John 6:38 kjv
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 6:38 nkjv
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 6:38 niv
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
John 6:38 esv
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 6:38 nlt
For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.
John 6 38 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jn 3:13 | "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, the Son of Man..." | Jesus' heavenly origin affirmed. |
| Jn 6:33 | "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." | Connects heavenly origin with life-giving. |
| Jn 6:41-42 | "The Jews grumbled... 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?" | Highlights their resistance to His heavenly claim. |
| Jn 6:50 | "This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die." | Links heavenly descent to spiritual life. |
| Jn 8:42 | "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and I am here." | Emphasizes His divine sending and presence. |
| Jn 13:3 | "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God..." | Knowledge of divine origin and destiny. |
| Jn 16:28 | "I came from the Father and have come into the world..." | Direct statement of His origin. |
| Jn 17:5 | "And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed." | Points to pre-existent glory with the Father. |
| 1 Cor 15:47 | "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." | Contrast between Adam and Christ's origin. |
| Pss 40:8 | "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart." | Prophetic type of Messiah's delight in God's will. |
| Heb 10:7 | "Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.’" | Direct NT quotation of Ps 40:8, applied to Jesus. |
| Lk 22:42 | "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done." | Jesus' obedience in Gethsemane, resisting personal will. |
| Jn 4:34 | "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work." | Doing God's will is Jesus' ultimate sustenance and purpose. |
| Jn 5:30 | "I can do nothing on My own authority. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me." | Complete dependence on the Father and His will. |
| Jn 8:29 | "And He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." | Jesus constantly acts to please the Father. |
| Jn 10:18 | "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father." | Authority aligned with Father's commission. |
| Jn 14:31 | "But to let the world know that I love the Father, and as the Father has commanded Me, so I do." | Obedience as an act of love for the Father. |
| Jn 15:10 | "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love." | Jesus models obedience to the Father's commands. |
| Php 2:8 | "And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." | Ultimate demonstration of Christ's obedience. |
| Jn 5:23 | "so that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." | Honor for Son tied to the Father who sent Him. |
| Jn 5:36 | "But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about Me that the Father has sent Me." | Works demonstrate divine sending. |
| Jn 17:3 | "And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." | Jesus as the sent one for eternal life. |
| 1 Tim 1:15 | "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." | Highlights the ultimate saving purpose of His coming. |
| Heb 2:14 | "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil..." | Jesus became human to fulfill His mission, defeating death. |
John 6 verses
John 6 38 Meaning
This verse succinctly defines the core of Jesus Christ's identity and mission. It proclaims His divine origin by stating He "came down from heaven," signifying His pre-existence and deity. Fundamentally, it asserts that His entire earthly endeavor, His incarnation and ministry, was not driven by His own independent desires but by a complete and unwavering commitment to fulfill the precise will and purpose of God the Father, who specifically commissioned Him. It highlights His perfect submission and functional subordination to the Father for the purpose of salvation.
John 6 38 Context
John 6:38 is spoken by Jesus amidst His profound "Bread of Life" discourse. This discourse follows His miraculous feeding of the five thousand and walking on water. The crowd, having been fed physically, seeks Him out primarily for more miraculous sustenance. Jesus, however, attempts to lift their focus from perishable food to spiritual food – Himself, the "bread of life." He states that He is the bread who gives life to the world (Jn 6:33) and that those who come to Him will never hunger (Jn 6:35). The Jews, resistant and grumbling because they knew His earthly parents and did not grasp His heavenly origin, question His claim (Jn 6:41-42). In response, Jesus unequivocally declares His origin and the precise nature of His mission, stating He has "come down from heaven" with the sole purpose of doing the will of the Father who sent Him. This statement directly addresses their skepticism by asserting His unique divine authority and the ultimate source of His actions, shifting the emphasis from their human perceptions to His divine commission.
Historically, Jesus' claim of coming "from heaven" directly challenged typical Jewish messianic expectations, which often focused on an earthly, political deliverer. His assertion highlighted a spiritual, pre-existent reality rather than merely human lineage. This statement also stood against any prevailing belief that might suggest He was merely a prophet who arose from among men, or that He was acting on His own accord like an independent religious leader. Instead, it positioned Him as utterly dependent upon and perfectly aligned with the divine will, countering any perceived self-promotion.
John 6 38 Word analysis
For (γάρ - gar): This conjunction introduces an explanation or the basis for Jesus' preceding claims or implications, especially His authority as the giver of true life and the "bread of life" (vv. 33-35) and the necessity of the Father drawing people to Him (vv. 37-37). It shows His divine action has a clear, ordained purpose.
