GET REAL
Part 12
Chapter 14
“The Witness”
“This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.”—1 John 5:6, NASB
This verse contrasts water and blood. Water refers to Jesus’ baptism at the beginning of his work, by which he declared his purpose to “fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus was affirming John’s message of repentance and confession, as well as setting an example for us to follow in water baptism.
John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented.”—Matthew 3:14-15, ESV
”Blood” in verse 6 refers to the bloody death Jesus suffered on the cross for the sins of the world. At his water baptism, Jesus was formally set apart for his Messianic work by the Holy Spirit coming upon him like a dove, along with the Father’s audible voice. His Messianic work reached its culmination at the cross.
While the water and blood are seen here as the first two witnesses, the Holy Spirit is the third testimony to the Messianic ministry of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, He will testify about Me.”—John 15:26, NASB
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“And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.”—1 John 5:7, NKJV
This is one of the greatest scriptural examples of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit are separate distinct persons, yet one.
DOCTRINE OF TRINITY: There is one God who eternally exists as three distinct, coeternal and coequal Persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person is fully God, and there is only one God.
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“And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”—I John 5:8, NKJV
John tells us that the Spirit, water, and blood testify to the one truth—that Jesus is the Christ, and that we have life in Him.
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“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.”—1 John 5:9, ESV
John is saying that though we are in the habit of accepting the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater and, therefore, should be even more readily accepted.
“Testimony” is in the perfect tense, meaning that God has spoken in the past concerning his Son, and his testimony is on record right now. And this will be the testimony at the judgment, when God will declare to the whole human race that he testified of his Son as the Savior of the world, giving all men the opportunity to either accept or reject that testimony.
“He that believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he that believes not God has made Him a liar, because he believes not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”—1 John 5:10-11, KJV
These verses contain a beautiful picture of the process of salvation:
—Believe God by accepting his testimony concerning His Son.
—Believe in the Son by accepting him as Savior and Lord, surrendering your life to him.
—The inward witness takes place the moment the heart’s door is opened to the Savior. The soul rises up and greets him as its salvation and the fulfillment of its desire!
“The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”
—5:12 NASB
In Greek, a definite article is used before the word “life” so that it reads, “He who has the Son has the life.”
Not just any life, but THE life—the life God gives to sinners who place their faith in the Son.
The flip side of this verse is sobering, “He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”
You may walk and talk and breathe and function, but you are cut off from the life of God without His Son.
This is why Paul could say: “And you He made alive [with the life], who were dead [without the life] in trespasses and sins.”—Ephesians 2:1, NKJV
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“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”—1 John 5:13, NIV
“Know” is the Greek word oida which we have seen before. It means absolute, positive knowledge, without any doubt. The intent of John’s letter is that they would know, with an absolute, unshakable knowledge, that they are possessors of eternal life by virtue of believing in the name of the Son of God.
Next week we finish our GET REAL journey through 1 John!