Yes, while God and I shall be,
I am his and he is mine. John wrote the Gospel of John
under divine inspiration that we might believe that Jesus is
the Christ. And he wrote the first epistle
of John under that same divine inspiration for this purpose,
that you might know that you believe on the only begotten
Son of God. Turn with me, if you will, to
1 John. 1 John. God's church in this book is
described in numerous ways throughout the scriptures. The church is
called the Lord's fold, the fold where he folds his sheep. It
is called the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God over which
Christ Jesus the king rules by his word continually. It is called
the church of God, the church of which Christ is the head,
the only head. It's called the bride of Christ.
We who are the Lord's are his holy bride chosen and espoused
to him from eternity by God's own wise decree and made to be
married to him in the sweet experience of his grace. And the church
is called the family of God. We're his family, the sons and
daughters of God Almighty. We address one another as brothers
and sisters because God is our heavenly father, Christ is our
elder brother, and we are one family, the family of God whose
names are written in heaven. Some of our brethren are with
the Lord in glory now. Many are upon the earth marching
to Zion. And perhaps there are some who
haven't yet been born who shall yet be brought into this world
and brought by God's grace into the sweet experience of his grace
by faith in Christ Jesus the Lord. John in this epistle addresses
the church as the family of God. He writes, as a father writing
to his own sons and daughters with tenderness and with simplicity
throughout the epistle. He doesn't give any specific
name of any local church. So the epistle is not specifically
addressed to a local church. And yet it's clear that he writes
to one, a group of people, a congregation with which he had a very intimate
relationship and had been in this relationship for some time.
People that he loved dearly. and the people who loved him
and respected him as a child would love and respect and give
honor to a faithful, faithful father. And because the epistle
is not addressed to one local church, it becomes clear that
it is God's intention that this epistle be read by every local
church as God's word to you. by you and me tonight as we open
it as God's word to Grace Baptist Church in Danville, Kentucky. It is God's family epistle to
his sons and daughters. God, the Holy Spirit, as we read
through these five chapters together, may we give us grace to understand
this is God's word to us, specifically to you and me. The chapters might
be summarized like this. The first chapter deals with
Christ, the word of God. The second chapter deals with
the grace of God in Christ. The third chapter deals almost
exclusively with the sons of God. And the fourth chapter,
the servants of God. Then in the fifth chapter, John
declares to us the witnesses of God. Robert Hawker suggests
that going through these five chapters, the constant theme
is the Father's love, the Son's grace, and the Spirit's fellowship. John, like the Apostle Paul,
like the Apostle Peter, like Jude in his epistle, expresses
grave concern throughout this epistle for the heresies by which
the souls of men had been destroyed. He was grave concern for the
false teachings that had arisen in his day and false teachings
that permeate throughout the history of the church in local
churches. False doctrine by which Satan
makes shipwreck of men's souls and makes shipwreck of entire
churches. In the book of John, or John's
day rather, there was a very common heresy known as Gnosticism. It continues to today. People
look at it as an ancient heresy. But it's very much prevalent
today just as it was in the days of the apostles. And the fact
is that If you read carefully, you'll find that the apostles,
writing by inspiration, even in the first generation of Christianity,
had to deal with every heresy that we contend with in our day.
Nothing's new under the sun. Gnostics are people who claim
to have a special degree of knowledge by which they arrive at salvation. Brother Larry Brown called me
or wrote to me one day this week in an email, he'd been listening
to somebody who made this statement. In regeneration, nothing is imparted
to a man but knowledge. Is that what you said? Nothing but knowledge. Such teaching
is an utter denial of the work of God the Holy Spirit in regeneration. It is a denial of the supernatural
work of God making us new creatures in Christ Jesus. Gnostics believe
that just by knowledge we arrive at God. And so it bolsters the
pride of man, exalts the pride of man, while denying the very
fabric of the gospel. The fact is we are not saved
apart from knowledge, but knowledge is not salvation. Salvation is
not what you know, but who you know. Salvation's a person. Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. This
is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. The doctrines by which
our Lord makes himself known, the doctrine by which our Lord
adorns himself, the various aspects of his person and work we delight
in only as they are connected with and radiate from him and
make him known. That beautiful blonde headed
lady there sitting in that skirt and that sweater and that blouse,
man, that's a good looking outfit. On her. On her. Now, if you should see me go
home tonight and she takes that off, puts her house coat on,
and I start to go to bed and I lay that outfit out in the
bed and snuggle up close to it, you would call somebody and say,
Brother Don's popped a cork. He's lost his mind. Because the
outfit is nothing apart from the lady who adorns herself in
the outfit. You understand what I'm saying?
