Let us turn then to God's Word
in the portion that we read in the first epistle of John chapter
3 and verse 6. 1 John chapter 5 and verse 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. As I said before
our reading, I was somewhat preoccupied with the text. It came to me
really in the earlier part of the week when I was reading the
daily portion in Mr Philpott's through Baker's veil, wasn't
it? This was a particular text that
he was remarking on, that there was a reference to these words,
and particularly the first part of the text. This is he that
came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only,
but by water and blood. And as I say, the verse very
much stayed with me. And so I felt it would be right
and proper that we should turn to it and see to consider something
of the truth that's couched in these words this morning. The
opening verses of this chapter are not easy for us to understand
or to interpret. There are many difficulties in
this passage of scripture. And in fact, with regards to
the words of our text, I came across a sentence some time ago
in reading William Huntington, in which he acknowledges, I must
confess that this obscure text has greatly perplexed me for
many years, said Huntington. As much then that he's perplexing
with regards to the things that we're reading in this portion
of God's Holy Word, and I suppose matters are somewhat complicated
when we come to the following verse, verse 7, that great Trinitarian
verse that speaks of God, God the Father, God the Son, God
the Word, and God the Holy Ghost, because as many of you will be
aware, it is a verse that is much disputed It certainly is
not found in the modern versions, it's omitted altogether in the
NIV, and even in the New King James Version, though the verse
stands in the text, there is a footnote at the bottom of the
page that queries whether or not the verse is a genuine part
of Holy Scripture. You see then, something of the
difficulty, something of the dispute that arises over the
things that John is declaring in this part of Holy Scripture. But we turn to the text and we
trust with the Lord's help we might draw some profit from what
John is saying in this particular verse. He speaks of Christ coming by
water and by blood and looking at the commentators both John
Calvin and also Matthew Henry say that there is some reference
here to the ancient rites of the Old Testament ceremonial
law certainly in Hebrews it speaks a great deal of course of those
Levitical laws There Paul, as he writes to the Hebrews, reminds
them of those diverse washings and those carnal ordinances. He makes mention of things like
the sprinkling of the unclean with that ashes of an ether,
purifiers for the cleansing of the of the flesh. There were
these washings there oblations that they were to attend to under
the Old Testament, not only washings in water, but also there was
the application, often times, of blood. In fact, in Hebrews
chapter 9, Paul says almost all things are by the law purged
with blood. And without the shedding of blood
there is no remission of sin. And so surely the commentators
are right when they recognize that here in the text this reference
to Christ coming by water and blood does have some regards
to what transpired there in the Old Testament. And of course
we see that these things were all very much fulfilled in the
Lord Jesus Christ when he comes to die. Remember that all those
Levitical laws are really types They're all types that point
to Him who is the great antitype, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so
in Christ all those things have their accomplishment, all those
laws are finally and fully fulfilled. And so when Christ comes to die
upon the cross, there He hangs, pierced in hands and in feet,
there we see him pouring out his soul unto death in the shedding
of his precious blood and then also we read in John's account
in John chapter 19 now one of the soldiers with a spear pierced
his side and forthwith came there out blood and water and he that
saw it bare record and his record is true and he knoweth that he
saith truth that ye might believe. There is there then in the crucifixion
of the Lord Jesus Christ the fulfilment of all those washings
and all those sprinklings that we read of so much in the Old
Testament Scriptures. The Lord Jesus Christ I say is
truly the fulfilment of these things. Now Gill makes this observation
that Christ came not by these, he did not come by water and
blood of the ceremonial laws, but he came to make an end of
these things. That was the purpose of Christ
coming, to make an end, to finish all that was prefigured there
in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament we have
the shadow of these things, in the New Testament with Christ
then we have the substance of these things. And so, as we come
to the words of our text this morning, I want to say something
with regards to the coming of Christ and the manner of His
coming. This is He that came. He is referring
clearly to the one spoken of in the previous verse, verse
5. Jesus, He says, is the Son of God. This is us 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. First of all then, we
consider how Christ came by water. Now, we must observe the connection
with what he said in that previous verse that we just referred to.
The one who overcomes the world is the one who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God. And even in Christ coming by
water, we see him to be the Son of God. Remember the one who
is the great forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is it
that comes to prepare the way for Christ? It is John. It is
John the Baptist, who is there at the River Jordan, preaching
the baptism of repentance. And all of this is preparatory.
