The Testimony of the Son of God

A testimony is important. I would define a testimony is a declaration of an experience. In church we often think of having a testimony or someone standing up to share a testimony. The other place that this is commonly thought of is in the court of law where a lawyer will bring someone to the stand in order to provide their testimony regarding a specific matter or a person.

This morning I want to begin to cover the testimony about who Jesus is based on three sources: the water, the blood, and the Holy Spirit. Verses 7 and 8 mention that these three testify about who Jesus is. As a lawyer would examine a person on the stand in the court of law, I want to examine each of these areas to determine what they testify about Jesus.

The Water

There is a lot of speculation regarding the water mentioned throughout this passage of scripture and what it is representative of. Ultimately, after doing a great deal of reading, I’ve found that the explanation that makes the most sense is that the water speaks of the baptism of Jesus. Listen to this account in Matthew 3:13-17.

We should begin with the desire of John the Baptist to be baptized by Jesus and not the other way around. There is humility in Jesus as he desired to be baptized so that He might “fulfill all righteousness.”

The second thing that is testified about Jesus here is His physical presence. We are not told of the physical reaction that He has after being placed under the water of the Jordan, but I am confident that He had the same gasp that we see when a person exits the water. You see, Jesus was 100% a man. He was born to a human woman. The water He was baptized in speaks to this truth.

We also learn that the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. The semblance of a dove reminds us of the truth that He spoke, the humility with which He lived, and the peace that He offers for all who will profess Him as Lord.

Finally, the water witnessed a voice from on high on this day. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This statement is a reminder to us now that Jesus, while born to Mary, was also a divine being. That God the Father would announce to all of those in attendance and thus all who read the Holy Scriptures is a testimony to His divine nature. We can be certain when we hear of His life that He was divine but this was the first public announcement that was made that launched Jesus into His earthly ministry.

This is the testimony of the water. Let’s look next at the testimony of

The Blood

The meaning of the blood is more straightforward as we desire a simple explanation. We go to where the blood of Jesus was shed at Golgotha in John 19:31-37.

Here we notice several matters stated by the testimony of the blood. First, we are reminded that Jesus was a human. Those who were there on this dreadful day witnessed the need of His human body and understood that it was necessary to break His legs to end His suffering. Yet, He had already passed on so there was no need.

In verse 34, we are told that His side was pierced, producing both blood and water. You see, the water represents the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the blood represents the divine washing away of sin by the blood of Jesus. Because His blood was shed and He was the only worthy sacrifice, we know that there is opportunity for the sinner to be made clean. We understand that there is a risen Savior who loves the world. We have someone worth believing in!

With these two testimonies, we are reminded of the humble start on earth of Jesus and the entire reason that He came. So, what does the Holy Spirit testify to?

The Holy Spirit

This is the testimony that is present each and everyday. It is because the Holy Spirit reveals the truth about who Jesus is to a person that they might come to a point of belief. He works on the hardest of hearts as we hear the testimony of others. He moves us to a point where we understand that we are in need of a Savior. And He convinces us that it is the very best thing that we hand our lives over to God.

But the Holy Spirit does not stop working after a person confesses that Jesus Christ is the Lord of their life. Who here today can testify themselves that the Holy Spirit has made them more like Christ since they first believed? Even a step behind that, the Holy Spirit reminds us often of this Jesus we first believed in. We are reminded by reading the Word. We are reminded by the hymns we sing. We are reminded when we see others gathered at an altar in prayer. We are reminded when we see many others who desire to obey God in baptism.

This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

Now that we have these three testimonies, it is vital that we understand how they work together. Verse 8 states that the three agree. This means that there are no conflicts among the testimonies of the water, the blood, and the Holy Spirit.

We should also keep in mind, as is written in verse 9, that these testimonies have been given to us by God! This means that we ought to cherish them. When another person is baptized, we should celebrate this because it is a gift of God and reminder of who Jesus is. We certainly mourne when we consider the cross, but we hold tightly to the gift of salvation that has been made possible because of it. And when the Holy Spirit is doing hard work in our lives, we should lean in rather than fleeing from His work.

If you are here and you believe in this three-fold testimony, you bear this same testimony yourself! It has certainly changed you! But a testimony like this of Jesus Christ is wasted if it is held onto and not shared!

Would you do well to mock God by stating that this testimony is false? A person who has not yet believed is passively making such an audacious statement. We are reminded of this in the second half of verse 10.

You see, this testimony is what has given man eternal life. This eternal life is only found in those who have believed in Jesus! And yet, those who do not have such a testimony do not have life. He who has ears, let Him hear.