The doctrine is nothing apart from the Redeemer. Multitudes
settle for facts and never know the Savior. This is life eternal,
that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent. Now notice John deals with this
Gnostic heresy in the very opening words of this epistle. Look at
verse 1 of chapter 1. that which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which
we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life. For the life was manifested and
we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life which was with the father and was manifested unto us. That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also
may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with
the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. It is not simply
believing facts that saves, but rather it is Christ who saves. Eternal life is not knowing Bible
facts and Bible truth. Eternal life is knowing God the
Son as he makes himself known in the sacrifice that he's revealed
to us by the gospel. John was also concerned with
the idea, the teaching, that evil is in the physical world
around us, and godliness is to be obtained by abstaining from
physical pleasure. You are familiar somewhat with
Roman history, and it stands out in Roman history. The nunneries,
the abbeys, the monasteries, the priests and the nuns separate
themselves from the world. and they abstain from this or
abstain from that and they don't do this and they don't do that.
But Romanism permeates Baptist churches too. People have the
idea that somehow godliness is associated with not dressing
in a certain style, not wearing your hair a certain way, and
not wearing certain kinds of clothes, and not going to the
picture show. not having a television, not
eating some things, not drinking some things, and not doing this
or doing that. It's the idea that somehow evil
is out yonder. And if you can just separate
yourself from those evil things out there, then you will be godly. That's a common heresy in every
age in the world. The kingdom of God is not in
meat and in drink. So what Paul said in Romans?
But in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The kingdom of God is not in
physical things but spiritual. In faith which worketh by love. This idea that somehow the physical
world is evil tends also to a portion of Gnosticism, and that is the
denial of the real incarnation of the Lord Jesus. Do you know
people actually taught that God did not come in human flesh,
but that Christ was just a phantom, just a ghost, just something
that appeared to men, not a real man at all. An utter denial of
the incarnation, a denial that Jesus Christ is indeed God in
human flesh. And in John's day, as in ours,
there was a teaching with regard to perfectionism. Now, not many
would teach in his day or many in our day that anybody really
quite makes it. And you have some folks who would
say, yes, you can be sinlessly perfect in this world. Not many
would say that. But multitudes have the idea
that when God saves a sinner, he puts in you a holy principle,
a holy inclination. He begins a good work in you. And if you with much discipline
and exercise cut yourself off from wicked things and only do
good things, then you will grow in holiness and in righteousness
and you'll get better and better and better and better as the
days go on. It's this idea of progressive
sanctification that teaches progressive holiness. What a contradiction
in terms. Progressive holiness? That's
kind of like progressively perfect. Progressive holiness? Oh no.
When God saves a sinner, he puts a holy man in you. You're made partakers of the
divine nature created new in Christ Jesus. The old man's not
removed and never gets any better. But people have this idea that
somehow we can, with much discipline, make ourselves more and more
like the Savior. and more and more holy, more
and more righteous before God until at last we're right for
heaven and God just takes us all. That's a blasphemous delusion
and the dream by which multitudes drive themselves away from Christ. God has left us here in this
nature of Adam, in this nature of flesh, that we might live
continually in this world as testimonies to his grace, always
looking to Christ alone for our acceptance with God. He is made
of God unto us, wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
that according as it is written, He that gloryeth, let him glory
in the Lord. God, the Holy Spirit, makes men
new creatures in Christ. Look at what John says concerning
this matter of perfectionism. Believers know and confess their
sins. Believers do. Looking to Christ
alone for righteousness. 1 John 1 verse 8. If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If
we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now watch this. If we say that
we have not sinned, we make him a liar and Christ is not in us. His word is not in us. Anybody
who says with regard to any aspect of their lives, With regard to
anything we do, I have not sinned. You're nodding your head in agreement.
You say that's not sin. You make him a liar. Christ is
not in you. Because sin is mixed with everything
we do. In everything we do, there is
both flesh and spirit while we live in this world. And God Almighty
could stop that right now were that his purpose. Right now.
He could just as well eradicate sin from Mark Henson this second
as he can in the resurrection day. That wouldn't be a problem
to God. He's left us as we are, that
we may continually be reminded that we are sinners saved by
grace and our only righteousness is Jesus Christ, our Lord. And
then there are always some who teach that believers in their
character and conduct, that those things have no consequence. That
as long as we have the knowledge of and confess the right doctrine,
we may live in licentiousness, gratifying the flesh, and live
in communion with God at the same time. Such crass antinomianism
has plagued the church from the beginning as it does this day. But John declares that all who
live in licentiousness are the children of the devil, not the
children of God, no matter what they profess to believe. Look
at chapter 3, verse 10. Chapter 3, verse 10. In this,
the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil.
Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that
loveth not his brother." Anyone who suggests that the way a person
lives is insignificant. Anyone who suggests that the
grace of God does not, after all, teach us to deny ungodliness
and worldly lust and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present evil world denies everything they profess to believe. When
Christ appears, when Christ comes in his grace and saves a sinner,
he makes that man, that woman new. And that new creation seeks
God's honor day after day after day. All believers do. All believers do. Let men charge. Declare things as they will we
are accused of being antinomian. We're accused of promoting licentiousness
Pay no attention to such things but at the same time children
of God understand That we honor our God by faith in Christ and
that faith in Christ Calls as all who possess it to seek the
honor of God in all things we I want to show people this and
show them that. I want people to see that we're
godly. People can't see that. People
can't see that. I'm not interested in having
my neighbors tell everybody what a godly man Don Fortner is. If
I am, there's something wrong with me. I'm interested in being
a godly man. There's a huge difference. One
of the songs is, All shall see Jesus only living in me. Bobby folks couldn't see Jesus
living in Jesus. They sure can't see him living
in me. Now, this world has no idea what godliness is. You who
are born of God and taught of God do. And God's people live
uprightly for God's glory. All right. John writes this epistle
as a pastor with the pastor's concern for his people. He writes and throughout the
epistle addresses his people as children, sons and daughters
with tenderness, with compassion, with care, because he's concerned
for their lives. He writes to give assurance of
the knowledge of God Almighty. Let's start here in chapter one.
John deals with and shows us something concerning the word
of God. the Lord Jesus Christ. He tells
us that that one in whom we trust is God the word. He is the word
of life by whom we live. That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which
we have looked upon and our hands have handled. You're not talking
now about the written word. He's talking about Christ, the
living word of whom the written word speaks. Our hands have handled
him. This is the word of life for
the life was manifested and we've seen it and bear witness and
show unto you that eternal life, which was with the father and
was manifested unto us. John speaks much the same way
back in John chapter one. If you want to turn back there
and look at it, he says, in the beginning was the word. And the
Word was with God and the Word was God. In the beginning was
the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by him and without him was not
anything made that was made. In him was life and the life
was the light of man. Oh, what a volume of information
God gives us here by this man. He tells us that Jesus Christ,
the word, that one who is God, our savior, is eternal. He tells
us that he is life. He is the one who has life. He is the one who gives life.
He's the one in whom we have life. He is the word of life,
the means by which God conveys eternal life to sinners. This
one who is God, our savior is God in the flesh, the incarnate
God, one that we've seen with our eyes. Our ears have heard
it. Our hands have handled it. He's
the word of life. Johnson, I'm not talking to you
about an imaginary savior. I'm not talking to you about
somebody that nobody knows. I'm talking to you about a man
that I know. I touched him with my own hands. I heard him with
my own ears. We believe him who is God, our
savior. Now look at the third verse.
John's purpose in writing the epistle is that we who believe
might live together in sweet blessed fellowship with Christ
And then he tells us that the basis of this fellowship This
life Is all true fellowship. It's in Christ that which we
have seen and heard declare we unto you that you may have fellowship
with us and And truly our fellowship is with the father and with his
son, Jesus Christ. This fellowship arises from the
knowledge of God in Christ and the blessed fact that life is
ours by the sin atoning sacrifice of God's dear son. Look at verse
seven. If we walk in the light as he
is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. and the blood
of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. Ron, the one thing
that unites us is that we're sinners redeemed by the blood
of Christ. That's the one thing that unites
us. That's the one thing that takes
away all the other things that might separate us. We are sinners
redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, God's people. All of
them acknowledge themselves sinners, and the basis of our fellowship
is the person and work of Jesus Christ the Lord. I hear people
talk about fellowship. Fellowship. We go to the ballgame
and have fellowship. That's not fellowship. We get
together with the family and have fellowship. That's not fellowship. Now we get along with folks,
we enjoy people's company, but fellowship is this union of life
that exists only between believing men and women because we recognize
who we are and who Christ is. And we possess him together and
are possessed of him together. Our fellowship is with one another
and with Jesus Christ, God's darling son. It's a fellowship
of life based on blood atonement, a fellowship of light and knowledge
so that we, having an unction from the Holy One, know all things,
being taught of God by the indwelling of God's spirit. It's a fellowship
of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Then John goes on and addresses
to us something concerning our walking together in this blessed
fellowship. Throughout the epistle, he tells
us that believers live together and walk together. We are we
are one family, one body in Jesus Christ, the Lord, forgiven of
all sin, possessing eternal life, men and women who can never perish.
