Six Witnesses-One Declaration (1 John 5:6-12)

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Introduction

How can someone believe that Jesus is God? This is a question often asked by skeptics. How can you believe such rubbish? To the skeptic the Gospel is foolishness, Paul says as much in 1 Cor. 1:18 “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Why do you think some people don’t believe God?**

In a court of law we accept witnesses that testify to a crime. We examine the reliability of each witness as well as how close their stories line up. The more witnesses and the closer the stories the more we believe them.

With Christ we have many witnesses with very close stories. However, man cannot be convinced by a good story alone when it comes to the supernatural. We see in Scripture many witnesses that work together to bring about faith in our hearts, but these witnesses are only effective when the Spirit is also at work. 

We get these answers from the Bible but how can we trust that?

“I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.” (Voddie Baucham)

*40 Authors *3 Languages *1500 years *3 Continents *Hundreds of Topics

MPS: We have several witnesses that declare Jesus’ deity, which gives us confidence in Him and our faith.

Jesus’ baptism declares His divinity. (6-8)

6 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. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 

• There are many views as to what the author means by water, the simplest and most likely is that water refers to Jesus’ baptism.
• The Spirit descended to declare Christ as divine.
• The Father spoke saying, “and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” (Mt. 3:17)

Jesus’ crucifixion declares His divinity. (6-8)

6 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. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 

• The death of Jesus declares who He is, “And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”” (Mark 15:37-39)
• His crucifixion for foretold by the Prophet Isaiah, “13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.” (Isa. 52:13)
• The prophet also points to Christ’s death as His work that saves His people, “5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5)

The Holy Spirit declares Jesus’ divinity. (6-8)

6 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. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 

• The Holy Spirit illuminates the hearts of Christians by declaring that Christ is Lord. This results in our belief and faith in Him.
  • “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:16)

The Father declares Jesus’ divinity. (9-10)

9 If 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. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar,

• “It is God who testified to his Son in history, in the water and the blood, and it is God who testifies to him today through his Spirit in our hearts.” (John Stott)
  • So it is God who is behind these outward witnesses of Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion. They don’t happen apart from God, they happen because of God’s working them together for His glory, which is found in Christ.
• If we are to believe man’s testimony as a witness then with how much more confidence should we believe God’s?

Our conversion declares Jesus’ divinity. (10)

 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar,

• Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is the result of accepting God’s testimony about His Son.
• Our belief in Him as the Son of God makes us a witness to the world and our testimony is our faith in Him.
• We can be assured of our testimony because it is the Holy Spirit who indwells our hearts and testifies to the truth of God to His people.

Eternal life declares Jesus’ divinity. (11-12)

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 

• What is eternal life? It is the final testimony of Christ’s work. It is the free gift of God to all who believe in Christ. It is a life in which God’s people experience a relationship and fellowship with Him.
  • “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
• There is no life outside of Christ.
  • “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:17)
  • Without Christ you will always be standing with an Advil over your head waiting for it to drop. You will always be living a life far from your Creator filled with confusion and condemnation.

Next Steps

• Look to these witnesses for encouragement
• Reaffirm your hope in Christ
• Declare to yourself and others the deity of Christ