John 6:63 kjv
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63 nkjv
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63 niv
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you?they are full of the Spirit and life.
John 6:63 esv
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
John 6:63 nlt
The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
John 6 63 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Cor 3:6 | "who has made us competent... of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." | Spirit gives life, law brings death. |
| Rom 8:2 | "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." | Spirit of life liberates from sin and death. |
| Gal 5:25 | "If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." | Spirit-led living as source of life. |
| Ezek 37:14 | "And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land..." | OT prophecy of Spirit-given life and restoration. |
| Ps 104:30 | "When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground." | Spirit as the creator and life-giver in creation. |
| Rom 8:7-8 | "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God... those who are in the flesh cannot please God." | Flesh is inherently opposed to God and cannot please Him. |
| Rom 7:18 | "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh..." | Acknowledges the depravity of the flesh. |
| Gal 5:17 | "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh..." | Fundamental conflict between flesh and Spirit. |
| Matt 26:41 | "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." | Illustrates the weakness and limitations of the flesh. |
| John 5:24 | "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life..." | Hearing and believing Jesus' word brings eternal life. |
| John 12:48 | "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." | Jesus' words carry authority and judgment, signifying their weight. |
| Deut 32:47 | "For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess." | OT understanding of God's words as source of life. |
| Isa 55:10-11 | "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven... so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty..." | God's word accomplishes its purpose, likened to life-giving rain. |
| Ps 119:105 | "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." | God's word provides guidance for life. |
| Prov 4:20-22 | "My son, pay attention to what I say... for they are life to those who find them..." | God's words impart health and life. |
| John 6:35 | "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger..." | Jesus' earlier self-identification, interpreted by 6:63. |
| John 6:53-54 | "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you..." | The challenging statement preceding 6:63, which 6:63 explains spiritually. |
| 1 Pet 1:23 | "since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." | Regeneration is through the imperishable word of God. |
| Jas 1:18 | "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." | Born by the word of truth. |
| John 3:6 | "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." | Fundamental distinction between flesh and Spirit's offspring. |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." | Natural human (flesh) cannot grasp spiritual truth. |
| Rom 8:6 | "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." | The consequence of focusing on flesh versus Spirit. |
| Tit 3:5 | "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." | Salvation by the Spirit, not human works. |
John 6 verses
John 6 63 Meaning
This verse is Jesus' vital clarification amidst confusion surrounding His "Bread of Life" discourse. It emphatically states that spiritual life originates from the Holy Spirit alone, completely independent of human, carnal effort or understanding. The "flesh"—representing the fallen human nature, earthly perspective, or mere physical acts—has no capacity to impart this spiritual life. Instead, Jesus declares that His teachings and utterances are themselves saturated with divine spirit and life-giving power, serving as the conduits through which the Spirit works to impart spiritual life to those who receive them by faith.
John 6 63 Context
John 6:63 sits at a pivotal point in Jesus' "Bread of Life" discourse, which followed His miraculous feeding of the five thousand. The crowd initially followed Jesus seeking more physical bread, demonstrating a desire for earthly provision rather than spiritual sustenance. Jesus challenged this shallow understanding, identifying Himself as the true bread from heaven that gives eternal life. This led to increasingly profound and challenging statements, especially His command to "eat my flesh and drink my blood." This declaration, literally interpreted, was shocking and offensive to many Jewish listeners due to the Mosaic Law's strict prohibition against consuming blood (Lev 17:10-12) and the implication of cannibalism. Consequently, many of His disciples grumbled and began to withdraw. Verse 63 is Jesus' critical explanation, clarifying that His prior statements were not to be understood physically or literally, but spiritually. He re-directs their focus from the carnal to the divine, explaining the incapacity of human flesh to grasp or produce spiritual life, and revealing that His very words are the vessel for the Spirit's life-giving power. It is a polemic against a purely materialistic or humanistic view of salvation and revelation.
John 6 63 Word analysis
- It is the Spirit (τὸ πνεῦμά - to pneuma): "The Spirit," specifically referring to the Holy Spirit, the divine Third Person of the Trinity. This is the source of spiritual life, emphasizing its divine origin and supernatural nature. It is not about human spirit or willpower.
