Well let us turn once again to
God's Word and turning to the passage that we looked at recently
there in 1 John chapter 5 and I'll read verses 7 and 8. The first epistle general of
John chapter 5 and reading verses 7 and 8. 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. A couple of weeks ago then we
were considering that statement found in verse 7, a much disputed
verse rejected by many, not found in the modern versions but we
believe it to be part of the inspired text as we have it set
before us here in our authorized version. Well, having looked
at that 7th verse I want us now to consider what he said in the
following eighth verse, the three that bear witness in earth, the
spirit, and the water, and the blood. And these three agree
in one. In the chapter, of course, John
is very much speaking of true faith, as we see from the opening
words, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God. Those who are truly born again
by the Spirit of God believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, as Peter confessed there at Caesarea Philippi. Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God, and the words of the Lord. Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona, flesh and blood, I have not revealed it unto thee,
but my Father which is in heaven. And so in this chapter, John
again is reminding us of the importance of faith. What he
goes on to say there 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. And so we're reminded, of course,
very much of the importance of Him who is the object of faith,
that is the Lord Jesus, and the importance of recognizing His
deity. And so last time when we were
considering the words that we have here in the seventh verse,
we thought of that threefold witness in heaven, that God in
all the fullness of His deity in three persons, each of the
persons bears that witness to the deity of the Lord Jesus. The three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these
three are one. And then in verse 9 we read,
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God,
which have testified of his Son. And now we see the importance
of this doctrine throughout the writings of John, in the Gospel,
also in the epistles. Remember the language that we
have subsequently in that short second epistle, and there at
verse 9, Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine
of Christ hath not God, He that abides in the doctrine of Christ,
he hath both the Father and the Son. If there is an eternal Father,
if God is Father, there must also be an eternal Son. And not
only there, but also here in the second chapter of this first
general epistle. What does he say in chapter 2
and there at verse 22? He was a liar. But he that denieth the 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 so we were thinking previously
of that witness, that witness in heaven, and that
witness really to the deity of the Lord Jesus and it is seen
of course particularly in the resurrection of Christ from the
dead. Out there in the resurrection
He is declared to be the Son of God with power according to
the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. The words of the Apostle in Romans
1 and verse 4, where he is defining the very Gospel. Christ is declared,
is marked out as the Son of God by the resurrection from the
dead, how the Father acknowledges it. But then the Son himself
is there in the resurrection. In a sense, he raises himself
from the dead. Remember the language of John
10, 17, Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my
life, that I may take it again. No man taketh it from me. I lay
it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. What is the Father's commandment
that He lays his life down, but he also has authority then to
raise that life again from the dead. As he says to the Jews
in the second chapter of John, destroy this temple and in three
days I will build it again. And they think he's speaking
of the literal, physical building, the temple there in Jerusalem,
but he's speaking of himself, he's speaking of his own body.
that He will rise again on the third day. And so as the Father
bears His witness in rising Him, so the Son also raises Himself,
and then the Holy Spirit. We read in Peter of how He was
put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the Spirit. The
Spirit is there in that quickening. that restoring of the life that
He had given as the great sacrifice for the sins of His people. Oh, there is then this threefold
witness, the Father, the Son, the Word of God, and the Holy
Ghost, and these three are one. They are one in their witness. In the mouth of two or three
witnesses shall every word be established, says the Apostle
there in the opening words of 2 Corinthians 13. In the mouth
of two or three witnesses everything is established. And of course
the Apostle there is really referring to the Lord of Moses back in
Deuteronomy 19. Thou one in their witness. But of course, the three persons
in the Godhead are also one in essence. There is one God. Not three gods, one God. And
that one God subsists in three distinct persons. But He is one. Hero Israel, the Lord our God,
is one Lord. But then we speak of the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Ghost. And now even when we make that
public profession of our faith in baptism, we put on the name
of the Trinity, baptized in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost. So at the very beginning then
we confess that we are Trinitarians. And we remind ourselves continually
of that fact as we pronounce those words of benediction from
the end of 2 Corinthians 13. There is a witness. There is
a witness in heaven. But there's also a witness here
upon the earth. And that's what I want us to
consider for a little while this morning. The words that we have
here in the 8th verse. The threefold witness on the
earth is our theme. The threefold witness here on
the earth. And there are three that bear
witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood,
and these three agree in one. What is the threefold witness?
