Bible Strands
John 7:17
If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses listeners in John 7 immediately after declaring that His teaching originates from the One who sent Him.
The words — θελῇ (thelē) means "shall desire," and γνῴσεται (gnōsetai) means "he will know." These terms establish a conditional sequence where moral obedience precedes intellectual discernment.
The thread — The conditional link between obedience and understanding reappears in John 8:31 and John 8:43, where remaining in His word enables discipleship and removes the barrier to comprehension. This pattern of internalized divine instruction also echoes Jeremiah 31:33.
Why it lands — The text demands voluntary alignment with divine will as the necessary precondition for verifying the origin of Jesus’ teaching. Readers must choose obedience before claiming discernment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Cross-references
- John 8:31 So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.
- John 8:43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.
- Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
- John 8:47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
- Daniel 12:10 Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.
- Psalms 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He shows sinners the way.
- Philippians 3:15 All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.
- Psalms 119:101 I have kept my feet from every evil path, that I may keep Your word.
- Luke 8:15 But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.
- Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.