John 1:16 (KJV)

Passage

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Nearby Context

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "John bare witness of him and cried..." into verse 17's "For the law was given by Moses...", so "grace" and "fulness" 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 "grace" and "fulness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.