Well, I want to try to set it before us this morning in terms
of three gospel ordinances. Are there not clearly three particular
ordinances that we see when we come to the New Testament Scriptures?
There is the ordinance of preaching, the preaching of
the Gospel. There is the ordinance of baptism,
believers' baptism. And there is the ordinance of
the Lord's Supper. And I want us to consider what
we have in this eighth verse in terms of that threefold witness
on the earth. First of all, what is referred
to here as the witness of the Spirit, the three that bear witness
in the earth, the Spirit, it says. And it's distinguished from that
witness that we also have, of course, in the previous verse.
He's there in heaven, he's God, he's God the Holy Ghost. The
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost. But here we see that the Spirit
also has a witness that he bears upon the earth. And remember how that the Spirit
bore an immediate witness to Christ. Those testimonies that
we have recorded throughout the Gospel. The Spirit's witness. And we read here at the end of
verse 6, "...it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because
the Spirit is truth." He is the Spirit of truth. And there we
see it in the testimony that he is continually giving to the
Lord Jesus. Remember at the baptizing of
the Lord Jesus, how the Holy Ghost descends upon him in the
form of a dove as the Lord is about to begin his public ministry. This is the testimony that the
Spirit is bearing. And then as the Lord begins that
ministry, what is that ministry primarily? He comes
as that one who is the fulfillment of the prophetic office. He's
the great prophet of God. He comes as that one who will
proclaim the Word of God. We see him very much as one who
is anointed by the Spirit to preach. And so, not surprisingly,
when the Lord, after His baptism, remember, is led of the Spirit
into the wilderness, He comes out of the wilderness in all
the fullness of the Spirit and He goes into the synagogue there
in Nazareth And he reads, doesn't he? He reads those words of Isaiah
61, the record that we have in the fourth chapter of Luke's
Gospel, in Luke chapter 4, and there at verse 16 following. He came to Nazareth, we're told,
where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went
into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.
And when he had opened the book he found the place where it was
written. The opening words of chapter 61. The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor. That is the first aspect of his
ministry, to preach the gospel. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach
the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he
gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of
all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he
began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled
in your ears, and all bear Him witness and wonder at the gracious
words that proceeded out of His mouth. Here is the Spirit bearing
witness and those who are present, they must bear witness to the
wondrous and gracious words that are proceeding out of His mouth. This is the witness of the Spirit
then here upon the earth. As He begins His ministry, how
does He preach? He preaches as he is anointed
by the Spirit. Again, the language of John 3.34,
He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God. For God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him. He speaks the words of God.
And how does he speak the words of God? Because the Spirit of
God is upon him. As we said, when we were considering
verse 7 he lives a life of such dependence upon that ministry
of the Spirit and the Spirit is there of course in those miracles
that confirm the words that he is speaking if I cast out devils
by the Holy Ghost then is the Kingdom of God come unto you?
oh no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be
with him says Nicodemus. God is with him, the Spirit is
there in all the miracles. We have God bearing witness both
with signs and wonders and diverse gifts and miracles of the Holy
Ghost according to his will. There was throughout the earthly
ministry then of the Lord Jesus that immediate testimony to Him
given by the Spirit of God. But what of now? Now that Christ
has risen and now that Christ has ascended? Well, the Spirit's
testimony is now mediated to us through the Gospel and through
the preaching of the Gospel. This is how the Spirit bears
His testimony. The three that bear witness in
earth, the Spirit, Dr. Gill comments here, he says,
by the Spirit is meant the Gospel, which is a testimony of Christ's
person, office, and grace. It's the Gospel, and it's the
preaching of the Gospel. The Lord says, It is the Spirit
that quickeneth the flesh, profiteth nothing. The words that I speak
unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life. The words that
the Lord speaks. our spirits and our life. How
does the Lord speak now? He is not present as a man anymore
upon the earth. We do not know Christ after the
flesh, but the Lord Jesus, does He not come in the ministry and
in the proclamation of the gospel of the grace of God? Well, we
have those words in the 10th chapter of John. And there at verse 13, following,
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they
preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. and bring
out tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed
the gospel, for, as I have said, Lord, you have believed our report. So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. And like those words back in
verse 14, how shall they believe in him of whom they have not
heard? More literally, It reads, O shall they believe
in him whom they have not heard. The word of really is quite redundant
there, it shouldn't be there. It literally reads, O shall they
believe in him whom they have not heard, and O shall they hear
without a preacher. The Lord comes and the Lord is
present in the preaching. As Paul says to the Ephesians,
you have not so learned Christ. if so be ye have heard him and
been taught by him." How did the Ephesians ever hear the Lord
Jesus? They heard him in the preaching.
