Articles
For There Are Three That Testify - 1 John 5:5-12
The believers who received John’s first epistle were being challenged by some who denied that Jesus was the Son of God. John assured them that those who denied Jesus were still part of the world (1 Jn. 4:1-3) and subject to the power of the evil one (1 Jn. 5:19). Those, however, who believe that Jesus is the Son of God have overcome the world. John wrote, “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 Jn. 5:5). There is a distinction between those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and those who do not believe. In other words, it matters what we believe about Jesus.
Who is Jesus in whom we believe? John wrote, “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 (1 Jn. 5:6). Jesus came by water and blood. John’s water reference directed believers back to His baptism, and the blood reference directed believers to His crucifixion. These events declare something about Jesus or what He accomplished. He was declared Son of God at his baptism. Matthew wrote, “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased’” (Mt. 3:16-17). The crucifixion declared that Jesus sacrificed Himself for the sins of His people. John wrote, “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). John affirmed these truths about Jesus by using water and blood. He was, essentially, affirming the deity of Jesus—something that was being denied by those challenging John’s audience.
The Spirit testifies with the water and the blood. John wrote, “It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement” (1 Jn. 5:6-8). Two or three witnesses were required when important issues were decided in the Old Testament (Dt. 17:6; 19:15). The evidence concerning the deity of Jesus is not lacking. The baptism of Jesus (the water), His death (the blood), and the Spirit’s revelation (through John or what had been written) affirm the truth of what John proclaimed about Jesus. Jesus, according to John, is God’s “Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3). The faith of John’s audience rested on a solid foundation.
Those who denied that Jesus was the Son of God disregarded the powerful testimony of the water, the blood, and the Spirit. These testify to the deity of Jesus. This is the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. Do we believe?
