Examining John 20:31
Last Update: 2025, January 2
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also did in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. —John 20:30-31 (LSB)
John 20:31 is used by Non-Calvinists to say that Faith precedes Regeneration. Most likely because of the ordering: Believe first, then comes life? Things are not always this simple when doing theology. See here.
Order and Inconsistency
When handling God’s word, we must be consistent with our methodology otherwise we’re just picking and choosing what fits our theological system. John here isn’t giving us the Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation), but an evangelistic appeal or he was simply speaking after the manner of men. We’ll get to that in a moment. For the sake of argument, let’s say a surface reading of John 20:31 proves that Faith precedes Regeneration, then what are we to do with John 17:3?
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. —John 17:3 (LSB)
A.W. Pink’s commentary on that passage:
“This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God” (John 17:3). Eternal life must be imparted before the “True God” can be known. Plainly is this affirmed in 1 John 5:20, “We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true.” Yes, an “understanding,” a spiritual understanding, by a new creation, must be given [before] God can be known in a spiritual way.
Why is it that the ordering here in John 17:3 suddenly does not apply? Eternal Life first, then comes knowing God. We can say that people can’t know God, let alone believe in Him, apart from being quickened (made alive). So why the inconsistency, Non-Calvinists? Why is that John 20:31 takes precedence over John 17:3 even when we have Christ Himself speaking in John 17:3? What’s more, this manner of speaking is also found in John 6:29,
“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’”
It is God’s work that we (can) believe. Just in case you think I pulled that out of think air and reading into John 17:3, consider Romans 3:10-11,
10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.
Note carefully, “There is none who understands” and “there is none who seeks after God.” If there’s no understanding then there’s no seeking. True seeking comes from a heart of understanding, but don’t take my word for it. Listen to what Proverbs 15:14 says,
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge…
Yet, we’re told by Moses that a heart to understand comes from God (Deuteronomy 29:4 ESV). This is why Jesus says, “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…” and this drawing is equated with being taught by God (John 6:44-45). Who taught Peter? God (Matthew 16:17; Luke 10:22). Who gives us understanding, so that we may know Him who is the true God and eternal life? The Son of God (1 John 5:20). Apart from an internal illumination, there is no seeking or believing (cf. 1 John 5:1).
8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, having known God, or rather having been known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? —Galatians 4:8-9 (LSB)
Just in case you missed it, Galatians 4:8 states, “when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.” Those that don’t know God are slaves. They’re not free until the truth sets them free (cf. John 8:32). We see this perfectly played out in the life of Paul. He had zeal but not according to the true knowledge of God (cf. Romans 10:2; 2 Corinthians 5:16). He wasn’t free until Christ set him free. J.I. Packer’s commentary is helpful here,
Knowing God is a matter of grace. It is a relationship in which the initiative throughout is with God—as it must be, since God is so completely above us and we have so completely forfeited all claim on his favor by our sins.
[We] do not make friends with [God]; [God] makes friends with [us], bringing us to know him by making his love known to us. Paul expresses this thought of the priority of grace in our knowledge of God when he writes to the Galatians, “Now that you know God—[or rather are known by God]…” (Gal 4:9) What comes to the surface in this qualifying clause is the apostle’s sense that grace came first, and remains fundamental, in his reader’s salvation. Their knowing God was the consequence of God’s taking knowledge of them. They know him by faith because he first singled them out by grace.
Paul wasn’t on his way to seek for God but to persecute Him. Christ appeared and conquered Paul’s resistance and opened his eyes (cf. Acts 26:18)!
No man ever knows his condition until God comes to him in sovereign grace and power and gives him life. Paul said, “I was before a blasphemer.” When did he learn that? When God brought him to life! As one made alive by God he then rejoiced in every doctrine of God’s grace! —Gary Shephard
Are we to ignore all that just because of the word ordering in John 20:31?
The Order is not always Black and White
Don’t get me wrong. The order of things does matter, but it’s not always black and white. We must not be quick to jump to conclusion without first considering the whole counsel of God. Since we’re dealing with the book of John, let us compare two similar passages (20:31 and 5:39-40):
John 20:31, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
John 5:39-40, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
A surface reading of that will give you the impression that life, the new life in regeneration, is the result of belief/faith. You want life? Come to Jesus or believe in His name. Well… yes and no. The lesson here is that if you don’t know your Bible well enough, you’ll be led astray by your own deceitful heart.
Both passages above are true from a human perspective. But there is a subtle difference.