This is the way in which the Spirit bears his testimony to
Christ today in the proclamation of his Gospel. As Paul again
says to those Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 3.6, 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. It is the ordinance of the preached
words. It pleases God by the foolishness
of preaching, to save them that believe." But it's not just the
words of a mere man. Some great orator is able to
move people by his rhetoric. Paul very much dismisses that
when he speaks of his ministry amongst the Corinthians. He is
there in all his weakness, really, and yet there is such an unction
of the Spirit. That's the vital thing. As the Apostle says to
the Thessalonians, Our Gospel came not unto you in word only,
but in power. and in the Holy Ghost and in
much assurance. Oh, this is how the Spirit works.
This is what we should desire as we come under the sound of
God's Word and the preaching of the Word which is God's own
ordinance that the Spirit might be there. That there might be
such an unction of the Spirit not only upon the preacher but
upon the people who are hearing the Word of God. That the Lord
God Himself may come by His Spirit in His Word, and then He will
accomplish that glorious work of salvation in the souls of
sinners. There is in the witness of the
Spirit the proclamation, the preaching of the Gospel. But
then also here, we read of the witness of water. the three that bear witness in
earth, the Spirit, and the water. What are we to make then of this? Well, back in verse 6 we read,
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ,
not by water only, but by water and blood. Now, I quite deliberately read from
John chapter 1, the Gospel, according to St. John, there in chapter
1, because how does the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ begin?
Well, there is that one who comes to prepare the way before him.
There's the ministry of John the Baptist, and John is very
much the harbinger of the Christ that was to come remember the
words that we were reading just now there in that chapter John chapter 1 verse 6 we're told 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. And then we read, didn't
we, reading from verse 15. John bared witness of him and
cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, he that cometh
after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And then again later, verse 29,
when 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. Therefore
am I come baptizing with water. And John bear record, 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 baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bear
record, that this is the Son of God." Here is the witness.
Here is the witness on earth the ministry of John the Baptist. And so as John fulfills his ministry, then John is taken away, isn't
he? Because the Lord now, after his
own baptising, now he submits to that baptism of repentance,
He had no need of repentance. He was altogether without sin,
holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. And yet, he comes
and he identifies with the very people who he has come to save.
He submits to John's baptism. And that marks the beginning
of his ministry. And then John is taken away,
as it were. We see it, don't we, quite clearly
in the first chapter of Mark's Gospel, that immediately in Mark
we're introduced to the public ministry of Christ. In verse
9 of chapter 1, it came to pass in those days that Jesus came
from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized of John in Jordan.
And straightway coming up out of the water he saw the heavens
opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon it. And there
came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. And then, verse 14, after that
John was put in prison, John is put in prison, And then Jesus
came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God
and saying, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand,
repent ye and believe the gospel. Here is the witness of the water,
the ministry of John the Baptist, the harbinger of the ministry
of the Messiah. And so we have here Christ's
baptism clearly spoken of. There at the beginning of verse
6, this is he that came by water. And as Christ's ministry begins,
His public ministry that is, begins as He accepts John's baptism. He is baptized of John in the
river Jordan. So, of course, the believer,
at the beginning of his Christian life, will make that public profession
of faith. How? By baptism. By baptism. And so there is that continual
witness in the baptism of believers. That testimony to the truth that
is being spoken of in this passage, that Jesus Christ He is the Son
of God, He is the Saviour of sinners. Every year. Baptism, of course, is to be in the name of the Lord
Jesus. They're baptized, yes, in the
name of God, the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, but
it's the ministry of Christ that is associated with that baptism. We see that quite clearly at
the end of Matthew 28. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. And lo, I am with you always.
I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Oh, there is a witness by water. There is that witness
in baptism. We see it in Christ's own ministry.
