John 1:20 (ASV)

Passage

And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.

Nearby Context

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

John 1:19 And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?

John 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.

John 1:22 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confessed", "denied", and "christ". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "confessed" and "denied", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And this is the witness of John..." into verse 21's "And they asked him What then Art...", so "confessed" and "denied" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "confessed" and "denied" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.