John 1:20 (GNV)

Passage

And he confessed and denied not, and said plainely, I am not that Christ.

Nearby Context

John 1:18 No man hath seene God at any time: that onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 1:19 Then this is the record of Iohn, when the Iewes sent Priestes and Leuites from Hierusalem, to aske him, Who art thou?

John 1:20 And he confessed and denied not, and said plainely, I am not that Christ.

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No.

John 1:22 Then said they vnto him, Who art thou, that we may giue an answere to them that sent vs? What sayest thou of thy selfe?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confessed", "denied", "said", "plainely", 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 "Then this is the record of Iohn..." 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.