All of us taught of God, adopted as the children of God, loved
of God and made to be lovers of God, forgiven and accepted
in Christ Jesus, the Lord. Look in chapter two here, John. It gives us a clear, assuring
declaration of the grace of God that's ours in Christ. And it
begins by dealing with an issue that concerns all believers.
What happens when you say it? What happens when you say it?
We converted newborn babes in Christ No matter what our instruction
has been, no matter what our background has been, somehow
we foolishly have the idea that once we're saved by God's grace,
we won't have to struggle with sin anymore. Says Brother Cody
there. I've never discussed it with
you. I guarantee you, you thought you wouldn't have these problems
now, didn't you? Wouldn't have these struggles,
these same passions, these same corruptions. And then you wake
up one day and realize nothing about my old nature has
changed. I'm just as vile now as I was
before God saved me. Just as inclined to every evil
as I was before I ever met the Redeemer. What happens when the
believer sins? This whole epistle John says,
I've written to you that you sin not. Don't sin. Don't sin. Don't find any excuse
for sin. Bill Raleigh, there's absolutely
no excuse for any evil deed or thought in us. No excuse. No way to justify it. No way
to excuse it. But when God's people sin, nothing
changes in our relationship with our God. Our relationship with God, our
interest in Christ doesn't depend on us. There's no other relation in
the world where that can be said. Bob and Mary Lou, Had lunch with
y'all today. How many anniversaries is it?
Y'all just celebrated? I won't put you on the spot.
Don't try to answer. Two minutes, grab right now.
But the relationship is mutually dependent on one another's faithfulness
and love. Mutually dependent. I love my
husband unconditionally. No, you don't. No, you don't. I love my wife unconditionally.
That's not so. I love my children unconditionally.
No, you don't. No, you don't. There's only one
relationship that exists. It's totally unconditional. And
that's the marriage of our souls to God the Son. Totally unconditional. Nothing will ever change our
interest in Christ. When believers sin, when we're
made aware of our sin, when we are made aware of what's in us. Much happens in our fellowship,
in our experience, in our enjoyment of God's salvation, but nothing
changes in that salvation. Nothing. But while God and I
shall be I am his, and he is mine. My little children, these things
write I unto you that you sin not. And if any men sin, we have
an advocate with the Father. An effectual, all-prevailing
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Our advocate
is Jesus, our Savior, Jehovah, our Savior. Our advocate is Christ,
the anointed one of whom all the prophets spoke. Our advocate
is the righteous, that one who is the righteousness of God,
who brought in everlasting righteousness. Our advocate is the propitiation
for our sins. It is he who absorbed all the
fury of God's wrath for our sins. Not of ours only, but for the
sins of the world. That is, for the sins of God's
people wherever they're found throughout this world. Christ
alone is our advocate and we are accepted in the beloved. The reason for this assured acceptance
that is ours in Christ Jesus is the fact that he is that one
who satisfies all the demands of God's holiness and justice
on our behalf. He's our advocate. Now, look
at chapter three. Here John describes for us something
about the sons of God. Here's a cause for great wonder. God Almighty so loved us that
he made us his own dear children. Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons
of God. Now watch this. Therefore the
world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. I told you a
minute ago the world didn't know him. They sure can't know us.
The world doesn't know what godliness is. The world doesn't know what
faith is. The world doesn't know what righteousness
is. The world doesn't know God. No
point in trying to pretend that they do. The world doesn't know
us, doesn't know Him. We're the sons of God. Read on.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God. Right now. Just as much
as we shall be when we're raised in His likeness in the resurrection
glory. And it doth not yet appear what
we shall be. What awaits us? Soon we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Imagine that. Imagine
that. We're going to be like the Redeemer. How far do you carry that? When
you carry it as far as you can in your mind's imagination, You
haven't begun to get started. We shall be like him. Like him. In every detail of his character.
In every detail of his being. In every detail of his glory.
Like him. For we shall see him as he is.
