The Spirit gives life;This phrase emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in imparting spiritual life. In the biblical context, the Spirit is often associated with creation and renewal (
Genesis 1:2,
Psalm 104:30). The Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration, as seen in
John 3:5-6, where Jesus speaks of being "born of the Spirit." This aligns with the prophecy in
Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God promises to put His Spirit within His people, giving them a new heart and spirit. The life given by the Spirit is eternal, contrasting with the temporal nature of physical life.
the flesh profits nothing.
Here, "the flesh" refers to human effort and natural abilities apart from divine influence. In the cultural context of Jesus' time, reliance on the flesh could mean adherence to the law or traditions without understanding their spiritual significance. Paul echoes this sentiment inRomans 8:8, stating that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. This phrase underscores the futility of trying to achieve spiritual life through human means, highlighting the necessity of divine intervention.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Jesus' words are not merely informative but transformative, carrying the power of the Spirit. In the historical context, Jesus' teachings often challenged the prevailing religious norms, offering a deeper, spiritual understanding of God's kingdom. His words fulfill the prophecy ofDeuteronomy 18:18, where God promises to raise a prophet who will speak His words. The connection to other scripture is evident inHebrews 4:12, which describes the word of God as living and active. Jesus, as the Word made flesh (John 1:14), embodies the life-giving power of God's message, offering eternal life to those who believe.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe speaker of this verse, Jesus is addressing His disciples and followers, explaining the spiritual nature of His teachings.
2.
DisciplesThe immediate audience of Jesus' teaching, struggling to understand the spiritual implications of His words.
3.
CapernaumThe location where Jesus delivered this discourse, following the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water.
4.
The CrowdMany followers who were initially drawn to Jesus because of His miracles and teachings but struggled with His deeper spiritual messages.
5.
The SpiritRefers to the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the divine source of life and understanding beyond the physical realm.
Teaching Points
The Life-Giving SpiritThe Holy Spirit is the source of true life, transcending physical existence. Believers are called to seek life in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.
The Limitations of the FleshHuman effort and understanding are insufficient for spiritual life. Dependence on the flesh leads to spiritual stagnation.
The Power of Jesus' WordsJesus' teachings are not mere words but are imbued with spiritual life and power. Engaging with Scripture is essential for spiritual growth.
Spiritual DiscernmentUnderstanding spiritual truths requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Believers should pray for discernment and wisdom.
Living by the SpiritA life led by the Spirit results in spiritual vitality and fruitfulness. Believers are encouraged to cultivate a Spirit-led life through prayer, study, and obedience.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of John 6:63?
2.How does John 6:63 emphasize the importance of the Spirit over the flesh?
3.What does "the words I have spoken" reveal about Jesus' teachings?
4.How can John 6:63 guide our daily reliance on the Holy Spirit?
5.Connect John 6:63 with another verse highlighting the Spirit's life-giving role.
6.How can we prioritize spiritual nourishment in our lives according to John 6:63?
7.What does "the Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing" mean in John 6:63?
8.How does John 6:63 challenge the belief in physical rituals for spiritual growth?
9.Why does Jesus emphasize words as "spirit and life" in John 6:63?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from John 6?
11.What does "The flesh profits nothing" mean?
12.What is the Realm of the Spirit?
13.What does 'The flesh profits nothing' mean?
14.What is the Realm of the Spirit?What Does John 6:63 Mean
The Spirit gives lifeJesus begins with a clear, comforting truth. Only God’s Spirit awakens dead hearts and sustains eternal life (John 3:6–8).
• Life here is not mere existence; it is the vibrant, everlasting life that begins the moment the Spirit regenerates a person (Titus 3:5–6).
• This promise echoes the valley of dry bones, where the breath of God brings the dead to their feet (Ezekiel 37:1–14).
• The same power that raised Christ now dwells in believers, guaranteeing resurrection life (Romans 8:11).
Knowing this, we lean on the Spirit’s work rather than our own power whenever we share the gospel, disciple others, or face trials.
the flesh profits nothingJesus immediately contrasts Spirit‐wrought life with human effort.
