1 John 5 6 13

1 John 5:6-13

⁶This 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.⁷For there are three that testify:⁸the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.⁹ 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.¹⁰Whoever 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.¹¹And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Intro

We continue our way through the chapter 5 of the first letter of John. Last Sunday we stopped at the verse 6. We talked about what does it mean to be born of God. About importance of following his commandments. And at the end we talked about overcoming the world. And that the victory comes through our faith in Jesus Christ.

The name and the figure of Jesus Christ is crucially important. Without Him nothing make sense. Without Him there is no hope. No grace. No future. We want to be sure that Jesus from Natharet is the one. Because if he is not, we are in big trouble. Then we hope for nothing.

So, it is our topic for today. Is Jesus really the Christ? Let’s turn to 1 John 5 verse 6.

1 John 5:6

⁶This 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.

Right of the bat we get hit with a statement that rather confusing if you really think about it. To come by water and what? The blood? What does it mean? Does John speaks about literal water and the blood? Or maybe he speaks figuratively, maybe water and blood are the symbols? And if so, what are they symbolize?

Disclaimer

I must tell you that I’m not a big fan of the symbolical approach to scriptures in general. When people try to find secret meaning and interconnections everywhere in the bible, turning every scripture that they don’t understand or disagree with into some symbolical, metaphorical substance, which meaning can be twisted any way you like. Though there is place to some symbolism in some of the scriptures(especially in the old testament). For the most part bible actually means what it says. We need to learn to read, to understand and to believe the word of God. Instead of turn everything into a symbols and then fitting the word of God into our worldview.

With that being said. I hope it will not be too hypocritical of me to talk about some symbolism today.

Jesus the man

To be completely honest with you, verse 6 is one of the more difficult verses to understanding and interpret. Throughout the church history there were a lot of theories of what the “water” and a “blood” means. People have debated this for a while. And even though we can’t say with a 100% accuracy what was on John’s mind when he have said that. We can rely on the context of the letter that will take us to the point. We can derive the meaning which will agree with the rest of the letter, new testament and the whole bible.

If we look at this verse in a literal sense. If John meant actual water and actual blood. Then we the “water” and the “blood” testifies that Jesus was a real human being. Remember that Jesus of the Bible. Jesus Christ that we believe in, was 100% God, but also He was 100% Man. He “came by water and blood” which testify that he was truly born as a baby. I’ve witnessed birth of the baby. It was rather dramatic experience for me. I almost fainted at the very end, but nevertheless I can assure you the water and the blood is a part of the process.

When the baby get’s born it does come to this world by water and blood.

Some other people argue that John refers to that moment when Jesus was priced by a spear of a roman solder, there on the cross. When, as bible says, “the water and the blood came out at once(John 19:34).” Which proves the same point. That Jesus Christ was not any kind of spirit or a phantom. He was a man in the body just like me and you.

And it makes sense when we consider that at the John’s time early church were challenged by a heretical teachings which by the way present to this day. Gnosticism demanded that Jesus was never a man. That such exalted spiritual being as God cannot have anything to do with such a low matter as human body. And therefore Jesus only appeared to be a man, but in reality He was a spirit. Throughout his letter John addresses this lie many times providing the evidence that Jesus in fact was a man of the flesh and blood. So, it would make sense for John to speak about literal, not symbolical water and blood. To disprove those lies.

Jesus understand us

But it is also possible, maybe even more likely, that John, as he sometimes did, talks symbolically. And he doesn’t mean actual blood, and actual water. But rather refers to some important events that symbolized by water and the blood.

And in the context of what John is talking about, the water would point out to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. His baptism.

Water

John the Baptist came ahead of Jesus to prepare the way. He started to baptize people in water. Something that we still do to this day. When we get baptized in the water, we get baptized into forgiveness of our sins. We leave are old, sinful life and start new life with God. That is what John the Baptist was preaching. And many people came to him to get baptized.

Jesus also came to John to get baptized. But in case of Jesus, he had no sin to repent of. He was sinless. Why then He come to John for a baptism? In fact when Jesus came to get baptized, at first John refuses to baptize Him. John wanted to get baptized by Jesus.

Matthew 3:14,15

¹⁴ John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

We not gonna dig into this situation. But clearly Jesus comes to John for a different reason. One of the very significant events that happened there, at the baptism. Is that Jesus get’s revealed to the public as a messiah. Only after baptism His ministry takes off. So, the water testifies that Jesus is the Messiah. We can consider baptism as some sort of the public announcement. Were God proclaimed, publicly - “This is my Son”.

Blood

As much water talks about THE BEGINNIG of the ministry of Jesus. The blood testifies about completion of his ministry. Because, if would read the prophesies about the messiah. And very soon we will do so, because Easter is around the corner. We would see that the ministry of the Christ was not only in the proclaiming God’s kingdom, healing and dong great miracles. But the most important part of true messiah was his DEATH.