That's a cause for wonder. Here's a cause for concern. Look
at verse four. Every sin is the transgression
of God's holy law. and deserves God's wrath. Whosoever
committeth sin also transgresseth also the law, for sin is the
transgression of the law. But thank God that cause of concern
is immediately followed by cause for everlasting praise and honor
and thanksgiving to God. And you know that he was manifested
to take away our sins. He was manifested to take away
our sins. Merle, that's what he came here
for. Either he did it or he didn't. And in him is no sin. In him is no sin. Oscar Bailey,
you're nothing but sin in yourself, in Christ. No sin. No sin. He took our sins away. There's pardon for transgressions
past. It matters not how black they're
cast. And oh, my soul, with wonder
view, for sins to come, there's pardon too. And here's a cause for everlasting
gratitude praise to our God the Lord Jesus Christ our great God
So loved us that he laid down his life for us verse 16 Hereby
perceived we the love of God Because he laid down his life
for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren And then John takes up this matter
of God's servants in chapter 4 God's servants. He tells us to
test, to try every preacher who claims to speak for God. Every
one of them. You're listening to Don Fortner
tonight. You try everything Don Fortner says by this book. Everything
he says. You, uh, well here's Lindsay
Campbell next Sunday morning. You try everything he says by
this book. Everything he says. You hear
these preachers come in here from all parts of the country
and around the world. You try every word they say by
the book, every word. And by this word, you determine
whether the man who claims to be God's messenger is God's messenger
or Satan's messenger. Well, how do you distinguish
them? Look at chapter four, verse one. Beloved, believe not every
spirit, But try the spirits, whether they are of God. Because
many false prophets are going out into the world. This is not
something that happened yesterday. This has been going on for 2,000
years. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. This is how you know
God's Spirit. Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. Well, Brother Dodd, All these
preachers are God's servants then. You go down to the Mormon
church, and they'll tell you that Christ came in the flesh.
You go to the Catholic church, and they'll tell you that Christ
came in the flesh. Go across the street to that synagogue
of Satan, and they'll tell you that Christ came in the flesh.
Go down the road to the Presbyterian church, and they'll tell you
that Christ came in the flesh. Go down the road to the Methodist
church, and they'll tell you that Christ came in the flesh. Everybody
says that. Go home and turn on the History Channel on TV. They'll
tell you that Christ came in the flesh. No, that's not what
it's talking about. To confess that Jesus Christ
came in the flesh, Rex, is to confess that He who is Jesus
of Nazareth is the Christ of God who accomplished everything
written in this book concerning Him. You mean to confess that Christ
came in the flesh is to acknowledge and confess that He brought in
everlasting righteousness by His obedience? That he satisfied
the justice of God by his sacrifice? That he redeemed his people from
their sins? that he with his own blood obtained
eternal redemption for us, that he put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself, that he by his blood perfected forever them that are
sanctified, that he actually did redeem and save all his people. That's to confess that Christ
came in the flesh. Read on now. And every spirit
that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God but is that spirit of Antichrist whereby ye have
heard that it should come and even now already is it in the
world. Every false prophet, every messenger
of Satan, every representative of Antichrist will tell you that
there's something for you to do. There's something you must do.
Now, yes, Christ came. Yes, Christ died for us. Yes,
Christ shed his blood. Yes, Christ redeemed. Yes, Jesus
saves. But that don't mean there's nothing
for you to do. You've got to do something to
make yourself righteous. You've got to do something to
make up to God. You've got to do something to
atone for your own sin. You've got to do something to
make yourself accepted with God. You can't just say now, now salvation
by grace is nothing for me to do. Salvation by grace and there's
nothing for you to do. There's nothing for you to do.
You can't make yourself righteous with your wicked hands. You can't
atone for your sins with your wicked works. You can't make
yourself accepted to God with your wicked heart. It's not possible. Salvation is of the Lord. And everyone who denies that
Jesus Christ has by himself alone saved his people is Antichrist. Oh, Brother Dodd, are you saying
that people who Don't believe the gospel of God's grace, our
Antichrist? Mark, I wouldn't say that for
the world. John said that. John said that. Then he assures us both of God's
great love for us and of every believer's love for him, telling
us that our love for him is the response of our hearts to his
love for us. First nine chapter four in this
was manifested the love of God toward us Because that God sent
his only begotten son into the world that we might live through
him Herein is love Not that we loved God, but that he loved
us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins verse
19 Lord, thou knowest all things.
Thou knowest that I love thee. We love him because he first
loved us. Then in the fifth chapter, John
gives us the witnesses of God by which our hearts are assured
of salvation in Christ and acceptance with God. In the opening verses
of the chapter, he declares plainly that all who trust Christ are
born of God. And then he assures us that all
who trust Christ overcome the world. And beginning in verse
six, he gives us assuring witnesses that God has given concerning
his son and concerning the efficacy of his grace and his salvation
in him. John's purpose, remember, is
that you may know that you believe on the Son of God. And he gives
these witnesses. First, in verses 6 and 8, he
shows us God's witness on the earth. 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. Verse 8. And there are
three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, The water
and the blood. And these three agree in one.
