Let us turn again to that portion
of scripture that we were considering this morning in the first general
epistle of John, chapter 5. And I'll read again from verse
7. For there are three that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost,
and these three are one. And there are three that bear
witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood,
and these three agree in one. 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. 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." And I remarked that in these verses we have
this witness in a threefold sense. There is a record or a witness
in heaven, There is a witness in earth and then in verse 10
there is an inward witness. In this chapter the Lord Jesus
Christ is speaking of faith, speaking of that true faith as
we see from the opening words. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God and everyone that loveth him
that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. Again at verse 4, whatsoever
is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory
that overcometh the world even our faith who is he that overcometh
the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. We see quite clearly What is
the mark of that true faith? And true faith is to be judged
by its objects. And the object of that faith
is the Lord Jesus Christ, that one who is the only true God. As we see at the end of the chapter,
There at the end of verse 20, we are in Him that is true, even
in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. How the Lord Jesus then is that
great object of saving faith. looking on to Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith says another apostle even the apostle
to the Gentiles and now John constantly in these epistles
is contending for the truth of the eternal sonship and the deity
of the Lord Jesus Christ We see it previously in chapter 2, and
what he says there in verses 22 and 23, who is a liar. But
he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ, he is antichrist
that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son,
the same hath not the Father. but he that acknowledgeth the
Son hath the Father also. And he says something very similar
when he writes there at verse 9 in the 2nd epistle. Whosoever
transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath
not God. He that abideth in the doctrine
of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son. What is the doctrine
of Christ? It is the truth of His Deity,
His eternal Sonship. There can only be an eternal
Father if there is also an eternal Son. Here is John then speaking to
us concerning Christ, speaking to us concerning the doctrine
of God, even the doctrine of the Trinity. And this morning
we were considering that witness that he's spoken of in verse
7. the witness in heaven, the witness to the truth of Christ,
God the Son. There are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the words, and the Holy Ghost, and these
three agree in one. And what is it that they are
witnessing to? Well, there at the end of verse 9, this is a
witness of God says John, which he hath testified of his Son.
The heavenly witness is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ in his
person, in his work, it concerns all that he is as God, his diaton,
but as God, that one who is manifest in the flesh. Now, I said this
morning that verse 7, of course, is much disputed It's often referred
to as the Johannine comma, a verse that you don't find in the modern
versions, but we sought to say something this morning with regards
to the external evidence for the validity of this verse as
well as that internal evidence. that those who are learned in
the original language bring to bear when they argue for the
retention of this verse as we find it here in our authorized
version. Now just to remind you then this
morning we spoke of this witness, this witness that is a heavenly
witness, this witness concerning the Son of God, There is a witness
from the Father, a witness from the Word, that is the Son himself,
and a witness from the Holy Spirit. And clearly we see in the New
Testament that all of the three persons in the Godhead bear their
witness to the deity of Christ in his resurrection from the
dead. He is declared to be the Son of God with power according
to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. The Father has raised Him again. Death was unable to hold Him,
but not only does the Father bear witness to Him in raising
Him and then receiving Him in the ascension into the highest
heavens, but also the Son. In a sense, he witnesses to himself,
he raises himself from the dead. That language that we have in
the 10th chapter of John's Gospel. Therefore doth my father love
me, because I lay down my life, he says, that I might take it
again. No man taketh it from them. I
lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down.
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my father. As his dying was a voluntary
act, men were unable to take hold of him. even as they came
to arrest him there in Gethsemane he demonstrated something of
his deity declared himself to be the great I Am and yet he
gives himself over he makes that one sacrifice for sins well as
he has power or authority to lay down his life so he has the
same power and authority to take that life again Oh, he has witnessed
to himself in that sense. But then also the Holy Spirit
bears witness to him. Being put to death in the flesh,
says Peter, but quickened by the Spirit. How the Spirit was
there when he rose again from the dead on the third day. Here is that witnessing that
he's in heaven. and that witness of God, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, and that witness to the Lord Jesus Christ,
and these three, how they agree in this record. These three, it says, are one. In the mouth of two or three
witnesses, every word is secured. where there are witnesses. Indeed,
we have a threefold witness, a threefold court. But the three
are not only one with regards to their witness and their record,
remember that the three also are one in the Divine Essence. We speak not of three gods, we
speak of one God, one Divine Essence. And yet, three distinct
persons in the Godhead, that great mystery, that first of
all the mysteries, the doctrine of God, the doctrine of the Trinity.
