1 JOHN 5:6-12 - Trustworthy Testimonies

Earlier this month a video surfaced that appeared to show Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy instructing his troops to lay down their arms and surrender to Russian forces, using a digital manipulation technique known as a “deep fake”. Ukrainian experts quickly countered with a “deep fake” video of their own purporting to show Russian President Vladimir Putin telling Russian troops to “go home while they are still alive”. (https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/03/16/deepfake-zelenskyy-surrender-video-is-the-first-intentionally-used-in-ukraine-war, Accessed 3/31/2022).

It’s a stark reminder of the old saying that “the first casualty in war is the truth”. Alongside the violence and destruction of war is the hopelessly tangled webs of propaganda, truth, lies, misdirections and feints of one side trying to manipulate the other into making a fatal mistake. (And it’s good to keep in mind that we don’t know how much of the stories and news items coming out of Ukraine these days are affected by that reality.)

Imagine that you were a Ukrainian soldier who saw that video and believed it—you obeyed what you thought was the voice of your commander-in-chief instructing you to go and surrender to the Russians, only to find out it was a lie all along! If you are going to put your fate into the hands of the commands and promises of a leader, you need to know that they are for real. You need to have real evidence that they are who they say they are, and that what they are saying and promising is true!

How much more important is it then, Christian, that you know you are putting your eternal destiny into the hands of a trustworthy Savior? Our passage last week ended with the confident assertion that the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:5). As we saw, the world works overtime to discredit and impugn Jesus Christ’s identity as the Eternal Second Person of the Trinity, God Himself in human flesh. And so John takes the next several verses of Chapter 5 to present several "testimonies” proving that

You can put your ETERNAL DESTINY into the HANDS of JESUS

The Greek word that is translated “testimony” or “testify” or “give testimony” appears no less than nine times in these verses. This is a good day for us to do this, since today is Palm Sunday—the day when Jesus formally presented His “credentials” as King of Israel by riding into Jerusalem in fulfilment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9:

Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

John records that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the heels of His raising Lazarus from the dead—a miracle that proves that Jesus is who He says He is, that prove that He really has come from the Father:

John 5:36 (ESV)

36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

Jesus provided powerful testimony on Palm Sunday that He is King and Messiah, God in human flesh. And so let us look at the verses in front of us this morning to see the testimonies John records for us here that give you assurance that you can put your eternal destiny into the hands of Jesus Christ.

First, John says, you can put your eternal destiny into the hands of Jesus Christ on the basis of

I. Powerful SCRIPTURAL Testimony (1 John 5:6-8)

Look at Verse 6:

1 John 5:6 (ESV)

6 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.

Different teachers and commentators have given various interpretations of what it means to say that Jesus “came by the water and the blood”. Some say it means that He came through human birth (as in the breaking water and blood associated with childbirth), others refer to John’s description of water and blood flowing from Jesus’ side at the Crucifixion (cp. John 19:34).

But if we remember one of the main reasons John wrote these letters, I think it helps us put this phrase into context. Remember that John’s archnemesis in Ephesus was Cerinthus, a heretical teacher who maintained that Jesus of Nazareth was imbued with the “Christ Spirit” at his baptism (“water”) and lost the Christ Spirit at His crucifixion (“blood”).

So what John is doing here is using Cerinthus’ own arguments against him—instead of saying that Jesus received deity at His baptism and lost it at His crucifixion, John is using the baptism and crucifixion of Christ to prove that He was God all along!

Let’s look at the Scriptural accounts of both events to see how this is so. First, let’s consider John’s record of

The BAPTISM of Christ (vv. 6-8; cp. John 1:29-34)

The baptism of Jesus is one of the few events (along with the Crucifixion and Resurrection) that is recorded in all four Gospel accounts. It is one of the cornerstones of Jesus’ identification as God in human flesh. Listen to how John records Jesus’ baptism in his Gospel account. John the Baptist (not the same John that wrote 1 John) says

John 1:31–34 (ESV)

31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I 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.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John the Baptist says that Jesus’ baptism did not create the Messiah—it revealed that Jesus was the Son of God already! John the Baptist says that he bears witness (same word we see in 1 John 5) that Jesus is the Son of God. Not that He “became” the Son or had Sonship “descend” on Him—the presence of the Holy Spirit as a dove was a sign to John the Baptist that Jesus was exactly who He said He was (and exactly who the Father says He is).

