The Testimony of God Concerning His Son 1 John 5:6-13

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1 The Testimony of God Concerning His Son 1 John 5:6-13 Introduction: Last Lord s Day, we studied 1 John 5:1-5, where we saw four descriptions or definitions of both the being and doing which make up the essence of Christianity: Truly Regenerate People Believe Truly Loving People Care Truly Obedient People Behave Truly Victorious People Overcome Now, in verses 6-13, right after these series of descriptions/definitions of the Christian s identity, John labors to ensure that his readers understand exactly who it is he is testifying of when he speaks of God s testimony concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. This concept of testifying to the reality of the Person of Christ is at the heart of this passage, for in these verses, no less than ten times does John speak of either testifying to Jesus or of the testimony about Jesus. Thus, the theme of giving testimony regarding the Person of Christ is what this entire passage is all about. We know that throughout his first epistle, John has described who Jesus Christ is, but here, as he is coming near to the end of his letter, he endeavors to bring a complete, full-orbed testimony of the Person of Christ to bear upon his readers. In doing so, he gives three separate forms of testimony to those to whom he writes. I. The Testimony of Incarnation (vv. 6-8) 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. The first of three forms of Johannine testimony to the Person of Jesus and His incarnation actually has three lines of testimony itself, the

2 2 testimony of water, the testimony of blood, and the testimony of the Spirit. Notice how John presents the first portion of this three-part testimony of Jesus incarnation. The beginning of verse 6 says: This is he who came by water. I think it is very safe to assume that John means by water here a reference to Jesus baptism. In other words, a rock-solid testimony of Jesus incarnation must include what God was doing in publicly affirming His baptism by John the Baptist. Let s look at the testimonial account of Jesus baptism in John 1: And in language which sounds very similar to 1 John, notice what John the Baptist says about Jesus in John 3: Why was Jesus baptized? It was so that He could identify with His people. What s more, even though Jesus was not a sinner, He nevertheless chose to identify with sinners, because John s baptism was a baptism of repentance, and when someone came for John s baptism, they were acknowledging their own sinfulness and need for repentance. Jesus being baptized was His fulfilling of all righteousness, because even though He needed not to repent, He was indentifying with those who did. And the apostle John here in 1 John 5:6 proclaims that Jesus own baptism was God s declarative testimony that Jesus is His Son. Matthew 3:16-17 Luke 3:21-22 God s testimony in Jesus baptism is unmistakable, as unmistakable as a voice right out of heaven who declares pleasure in His Son. John adds a second line of testimony regarding Jesus incarnation, as he continues to say in verse 6: This is he who came by water and blood. And if you read further in the verse, John makes his point emphatically: This is he who came by water and blood Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. The blood is obviously a reference to Jesus sacrificial atoning death. And it is possible that the reason John states this second phrase the way he does, is to ward off the heretics who might have affirmed the baptism of the Man Jesus, but who were denying

3 3 John s teaching regarding the truth of the cross and resurrection, which proved to everyone the divinity of Jesus. These heretics were willing to admit to a baptism testimony, but not a blood sacrifice for sinners and a resurrection from the dead! Again however, Scripture repeatedly declares that the testimony of God the Father regarding His Son, is bound up in the truth of Jesus death by blood sacrifice for sinners: Matthew 26:28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Acts 20:28 The church of God, which he [Jesus] purchased with his own blood. Romans 3:25 Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood. Romans 5:9 We have now been justified by his blood. Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. Colossians 1:20 Through [Christ] to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Hebrews 9:12 He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Hebrews 13:12 Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Do you affirm that God s Son Jesus Christ has come by way of both water and blood, that is, by being affirmed by the Father s own voice

4 4 from heaven at Jesus baptism, and by the blood sacrifice of atonement by Jesus on the cross? This is the marvelous testimony of God in the baptism and death of His Son! And that s not all! John also says at the end of verse 6 And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. In John s writings, the concept of truth while it certainly is associated with the Father and the Son, and is of course associated with Holy Scripture as truth is most often associated with the Holy Spirit: John 14:17 John 15:26 John 16:13 1 John 4:6 1 John 5:6 Would you also notice that John calls the Holy Spirit the One who testifies, instead of it who testifies? This is an implicit reference to the Personhood of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not an it, or otherwise some kind of impersonal force. He is the Spirit of truth, and as such, we are to respond to His own testimony that Jesus is the Son of God. How does the Spirit of truth give testimony to Jesus? First of all, the Spirit of God gave full testimony at Jesus baptism, coming like a dove and setting His seal upon our Lord. Secondly, it is said in Scripture that the Holy Spirit, according to Romans 8:11, raised Jesus from the dead, which means the Spirit was also through this, testifying to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! This means that the Holy Spirit was involved in testifying to the Person of Jesus Christ both in His baptism and cross. And so, John sums up in verses 7-8 the three-fold testimony of Jesus through His incarnation, which was affirmed by His baptism and launch into public ministry, as well as His death on the cross, His burial in the tomb for three days, and His resurrection by the Holy Spirit. Here s how John puts it in verses 7-8: For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. The water (Jesus baptism, which signals Jesus first steps in public ministry), and the blood (which could be seen as His final step in public ministry), and the Holy Spirit pervading

