I John 5:6-8
5 And who is the one who overcomes the world, if not the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is the one who came by way of water and blood, Jesus Christ;
not by the water only, but by the water and the blood.
7 And it is the Spirit who bears witness,
because the Spirit is the truth.
8 For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
Introduction
Our text this morning continues John’s description of what true faith believes/says about Jesus.
Now remember, John has told us that true faith says the same thing about Jesus as God does. Notice then the three things that John has told us in this section that God says about His Son and thus that true faith believes:
· First, God says and true faith believes that Jesus is God’s Messiah who has come in the flesh. That is, God’s Messiah is fully and truly human (4:2)
· Second, God says and true faith believes that this man Jesus is the one true Messiah that God promised to send into the
world to die for our sins. (5:1)
· And third, God says and true faith believes that the man Jesus is the incarnate eternal Son of God (that is, He is fully God and fully human) (5:5)
Importance: it is this three-fold testimony from God that prepares us to understand the three witnesses that we are about to see. In fact, it is this three-fold testimony from God that these three witnesses verify and confirm. That is, they bear witness to these 3 specific and essential truths about Jesus.
Verse 6
Notice at once John begins by telling us the way in which God sent His Son Jesus into the world and thus the way in which He dwelt and ministered among us. First, John says that Jesus came by way of water. That is, Jesus came by way of human birth. Importance: throughout the ancient world water and birth where directly associated. Think about it: before a child can be born his mother’s water must break. In turn, spring rains and flooding rivers bring life. In fact, in the Roman world, the goddess of childbirth and midwives was the water goddess Camenae. Not only that, the association of water and human birth is something we have seen before from John himself. In fact, it seems that “water” was a well-known shorthand description of (or term for) human birth. Notice then, in the third chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus that man must be born again. That is, Jesus says that in order to see the Kingdom of God man must be born twice. Nicodemus then incredulously asks if man can enter the womb for a second time. Jesus explains that man must be born both of water (from the womb) and also by the Spirit. Jesus goes on to say that that which is born of the flesh (water/womb) is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Simply put, if the first testimony that John gave us about God’s Son is that He came in the flesh (4:2), then verse 8 confirms the full and comprehensive nature of this flesh. Jesus did not just appear to look like a man (as angels often do and as the false teachers claim). Instead, Jesus came into the world by way of human birth. As such, He is truly and fully human.
Next, John says that Jesus came by way of blood. That is, Jesus was sent into the world to die and He did die an actual human death. Notice then the issue: remember no one has a problem with the fact that Caesar, Paul, Buddha, or Mohamad died. Why? None of these claimed to be eternal God. However, John’s third testimony about Jesus is that Jesus is God’s eternal Son (very God of very God- 5:5). Therefore, as Paul tells us, this notion that God could die is utter foolishness to the on looking world (I Cor 1:23). As such, the false teachers of John’s day deny both the humanity and the actual death of God’s Son. Notice then John’s corrective: John says that this Jesus who came by water and blood (birth and death) is Jesus the Christ. That is, He is the Messiah, the eternal Son of God whom the Father promised to send into the world as man to die for man in order to be the only savior of man. Notice then, John says that Jesus did not come by water/birth only. That is, despite what the world and its false teachers claim, Jesus was not just a man. That is, He was not just a great moral teacher or a prophet, or even one of the greatest prophets ever to live. Instead, as John’s second testimony reminds us, Jesus is the one true Messiah (5:1). That is, He is God’s eternal Son who came to die for our sins. Therefore, John says Jesus came by both water and blood (birth and death). FN#1
Verse 7 FN#2
Next, notice that it is the Spirit who bears witness to the birth and death of the Messiah. How? First, the Spirit bears witness through the Old Testament and its prophets, where He announces and describes who the Messiah is (God’s Son) and what He is coming to do (birth and death). Second, the Spirit anointed Jesus’ earthly ministry thus empowering, directing, and validating that He is God’s Son, the promised Messiah FN#3. Finally, the Spirit bears witness by breathing out the testimony of the New Testament; by the signs and wonders of the early church; and finally by the salvation, change, and gifts that He pours out on all believers. Simply put, from the doors of the Garden onward, the Spirit has testified to the birth and death of Jesus, God’s Messiah and eternal Son.
