John 6:28-29
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The context
A crowd that has just been fed follows Jesus across the lake, and he tells them they are looking for bread rather than for the sign. They ask what they must do to perform the works God requires. The question assumes a ledger of deeds; the answer collapses the ledger into one item, and it is not a deed at all.
What it establishes
It establishes that the decisive human response in this Gospel is trust in the one sent, and that such trust is itself described as the work. The plural question receives a singular answer, which is the point of the exchange.
What it does not establish
It does not settle the faith and works debate. The Greek construction can be read as the work God requires or the work God produces, and the difference matters; John is also not answering Paul's question about justification. The verse is not a proof text against the value of deeds.
Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.
Cited in these answers
Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.