1 John 5:6-12
Notes
Transcript
So Thursday night I met with Dr. Scott Byrd to see if he could help me out with this passage we are going through this morning. I’ve been looking at it for two weeks now and I have had the hardest time trying to figure out an application for us so, I called in the big guns…Dr. Scott Byrd. The dude has a PhD in Theology so of course he could give me something good right? I said, Scotty Byrd, I need an application to the text Im preaching on this week. What’s the text. .
For What reason?
He gets out his phone, reads it…reads it again, looks up…I’m waiting because I know its going to be good. He says, “I have no idea”.
So, with that, what I want us to get out of this text this morning is the testimony of God. I want us to believe the Word of God, believe the testimony concerning the Son of God.
Before we read our text this morning I want to give you a little background to what we are about to read.
Let me read the Word of God over you this morning:
We have been in 1 John for quite some time now and we know that John is writing to this church about some false teachers who have crept into the church distorting the message of Christ. Teaching heresies to these beloved people of John.
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 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. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Here are some things we know from this Epistle from John concerning the false teachers:
don’t struggle with sin in their life (1:10)
they claim they have fellowship with God but continue to walk in darkness (1:9)
they claim they don’t struggle with sin (1:10)
they claim that they are in the light but they hate the brothers (2:9)
they still desire the things of the flesh and of the eyes, they are proud thinking that they are better than others (2:16)
they left the church and no longer have anything to do with them (2:19)
They don’t believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (4:3)
Here is the backstory...
John was up against a guy named Cerinthus here. He was a gnostic leader. Here are some of his beliefs from what we know of him according to early church fathers:
the world was made by a lesser divine being who was ignorant of the supreme God
He rejected the virgin birth of Jesus
Jesus was the genetic offspring of Joseph and Mary
Jesus was special because he exceeded all other men in wisdom and righteousness
The “Christ Spirit”, at the command of the supreme god, entered Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism
following his baptism, Jesus did miracles and taught about the previously unknown supreme God
the “Christ-Spirit” left Jesus at the crucifixion because it is incapable of experiencing suffering or pain
Jesus died and was resurrected
after the resurrection of the dead, the kingdom of Christ will be established on earth
in the New Jerusalem, people will have bodies and engage in all forms of physical pleasures
this kingdom will last 1,000 years.
Now remember, these heretical teachings were not spread to non-believers “out there somewhere”…these teachings were told to people inside the church.
as he was himself devoted to the pleasures of the body and altogether sensual in his nature, he dreamed that that kingdom would consist in those things which he desired, namely, in the delights of the belly and of sexual passion, that is to say, in eating and drinking and marrying, and in festivals and sacrifices and the slaying of victims, under the guise of which he thought he could indulge his appetites with a better grace.”
Here is a little more of what we know of Cerinthus:
And as he was himself devoted to the pleasures of the body and altogether sensual in his nature, he dreamed that that kingdom would consist in those things which he desired, namely, in the delights of the belly and of sexual passion, that is to say, in eating and drinking and marrying, and in festivals and sacrifices and the slaying of victims, under the guise of which he thought he could indulge his appetites with a better grace.” - SEE why 2:15-16 are in there?
SEE SCREEN
These are the words of Dionysius. But Iranæus, in the first book of his work Against Heresies, gives some more abominable false doctrines of the same man, and in the third book relates a story which deserves to be recorded. He says, on the authority of Polycarp, that the apostle John once entered a bath to bathe; but, learning that Cerinthus was within, he sprang from the place and rushed out of the door, for he could not bear to remain under the same roof with him. And he advised those that were with him to do the same, saying, “Let us flee, lest the bath fall; for Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.”2
-Eusebius of Caesaria.
These are the words of Dionysius. But Iranæus, in the first book of his work Against Heresies, gives some more abominable false doctrines of the same man, and in the third book relates a story which deserves to be recorded. He says, on the authority of Polycarp, that the apostle John once entered a bath to bathe; but, learning that Cerinthus was within, he sprang from the place and rushed out of the door, for he could not bear to remain under the same roof with him. And he advised those that were with him to do the same, saying, “Let us flee, lest the bath fall; for Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.”
