whom they trusted, would convict them |
| John 12:48 | The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. | Rejection of Jesus' words leads to judgment |
| John 3:18-19 | Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already. | Consequence of unbelief |
| Acts 28:23-27 | He explained and declared the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. | Paul reasoning from OT to present Christ |
| Isa 8:20 | To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no light in them. | Call to follow God's revealed word |
| Psa 40:7-8 | Then I said, "Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll." | Foreshadowing Christ's coming to do God's will |
| Gal 3:24 | So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. | Law's temporary purpose to lead to Christ |
| Rom 3:21 | But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. | Law and Prophets confirm righteousness by faith |
| 2 Tim 3:15 | From childhood you have known the sacred writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. | Scriptures lead to salvation through Christ |
John 5 verses
John 5 47 Meaning
John 5:47 declares that if individuals do not accept and believe the authoritative writings of Moses, which prefigure and testify to Christ, it is logically impossible for them to believe the direct, personal words and claims of Jesus Himself. It highlights the spiritual blindness of those who claim to honor Moses yet reject the one Moses wrote about.
John 5 47 Context
John 5:47 concludes a significant discourse by Jesus in Jerusalem, following His healing of an invalid on the Sabbath (Jn 5:1-9). This act provoked intense opposition from the Jewish leaders, who began persecuting Him (Jn 5:10-18). Jesus' defense involves asserting His divine authority, His co-equality with the Father (Jn 5:19-30), and providing multiple witnesses to His identity: John the Baptist (Jn 5:33-35), His own works (Jn 5:36), the Father (Jn 5:37-38), and crucially, the Old Testament Scriptures (Jn 5:39-40). He directly challenges the Jewish leaders, highlighting their lack of love for God (Jn 5:42), their desire for human glory over God's glory (Jn 5:44), and ultimately, their disbelief in Moses (Jn 5:45-46). Verse 47 serves as the climactic rhetorical question, emphasizing that their rejection of Jesus is rooted in their fundamental failure to truly believe and understand the very scriptures they profess to uphold. Moses, whom they claimed as their authority, actually stands as their accuser.
John 5 47 Word analysis
- But if (Εἰ δὲ - Ei de): This phrase introduces a strong conditional clause, signifying a contrast and presenting a logical consequence based on a premise. It assumes the audience does not believe Moses' writings.
- you do not believe (οὐ πιστεύετε - ou pisteuete): "Pisteuete" (from pisteuō) means to trust, have faith, or be convinced. The negative "ou" with the present tense indicates a present and ongoing state of unbelief, not just a momentary doubt. It signifies a profound lack of true acceptance and reliance.
- his writings (τοῖς ἐκείνου γράμμασιν - tois ekeinou grammasin): "Ekeinou" refers to Moses. "Grammasin" (from gramma) literally means written letters or characters, but in this context, it refers to the collected body of his written work – the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). These were foundational to Jewish law and identity.
- how (πῶς - pōs): This is a rhetorical question, emphasizing the impossibility or utter incongruity of the situation. It highlights the illogical nature of their spiritual stance.
- will you believe (πιστεύσετε - pisteusete): This is in the future tense, suggesting their future capacity or potential for faith. If their current foundation of belief (Moses) is faulty, how can they build faith in a new, greater revelation?
- My words (τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασιν - tois emois rhēmasin): "Emois" (My) asserts Jesus' personal authority. "Rhēmasin" (from rhēma) generally refers to spoken words, utterances, or sayings. This contrasts with "grammasin" (writings), drawing a distinction between the written prophecy of the past and the living, spoken truth of Jesus in the present. It implies the direct revelation from God through His Son.
Words-group analysis
- "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?": This structure is a classic argument from the lesser to the greater, or from the foundational to the superstructure. Jesus implies that His words are a direct continuation, clarification, and fulfillment of Moses' writings. If they reject the prior, they cannot embrace the latter. The question poses a direct challenge to their spiritual consistency and claims of piety. It underscores that a genuine belief in the Old Testament necessarily leads to belief in Christ.
John 5 47 Bonus section
This verse also illuminates the progressive nature of divine revelation. Moses' writings were a preparatory stage, leading up to the full revelation in Christ. Understanding John 5:47 helps in recognizing that the entire Bible forms a cohesive narrative centered on Jesus. Rejecting any part of God's Word can hinder true faith. It implies that true understanding of the Old Testament always points to Jesus Christ as its fulfillment and goal, not merely as a collection of laws or historical accounts. This truth holds relevance even today; a shallow engagement with scripture, or an adherence to mere textual knowledge without seeking the spiritual revelation of Christ, can lead to the same kind of unbelief Jesus confronted.
John 5 47 Commentary
John 5:47 encapsulates a critical spiritual principle: authentic faith is unified. Jesus reveals the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders who claimed Moses as their spiritual authority but failed to grasp the core message within his writings—that they prophesied the coming Messiah. Their disbelief in Jesus exposed a deeper, pre-existing disbelief in Moses. Jesus argues that there is no discontinuity; Moses' writings and Jesus' words stem from the same divine source and speak of the same redemptive plan. To reject Jesus is, therefore, to implicitly reject the very foundation of their faith as established by Moses. The inability to believe Christ's present, spoken truth stems from a failure to rightly understand and internalize God's past, written revelation. It exposes spiritual blindness, prioritizing human traditions and personal glory over God's clear witness across generations.