Bigelow Church
Nondenominational
415 Washington St.
Portsmouth, OH  45662

CAN I GET A WITNESS?”/1 JOHN 5:6-12

            Getting information first hand, and from the most reliable source possible is very important if we want to avoid confusion.  Many times we get information from second hand sources, sources in some cases that have a hidden agenda.  What does this have to do with our text?  John was faced with the reality of false witnesses to the person and work of Christ, and the damaging effects to the eternal souls of his hearers.  So, he calls in some witnesses to set things right, and to open again the gate of salvation leading to eternal life.  We begin with …

I) THE WITNESSES TO CHRIST—Vv.6-9

            A) John just cannot stop from speaking about Christ, and so he continues telling us information about Him, that if received by faith will lead us to eternal life.  In verse 6 we find a difficult phrase to interpret on its own.  That phrase is “by water and blood.”  There are many interpretations offered, but the overall context gives us the interpretation most likely.  And that interpretation is that the water refers to Jesus’ baptism as the public testimony to His saving ministry, and the blood refers to His death as the guarantee of eternal salvation to all who come to Him by faith.  The importance of this is captured in the following quotes:  “The purpose of the statement seems clear.  The author once more affirms that it is the historical Jesus who is the Christ, the Son of God.  Although the false teachers may have acknowledged Christ as Savior, the divine Son of God, they denied his true human existence.” “Jesus, the Son of God, came.  He came through the water of baptism.  He came also through the Cross.  It is this coming by water and blood that is the basis of humankind’s salvation.”  “Jesus identifies Himself with His people when He was baptized, and He redeemed them when He died on the Cross.”

            B) But there is another witness brought forth to testify to these things.  According to verse 7 that witness is the Holy Spirit who is the Holy Spirit of truth.  We learn of this witness in John 1:32 cf. Matthew 3:16-17.  And, we know from John 15:26 that the Holy Spirit is called “the Holy Spirit of truth.”  As God, He cannot lie.  And then, John brings all three witnesses together in verse 8:  “the Spirit and the water and the blood.”  And, he says that all three are in agreement about the person and work of Christ.    

            C) Then, in verse 9, we are introduced by John to another witness—God Himself.  John helps us understand that we do believe the witness of faithful men, and that is a good thing, but God’s witness is greater.  We hear of such a witness in the following verses:  Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 12:28.  There can be no greater witness than God Himself, and John says, “Here’s the most reliable witness to the saving work of Christ we can have!”  So, we come now to consider …

II) WHAT’S AT STAKE—Vv.10-12

            A) What’s at stake is one’s eternal soul.  A misunderstanding of Christ, or the belief in a false witness’s testimony regarding Christ results in eternal loss.  There is much at stake here so let’s listen carefully.  John in verse 10 makes clear that eternal life is based on one’s believing in the Son just spoken of.  It’s an all or nothing proposition.  We come now to hear that there is an internal witness to the realities of Christ’s person and work.  This internal witness is none other than the Holy Spirit of truth we already considered.  John then states his proposition negatively when he says, that those who do not believe God’s witness to His own Son, this person in effect is calling God a liar.  Here are a few quotes I hope will illuminate this truth a little more for us:  “If Jesus is not God’s own Son in the flesh, then God is no longer the truth.  He is the liar …”  “The unbeliever’s sin lies first in his intentional refusal to believe God’s testimony about His Son and second, in his arrogant denial that the Father and Son are one.  Man cannot say that he has faith in God and at the same time reject God’s testimony about Jesus Christ.”