3 Witnesses

1 John 5:6-9 This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
 
THERE was a false teaching in the early church that said Jesus was a man who became divine when he was baptized. And then he lost his divine status before the cross. If this were true, Jesus would not be Savior, the Christ. Christianity would be a useless myth.
   That’s why John wrote specifically of the water, blood and Spirit. They testify to Jesus as fully man, fully God. From the gospels is the evidence of Jesus as God’s Son when he was baptized: Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” The water and the Spirit anointed the Son of God, and the Father spoke to affirm Jesus is his Son.
   Then John watched the divine Son of God do the Father’s work on earth. John was then a witness of Jesus’ blood and water on the cross. John 19:34 one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. John wrote this to confirm Jesus died. Other false teachings said and still say today that Jesus did not die.
   The cross was not the end of Jesus as God’s Son. The cross is evidence of God’s glorious revelation that Jesus, the Son of God, had come through water, blood and the Spirit to save the world. Even pagans recognized Jesus’ divinity: Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 
   Three days later John saw the risen Jesus, who had come from the tomb in the Spirit’s power. Romans 1:3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
   Jesus was of water, baptized by the Spirit. Jesus was of blood, crucified to be the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29) Jesus is risen by the Spirit and has sent the Spirit to live in us. The mystery of God’s gracious work is revealed in the evidence of prophets who foretold of his work. Jesus’ work is also revealed in the apostles’ testimonies and people who witnessed his life, death, resurrection and ascension. The glory of his work is witnessed in your salvation. In Christ you are made new because he came through water, blood and the Spirit to re-create your soul unto salvation.  
   These are three witnesses to Jesus, the Son of God. We learn of five more witnesses in our next lesson.