Isaiah 53:7-10

⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.⁸By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?⁹And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief…

Through His death Jesus accomplished the great plan of God. He shed his blood, and died on the cross. Yes, he truly died in the most literal sense. The water and blood that came out of his side when he was pierced by the spear, bears medical testimony of the death of the body.

He death was NOT a failure, not a defeat. Death didn’t take him, because death had no power over him. He willingly gave his life. To take OUR place. Payed OUR debt. His blood testifies that he IS the messiah.

He not only started his mission. He successfully fulfilled EVERYTHING.

And remember what happened when He died? Ground shook, rocks split. Day turned into night. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed,‘Surely he was the Son of God!’”

Think about it. Roman centurion, military person, and solders. Who was not of faint of heart. Got terrified. If you will talk to military people, veterans who’ve been through stuff. Typically they are not get scared easily.

But those guys were terrified. So much so they exclaimed “Surely he was the Son of God!”

The blood of Jesus testifies - He IS the one

1 John 5:6

…And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

Spirit of God also testifies that Jesus IS the chosen one. We can read the testimony of the John the Baptist:

John 1:32-34

³²And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.³³I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’³⁴And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Also, Jesus himself says that:

John 15:26

²⁶“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.

Spirit of God that lives in our hearts testifies that Jesus is the one. You just know it to be true, and maybe you not even sure why you believe so. You don’t have any proves or reasons to believe, but you just know. It is because the Spirit of God, God’s seed that is in us bears witness about our Messiah.

1 John 5:7,8

⁷For there are three that testify:⁸the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

The Spirit, Water and Blood. Tells us the same thing. They all point to the fact that Jesus is THE Messiah. The only one. Son of Men AND the Son of God. Who was born by the virgin. Lived among us. He was one of us. And then he died for us. Not in some metaphorical sense. He went through tourcher and then He was crucified. He hang on that cross until his heart stopped beating. When they pierced his side with a spear, water and blood came out, which is a medical evidence of the heart rapture. His body died on that cross. But, then he rose again. God rose him from death.

This 3 testimonies agree. And therefore we can believe that it is true.

You know any time you have to deal with some legal issue. Which often involve witnesses. One witness it’s kinda not enough. Often you need to have at least two or three witnesses for the testimony to have legal power.

For example here in Georgia you can go to the public service hall and get married. Even as a foreigners. All you need is 2 witnesses, who will sign for you. And with that state gives you a document that have legal power. You are married officially, it is for real.

In our scripture we presented with 3 witnesses which testify that Jesus is The Christ, the messiah. And their testimony is legit. It is to be believed.

1 John 5:9

⁹ 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.

Often we have no problem to believe the testimony of men. When you get text from you fried that tell you “Don’t drive on Chavchavadze today. It is awful. You’ll get stuck for hours.” You believe that. You avoid that street even though, you didn’t see that traffic yourself. Especially if this information comes from more then one person. We believe it.

And if we believe people which we do. We don’t have any excuse not to believe God. Because his testimony is inheritanle more reliable then the testimony of the man. People can lie to us, or they can be confused themselves. So, every time you believe someone you put great deal of trust, that this person actually knows what he is talking about.

In case of God. He cannot lie. He only speaks truth and He truly knows what he is talking about. He is an expert and we can trust his words.

And what is the testimony that God gives? It is that Jesus IS the Messiah. The son of God. And therefore we should believe in Jesus. Not just agree with the fact. But believe fundamentally. This faith should become a very foundation for our living.

1 John 5:10

¹⁰Whoever 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 we do not believe in Jesus of the Bible. We call God a liar. Can you imagine yourself if from of allmighty God. Who created the universe just with his word. Imagine standing in front of such a great God calling him a liar. Not the position you want to be in. You don’t want to appose God. You’ll lose. You gonna hurt yourself.

You know sometimes my kids wanna wrestle with me. And sometimes I let them. I don’t fight back, often I don’t even try to resist. I just let them do their thing. I love them, I don’t want to hurt them. But, you know what often happens? They hurt themselves. I don’t have to do anything.

We don’t want to be in apposition to the Father. He loves us. He wants us to be blessed. He did everything possible to help us out.

If our life is a test. Then he gave us the book, the manual. So we can learn and get it right. But also then he gave us cheat sheet to help us even more. But then, he could’t help himself and pointed to the right answer and said. “This is the right answer”.

Most of us been through the exams. Some of our people regularly have to suffer through those tests and what not. And when you have teacher on your side who helps you our. You believe him.

As we live our life. As we taking that test. We have our great Teacher on our side. Who points to the right answer. Will you trust God? Will you believe what he says about his Son? Will you follow Jesus of the bible?