John is not the promised Messiah, but he comes as that one who
is the harbinger. He comes to prepare the wife
for Christ. And we see it in the Gospels,
we see, for example, In the opening chapter of John's Gospel, 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. And then again, verse 15, John
bear witness of him and cried, saying, This is he of whom I
spoke, he that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he
was And then even subsequently we
see him again speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. At verse 31,
I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore
am I come baptising with water. Here is John's ministry you see,
baptising with water, part of the preparation for the coming
of Christ. Verse 32, And John bare 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 they
shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same
is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost. Clearly then, the
Lord Jesus Christ is that One who came by water, in the preparatory
ministry of John the Baptist, and John's testimony to him as
that one who was promised by the Father, the Christ, and that
he is the Son of God. John witnessed it, did he not,
when Christ came to him and submitted so willingly to John's baptism,
the baptism of repentance. And yet Christ has no sin of
which to repent. because Christ is that Holy One,
that One who was preserved even in His conception, preserved
from every taint of sin, no original sin. The Holy Ghost comes upon
His Virgin Mother, and what is conceived in Her womb, what is
brought forth, is declared to be the Son of God. He is holy,
He is harmless, He is undefiled, He is separate from sinners,
He is the Holy One and yet, there at the beginning of his public
ministry as he comes to John at Jordan, how he so willingly
identifies with his people. He submits to John's baptism
of repentance. And there we see how he is owned. He is owned by the Father and
he is acknowledged also by the Son. We have it recorded, of
course, in all of the Gospels, the detail concerning his baptism. In Mark's account, for example,
it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth
of Galilee and was baptized of John in Georgia. And straightway
coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened and the
Spirit like a dove descending upon him. And there came a voice
from heaven saying, Thou art my Beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased. Here is the Father then owning
and acknowledging Him, My Beloved Son, He says. He is the Eternal
Son of the Eternal Father, the Beloved of God. And here is also the Spirit,
how He descends upon Him in the form of a dart. The Lord Jesus
Christ then is old and acknowledged at his baptising. He comes there
by water. And he comes as that one who
is God. The Gods manifest in the flesh. How important it is
that we recognise him who is the proper object of saving faith. In that previous verse, that
verse 5, who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth
that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God. This is a theme of course that
recurs here in John's epistle, how John is constantly asserting
that blessed truth. In chapter 2 he says, who is
a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ. He is anti-Christ,
the denier of the Father and the Son. Whosoever denies the
Son, the same as not the Father. that he that acknowledgeth the
Son hath the Father also. He is old then, right at the
beginning of his public ministry, acknowledged by God the Father
as the beloved Son and anointed by God the Holy Spirit. Again when we come into the second
epistle of John. And there at verse 9 the Apostle
says, 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. Oh, we are to be those friends
who would acknowledge Him. He has come. And even as He comes
by water, as He begins His ministry, He is clearly set before us as
the Eternal Son of God. 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. God has given record of him.
God has acknowledged him, even as he begins his ministry here
in this wicked world. John is full of these things.
back in that 4th chapter where we began our reading at verse
9 when this was manifested the love of God toward us because
God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might
live through him and then he says at verse 15 that whosoever
shall confess that Jesus is the son of God God dwelleth in him
and he in God. He has come then, and how has
he come? He has come by water. The ministry of the Baptist,
those things that transpired when Christ himself was baptized
by John in the river Jordan, owned and acknowledged. But he
comes not only by water, we read here, but he also came by blood. This is earth that came by water
and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water
and blood. Now, if the water refers us to
the beginning of his ministry, as he would commence his preachings,
so the blood surely as reference to the end, the end of his earthly
ministry and even when we come of course to the closing scenes
when Christ must go the way of the cross and make that great
sacrifice for sins even there we see demonstrated his deity
that this is no ordinary man Even the centurion who was present,
witnessing that scene as Christ gave himself the great sacrifice
for sins, acknowledges, truly, says the centurion, this was
the Son of God. Truly, this was the Son of God.
