1 John 5:6-13

— 6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Here John presses home the issue of faith and unbelief.

He does this by pointing to the testimonies to the truth of the gospel.

The Greek word for ‘testify’ or ‘bear witness’ occurs ten times in .

John is showing that the testimony to Christ is so strong that we have no reason for rejecting it.

The three witnesses

What the text does say is that there are three witnesses—the water, the blood and the Spirit—

and these three witnesses agree in testifying to the truth of Jesus Christ.

The law demands that ‘By the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established’ ().

Going back to when we introduced this book, we saw three purposes in writing it.

To encourage Christians in the assurance of their salvation.

A desire to stress the historical groundings of their Christian faith.

A desire to expound upon Christ’s new commandment to love one another.

Most of the book has to do with gaining a biblical assurance, and

much of the last few messages we’ve seen really has to do with loving one another.

Now John handles the theme of the historical data concerning Christ’s life and ministry

are also the basis (perhaps even the ultimate basis)

for the Christian’s assurance regarding salvation.

To this God the Father bears a solemn witness.

We are going to break this down into three sections:

The Three Witnesses (v6-8)

I realize that these verses are going to read differently in some of our bibles so please bear with me.

— 6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

Notice right away in v6 that John uses the past tense “came” “This is He who came by water and blood-Jesus Christ”

Indicating that the coming of Jesus is a historical event.

This is an insertion of a historical fact that is irrefutable.

These terms water and blood can refer to the blood and the water which flowed from Jesus’ side when it was pierced by the soldier’s spear ().

If we think in terms of Leviticus we think of the water as cleansing and the blood atoning.

But most likely John refers to the water as Jesus’s baptism while the blood refers to His death on Calvary.

The reality of the passion points to the reality of the incarnation.

The whole public ministry of Jesus—from his baptism to his crucifixion—

shows that the Christ had come in the flesh.

Ultimately, the whole public ministry of Christ testifies to the truth of his person and work. In fact,

Christ is testified to by God the Father (, ),

the Holy Spirit (),

John the Baptist (; ),

Christ’s own works (; ),

the Scriptures (),

the disciples () and

the crowds of people who saw what the Lord did ().

Notice in v6 (at the end) “And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

The Spirit is the internal witness.

He testifies with the water and the blood. Jesus had prophesied,

‘But when the Helper [Parakletos] comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify of me’ ().

We have the outward evidence of Christ—

his life,

his teachings,

his compassion,

his miracles,

his death and resurrection.

But without the inward testimony of the Spirit, we would not believe these things;

they would remain foreign to us.

One person hears of Christ and is moved and convicted by the Spirit—he knows no peace until he rests upon Christ by faith.

Another person hears the same message and can hardly wait till it’s over, so he can go home to watch TV.

The nineteenth-century evangelical politician and campaigner against slavery, William Wilberforce,

Divine and Human Testimony (v9-10)

once brought his friend William Pitt (the youngest man ever to be Prime Minister of Britain)

to hear Richard Cecil preach.

Cecil proclaimed the gospel and Wilberforce revelled in it, feeling he was almost in heaven.

At the conclusion of the service he could hardly wait to ask Pitt what he thought of it.

Pitt was an intelligent man but not an evangelical, and he could only reply,

‘I didn’t understand a word of what that man was talking about. What was it?’

The Spirit of God was testifying to Wilberforce but not to Pitt.

Do you have this testimony?

Do the water, the blood and the Spirit bear witness to you and in you

that Christ is your sin-bearer,

that he has borne God’s wrath in your place?

Divine and Human Testimony (v9-10)

— 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.

If we consider this verse in the broader context of Scripture,

we see that the expression man’s testimony is a reference to John the Baptist.

Jesus said of John the Baptist, “There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true” (). In that same context, Jesus added, “I have testimony greater than that of John.… And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me” (vv. 36–37).

— 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. ... — 36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

“But God’s testimony is greater.” John focuses attention

not on our acceptance of God’s testimony

but on the significance of that testimony.

God’s word is unquestionably true and thus in comparison with the testimony of man is much weightier.

What is this testimony?

It’s what John just said: the testimony of the Spirit, water, and blood.

“The testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.” This testimony includes

the voice that spoke from heaven at Jesus’ baptism (),

at his transfiguration (), and

at his triumphant entry into Jerusalem ().

John uses the perfect tense (“he has given”) to indicate that God continues to testify about his son through his Word and Spirit.

— 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.

There’s a positive and then the negative.

“He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself”

So belief in the Son of God is central; it is part of the message John teaches in verses 1–12,

namely, faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

Believing, says John, is a continuous act.

That is, faith is a lasting and active power that resides in the heart of the believer.

Faith is the constant bond between the Son of God and the believer.

Note that John states specifically that faith is believing in the Son of God.

The preposition in means that

the believer puts full trust and confidence in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The believer has accepted the testimony (see ; ) which God,

through the Spirit,

has given about his Son.

And this testimony which comes to him through external witnesses

is now lodged in his heart and

has become an integral part of his spiritual life.

The second part of verse 10 is not a parallel of the first part.

Instead of writing, “Anyone who does not believe in the Son of God,” John says, “Anyone who does not believe God.”

He places the emphasis on God, who has given man testimony about his Son.

Man, however, cannot accept this testimony merely for information.

He does not have the freedom to take or leave it without obligation,

for God gives him this testimony with royal authority.

When man rejects God’s testimony, he has made and continues to make God a liar (compare 1:10).

And this is a serious offense, because rejection of God’s Word constitutes deliberate unbelief.

John addressed the false teachers of his day,

who said that they believed in God but rejected the birth and the death of his Son.

John, however, addresses his word to anyone who rejects God’s testimony.

That is, the unbeliever takes full responsibility for his choice.

Unbelief is not a misfortune to be pitied; it is a sin to be deplored.

The unbeliever’s sin lies first in his intentional refusal to believe God’s testimony about his Son and

second, in his arrogant denial that the Father and the Son are one.

Man cannot say that he has faith in God and at the same time reject God’s testimony about Jesus Christ.

God’s Own Testimony (v11-13)

So what is the essential content of this divine revelation? John supplies a short summary here for us.

So what is the essential content of this divine revelation? John supplies a short summary here for us.

vv11-12 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

John says this testimony concerns salvation. And the heart of it lies in the fact that salvation is to be found in Jesus as the Son of God, and in Jesus only.

John’s reference to “eternal life” as the essence of salvation carries us back to

the opening verses of the letter,

in which he wrote that this life was revealed in Jesus, who is himself the life.

Eternal life is not merely unending life, therefore. It is the very life of God.

What we are promised in Christ is a participation in the life of the one who bears this testimony.

This life is not to be enjoyed by everyone, however.

This life is in Christ.

Consequently, it is as impossible to have life

without having Christ

as it is impossible to have Christ without at the same time possessing eternal life.

Toward the end of the Gospel, John gave his purpose in writing that book by saying he had written these things

“that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” ().

That is, the Gospel was written primarily to those who were not yet Christians to lead them to become Christians.

In a parallel way John now gives his purpose for writing the first epistle, saying,

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

His beloved church family is being written to, that John may lead them to a full assurance regarding their salvation.

God has ordered his revelation in Christ so that the one believing in Christ may know that he possesses an eternal salvation.

The real presumption is in questioning such assurances and thus casting doubt on God’s word.