John 8:41 (GNV)

Passage

Ye do the workes of your father. Then said they to him, We are not borne of fornication: we haue one Father, which is God.

Nearby Context

John 8:39 They answered, and saide vnto him, Abraham is our father. Iesus said vnto them, If ye were Abrahams children, ye woulde doe the workes of Abraham.

John 8:40 But nowe ye goe about to kill mee, a man that haue told you the trueth, which I haue heard of God: this did not Abraham.

John 8:41 Ye do the workes of your father. Then said they to him, We are not borne of fornication: we haue one Father, which is God.

John 8:42 Therefore Iesus sayde vnto them, If God were your Father, then woulde ye loue mee: for I proceeded foorth, and came from God, neither came I of my selfe, but he sent me.

John 8:43 Why doe ye not vnderstande my talke? because ye cannot heare my worde.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "workes", "father", "said", "borne", "fornication", and "haue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "workes" and "father", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "But nowe ye goe about to kill..." into verse 42's "Therefore Iesus sayde vnto them If God...", so "workes" and "father" 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 "workes" and "father" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.