John 1:3 (ASV)

Passage

All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.

Nearby Context

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 1:5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "through", "without", "anything", "hath", and "been". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "through", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "The same was in the beginning with..." into verse 4's "In him was life and the life...", so "all things" and "through" 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 "all things" and "through" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.