And how the believer confesses that when he makes that public
profession of his faith in baptism, baptised in the name, singular,
the name. of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. And now, at the end of our services,
we oftentimes use that apostolic benediction, the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of
the Holy Ghost be with you all. All the blessings, then, of the
triune God. the witness that is there on
high, the witness that is in heaven, spoken of in verse 7.
But I said I wanted also to look at the other witnesses. In verse 8 we have that threefold
witness on earth. And then in verse 10 we have
that inward witness in the soul of the child of God he that believes
on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. Well tonight it's
that witness on earth more particularly that I want us to consider. As
I say the passage is not an easy passage. Profound things are
set before us. We need to attend to these things
because this is part and parcel of the Word of God. And so, with
the Lord's help, let us turn for our text now to these words
in verse eight. There are three that bear witness
in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. And these three agree in one. First of all, we have the witness
of the Spirit. The witness of the Spirit. Now,
of course in the previous verse we also have that record or that
witness in heaven and we read there of the Holy Ghost. But
here we are to make a distinction. There is a distinction between
the witness of the Holy Ghost in heaven and what is spoken
of here as the witness of the Spirit in the earth. Now the Holy Spirit himself bore
such an immediate witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in the
days of Christ's incarnation. See how He is spoken of here
at the end of verse 6, it is the Spirit that beareth witness
because the Spirit is Truth. And remember how the Spirit descended
upon the Lord Jesus Christ as He came up out of the waters
of baptism there in the River Jordan, how the heavens were
opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove
and the Father spoke those words, this is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. Now, there we see the Spirit
beginning, as it were, to bear his witness from heaven upon
the Son now incarnate, a man upon the earth. John tells us,
He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Lord Jesus is so anointed,
there is such an effusion of the Spirit of God upon Him. He
is the Christ. He is the Anointed One. And how
is He anointed? Oh, there is that glorious outpouring
of the Spirit. It's the fulfillment of the words
of prophecy, the language of Isaiah chapter 61. Remember when
the Lord Jesus begins his public ministry back in Luke chapter
4? He goes into the synagogue in Nazareth, that was his custom,
and the minister gives him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and
he reads those words in Isaiah 61. the Spirit of the Lord is
upon me because he has anointed me to preach the Gospel and so
forth and he declares how all this scripture is being fulfilled
it's all fulfilled in himself he's anointed at his baptism
And that baptism, that baptismal anointing is for the preaching. Now the Spirit is there to own
his ministry. And now the Spirit is constantly
confirming that ministry by the miracles that he also performs. If I cast out devils, he says,
by the Spirit of God, then is the Kingdom of God come among
you. How those mighty works, those miracles, they are signs. As John says throughout his Gospel,
the word that we have in our Authorized Version, miracle,
more literally is the word, the Greek word for a sign. This beginning
of signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth
His glory and His disciples believed on Him. All the points to Him
do these miracles. as that one who is truly God.
And the Spirit is in the miracles. There is an immediate witness
of the Spirit to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is the witness
that he's spoken of in verse 7. But we're considering what
he said here in verse 8. There are three that bear witness
in the earth. The Spirit. The Spirit's witness
now is something that is mediated through the Word, through the
Gospel. Dr. Gill's comment here I find
most helpful. He says, by the Spirit is meant
the Gospel, which is a testimony of Christ's person, offices,
and grace. We are told concerning those
prophets of the Old Testament in Peter's epistle as those holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Spirit of God. And
were not also those holy men of God responsible under the
Spirit for the writings of the New Testament also moved by the
Spirit of God? The Lord breathed on them and
said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. In those chapters in John, those
familiar chapters 14, 15, 16, how the Lord speaks of the blessed
coming of the Spirit, the Comforter, and how we will guide them into
all truth. This is how the Spirit now bears
his record in the earth, it is through the Word, through the
Gospel. And where that Gospel comes, and where the Spirit of
God is present in that word, and this is what we desire as
we come under the sound of God's Word, I trust, that God will
come by His Spirit in His Word and make it in our souls a living
Word. For the Lord says, it is the
Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing. The words
that I speak unto you are Spirit and Life. Or is that how we desire
to hear and to receive the Word of God? It's more than the letter
of the Word. It's the Spirit coming in the
Word. Paul, as he speaks of his own ministry, remember when he
writes for those believers in the church at Corinth, he has
to constantly defend himself and defend his authority. False
teachers, false apostles have crept in and stolen the hearts
of so many. And how they despise Paul. And time and again he speaks
in defense of his own ministry. And there in 2 Corinthians 3
it says, "...who also hath made us able ministers of the New
Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit." For the letter
killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Oh, this is our testimony
then, that witness here in the earth. It is the ministry of
the Spirit of God now, not immediately and directly as it was when the
Lord Jesus was here upon the earth and there was such an infusion
of the Spirit upon Him. It is the Spirit coming in the
Word and in the ministry of the Word. Again, when Paul writes
to the church at Thessalonica, he reminds them of his ministry
amongst them and the way in which that ministry had come to them.