5 5 throughout the whole of His public ministry, from thrusting Jesus out in the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, all the way to being God s agent in raising Him from the dead, are all in agreement about the Person and work of Christ. II. The Testimony of Introspection (vv. 9-10) 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. Here is John s argument as given in verse 9: If we as human beings are so often readily accepting of the testimony of men, then by all means the testimony of God is far greater! In other words, arguing from the lesser to the greater, if people in general will choose to believe the human testimony of their fellow human beings, then isn t the divine testimony of God far greater and far more compelling?! The implied answer is, Of course it is! What is God s testimony? The phrase, for this is the testimony of God has reference to precisely what John has just written in verses 6-8, namely that the water, the blood, and the Spirit are all God s own witnesses to the believability of Jesus being the Son of God! This is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning His Son! Why do I call this the testimony of introspection? Look at verse 10: Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. I believe what John is pointing toward here is a different kind of testimony than he refers to in verses 6-8. There, the testimony is objective: the water, blood, and Spirit. Those who were there to be actual eyewitnesses of Jesus baptism, and who saw His death on the cross, and who were eyewitnesses of His resurrection appearances, had objective testimony from which to affirm. Here, in verse 10, John links the objective testimony of His own witness (because he was one of those who saw all these aforementioned things), to the subjective reception of God s own testimony, which is when I have that testimony in myself. It isn t exclusively the objective testimony, as crucial as that testimony must be; it

6 6 is my personal, subjective affirmation of that objective testimony, the testimony which one has in himself! Your introspective examination is an important and crucial dynamic in the affirmation of God s own testimony concerning the Son of God. Do you believe this testimony in your heart? Do you believe that Jesus, the Man Jesus, was confirmed to be the divine Son of God, who was publicly affirmed at His baptism by God the Father, with the Holy Spirit descending like a dove upon Him, in order to set a divine seal of proof that this was no ordinary Man, but the Savior of the world, with God s own voice declaring that this was His Son, the only begotten Son with whom He is well-pleased?! And do you believe that through His death on the cross, which was the shedding His blood as a sacrifice for sinners, and who was empowered by the Spirit to experience a brutal execution on that cross, and who was raised from the dead by the Spirit s power as yet another confirmation of His divine Sonship?! John sets us up here in verse 9 that far greater than mere human believability, we are to receive the greater testimony of God Himself which He has borne concerning His Son! This is why I put verse 9 with verse 10, even though it actually exegetically ties back better to verses 6-8. I have placed it underneath the second outline point though, with verse 10 because you have two inseparable elements going on in these two verses: If we receive in verse 9 ties into the we believe in verse 10. We ve read verse 9 already: If we receive the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Now, read verse 10: Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. In other words, if we receive the testimony of God, then we believe in the Son of God! You will not believe if you don t receive! You must receive the testimony of God the Father before you can believe in the Father s Son. That is to say, no one is asking you to believe blindly in Jesus. It is based upon the actual tri-fold testimony of the Father, namely the water, the blood, and the Spirit. But if you receive this tri-fold testimony of the Father, you will easily believe in the Son, whom the Father bears the far greater witness than any human testimony so that we have no trouble believing! The denial of this God-given testimony is however fatal! Listen to the

7 7 latter part of verse 10: 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. This is a very serious denial, so much so, that John says that those who deny the testimony of God the Father are actually calling God a liar! My dear friends, don t be one of those whom God the Father calls a liar about His divine testimony and don t be condemned to an eternal hell with God calling you a liar! What an awful thing for the God of the universe to call you, but it will be His characterization of you because of your denial of God s own testimony about His Son. III. The Testimony of Inscripturation (vv ) 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. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. Instead of having a lying, rejecting death, when you receive and believe in God s own testimony concerning His Son, God gives you eternal life! If you receive the testimony and believe in the Son, then you receive the eternal life the Son grants! And notice that it isn t merely that the Son grants you life, but that by believing the testimony about the Son, you will have eternal life in the Son. If you possess the Son, you have the life; if you reject the Son, you do not have eternal life! It is as plain as that statement. But why do I outline this point as the testimony of Inscripturation? Because of what verse 13 says: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. This is a marvelous conclusion to the divine testimony of God concerning His Son! John states that he writes what he does about believing in the Son, and this constitutes yet another powerful testimony to the Person of Christ, because John is writing what he does under the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit s inspiration! So, added to the testimony of the water, blood, and the Spirit s own confirmation in Jesus baptism and resurrection, you have the Spirit s inspiration of Holy Scripture, which also attests to the believability of God s testimony concerning His Son! This is the ultimate confirmation of it all, because we were not there at Jesus baptism; nor were we there to be eyewitnesses to His resurrection; but we do have the

8 8 Conclusion: Word of God in our hands and we have preserved for us the inscripurated account of all these things, which is itself a final and complete testimony of God concerning His Son! You can know that you have eternal life in the Son when you believe what the Word of God says regarding the Son! The certainty of eternal life is bound up in your believing in the Son, and your believing in the Son is bound up in your receiving the testimony in yourself about the Son. And your receiving the testimony about the Son is based upon your affirmation of what you read in the divine Word of God given the fact that what is revealed in that Word actually occurred some two-thousand years ago! Yet, God going back to 1 John 5:1 chooses to spiritually open your eyes to the truth that all these things about the Son of God are true, and are not a lie, and therefore you are not a liar because you reject them. You are a believer in the testimony of Inscripturation! As we close, listen to 1 John 1:1-4 in conjunction with 1 John 5:6-13, and ask yourself: Have I received and do I believe what is written about the Son of God?