• “Flesh” refers to every merely human resource—heritage, intellect, religious rituals (Philippians 3:3–8).
• No amount of self‐reform can earn righteousness; the law only exposes sin (Romans 7:18, 24).
• Even well‐intended religious crowds had just sought Jesus for bread that perishes (John 6:26–27).
This exposes pride and pushes us to abandon confidence in ourselves, trusting wholly in the finished work of Christ (Galatians 2:20–21).
The words I have spoken to you are spiritJesus ties the life-giving Spirit to His own spoken words.
• His teaching carries the very breath of God, accomplishing what it declares (Isaiah 55:10–11).
• The disciples later recall, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
• The Spirit uses Scripture to convict, correct, and equip (2 Timothy 3:16–17), sharpening like a “double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).
Approaching the Bible, then, is never a dry academic exercise; it is a Spirit-charged encounter with the living Christ.
and they are lifeChrist’s words not only point to life; they impart it.
• Hearing and believing His message moves a person from death to life (John 5:24).
• Daily feeding on His words sustains us, just as Israel lived on manna (Deuteronomy 8:3;Matthew 4:4).
• Those who cling to His promises enjoy present assurance and future hope of resurrection glory (John 11:25–26;1 Peter 1:23).
Scripture, therefore, functions as both the entryway into eternal life and the nourishment that keeps believers growing.
summaryJohn 6:63 draws a sharp line between Spirit and flesh, highlighting that real life flows only from the Spirit through the words of Christ. Human effort can accomplish nothing in the realm that matters most. By resting in the Spirit’s power, rejecting self-reliance, and treasuring every word Jesus speaks, believers experience the abundant, everlasting life God delights to give.
(63)
It is the spirit that quickeneth.--The word "quickeneth," though it has almost passed from everyday use, will probably hold its place in theological use, and convey for the most part the true meaning. If it is retained here, it must, however, be noted that it is a compound of the word rendered "life" at the close of the verse. "It is the spirit that giveth life . . . the words . . . are spirit and are life." These words are immediately connected with the thought of the Ascension, which was to precede the gift of the Spirit. (Comp.
John 7:39;
John 16:7et seq.)
. We are to find in them, therefore, a deeper meaning than the ordinary one that His teaching is to be, not carnally, but spiritually under-stood. They think of a physical eating of His flesh, and this offends them; but what if they, who have thought of bread descending from heaven, see His body ascending into heaven? They will know then that He cannot have meant this. And the Descent of the Spirit will follow the Ascension of the Son, and men full of the Holy Spirit will have brought to their remembrance all these words (
John 14:26), and they will then know what the true feeding on Him is, and these very words which He has spoken will carry their lessons to the inmost being, and be realised, not simply in a spiritual sense, but as spirit and as life.
Verse 63. -
It is the spirit that quickeneth (the
τὸ, though omitted by
אָ, is retained by all the principal editors);
the flesh profiteth nothing;i.
e. the "flesh" taken by itself, and apart from the life-giving Spirit which is its principium. The antithesis between "flesh" and "spirit" occurs frequently in the Gospel, and is one of the great points of Pauline doctrine. The Lord does not introduce the pronoun
μου to
τὸ πνεῦμα or
ἡσάρξ. The statement is generalized, though having special reference to himself, or to the spirit and flesh of the Son of man. "Flesh," in neither St. Paul nor St. John, means the sensuous nature as opposed to the intellectual nature; nor does it mean the "body" as antithetic to the "soul" - the organized material frame, to which the Jews were attributing so much and felt to be the guarantee and seal of his spiritual efficiency (Meyer) - but the "creaturely nature," the "humanity"
per se in all its parts. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Christ
qua his humanity was fashioned by the Spirit, and the Spirit dwelt upon him with iron measurable potence. "The Logos became flesh," but that flesh itself was so ordered and prepared by the Holy Spirit as that it should sustain this lofty companionship. Christ's own flesh, his nature, his humanity
per se, and apart from the fulness of the Spirit, profiteth nothing. The mere human life, however spotless and ideal, could not be "eaten,"
i.