Our gospel, he says, came not unto you in word only, but in
power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. Oh, this is
that witness on the earth the ministry of the Spirit through
the Word of Truth, and God Himself has appointed the office of the
ministry of the Word, the preaching of the Gospel, the opening up
of the Scriptures, the expounding of the Word of God. And there
the Spirit comes and bears His own witness to the truths that
are set before us here in the Gospel of the grace of God. There
is then the witness of the Spirit. But again, it's a threefold witness.
There are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, and
then secondly, the water. The Spirit and the water. Go back to verse 6 concerning
the Lord Jesus. It says, This is He that came
by water and blood, even Jesus Christ. not by water only, but
by water and blood. How did the Lord Jesus come by
water? Well, remember the one who was
to be the great harbinger of the Messiah. The one who is spoken
of as the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets. the ministry
of John, John the Baptist. The Baptist comes with his ministry,
he preaches the baptism of repentance and John says much concerning
that ministry in the very opening chapter of his gospel. There
in John chapter 1 Verse 6, there was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness,
to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might
believe. He was not that light, but was
sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Here is
John the Baptist, he is a witness He's the forerunner of the ministry
of the Messiah. And we see how he bears testimony.
Verse 15, John bear witness of him, and cried saying, This was
he of whom I spoke. He that cometh after me is preferred
before me, for he was before me. And then later, verse 29,
John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he
of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before
me, for he was before me. And I knew him not, but that
he should be made manifest to Israel. Wherefore I am come baptizing
with water. and John Bear Records saying,
I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode
upon him. And I knew him not, but he that
sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom
thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him. The same
is He which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I bear, and I
saw and bear record that this is the Son of God." Doesn't the
Lord Jesus in that sense come by water through the ministry
of this man who is sent to prepare the way for him? In fact, the
Lord's own public ministry begins at His baptizing. He goes to
John at the river Jordan and he must fulfill all righteousness. John is initially so low to baptizing. John's baptism is unto repentance. Here is that one who is without
any sin. Holy, harmless, separate from
sin. Isn't this the one? Remember
at the incarnation of Christ. when Mary is visiting her cousin
Elizabeth. And Elizabeth has conceived this
child in her old age, John the Baptist. And there that child,
that little fetus, jumps in her womb at the presence of that
one who is the mother of the Lord. or the ministry of John
you see, John will bear witness to him and the Lord comes to
John and the Lord must be baptized by John fulfilling all righteousness,
he's identifying himself now with all those who need repentance
though he himself needs no repentance but his ministry is for those
that the Father has given to him, those multitude of sinners
and he willingly identifies himself with the sinful sons of men. That's how his ministry begins.
This is he that came by water. The beginning of his ministry.
And how does the Christian begin his life of public profession? It is by baptism. It's by baptism, that's a public
profession of the name of the Lord Jesus,
that's an identifying with Him, that is bearing witness to Him. And the disciples are told, go
ye therefore into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature.
He that believeth is to be baptized. baptized in the name of Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Oh, there is a witness of the
water, even for us who profess the name
of the Lord Jesus, when we identify with Him in those waters of baptism,
buried with Him in baptism, and risen again into newness of life.
Oh, how important is that Gospel ordinance, how necessary it is
to have obedience for those who are the Lord's children. But
He comes not just by water. Verse 6, He came by water and
blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and
blood. And so here in our text at verse
8 the three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the Spirit
in the Word, in the ministry of the Word, the water in baptism,
and the blood, and the blood. Now if the water, as reference
to the commencement of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ,
surely the blood as reference to the end of that ministry of
the Lord Jesus. And how does his ministry end? He is obedient. And he is obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. And his ministry comes
to its conclusion. in that bloody scene at Calvary's
cross, the crucifixion. Oh, it begins in water. It ends
in blood. But even there, as he comes to
die, we have the testimony of the Roman centurion. Remember
what his witness was? He says, truly, This man was
the Son of God. When he sees Christ weltered
in blood, when he sees Christ dying there upon the cross, what
a remarkable witness it is that that Roman soldier bears. Truly this man was the Son of
God. But when we read here of the
the blood, it also reminds us, does it not, of that other gospel
ordinance. There are two gospel ordinances.