That was the confession of a Gentile, when the Jews obtained their
way in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course,
when They came to rest in there, in the garden of Gethsemane. As we have said on other occasions,
the Lord Jesus quite clearly demonstrates to them something
of his deity. He declares himself to be the
Great I Am. Here is Judas, the betrayer. coming to that familiar spot,
the Garden of Gethsemane, where the Lord Jesus, of time, would
go with his disciples. So Judas is familiar with the
place. Judas also, which betrayed him,
knew the place, says John. For Jesus, of times, resorted
thither with his disciples. and having received a band of
men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees they come
with their lanterns and their weapons and we read Jesus therefore
knowing all things which had come upon him went forth and
said unto them, Whom seek you? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus said unto them, I am holy. Literally Jesus said unto them,
I am, I am. And Judas also which betrayed
him stood with them. As soon as he had said unto them,
I am he, again we see there at verse 6, so the he, the pronoun
is in italics, in other words he literally says I am. As soon
as he had said unto them, I am. They went backwards and fell
to the ground. Oh, as he announces his deity,
they are repulsed in a sense. They cannot touch him. They cannot
lay one finger upon him. Then asked him again, Whom seek
ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am. I am he, we read it,
but the he again, italics, Jesus answered, I have told you that
I am, if therefore you seek me, let these go their way. And so the Lord Jesus Christ
has his disciples dismissed and he willingly puts himself into
the hands of the Jews. It's not so much that they take
him, they cannot take him. His sacrifice, of course, is
a voluntary sacrifice. No man taketh my life from me,
is it? I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. Even when we see Him in His blood,
there upon the cross, we are to recognise who He is, recognise
something of His Divinity. This is none other than God,
who is giving Himself, who is making the sacrifice. He is not
only the sacrifice, of course, He is the Great High Priest,
making that one sacrifice for sins forever. He didn't just
come by water, He comes also by blood. This is He that came
by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only. But by water and light, both
at the beginning and at the end, we see then clearly who He is. This is the God now. This is
the Son of God manifested in the flesh. And then of course
how all is confirmed that He is rising again from the dead. There, as we read in the opening
part of the epistle to the Romans, he is declared, he is marked
out to be the son of God, with power according to the spirit
of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, we are told. The resurrection, it is the final
confirmation, is it not? that this was no ordinary man.
And then, friends, when we think of the blood, or the perpetual
virtue of that precious blood that was shed, how it cleanses
away all the sins of his people. It is the Church of God, says
Paul, which he has purchased with his own blood. It's a remarkable
statement that Paul makes there in Acts chapter 20 when he speaks
of those Ephesian elders and he speaks of the church and he
speaks of God and he speaks of the blood of God. God of course
is a spirit and they that worship God they worship him in spirit
and truth says John in the fourth chapter of his gospel. When he
speaks there of the church of God. He is speaking of that one
who is God manifest in the flesh, the God-man. He has purchased
his church, has he not, by the shedding of his precious blood.
He has paid that price that the Holy Lord of God demanded, that
great ransom price, by the shedding of his precious blood. He has
satisfied all the demands of the Holy Lord of God when he
suffered and bled and died in the room and in the stead of
his people. Dear dying Lamb, thy precious
blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed church
of God be silent to sin no more. He came by water, yes, He is
acknowledged there at the beginning of his ministry, he came by blood,
he shed his precious blood, he poured out his soul unto death
when he died as that blessed substitute that made the great
sin atoning sacrifice. And then thirdly here we have
the witness, the witness of the Spirit. What do we read at the end of
the verse? It is the Spirit. that beareth witness, because
the Spirit is truth. Oh, the witnessing Spirit! As
we said at His baptism, Christ is clearly anointed by the Spirit. The Spirit descends upon Him
there at His baptising in the form of a dove, even as God the
Father owns and acknowledges Him as his only begotten Son
in whom he is well pleased. And John tells us at the end
of the third chapter in his Gospel that God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto him. Or there was a blessed effusion
of the Spirit that came upon him. Doesn't this mark him out
as the Christ? Christ means the Anointed One.