I (ἐγὼ - egō): The explicit inclusion of the pronoun "I" adds emphasis. In Greek, the verb conjugation alone can convey "I," so its presence highlights Jesus Himself, underlining His unique person and authority in this profound declaration.
have come down (καταβέβηκα - katabebēka): Perfect tense of katabainō. This signifies a completed action with continuing effect. It means He is now on earth, having already descended from heaven. It stresses the settled, irreversible fact of the Incarnation and His divine origin.
from heaven (ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ - ek tou ouranou): Indicates the source and origin. Heaven, the abode of God, signifies His divine, supra-terrestrial origin. This refutes the grumbling Jews who knew only His earthly parents and challenged His origin (Jn 6:41-42).
not to do (οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ - ouch hina poiō): Uses the negative ouch with the purpose clause particle hina. This strongly denies a purpose. It indicates His self-denial; He did not come for personal agenda.
My own will (τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν - to thelēma to emon): "My own" is emphatically placed (emon), highlighting the contrast. It shows Jesus possesses a distinct personal will (as a man), but deliberately chose not to pursue it when it diverged from the Father's. It denies self-motivation or human ambition.
but (ἀλλὰ - alla): A strong adversative conjunction, "on the contrary," indicating a clear and sharp contrast to the preceding negative statement.
the will (τὸ θέλημα - to thelēma): "The will." Repeats the same term, emphasizing that it's the divine will that is His sole driving force.
of Him who sent Me (τοῦ πέμψαντός με - tou pempsantos me):
- Him who sent: A key Johannine designation for God the Father (Father as agent). It portrays the Father as the initiating authority behind Jesus' mission.
- sent (πέμψαντός - pempsantos): Aorist participle of pempō, indicating a decisive, singular act of sending or commissioning, a pre-determined purpose by the Father.
- Me (με - me): Object pronoun, Jesus refers to Himself. Reinforces His role as the Sent One.
Words-group Analysis:
- "For I have come down from heaven": This declarative statement underscores Jesus' divine pre-existence and unique status as the God-man. It asserts His origin not from earthly lineage but from the heavenly realm of the Father, thereby establishing His supreme authority and unique relationship with God.
- "not to do My own will": This phrase emphasizes Jesus' complete self-abnegation and perfect humility. It profoundly counters any human inclination toward self-interest, autonomy, or self-glorification. It reveals the sacrificial nature of His Incarnation – that He set aside His own prerogative for a greater purpose.
- "but the will of Him who sent Me": This pivotal statement identifies the singular, ultimate purpose of Jesus' entire mission. It points directly to God the Father as the sovereign orchestrator of salvation and Jesus as His perfectly obedient agent. It highlights the unified will within the Trinity concerning redemption.
John 6 38 Bonus section
- Trinitarian Unity in Purpose: This verse highlights the profound unity of will and purpose between God the Father and God the Son, even as it articulates a functional distinction in roles. While co-equal in divine essence, the Son takes on the role of the Sent One to accomplish the Father's sovereign will, especially for redemption.
- Pattern for Believers: Jesus' perfect obedience to the Father's will sets the ultimate example for believers. As Christ demonstrated, true discipleship involves seeking and doing the will of God, not our own desires.
- The "Will" Defined: While stated broadly in this verse, the subsequent verses (Jn 6:39-40) unpack what the Father's will specifically entails in this context: that Jesus should lose none of those given to Him and raise them up on the last day, and that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life. Thus, His mission is ultimately salvific.
John 6 38 Commentary
John 6:38 serves as a cornerstone of Christology, revealing Jesus' divine nature, His purpose in incarnation, and the absolute unity between the Father and the Son in their shared redemptive mission. His declaration of having "come down from heaven" asserts His pre-existence and distinct origin, directly confronting human skepticism about His true identity. The crux of the verse lies in His purposeful statement that He acts not according to any independent human will, but wholly in accordance with the divine will of the Father who commissioned Him. This obedience is not born of compulsion but of perfect love and devotion within the Godhead, signifying the functional subordination of the Son to the Father for the sake of humanity's salvation. This selfless submission ensures the integrity and authority of Jesus' every word and deed, demonstrating His perfect conformity to the divine plan, ultimately leading to His sacrificial death and resurrection for the saving of those the Father has given Him.
- Example: Jesus' entire ministry, from teaching only what He heard from the Father (Jn 12:49-50) to His prayer in Gethsemane ("not My will, but Yours be done" Lk 22:42), illustrates this radical alignment with the Father's will.