John 20:31

The context

This is the stated purpose of the Gospel, placed after the account of Thomas and before the epilogue on the shore. The preceding verse notes that Jesus did many other signs not written in the book. The sentence tells the reader what the selection was for.

What it establishes

The verse states that the signs were selected to produce belief that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God, and that belief issues in life. It is the Gospel's own account of its aim, and it connects the narrative to a response.

What it does not establish

It does not describe the Gospel as a biography. The same passage admits that much was left out, and the aim is persuasive rather than exhaustive. Nor does it settle whether “believe” means coming to faith or continuing in it; the form carries either.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• How can religious claims be meaningful if they are not empirically falsifiable?
• Didn’t Jesus REBUKE Thomas for wanting evidence of the resurrection?! Wouldn’t this rebuke also extend to Christian apologists who seek to satisfy this demand by offering evidence for Christian claims?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.