Some synergists reject the notion that regeneration causes faith because they want to avoid saying that someone might be regenerated [without] saving faith. However, while some monergists have advocated that regeneration temporally precedes faith, most have clarified that they are speaking of logical, not chronological, order. From a temporal perspective, regeneration and faith occur simultaneously; in the exact moment that man is born again, he repents and believes the gospel. Nevertheless, this simultaneity does not rule out causality. Though two events may occur at the same time, one may still cause the other. —John MacArthur & Richard Mayhue (Biblical Doctrine)
“From a temporal perspective, regeneration and faith occur simultaneously”, and based on the many passages that are evangelistic in nature, one can wrongly conclude that faith precedes regeneration when that is not the case. Both 20:31 and 5:39-40 seem to be saying the same thing, but the subtle difference lies in John 5:42.
“But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.” (John 5:42)
Do not overlook the significant of that. Even though they searched the Scripture, yet they were unwilling to come to Him that they may have life. WHY? Jesus tells us in verse 42: They have not the love of God in them (see also Acts 7:51).
It’s always the heart. Why is there the price of wisdom in the hand of a fool when he has no heart for it? (Proverbs 17:16). The Heart is the problem. God has to give you a new heart.
And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
—Deuteronomy 30:6
Only then can you truly come to Him that you may have life. A new heart given by God in regeneration is needed to love and to understand (recall what I said earlier - John 17:3, 6:29; Galatians 4:8). To put it simply: You need life to have life. This might come off as contradictory, but you can’t say it’s not biblical. Here’s another way of looking at it: You need a new heart to come to Christ that you may have life. Just like you need to be born of the Spirit (John 3:5-8) before (not after) you can “believe in Him” so that you will not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). This is what it means to allow Scripture to interpret itself! John tries to make sure we understand all that before we reach John 20:31. In fact, he starts right off the bat with Chapter One,
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)
For some reasons, Non-Calvinists want us to ignore all that, including John 6, and just go with 20:31!
John Contradicting John?
Non-Calvinists are not only inconsistent with their methodology, but their interpretation of John 20:31 makes John contradict himself because of John 2:23-25 and 1 John 5:1-4 (for example).
Many “believed in His name,” (John 2:23-25) so why didn’t Jesus commit Himself to them? John states that “believing you may have life in His name,” (John 20:31) didn’t he? This is why I said earlier that “things are not always this simple when doing theology.” There are nuances that must be worked out and many things to be taken into consideration, lest you end up seeing water Baptism every time the word ‘water’ is mentioned. The correct interpretation of John 20:31 affirms Reformed Soteriology. We don’t believe in order to be born again, for many “believed in His name” and were not.
John is not laying out the Order of Salvation for us in 20:31. His purpose is evangelistic, “but these have been written so that you may believe… and that believing you may have life…” Just like how Dr. Luke stars his account of the Gospel and Acts.
We can also look at it from Christ’s angle to get a better understanding:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
That’s from Matthew 11:28. But let’s not forget what comes before that. Go back three verses and you’ll see this:
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
Only the Lord knows those that are His (2 Timothy 2:19), because He alone is the One drawing them to Himself. This is why we preach, “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). This is why John could say, “…but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” The question of why or how one person believes and not the other is answered in John 3—Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus. We don’t read John 3:16 in isolation in the same way we don’t read John 20:30-31 in isolation.
The emphasis of John 20:30-31 is not on the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (nothing about the Spirit is being mentioned), but the focus is on Jesus and His identity: “these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the CHRIST, the SON of God…” (cf. John 8:24). We learn from Acts 4:12 that salvation can be found in no other, and that there is only one Name under heaven given among men by which they must be saved, and so John continues, “and that believing you may have life in His name.” There are many names and religions, and the point John is making here is that eternal life is in God’s Son (“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life”). John isn’t getting into the nuances of why some chooses life (believing in Jesus) and others would choose death (rejecting Jesus).
For the nuances of why some would choose death over life, and vice-versa, we go to John 6:63-65 (same author!), and there the Son actually mentions both the Holy Spirit (“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing”) and the Father (“…no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father”). Furthermore, John writes of faith being the result of regeneration elsewhere (1 John 5:1,4). So no, John 20:31 is not saying that faith precedes regeneration, but rather, he’s saying that there’s only one way to salvation, one way to eternal life—and that is by believing in Jesus (John 14:6). It’s an evangelistic appeal, not the Order of Salvation.