There is an interesting exchange between Jesus and John the Baptist that Matthew records in his Gospel:

Matthew 3:13–14 (ESV)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

In other words, John was baptizing people who were repenting of their sins, and was bewildered as to why Jesus would come to be baptized, since John knew that He was far more holy than John was! Jesus went on to answer,

Matthew 3:15 (ESV)

15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

In other words, Jesus had no reason to be baptized for the forgiveness of His sins, since He had no sin to repent of. But as far as that goes, neither did He have any reason to be hung on a Cross as a sinner!

Christ’s “coming by water”—the revelation of His eternal Sonship at His baptism—is one powerful testimony from the Scriptures that assures you that you can put your eternal destiny in Jesus’ hands. He came by water, and He came “by the blood”—the second powerful Scriptural witness is the testimony of

The CRUCIFIXION of Christ (vv. 6-8)

The work that Jesus came to do at His baptism—the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world—was accomplished at the Cross. Just as at His baptism, God the Father provided powerful testimony that Jesus was God the Son:

Matthew 27:45 (ESV)

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

Matthew 27:51–53 (ESV)

51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

And these events led a hardened Roman centurion—who had probably presided over hundreds of crucifixions—to exclaim

Matthew 27:54 (ESV)

“...Truly this was the Son of God!”

As one author puts it:

“Jesus of Nazareth was not God’s special agent who was adopted at His baptism but abandoned at the Cross. He was and is the eternal Son of God who entered this world in time and space and died as our propitiation. His death was not an accident. It was not an act of martyrdom. It was a divine, saving substitution for sinners...” (Akin, D. L., Platt, D., & Merida, T. (2014). Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) [E-book]. Holman Reference. loc. 2536)

Jesus came, as John affirms, “by water and the blood”—His baptism and His Crucifixion are powerful testimonies from the Scriptures’ account of His life that demonstrate that you can place your eternal destiny in His hands.

But John goes on to say that it is not just the historical testimony of the Scriptures that testify to Christ--

1 John 5:6 (ESV)

6 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.

You have powerful Scriptural testimony, and you have

II. Potent SPIRITUAL Testimony (1 John 5:6-10)

The nature of Jesus’ baptism and His Crucifixion both agree with

The WITNESS of the Holy Spirit (vv. 6-8)

1 John 5:7–8 (ESV)

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

Some Bible versions include a different reading for verse 7:

1 John 5:7 (KJV 1900)

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

But in either case, John is pointing to the fact that there is a unity of witness about Jesus Christ. The Old Testament Law was very plain in its insistence (and echoed in the New Testament) that a matter must be established “on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15; cp. Matthew 18:16). And so there are three witnesses here in 1 John 5 - the Spirit, the water and the blood (or the Spirit, the Word and the Father)—that “agree” in their testimony that Jesus Christ is God the Son.

Jesus says in John 16:14 that God the Holy Spirit

John 16:14 (ESV)

...will glorify Me, for he will take what is Mine and declare it to you.

As one writer puts it,

Just as the arrow of a compass always points towards the North, the Spirit of God always points to Jesus (James Merritt, quoted in Akin, D. L., Platt, D., & Merida, T. (2014). Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) [E-book]. Holman Reference.)

As we have noted before, the presence of the Holy Spirit in you will always point you to confessing that Jesus Christ is God the Son, that He is the Messiah and that He is the only Savior of the world. The Spirit agrees with the testimony of Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion, and His witness also agrees with

The WORDS of the Father (vv. 9-10; cp John 5:36-37)

We have already seen that the Father spoke audibly at Jesus’ baptism:

Mark 1:10–11 (ESV)

10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

And we read that when Jesus’ glory was revealed to His disciples at the top of Mt. Hermon, God the Father spoke with an audible voice again:

Matthew 17:5 (ESV)

5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Beloved, if the audible voice of God has spoken declaring that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, who are you to shout back, “Nu-uh!”

Not only does the Father testify to the Son through His audible words, but He testifies through the miracles Jesus performed--

John 5:36 (ESV)

36 ...For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

And the greatest testimony of all that God the Father bore to the truth of the Son is in the fact that He was raised from the dead! Romans 1:4 tells us that

Romans 1:4 (ESV)

4 [He] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

John says in our text in verse 10:

1 John 5:9 (ESV)

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.

In other words, no matter what men may say, no matter what the world around you may say about who Jesus is, you have the most potent testimony of all—the testimony of God Himself!