Next, notice the reason for the Spirit’s witness: John says that the Spirit bears witness because the Spirit is the Truth. That is, the Spirit is God. Therefore, the Spirit is absolute, comprehensive, and inerrant Truth. Not only that, the Spirit’s role in the work of the Godhead is to make the Godhead known, especially God the Son. Simply put, the Spirit is God making God known. Therefore, it is what God says about Jesus His Son that is the absolute, definitive truth. Notice the result: John says that true faith believes what God says over the blind speculations of the world.
Verse 8
Next, notice John says that there are three who bear witness to Jesus the Messiah: these are the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Notice then the picture that verses 8 provides: the picture is that of a courtroom. Now already God has given His testimony making three claims about His Son. However, these claims are under dispute and are denied by the world’s false teachers. Therefore, John calls 3 witnesses who verify and confirm God’s claims. God says that Jesus is fully human. The first witness, water says that Jesus came by way of a true human birth. God says that Jesus is the Messiah who was sent to die for man. The second witness, blood stands up and says that Jesus died an actual human death. God says that this man Jesus is the eternal Son of God. The third witness, the Holy Spirit stands up and says this is exactly who God promised to send and who God now honors by filling and pouring out new life on all who believe. Notice the result: John concludes by looking at the jury and saying that these three witnesses are in perfect and absolute agreement FN#4. In other words, the Messiah that the Spirit promised throughout the pages of the Old Testament is the exact Messiah that God sent. Notice then, the virgin was with child, a Son was born (of water/flesh). He was mighty God, everlasting Father, and the fully human Son of David. In turn, they pierced His hands and feet, they laid him in the dust of death, and by His wounds we are healed. Simply put, the water and blood (birth and death) are exactly what the Spirit promised and exactly what the Spirit now applies/honors.
Bottom line: John says that the water, blood, and Spirit all testify that God’s three-fold witness about His Son is true: Jesus, God’s promised Messiah, is fully God, fully human, and His death on the Cross is the only salvation available for man. FN#5
Footnotes
1] My view here is that “water and blood” point to Jesus’ birth and death. As such, they encompass the whole of Jesus’ earthly ministry, from beginning to end. Not only that, they underscore the full and actual humanity of Christ’s earthly mission. However, there are three widely held views on the meaning of water and blood which differ by degrees from the one presented in the sermon. Therefore, I want to break each one down to see its viability.
As we look at these views one thing I want you to notice is that each one looks everywhere for its answers except the context and conversation that John is currently having with us. As such, they all but ignore the threefold testimony that God has given us and which the water, blood, and Spirit all bear witness. In other words, we should expect that the identity/meaning of these three witnesses bear a direct correspondence to the threefold testimony that they are corroborating.
1) This first view is weakest view that we will deal with here. It sees water and blood as referring to the New Testament sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. The problems with this view are: (1) the Aorist (past) tense of the verb “came”. If the New Testament sacraments were in view one would expect a present tense verb “he comes” since the two New Testament sacraments were not in force when Jesus arrived. Therefore, they do not describe the manner in which he came to us. Rather, they describe ways in which he comes to us now (i.e. ways His presence and grace are communicated to us during the age of the Church). (2) Nowhere and not once in Scripture is the Sacrament of Baptism referred to as just “water” or the Sacrament of Holy Communion referred to as just “blood”.
2) Another view sees water and blood as pointing to Christ’s crucifixion. In John 19:34 we are told that after the guard pierced Jesus’ side, blood and water came out. The problems with this view are: (1) It cannot explain the rest of the passage. For example, what could John possibly mean when he tells us that Jesus did not come by water only but water and blood? What could the scenario possibly be where the guard stabs Jesus and only water comes out? Thus, this view leaves the significance of “not water only” completely unaccounted for. (2) The order John gives in his epistle is different than the one he gives in his Gospel. Here in verse 6 John says “water and blood”, while in the Gospel the order is “blood and water”. The significance of this change in order is that it indicates there is not a direct symmetry between the two passages and thus not a certain reference (especially since there is no indication from the context for the reason that the order is reversed, how the event at the Cross serves as a witness, or why that witness must have both water and blood). (3) Finally, John says that Jesus “came” by way of water and blood. However, the events at the Cross occur at the end of His public ministry. Not only that, the “blood and water” part occurs after Jesus has died/departed. In fact, Scripture describes the Crucifixion as Jesus’ departure, not His arrival (Luke 9:30-31)
3) The third view (which is the strongest of the three presented here) is that “water” refers to Jesus’ baptism by John at the beginning of His public ministry; while “blood” refers to His death at the end of His public ministry. While this view has a great deal to commend it, there are some problems: (1) Nowhere in Scripture is Baptism referred to as just “water” (be it the New Testament Sacrament or the preparatory Baptism of John). However, in John’s own writing we see human birth referred to as simply “water”. (2) If “water” here refers to Jesus’ Baptism by John, I am not sure that it answers the challenges and claims made by the false teachers. If the false teachers claim that Jesus did not come in the flesh but rather was simply an apparition that looked like a man, I am not sure how His Baptism any more than His teaching by the Sea of Galilee would debunk this claim. Jesus just looked like a man when He was Baptized and sounded like one when He taught. However, to point out that He was actually born human from the womb/water ends the debate. (3) This view cannot answer why if John meant baptism and death, he did not just say baptism and death. Why use a cryptic and roundabout way to express what would otherwise be clear (see footnote #5 below). (4) Finally, “baptism and crucifixion” present us with an asymmetric couplet. That is, it is a couplet that does not in and of itself denote completeness. For example, most people reading this have been baptized. However, few if any will be crucified. In other words, the couplet does not point to a whole in the same way that “birth and death” or “Fount and Table” do. As such, “baptism and crucifixion” may point to the bookends of Jesus’ ministry, however, they do not point to the fullness/completeness of His human nature and Messianic mission the way that “birth and death”, “water and blood” do.