He is anointed with the Spirit of God. And so After his baptism,
what do we read? Jesus being full of the Holy
Ghost was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of Satan. He is immediately under that
blessed influence of the Spirit and the Spirit guides and directs
him and leads him even to the place of temptation. Strange feeling. and there of
course he is sorely tempted of Satan and resists all those temptations
and overcomes the great tempter and then we are told how Jesus
returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee as he is
led of the Spirit into the wilderness so he returns in the power of
the same Spirit and he goes as was his custom, into the synagogue. John, rather Luke, tells us in
some detail what transpired as Christ entered there into the
synagogue. In Luke 4 verse 16 he came to
Nazareth 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 Isaiah,
the prophecy of Isaiah. And when he had opened the book,
he found the place where it was written, Isaiah 61, this is,
is it not? The Spirit of the Lord is upon
them. Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance of the captives and recovering 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 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 witness and wonder that the gracious words which proceeded
out of his mouth. And they said he is not this
Joseph's son. He is anointed with the Spirit
and he is anointed as a preacher. It is the gracious words that
proceed out of his mouth. He is that prophet that has come
from God. And out of the Spirit is constantly
bearing witness to him. And he does it not only in his
ministry in his preaching, but also in the miracles that Christ
performs. These miracles spoken of in John's
Gospel are signs and they authenticate the ministry that he is exercising. There is this constant testimony
that he is born then by the Spirit to And this is what we read in
the text, is it not? It is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth. What does the Lord Jesus
Christ say as He cast out demons? If I cast out devils by the Spirit
of God, then is the Kingdom of God come unto you. He casts out demons by that very
ministry of God, the Holy Spirit, the miracles. What a witness they are to him.
Again, look at what John has to say. In chapter 5 of his Gospel, in verse 36 he records that these words of Christ, I
have a greater witness than that of John, a greater witness than
John the Baptist. For the works which the Father
hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness
of me, that the Father hath sent me. All the works that he performs
are bearing this constant witness to him. Again in chapter 10, Verse 24, Then came the Jews
round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make
us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, the same bear witness of me. There is this witnessing
that is born, born to him by the Spirit who has come upon
him in that holy anointing. Now, observe what we have here
in this portion from where our text is taken this morning. In
verses 6 to 10 we can see really a five-fold witness that he's
being born to the Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of verse 6,
as we saw to demonstrate, we have that witness of the Spirit. It is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is truth. But then in verse 7, we
read that there is a witness that is being born in heaven.
There are three that bear record, it's the same word really, witness,
in heaven. the Father, the Word and the
Holy Ghost and these three are one. And then there is a witness
on earth in verse 8. There are three that bear witness
in earth, the spirit and the water and the blood and these
three agree in one. Now we have not the time of course
to explain what these different witnesses are all about, but
clearly there is a witness of the Spirit in verse 6, there's
a witness in heaven in verse 7, there's a witness in the earth
in verse 8, and there is also a witness of God spoken of in
verse 9. If we receive the witness of
men, we might say that that is the witness here upon the earth,
the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God
which He hath testified of His Son. And then fifthly, there
is a witness within, there is an inward witness. In verse 10,
he that believeth on the Son of God has the witness in himself.
The believer has the witness in himself. He that believeth
not, God hath made him a liar, because he believes not the record
that God gave of his son. Now, just as we come to a conclusion
this morning, I want to link these two. witness is the first
witness at the end of verse 6, and that fifth witness that's
spoken of in verse 10. In other words, as a spirit also
bears a witness within the heart of the believer. Yes, the verse
is speaking of Christ's coming, his literal coming into the world,
his coming by water, and by blood the ministry that he exercised,
but is there not also a spiritual coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? And is there not a witness therefore
that must be born in the heart of those who know Christ, who
are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ? There is a spiritual
witness, the witness of the Spirit. in the hearts of every believer. The Lord Jesus Christ in the
course of his ministry declares the kingdom of God is within
you. God's kingdom is an inward kingdom,
it comes into the heart. And there is in that coming of
the kingdom into the heart this witness to the water and to the
blood. 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. Now the blood, as we so to say,
is clearly the blood of atonement. But what is the water? We thought of the water of baptism.
