The Three Witnesses

1 John 5:6 - 8
“This is He that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ. Not by water only, but by water and blood. It is the Spirit that bears witness because the Spirit is truth. There are three that bear record in Heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the spirit, the water, and the blood. And these three agree in one.”

“The references to water and blood are references to the baptism and the death of our Lord. His baptism, in a sense, is the beginning of His power as the Messiah. He came as the Messiah by water. Through that, He identifies Himself with our sin. It is upon the cross that He deals with it, expiates it, and delivers us from the wrath of God and the power of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ did not merely identify Himself with us and our sins. He went further. He dealt with it not in water only, but also in the blood.

We come to this conclusion by the changing of the terminology in verses 5 and 6. ‘Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God (v 5). This is He that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ (v 6).’ You see, it is no longer Jesus as ‘the Son of God,’ but now Jesus as the ‘Christ.’ ‘Came’ is an interesting word because ‘coming’ carries with it not merely the fact that He has come, but also the purpose for His coming. The Messiah was the One who was to come and do certain things and to bring certain benefits to mankind.”