These are the words of Dionysius. But Iranæus, in the first book of his work Against Heresies, gives some more abominable false doctrines of the same man, and in the third book relates a story which deserves to be recorded. He says, on the authority of Polycarp, that the apostle John once entered a bath to bathe; but, learning that Cerinthus was within, he sprang from the place and rushed out of the door, for he could not bear to remain under the same roof with him. And he advised those that were with him to do the same, saying, “Let us flee, lest the bath fall; for Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.”
-Eusebius of Caesaria.
Now, knowing a little more of the backstory… lets me read the Word of God over you this morning:
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 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. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Let’s pray over our text.
So, knowing the backstory that Cerinthus was teaching people that Jesus was not conceived of the Holy Spirit but that he was the biological child of Joseph and Mary John writes verse 6, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
It starts off with “This is he who came...”
who is “this who came”?
Look back at verse 5.
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
It is Jesus!
How does John say he came?
by water and blood… “he who came by water and blood” is Jesus Christ!
Look at verse 6 with me:
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
See, Cerinthus was teaching that Jesus was not the Christ. He was just a man, a man better than us because he had a ton of wisdom and he was so righteous. Because of that, when he was baptized God, the supreme God…not the bad god of the Old Testament but the Supreme God gave this Jesus the “Christ-Spirit” when he was baptized. He gave it to him and it came on him like a dove.
And not only that…yeah, he did miraculous things but when he was about to be put on the cross to be crucified the “Christ-Spirit” left this man named Jesus because Christ can’t truly experience pain and suffering. So, the man named Jesus was put to death on the cross…it was just a mans blood that was shed. Yeah, he the supreme God raised him from the dead but it wasn’t Christ who died and was raised.
You see how subtle that is? Think of it like you are in the first century church. Sitting there and he comes up to you and says, “hey man…after church lets go out for lunch and I am going to tell you some “deeper stuff” that John isn’t telling you”.
But John says, “NO! Jesus, the Son of God, Jesus Christ came by the water. When he was baptized he started his earthly ministry and we all witnessed it. Not only did he come by the water but also the blood. It was Christ’s blood that was poured out on the cross. This Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
HE is the God-Man
100% Man and 100% God…
If you are not worshiping the Christ of the apostolic witness and the witness from the Father, you are not worshiping the Christ who saves.
See why 4:6 is in the Bible now?
SEE SCREEN
We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
That is another reason John starts off this letter in 1:1-4. He says, “listen to us, we saw him, we walked with him, we touched him, we were taught by him…they weren’t! Listen to the Apostolic writings.
This is a warning for all of us...
When someone comes to you and tells you things about the Bible that are not in there or that are complete contradictions…pump the breaks. But what does that mean for all of us? We have to know the Word, we have to be creatures of the Word. This is why we have started the DNA GROUPS with the CBR Journals so that we can stay in the Word on a daily basis with 2 to 3 other people that we can read the Word together, confess things to each other and pray for one another (LITTLE PLUG THERE).
But John refutes this false teacher by saying “NO Cerinthus! Jesus, the God Man, came by water and blood…not by water only but by the water and the blood”.
It was Christ who came to the water and was baptized in the Jordan river and it was Christ who actually bled on the cross for our sins.
It was not that this Jesus guy, this good guy, was baptized by John and then the “Christ-Spirit” came on him and then when this Jesus guy, who had the “Christ-Spirit” in him, when he was about to be hung on the cross the “Christ-Spirit” left him and it was just the Jesus guy who died…NO CERINTHUS!”
It was Christ who came, the Son of God, he came by water and the blood.
And guess who testifies to this?
the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit must testify to this because this is a scandalous thing to the world.
of course it is crazy to believe that God died on a tree.
it sounds crazy doesn’t it?
But the Spirit testifies to it and the Spirit is truth.
This Jesus that you say had the Christ Spirit in him who is righteous and full of wisdom even said it himself...
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
So here is John saying, “and that is exactly what Im doing right now… “bearing witness about Jesus Christ because I was with him from the beginning”. 1:1-4, 4:6
John 15
Lets look at verses 7 and 8:
For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
The Sprit is given priority here because it is the Spirit that testifies through the water (his baptism) and the blood (the cross).