There is of course a witness in baptism. in believer's baptism,
we don't decry that. But we're thinking here of the
Spirit's witness. The Spirit's witness to the blood
and the Spirit's witness in water. Remember how John the Baptist
speaks of Christ as that one who when he comes will not baptise
in water but baptise in the Holy Ghost. The water here, surely, is a
reference to that sanctifying influence of God the Holy Ghost. The blood is the atoning blood,
the water is the sanctification of the Spirit. We sang, of course, in our opening
prize. Those words of Charles Wesley,
spirits of truth come down, reveal the things of God and make to
us salvation known and witness with the blood. All we need is
that witness in our own hearts to that great sacrifice that
the Lord Jesus Christ made. We read of it here in the scriptures.
We have a detailed account of his sufferings in all the Gospels
of course. And these things are taken up
subsequently in the epistles. And the great doctrine of the
atonement is explained to us. It's there in the Old Testament.
As we've said, it's there in types and figures, it's in shadows
there. All those Levitical offerings,
they're a foreshadowing of Christ. When we come to the New Testament
we have that historic account in the Gospel. and this blessed
explanation that we find in the writing of the apostles, the
great doctrine of the cross, the necessity of the death of
the Lord Jesus Christ. But it's one thing to have it
here in the scriptures, it's another thing to be those who
are receiving it. Paul, when he writes in Romans
chapter 5, says, we also joy in God, through our Lord Jesus
Christ. by whom we have received the
atonement. All friends, are we those who
can joy in God through the Lord Jesus Christ because we have
received the atonement? We've known something of that
blessed witness of the Spirit and the cleansing virtue of that
precious blood, that blood that purges the conscience from every
dead work, all the dead works of our sins gone, perched by
that precious blood of Christ as we receive it. We know that
we're forgiven, that our sins have been washed away, and that
we're those who, before a holy God, are pronounced to be clean. And not only clean, of course,
because in the great doctrine of justification it's not just
the removal of our sins, taking our sins away, there's also that
imputation of the righteousness of Christ. Because Christ didn't
only die, Christ lived. And in his life did he not accomplish
all righteousness? Was he not obedient to all the
commandments of God? And that robe of righteousness
is put about the sin. And so, in Christ, he's cleansed
of his sin, he's accounted righteous. But besides being cleansed, Besides
being justified, we must also be fitted and prepared, made
ready and sanctified for Heaven. And isn't it the great promise
of the New Covenant, which is just the very thing that God
is pleased to do for His people, and God is pleased to do in His
people. The Old Testament The Prophets
say they speak of these things, they speak of these things. In Ezekiel for example, in chapter 36 and verse 33, I
said to Lord God, in the day that I shall replenish you from
all your iniquities, I will also cause you to dwell in the cities,
and the way shall be wielded, and the desolate land shall be
tilled, whereas it was desolate in the sight of all that pass
by." Here is God, the One who is pleased to cleanse His people
from all their sins, from all their iniquities. That wasn't
the passage I was thinking of. No, it's previous. It's in verse
25 of Ezekiel 36. Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you, and you shall be clean. From all your filthiness and
from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I
give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will
take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you. and
cause you to walk in my statutes, then you shall keep my judgments
and do them. Here is the ministry of the Spirit. The way in which Christ by His
Spirit comes by water into the hearts of His people. They are sanctified. There is
a sanctifying. There is the washing of regeneration,
there is the renewing of the Holy Ghost as Paul puts it when
he writes in Titus chapter 3. It's Christ not only coming by
blood, it's Christ also coming by water in that gracious ministry
then of God the Holy Ghost. And so there is that double cure
of all our sins really. Not only the guilt is dealt with,
the guilt of sin in our justification in the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ, but also the filth of sin is dealt with in that gracious,
sanctifying ministry of God the Holy Spirit. We have it and we'll
sing it just now in that little couplet in the well-known hymn
of Augustus Toplady, Rock of Ages, Cleft from the Earth. And
what does Toplady say be of sin the double cure? Cleanse me from
its guilt and power. We want to be cleansed not only
from the guilt of our sins by that precious atoning blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, but we want to be freed from all the
awful Thraldrum, the bondage of our sin, we want to be those
who are truly made of willing people and obedient people. We
want to know something of that coming by water as well as coming
by blood. Oh God grant them that we might
be favoured in some measure. It's a difficult portion. We tried to say that at the beginning.
Great men in the past have acknowledged that and recognised. But it's
part of God's work. And we do trust that we might
find some profits even from what we've considered this morning
concerning Jesus, the Son of God. 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. May the Lord bless His
Word. for his Nines sack.