e. could not be assimilated, though to some extent it might be imitated; but imitation is not faith. The "glory" that the apostles saw "of the Only Begotten of the Father, the fulness of grace and truth," in and through that wondrous life of Christ, was the glory given to his humanity by the creative Spirit. Apart from this consideration, a manducation of his flesh, even were it physically possible, was useless. It was not possible to participate in his humanity save through the Holy Spirit which generated him and regenerates us. The sentence doubtless points back to the original constitution of man, the specialty of whose life is that it was inbreathed by the Lord God himself. The use of the saying here was to make it still more clear that he gave his flesh to eat, not through any physical process, not through any sacramental rite, but through the Spirit to our spirit. Mr. Sadler, who takes the strong sacramental view of the entire passage, says, however, wisely and forcibly here, "Even flesh cannot be given to a corpse." We receive the gift, we know the love of God, whether sacramentally or not, through the Spirit. Christ does not deny or retract the statement, "Except ye eat the flesh," etc. He simply shows in what sense he meant the
whole mutual indwelling of himself and his people to be understood. The Spirit is the Quickener. The Spirit is the life-fashioning, life-pre-serving Energy. The flesh, the human manifestation, apart from the Spirit which makes that human life the centre of Divine effluence, the focus for its Divine energy, profiteth nothing. Some have taken these words (like Chrysostom) as a contrast between a spiritual and literal interpretation of Christ's words. Luther and many Lutherans have urged the contrast between a right celebration and a merely material use of the sacrament. So more or less Augustine and Olshausen. Canon Westcott seems to limit the original meaning of "flesh" and "spirit," the one to the visible, temporal, corporeal only, and the other to the unseen eternal order of things, and he does not give to "flesh" here the fulness of meaning which it bears in the New Testament; but he says that this utterance is not limited to either of the views just referred to, though it may include them. Archdeacon Watkins remarks, "They think of a physical eating of his flesh, and this offends them; but what if they, who have thought of bread descending from heaven, see his body ascending into heaven? They will know then he cannot have meant this. The descent of the Spirit will follow the ascent of the Son."
The words that I havespokenuntoyou are spirit and are life. The
words which I have now uttered, these teachings of mine concerning myself, are (not merely "spiritual" or "life-giving," but)
spirit and
life, i.
e. the way and method in which the
Spirit can convey to you the
life eternal. The words which I have spoken at all times have been the effulgence of my glory, the effluence of my Spirit. The seed of the kingdom is the Word of God. The contact of the Divine Spirit with the human spirit is not through teeth and palate, but through mental and moral processes. "Thou hast the
words of eternal life," said Peter (ver. 68). Christ thus works his way back again to the receptivity of the mind and heart of his disciples. Believing is not only "coming," but, as he has before implied, it is the identical process which he has called "eating his flesh and drinking his blood." Christ's words are the ministry of himself, because the chief method of communicating his life-giving Spirit. In
John 15:4, 7 the Lord used both expressions, "I" and "my words," in identical relations: "Abide in me, and I in you;" "If ye abide in me, and
my words abide in you," etc.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
TheΤὸ(To)Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.Spiritπνεῦμά(pneuma)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151:Wind, breath, spirit.gives life;ζωοποιοῦν(zōopoioun)Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2227:To make that which was dead to live, cause to live, quicken. From the same as zoon and poieo; tovitalize.theἡ(hē)Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.fleshσὰρξ(sarx)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4561:Flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.profitsὠφελεῖ(ōphelei)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5623:To help, benefit, do good, be useful (to), profit. From the same as opheleia; to be useful, i.e. To benefit.nothing.οὐδέν(ouden)Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3762:No one, none, nothing.Theτὰ(ta)Article - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.wordsῥήματα(rhēmata)Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4487:From rheo; an utterance, ; by implication, a matter or topic; with a negative naught whatever.Iἐγὼ(egō)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473:I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.have spokenλελάληκα(lelalēka)Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2980:A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.to youὑμῖν(hymin)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.areἐστιν(estin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.spiritπνεῦμά(pneuma)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151:Wind, breath, spirit.andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.they areἐστιν(estin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.life.ζωή(zōē)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2222:Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. From zao; life.
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NT Gospels: John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life (Jhn Jo Jn) 
