1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. The basic principle in understanding any scripture is to examine the context. Ask the following questions: 1) What is the subject of the chapter? and 2) How are the terms used elsewhere in the Bible? The purpose of the chapter is given in verse 13,” that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” In 1 John chapter 5, John shows the connection between the witness of the Godhead and our witness as believers in the body of Christ. This chapter is about covenant, more specifically a marriage covenant. Ancient Israelite marriage ceremonies involved friends who prepared the bride and groom for the wedding. They were known as witnesses. The Spirit, water, and blood are witnesses; they prepare the bride for marriage to the Lamb. The good confession that we all make when we are baptized into Christ is that He is the Son of God. And that is exactly what the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit testify to. Actually, they witness to two things: the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the eternal life which we have in Jesus Christ (see verse 11). Verse 6 The comparison of salvation to being born again shows the depth of the change that takes place. We become completely innocent at the moment of justification, as innocent as a new-born baby. Throughout the process of sanctification, our personalities are transformed to the point that we are essentially a new person. It truly is like being born again. This amazing rebirth is possible because of the three that testify (Spirit, water, and blood). Jesus had to take on human nature so that He could identify with us in suffering, temptation and death. Remember covenant? Covenant partners become one. They share identities and possessions. How could Jesus share in our identity if He had not become human? It also goes the other way. We share in His divine nature when we are united with Him. Jesus came by water and blood through the power of the Spirit and passed through the veil of death so that we can also come by water, blood, and Spirit and pass through the veil from death to life everlasting. The second way that Jesus came by water and blood is in His fulfillment of His role as High Priest, King, Redeemer, and Messiah. Christ began His ministry with His baptism. Many have wondered why Jesus was baptized but He gave John the answer. It was to fulfill all righteousness. Christ was our sin offering, our burnt offering, our peace offering, our grain offering, etc. His blood purchased the church which is His body. Remember that the High Priest could only enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement. He carried blood from the sacrifice with Him because atoning blood is the only thing that allowed him to enter the presence of God and live. Jesus was both the sacrifice and the bearer of blood. He passed through the veil which was His flesh and entered the true Most Holy Place (Heaven). It was there that our Savior offered the blood that would once and for all time pardon every person who will come to Him and enter His rest. Verse 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. How do the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit bear record? They testify that Jesus is the Son of God. The first time we read of the Father publicly declaring that Jesus was His Son was at the baptism of Jesus. When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended and remained with Him as a testimony that He was the Son of God. The Father also spoke from Heaven and declared that Jesus was His Son. Additionally, Christ testified for Himself that He was the Son of God. The three are one because their testimony is in agreement with each other, and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons but one God. Verse 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. The three that bear witness on earth have to do with our witness as the body of Christ. We witness by confessing Christ and by living like Him. We also witness through the water, the Spirit, and the blood. Jesus Christ took on humanity by the power of the Spirit through water and blood. We unite with God in His divine nature through the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Having a divine nature does not mean that we become God. It means that we become like God through our union with the body of Christ and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit who lives inside us. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born of water and the Spirit if he wanted to enter the kingdom of God. We also enter the kingdom of God when we are born of water and the Spirit. Remember that the kingdom of God is the church, also known as the body of Christ or the bride of Christ. Jesus bought the church with His blood. His blood sanctifies the body and cleanses it. The saving blood of Jesus Christ is found in His body. He does not pour it on anyone who wants to change His commands by reciting a sinner’s prayer in the place of being baptized. He covers His body with His blood. If the Spirit, the water, and the blood testify on earth, then they establish us as witnesses. We are founded in the faith in Christ. The way that we enter the body of Christ is by being baptized into it. If the testimony in Heaven is that Jesus is the Son of God and that we are children of God, then the testimony on earth says the same thing. We are born again of water and the Spirit and are cleansed by the blood of Christ when we are baptized into His name. Verse 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. Verse 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The witness that is inside believers is the Holy Spirit. Verse 11 tells us that the record is that believers who are in Christ have eternal life. The Bible contains every instruction that we need to come to and to remain in Christ. Nothing is insignificant; the word of God is complete; we have all that we need to live. One last note of importance: Jesus is our high priest and we are a kingdom of priests. As priests we also have robes to wear. And just as Jesus did, we must wash before we put our robe on. This robe is our wedding garment, the one that Jesus gives us when we are united with His body in baptism. The wedding garment is described in the book of Revelation as the righteousness of the saints. My friends, we cannot be righteous without help. In Christ we are dressed in His righteousness. His perfection removes our imperfections. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us to live as Jesus did. We become new and grow spiritually as we take on the characteristics of our Redeemer. This is the process of regeneration and sanctification. It is not a work of human righteousness. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. We do not have the ability to renew our minds. We cannot cleanse ourselves and are unable to live for Christ unless the Holy Spirit helps us. The Spirit testifies that we are children of God by living inside us, transforming our hearts, and giving us eternal life. The blood washes away our sins and unites us with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The means of this union is being buried with Christ in water baptism and being raised to walk with Him. Water does not save but the blood of Jesus that covers us in baptism does. The Spirit, the water, and the blood bring us into the covenant of grace and they testify that we are children of God. We put on the wedding garment in baptism. We continue to wear it as we live in Christ and become more and more like Him. We must wear the garments that the bridegroom has given us. Without them we are not in Christ, we are not clothed with Him, and we are not getting into Heaven. 1 John 5:1-13 Hebrews 10:1-20 Matthew 3:13-17 Colossians 1:24 Hebrews chapters 9-10, Leviticus chapter 16 Matthew 16:13-17 2 Peter 1:4-11 John 3:1-15 Ephesians 5:12-32, Colossians 1:12-13, Romans 14:17-18 1 Peter 1:2, Hebrews 9:15, Acts 20:28 Hebrews 12:24, Hebrews 9:13-14 Acts 2:38-47 1 Corinthians 6:19 2 Peter 1:3 Revelation 1:6 Revelation 19:8 Colossians 2:12 Matthew 22:1-14
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 00:01:34 +0000
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