He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”John 1:21 NIV
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.John 1:19 NIV