We see it in the profession that those who are his true disciples
make when they submit to believers' baptism. And then, of course,
as I've already said, we constantly use those words of the Apostle,
that apostolic benediction at the end of 2 Corinthians, the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion, of the Holy Ghost, we confess the Lord Jesus. Frequently, as we use those familiar
words. But then, with regard to the
witness on the earth, there is also the
witness of the blood. There are three that bear witness
in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. Well, if water refers to the
commencement of the Lord's ministry, his baptism, blood surely refers
to the close of that ministry, the crucifixion, and that bloody
death that he dies, his body bathed in blood, his lacerated
back, The crown of thorns pressed about his temple, his hands,
his feet pierced by the nails, the spear thrust into his side. Oh, what do we witness? That sacred humanity of Christ
bathed in his own blood. His ministry begins with water,
but it's ending and it's sealed now in the shedding of that precious
blood, the crucifixion. And as he dies, we have a remarkable
witness, because we read of the Roman centurion beholding that
scene, and what does he say? Truly, this man was the Son of
God! Truly, this man was the Son of
God. Isn't this the witness of God
himself? This is a witness of God which
hath testified of his Son. And here is a hardened Roman
soldier, the centurion, brought to confess that Jesus of Nazareth
is indeed the very Son of God. But what does the blood remind
us of? what we have here, the three
that bear their witness in earth, and the third witnesses the blood. Well, as the water reminds us
of baptism, doesn't this remind us of the Lord's Supper? And we're familiar, aren't we,
with the language that we have there in 1 Corinthians 11, this
cup is the New Testament in my blood. This, dear years, after
ye drink it in remembrance of me, for as often as ye eat this
bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till
he come." Every time we observe that sacred supper, we show the
Lord's death. It's set before us. And I said
at the table, haven't I, on occasions, how one loves what Calvin, the
great Protestant reformer, has to say concerning the significance
of that Blessed Feast, where Christ is set before us. Of course,
we see the importance of the sense of hearing. Faith cometh
by hearing. But there, it's all our senses
in a sense. All our senses are involved.
There's something to behold. We see something with our eyes.
We see the breaking of the bread. We see the wine poured into the
cup. But we don't only see, we also
handle, we take hold of these things, and we taste these things. This is the wonder, you see,
of the way in which God comes to commune with us. All that
cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion? of the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bearing our own testimony
through Him. And of course, we have those
lovely words of the sixth chapter of John. And again, so appropriate
when we think of the Lord's Supper. The union. The union that we
have expressed there in our communion with Christ. What does the Lord
say? except ye eat the flesh of the
Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso
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." There's
union. There's nothing to do. with the
blasphemous Romish doctrine of transubstantiation. Nothing at
all to do with that. It's a carnal thing. No, this
is a spiritual feeding upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And those who know this witness,
why do they have a witness in themselves? Look at what we read in verse
10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath a witness in
himself. It's a spiritual witness, it's
a spiritual feast that we partake of. Here then in the text before
us today we see that there is a witness on earth as there is
a witness in heaven. The three divine persons there
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these
three Gospel ordinances. Here in the world there is the
ministry of the Word, the preaching of the Gospel. There is baptism
and there is the Lord's Supper. In the ministry of the Gospel
we have the Spirit. What is the ministry of the Word of God without
the Spirit of God? In baptism, of course, we have
the water. and in the Lord's Supper we have the bloods. And it says here at the end of
this text that we're considering, these three agree in one. Literally, there's a definite
article before one, they agree in the one. Which one? Well, that one that he's spoken
of previously in verse 7. These three are one. And the
witness on earth agrees in that one, in the one. He points us
back, you see, to verse 7. And if we omit verse 7, the phrase
really is incomplete. As I was saying, when we were
considering that verse, it's Robert Dabney, that great North
American Presbyterian theologian, who in his discussions, evangelical
and theological, has a section in which he argues quite strongly
for the retention of the reading in verse 7 on the basis of internal
evidence. He argues it from the syntax,
from the grammar. The word is to be kept, that
verse is to be preserved, because there's a reference back to it
here at the end of verse 8. These three agree in the one,
in that one. All the verses stand together.
Heaven and Earth agree. It is the Lord Jesus Christ in
his person. and in his work, of course, who
stands between heaven and earth. Oh, he is that one that Job looked
for, the day's man, to lay his hand upon us each, the one mediator
between gods and men, the man Christ Jesus. How the Lord Jesus
Christ has come and reconciled the sinners of this wicked world,
to that God who dwells in the high and the holy place. The
three of them. The 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 spirits, and the water, and the blood. And these three agree
in one, in that one living and true God. Well, the Lord bless
to us His word. Amen. We're going to sing our
closing praise. The hymn is 983. And the tune number 59. Spirit
of truth come down, reveal the things of God. O make to our
salvation known and witness with the blood, no man can truly say
that Jesus is the Lord unless they take the veil away and breathe
the living words. Hymn 983, June 59.