But I want to point this out…if anyone in here is reading a KJV or a New KJV
I have the KJV up here on the screen so you can see it:
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
1 John 5:
The oldest manuscript we have of this wording (the way the KJV has it) is from the Latin dating to the 7th Century. The Latin Vulgate accepted it in 1592. It only appears in in 8 Greek manuscripts and not one of those Greek manuscripts can be dated before 1400.
Not one of the early church fathers ever quote this passage (as it is in the KJV) in the first 4 1/2 Centuries.
So check this out:
In 325AD you had the Council of NIcea and in 451 you had the Council of Chalcedon. They were defending the doctrine of the Trinity in these councils so IF this text was written this way then would there be a better verse in the Bible to use to prove the Trinity? The absence of this verse being used in these councils, the absence of any early church father quoting it, the absence of any early manuscript having it puts serious doubt on the authenticity of this passage in the KJV.
OBVIOUSLY what the KJV is saying in this passage is true, but it seems to have been added at a later date and was not originally written by John.
Lets look at verses 9-10
1
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. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
IF you are a visitor here and you don’t know me but me and my wife come to you beside us is our son, Camp or Law, and we introduce ourselves and say, “this is our son”…would you believe us? Of course you would.
So listen to me...
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater...”
Think of the baptism of Christ.
The Father’s voice was heard saying, “This is my Son”
The Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove.
The Trinity is on FULL DISPLAY…the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Triune God is giving witness that Jesus IS the Son of God!
IF we accept the testimony of men....come on! The testimony of God is FAR GREATER!
God as always been testifying about the Son.
He testified about Him in the Old Testament and He testified to Him in the New Testament.
I have three of my favorite examples of how God testified about Christ in the Old Testament:
Look at the screen:
How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
John 5:
Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
1 Co
Cerinthus and another Gnostic teacher that the early church fought against was a guy named Marcion.
They taught that the Old Testament was bad… a mean god
thats not the god we should serve
the god of the NT is trying to save us from the god of the OT
But as you can see…God has been testifying of His Son in the OT and the NT.
NOT ONLY has God testified to him in his word…by the work of the Spirit HE continues to TESTIFY to us in our hearts.
Look at verse 10 again:
Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
BELIEVE IN… OUR FAITH, that gives us victory over this world, our faith that has made us overcome the world…that FAITH IS IN CHIRST....THE CHRIST WHO CAME BY THE WATER AND THE BLOOD, THE SON OF GOD.
We believe the WORD OF GOD…WE ARE HIS CHILDREN BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US. And that Word that we believe became flesh and dwelt among us....
And the testimony that God has been giving about his Son throughout all of Scripture, He continues to testify to us who BELIEVE IN CHRIST....
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
not that “we might be” but that “we ARE” children of God.
And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Galatians
Believe the Word…otherwise we make God out to be a liar.
John Stott says, “Unbelief is not a misfortune to be pitied; it is a sin to be deplored. Its sinfulness lies in the fact that it contradicts the word of the one true God and thus attributes falsehood to him.” --- Unbelief is calling God a liar
Believe the testimony that he has given us!
But how can
Vereses 11-12
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Christian, I want to encourage you.
yes we sin…if we say we don’t we make him out to be a liar and the truth is not in us. But we are not saved by the amount of faith we have but we are saved by the object of our faith…and our faith is IN Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe the testimony that God has given us about Him and we know because the Spirit testifies to it in your heart. When you don’t FEEL it run to a brother or sister in Christ and hear the gospel spoke over you…believe the promises, not your feelings.
And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
We break promises, HE doesn’t. We must continue to put our trust in Him and not ourselves.
VERSE 11 and 12 says: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life”
God poured out his love into your heart.
that love overflows back to him and the brothers and sisters in Christ
that love for which he loved us made us new where we no longer desire the things of this world but we desire to please him for what he has done for us…giving us eternal life.
His commandments are not burdensome
So lets know Him more, lets grow deeper in our faith in Christ, lets study His Word.
If you do not know Him and you feel him tugging at your heart, come find me after the service and I would love to talk to you about it.
Turn to Christ Alone and live!