There is baptism, but there's also the Lord's Supper. There we remember Christ in his
bloody death. This cup is the New Testament
in my blood, he says. This, two years after she drink
it in remembrance of me, for as often as you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death until he come."
Well, every time we observe that holy ordinance, a great privilege
of sitting at the table of the Lord, partaking of those elements,
Is that not a witness here upon the earth? Is not that the witness
of the blood? The cup of blessing which we
bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? What a privilege it is, you see,
to be part and parcel to this earthly witness, as it were.
There's the Word, there's the ministry of the Word. There's
baptism, there's the Lord's Supper. All of these are witness. Three
that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the
blood. And these three agree in one. And it's not just a matter
of the observance in a mechanical fashion of these things. there is to be such a partaking
of the Lord Jesus Christ. There must be a living union
with the Lord Jesus Christ. There must be something vital
going on in the soul of the sinner. And so we remember how the Lord,
when He speaks of Himself, there in John chapter 6, speaking of
Himself as the bread of life, How he makes it quite plain that
we must be those who are eating his flesh and drinking his blood. John 6.53 Verily, verily, I say
unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you. And striking of these words,
no life in us unless we eat his flesh. and drink His blood. Whosoever eateth My flesh and
drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed,
and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh
My blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the Living Father
hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me,
even he shall live by Me. It is not cannibalism that's
being spoken of. And it has nothing at all to
do with the blasphemies of the Romish mass, and the doctrine
of transubstantiation, and what the Romish priest vainly imagines,
that that little wafer has been turned into the body and blood,
the soul and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has nothing
to do with that. It is a spiritual thing. it is
a spiritual thing all remember the words of the Lord Jesus what
he himself has said it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh
profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are spirit
and they are life how God's word must come to us in that fashion he that believeth on the Son
of God, we read here at verse 10, hath the witness in himself. Or do we know that, the witness
in ourselves? Do we know anything of Christ
in us? The hope of glory. Yes, it is
wonderful to contemplate that eternal union that there is between
Christ and His Church as a whole election of grace were given
to him by the Father in the eternal councils of the Trinity. They
were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
And we do rejoice in that. But how important, friends, that
we come to experience it. That to us it is a vital thing,
a living thing. There is an experimental union.
And it is, of course, that that comes as a consequence of the
new birth and faith in the Lord Jesus and repentance towards
God, how important these things are. Here we have then the Spirit,
the Gospel, the ministry of the Word of God,
the water, baptism, the blood, the Lord's Supper and these three
agree in one literally it says these three agree in the one
or it could be rendered these three agree in that one you see
verse 8 is really referring back to the previous verse referring back to the end of
verse 7. The Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost, and these three are one. And then when he goes on
to speak of the three that bear witness in the earth, these three
agree in that one. Which one? If we omit verse 7, it makes nonsense. It's unintelligible. What is
the one that is being spoken of at the end of verse 8? It's
that that has gone previously. This is part, as I said this
morning, of that internal evidence for the retention of verse 7. This is the sort of argument
that's brought forward by a man like R.L. Dabney, that great
American theologian of the 19th century. There is much internal evidence
to support the readings as we find them here in our authorised
version. Or there is a witness. There is a witness in heaven. That is the witness of God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. But there is also a witness here
upon the earth. And it's in all those things
that concern the Lord Jesus, the gospel of the grace of God,
Christian baptism, the Lord's Supper. And now we see here the
Lord Jesus Christ as that one standing, as it were, between
heaven and earth. All this witness, all this record
so centers in Him. This is a witness of God which
He has testified of His Son. Remember Job's great cry, Neither
is there any day's man betwixt us that might put his hand upon
us both. Job there long, long ago, long
before the Incarnation. longs for one who can come and
stand between God and himself, a daisman, an umpire, a mediator. For there is one mediator between
God and man, the man Christ Jesus. We read those words in John chapter
8 where he says, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record
is true, for I know whence I came and whither I go. he came from
heaven he came to earth to accomplish a great work of redemption and
then he returns from whence he came and he returns in power
and great glory and here is the witness or that we might know
and understand something of these great truths friends if the Lord
will I want us next Lord's Day to go on and consider that inward
witness spoken of in the 10th verse, he that believeth on the
Son of God hath the witness in himself. Oh, how vital that is. But here tonight we have that
record, that witness here in the earth. There are three that
bear witness in earth. The Spirit and the water and
the blood, and these three agree in one. The Lord be pleased to
bless his word to us. Amen.