The Gospel Testimony: Day 17
“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. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9If 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. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” - 1st John 5:6-12 (ESV)
The Spirit, the water, and the blood. What do all three of these things have in common? They all agree in the testimony of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. How so? Well, that is where many theologians and scholars debate and disagree. Some would say the blood and water represent the blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ side on the cross after being pierced by the spear. Others would say it represents baptism and communion. Some, Christ’s baptism in the Jordan, and the cross. Another group may say that the water represents when Jesus said he was “the living water” and the blood represents when Jesus said you must “drink of my blood.” Honestly, all these viewpoints can stir people to debate and become confused, but if you notice one central theme throughout every possible viewpoint; they all point to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Why did John mention the blood and the water? It is clearly a reference to something that his intended audience would have read and understood. Does that matter to us? Sort of. What matters is what it points to. You can get hung up looking at the sign on the side of the road, or you can go where the sign is pointing. Where are these references, that John used here, pointing?
The Spirit testifies to the beautiful reality of Christ’s first coming. John says that whoever believes in Jesus has the testimony in himself. This is because the Spirit awakens our hearts and minds to the knowledge of Christ, that is written inside of us. We have come to both know intellectually of Christ and his work and to know Christ and his work personally. This is the essence of what John has been saying all along. That we wouldn’t merely just say we believe in Christ, but that we would truly believe. That we should not deceive ourselves into thinking that we are something we are not. In summary, fakers can’t fake forever. Rather, we are to believe with our entire lives the truth of the gospel and the testimony of God about His Son, Jesus.
What is that testimony? Simply Jesus came to the earth and humbled himself by stepping down from his eternal throne to become a human like us. Though he could have, he did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, instead, He lived as we live. The eternal deity, humbled himself to live life like us. He felt every emotion we feel, felt every pain we feel, encountered the same issues we encounter, and can relate to us in every single way. Yet, he never sinned. He lived in perfect communion with God. Keeping perfectly the law God set through Moses living the life we should’ve lived. He preached and proclaimed great mysteries revealed through himself. Then he was punished and sentenced to die a death we should have died, to pay the ransom for our sins. He stood in our place as the perfect spotless lamb. Satisfying the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and bringing a new covenant of grace. Through His death, our debt paid, our sin forgiven, the work finished. Providing a way for us to be in communion with God the Father once again. Granting, those who would call and trust upon His name, eternal life. Finally, through his resurrection, he proved everything he had ever said to be true.
So where is true life found? It is found in the wonderful person of Jesus. Don’t forget The Gospel testimony. Life apart from him is no life worth living. Be reminded of The Gospel, and may the Spirit stir your heart to love him with a renewed sense of awe.