2] You may have noticed that the King James and New King James versions include a longer reading for I John 5:7-8. These read:
1 John 5:7 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.
This longer reading is known as the infamous Comma Johanneum. However, the evidence – both external and internal – is decidedly against its authenticity. This longer reading is found only in nine late manuscripts, four of which have the words in a marginal note. Most of these manuscripts originate from the 16th century! The earliest, codex 221 (10th century) includes the reading in a marginal note, which was added sometime after the original composition. The oldest manuscript with the Comma in the actual text is from the 14th century, but the wording departs from all the other manuscripts in several places. Simply put, the longer reading of the Comma appears in no Greek witness of any kind (manuscript, patristic citation, or Greek translation of some other version) until A.D. 1215 where it appears (not in a manuscript) but in a Greek translation of the Acts (or minutes) of the Lateran Council, (a work originally written in Latin). The result is that the longer reading is decidedly not original and thus has not been included in the vast majority of translations.
3] For examples of the Spirit’s first two manners of witnessing see:
John 5:39; Luke 4:14, 4:18; Matthew 12:18, 12:28; John 10:25
4] Importance: remember Scripture says that a claim is validated by two or three witnesses (Deut 19:15). John over achieves and brings us three (the maximum number required). Not only that, remember, when Jesus was arrested in the garden and brought before the High Priest to be accused, they brought forth several witnesses to testify against Him. However, they all contradicted each other (Mark 14:55-56). By contrast, John’s three witnesses stand in perfect agreement. In fact, the Greek here literally reads that they are one in what they say.
5] There is one final point that we need to address: if “water and blood” mean “birth and death” then why did John not just say “birth and death”? Why go the cryptic roundabout way of saying what you mean? First, let me say that I do not believe that John is being either cryptic or roundabout at all. In fact, what I would tell you is that John is being incredibly exact and efficient. Not only that, he is doing so in a typical Johannian manner. That is, John, as he so often does (think the book of Revelation), is giving us a well-known well-recognized picture of something that is worth the 1000 words it would take to describe that thing. However, the question remains as to why? The answer lies in just who John is refuting and what exactly they claim. Remember, the false teachers in John’s day deny the humanity of Jesus (or better, they deny that God the Messiah would ever come in human flesh 4:2-3). In addition, we know from historical records something of the teachings of such groups. For example, the Docetae were a heretical sect dating back to the Apostolic times! Their name is derived from the Greek word dokesis, meaning “appearance” or “semblance”, because they taught that Christ only “appeared” or “seemed” to be a man. As such, they claimed that Christ only “appeared” to have been born and only “appeared” to have suffered and died. Therefore, had John merely responded that Christ was born and died, these teachers would have simply said that John was pointing to the very metaphoric and mystical appearance of birth and death that they teach. Therefore, John describes Jesus’ birth and death by using blatantly elemental and corporal language, a language that was already directly associated with human birth and death. Notice then there is no mystical semblance in what John says. Instead, John says that Jesus was born from the womb of His mother when her water broke like every other human being. In turn, when He died, He shed human blood, just like every other person who is pierced and stabbed. Thus, in two simple words “water” and “blood” John confirms the full and actual humanity, birth, and death of Jesus in a way that utterly silences His opponents.