- who gives life (τὸ ζωοποιοῦν - to zōopoioûn): "the one who makes alive," "that which enlivens." This is a present participle, indicating a continuous action. The Holy Spirit is eternally and actively the life-giver, capable of regenerating spiritual deadness into life. It stems from the root "life" (zoe), signifying real, spiritual, abundant life.
- the flesh (ἡ σὰρξ - hē sarx): Here, "flesh" represents more than just the physical body. In New Testament theology (especially Pauline), it often denotes humanity apart from God, the sinful or unregenerate nature, earthly desires, human understanding, or mere physical capabilities. It signifies human frailty and fallenness.
- is no help at all (οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν - ouk ōphelei ouden): "benefits nothing," "is profitable for nothing." This uses a strong double negative ("not... nothing"), underscoring the absolute and complete inadequacy of the flesh to contribute anything towards spiritual life or salvation. Human effort, intellect, or ritual alone is utterly useless for achieving spiritual understanding or regeneration.
- The words (τὰ ῥήματα - ta rhēmata): "The utterances," "the sayings." This Greek word differs slightly from logos, which often implies the broader divine Word or concept. Rhēmata focuses on the specific spoken statements or teachings that Jesus had just delivered. These are not merely informative words, but inherently powerful ones.
- that I have spoken to you (ἃ ἐγὼ λελάληκα ὑμῖν - ha egō lelalēka hymin): Emphasizes Jesus' personal authority and the enduring effect of His specific verbal declarations. The perfect tense (lelalēka) suggests that these words have been spoken and remain spoken, retaining their power and relevance.
- are spirit (πνεῦμά ἐστιν - pneuma estin): Jesus' words are not just about spirit, but they are spirit-infused. They embody the spiritual nature and operate by the power of the Holy Spirit. They are not merely human doctrines.
- and life (καὶ ζωή ἐστιν - kai zōē estin): Similarly, His words are not just about life; they actively convey life. They are intrinsically connected to and deliver the divine, eternal life (zoe) of God, the same life that the Spirit gives.
Words-group analysis:
- "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all." This contrasting pair reveals the spiritual source and the utter futility of the carnal. It dismisses any reliance on human agency or literal interpretation for obtaining true spiritual life. Regeneration is entirely a work of the Spirit.
- "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." This clarifies the "how." Jesus' teachings are the means through which the Spirit's life-giving work is performed. They are not just intellectual data but living words, potent with divine energy, meant to be received by faith, enabling spiritual understanding and transformation.
John 6 63 Bonus section
- This verse underscores a fundamental theological principle throughout the Bible: the natural human mind cannot grasp spiritual truths without divine illumination (1 Cor 2:14). It explains why many "disciples" walked away, choosing their literal, earthly interpretation over seeking a deeper spiritual meaning.
- The phrase "my words are spirit and life" emphasizes the unique nature of Jesus' teachings. They are distinct from human philosophy or mere information. They are living, active, and inherently transformative, mirroring the life-giving nature of God Himself.
- This statement subtly foreshadows the future ministry of the Holy Spirit, who would fully enable believers to understand and internalize these very words of Jesus, transforming them into truth that provides life (John 14:26, John 16:13). The 'words' are not merely historical records; they carry ongoing spiritual efficacy.
John 6 63 Commentary
John 6:63 serves as the interpretive key to the challenging "eat my flesh and drink my blood" passages. Jesus directly counters the purely literal or carnal understanding of His discourse by elevating the spiritual dimension. He declares the Spirit as the sole origin of spiritual life, contrasting this with the utter incapability of human nature or physical acts ("flesh") to provide such life or even comprehend it. His specific utterances—the very words that sounded so scandalous—are, in truth, charged with divine spirit and power, capable of imparting eternal life. They are the vehicles for spiritual revelation and regeneration. This means genuine participation in Christ's life is not a ritualistic consumption, but a spiritual assimilation of His truth through faith, enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, His words would remain a stumbling block to natural human understanding.