You have the witness of the Holy Spirit, the words of the Father—and in verse 10 John reminds you that you have

The WORKING of your Conversion (5:10; cp. Romans 8:16)

Look at the first part of verse 10:

1 John 5:10 (ESV)

10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself...

As the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life continually transforms you into greater and greater holiness and conformity to God’s will, that working in you is itself a potent testimony to the fact that you can place your eternal destiny in Jesus’ hands!

Look at what He has done in your life so far! Look at where you used to be, and look at how His holiness and grace and purity and peace and joy has grown in your life from where you used to be!

And even if you look at your life right now and all you can see are your struggles to be holy and the turmoil and weariness of fighting your sin and striving for obedience to God—even so, look at Who you are clinging to! You’re clinging to Jesus through all of your mess! Your hope is in Him alone—not in your own ability to clean up your mess, not in your own strength or cleverness or resources to save you. Even if you are getting pummeled by the waves of adversity right now, Christian, you testify that Jesus Christ is God the Son by the fact that you are clinging to Him for dear life!

You can put your eternal destiny into the hands of Jesus Christ—you have powerful Scriptural testimony, you have potent spiritual testimony, all guaranteeing that you possess the

III. Perfect LIFE of Christ (1 John 5:11-12)

1 John 5:11 (ESV)

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

The testimony of the water and the blood and the Spirit and the Father’s voice and the working of your own conversion all unite to give you the absolute, unassailable confidence that

If you have JESUS, you have LIFE

It’s as simple as that. If you have Jesus, you have life. Not just life that begins in Heaven someday, away up in the sky bye and bye—you have that life now! That’s what the first part of verse 12 goes on to tell us:

1 John 5:12 (ESV)

12 Whoever has the Son has life...

Not “will someday have life”, not “will receive life in the next life after you die”—you possess that life now! If you have Jesus, you have God’s grace, His peace, His power for living, His joy and His ever-increasing fellowship with you all your days as you live free from guilt and shame, free to reconcile and be reconciled, free to be healed and restored, free to really live the way God intended!

But if having Jesus means you have life, the opposite is also true:

Apart from JESUS you have NO LIFE

1 John 5:12 (ESV)

12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

If you reject all these testimonies—if you ignore the unified testimony of the water and the blood and the Spirit, if you disregard the voice of God revealed in His Word and insist that submission to Jesus as God the Son as Savior is “fine for some people, but not for me”—then can’t you see here what that means? To have Jesus Christ means to have life. To reject Jesus Christ as Savior means you have no life.

You may have a “take it or leave it” attitude towards Jesus Christ this morning; if so, please hear the Word of God today that tells you that rejecting Jesus Christ means rejecting your only chance for life.

Because the testimony of the blood of Jesus Christ on that Cross is a witness to the penalty that you are under because of your sin against God. Jesus did not just come into this world in order to show us all how to be kind to each other. When John the Baptist says at Jesus’ baptism,

John 1:29 (ESV)

29 “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

He was saying that Jesus was the sacrifice that God demanded for sin. And this is why John says that if you do not have Jesus you do not have life: Because if you reject Jesus Christ you will have to pay your own penalty for your sin. And the penalty is death. If you will not come to Jesus and confess Him as the Lamb of God that takes away your sin, if you will not trust in His death on that Cross to be the sacrifice that takes away God’s wrath against you, then you will have no other choice but eternal death apart from Him in Hell.

Won’t you hear and accept the testimony offered to you this morning by God’s Word?

1 John 5:11 (ESV)

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

You can have that life today—you can have peace instead of anxiety, you can have wholeness instead of brokenness, you can have joy instead of heartbreak, you can have purity instead of shame, you can have forgiveness instead of wickedness, you can have grace instead of damnation, but only if you will have the Son!

Don’t leave here today without knowing that you have life—come and talk to me, talk to one of the elders, come and let us show you how you can know that your eternal destiny is safe in the nail-scarred hands of your Savior! Come—and welcome!—to Jesus Christ!

BENEDICTION

Jude 24–25 (ESV)

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

How does Jesus’ baptism reveal Him as God the Son? Why did Jesus need to be baptized?

Some people say that since Jesus died, He couldn’t have been God’s Son. Why does John use the crucifixion of Christ as evidence for His deity?

How does the Holy Spirit work to testify to Jesus? Where should we expect to see the Spirit at work pointing to Jesus?

How have you seen God’s work transforming your life? Why is this such a powerful testimony to Jesus’ identity as God’s Son? Pray for an opportunity this week to share with someone the powerful way He is living in you!

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