Having declared in the previous verses of this Epistle the Person and work of Jesus Christ, the beloved Apostle John now goes on to state the trustworthiness of our belief in Him as our Savior. In his continuing battle against the heresy of Gnosticism, John writes in 1 John 5:8, “There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.” Although the word of God should be sufficient for us as our basis of faith, He condescends to give us a threefold witness concerning the truth of His Word. First of all, we are told “the Spirit” of God bears witness to the truth that Jesus Christ is God and that He is the only Savior of the world. It is my contention that the first Witness, “the Spirit,” occurred when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in His mother, Mary. This witness of the Spirit is found in the written Word of God.
Then there is the second witness, “the water.” I believe this refers to what happened when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as He arose out of the water at the baptism of the Lord in the Jordan River by John the Immerser. At that event, God opened the heavens and publicly announced, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” Thus, God the Father added His own witness to God the Spirit concerning Jesus the Christ. It was at this point that Jesus assumed His position or office as Savior of the world, the purpose for which God the Father had sent Him into the world in the first place.
Finally, there is the third witness of “the blood.” This third witness occurred when Jesus Christ shed His precious blood through His sacrificial death upon the cross at the Place of the Skull as an expiation, or atonement, for the sins of the world. It was on the cross of Calvary that the Lord Jesus Christ bore witness concerning Himself that He was the Son of God. No one took His life from Him He said. He laid it down by Himself (John 10:17). If He were a mere man only, He could not have done this. “The blood” of the Lord Jesus Christ witnesses that the sin question had been settled once and for all to the satisfaction of the Godhead. All of “these three” witnesses “agree.” That is, they are united in their testimony concerning the perfection of the Person and work of Jesus Christ, Lord Immanuel, God With Us Who came in the flesh and dwelt among men.
The Bible student can see that it is only by knowing what John is attempting to correct, the heresy of Gnosticism, is it then possible to derive the correct interpretation of these passages in 1 John. But aside from these, the student of the Bible can be certain there are other passages in the Bible which become much clearer by understanding the doctrine of and struggle against Gnosticism in the early Church, and can see it whenever and wherever it continues to surface to this very day.
May the Lord bless you!
Then there is the second witness, “the water.” I believe this refers to what happened when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as He arose out of the water at the baptism of the Lord in the Jordan River by John the Immerser. At that event, God opened the heavens and publicly announced, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” Thus, God the Father added His own witness to God the Spirit concerning Jesus the Christ. It was at this point that Jesus assumed His position or office as Savior of the world, the purpose for which God the Father had sent Him into the world in the first place.
Finally, there is the third witness of “the blood.” This third witness occurred when Jesus Christ shed His precious blood through His sacrificial death upon the cross at the Place of the Skull as an expiation, or atonement, for the sins of the world. It was on the cross of Calvary that the Lord Jesus Christ bore witness concerning Himself that He was the Son of God. No one took His life from Him He said. He laid it down by Himself (John 10:17). If He were a mere man only, He could not have done this. “The blood” of the Lord Jesus Christ witnesses that the sin question had been settled once and for all to the satisfaction of the Godhead. All of “these three” witnesses “agree.” That is, they are united in their testimony concerning the perfection of the Person and work of Jesus Christ, Lord Immanuel, God With Us Who came in the flesh and dwelt among men.
The Bible student can see that it is only by knowing what John is attempting to correct, the heresy of Gnosticism, is it then possible to derive the correct interpretation of these passages in 1 John. But aside from these, the student of the Bible can be certain there are other passages in the Bible which become much clearer by understanding the doctrine of and struggle against Gnosticism in the early Church, and can see it whenever and wherever it continues to surface to this very day.
May the Lord bless you!
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