Three witnesses to our faith in Jesus Christ, our accomplished
Redeemer, God gives in the earth. The water. What's that talking
about? Our Lord Jesus came to John to
be baptized in River Jordan. And John said, Oh, no, no, I
need to be baptized by you. And the Savior said, Suffer to
be so, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Now, if you've got the crazy
notion that Campbellites do that somehow ducking somebody in a
pool of water will regenerate them and make them righteous.
I'll be honest with you, you need to have your head examined.
There's something strange about a fellow who believes that getting
in a pool of water will change you from a sinner to a saint
But what our Lord mean thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness
The Lord Jesus was coming to John to be baptized and by his
baptism symbolizing how redemptions accomplished We baptize folks,
and every time we do, that person who is baptized is confessing,
and we with them, the gospel of God's grace. How is redemption
accomplished? God's darling son was crucified
in our stead, buried, and rose again. And he shows the fulfillment
of righteousness, symbolically being buried in the waters of
baptism and raised again to walk with God. And so we are buried
with him in baptism and raised with him to walk with him in
the newness of life and the blood, the witness to our Savior. And
all that he said is his blood, the blood of the Lamb of God
who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world by
whom justice has been satisfied. The blood of a perfectly righteous
man shed in the stead of his people for the saving of our
souls to satisfy the justice of God and the witness of the
spirit. Witness in this earth. Witness
in this earth. How do you know God the Holy
Spirit comes and convinces you of sin, of righteousness, and
of judgment. Convinces you of your sin, your
need of a Savior, of God's righteousness in Christ, righteousness established
and finished by God's Son, and judgment forever finished by
the sacrifice of God's Son. And then he speaks of three witnesses
in heaven. For there are three that bear record in earth or
in heaven, verse seven, the father, the word and the Holy Ghost. The triune God, the father. And
the word, this word of life, John had been talking about Jesus
Christ, who is the wisdom of God, the revelation of God, Jesus
Christ, our mediator is God, the word and the spirit, the
Holy Ghost. Now watch what he says. And these
three are one. The water, the blood, and the
spirit, witnesses in the earth agree in one. But the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost, these three are one. Do you realize
that that is the only statement in the whole volume of inspiration
that states plainly the doctrine of the Trinity? Three persons
in one God. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Such a plain statement it is of the Trinity that Satan has
been doing everything he can to eradicate it from the Bible
throughout the history of the Bible you hold in your hand.
Now, in this place, we don't use any of the modern translations.
I realize that our King James translation is a translation.
I understand that. I understand that. It was translated
from the ancient languages into our language. What you have in
your lap right now is the only translation of scripture in the
English language that contains that verse of scripture. The
only one. Some will put it in a footnote
and say, well, some folks like it there, but it doesn't belong
there. This is the only one. So thoroughly has Satan attempted
to rid the scriptures of this testimony of the divine trinity. There are three that bear witness,
bear record in heaven. the father, the word and the
Holy Ghost. And these three are one. And then John speaks of God's
witness within. Look at verse nine. I'll wrap
this up. If we receive the witness of man, the witness of God is
greater. For this is the witness of God,
which he has testified of his son. He that believeth on the
son of God hath to witness it himself. He that believeth on
the Son of God hath to witness it himself. I say to you all
the time, do you believe the Son of God? Folks, I don't know.
Yes, you do know. Yes, you do know. That's not
so. Believers do know. They do know. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath to witness it himself. What witness? God
the Holy Spirit. The witness which God hath testified
of his Son. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath to witness it himself. He that believeth not, God hath
made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. Verse 11. And this is the record
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. At the head of your bulletin
this morning, I had a quotation from B.B. Caldwell. Caldwell
said the only person who wants a new heart is one who already
has it. He that hath the son hath life. He hath life. It is not our believing
that gives us life. I believing is the result of
him having given us life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. Verse 13. These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God,
that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may
believe on the name of the Son of God. These things I've written that
you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe
on the name of the Son of God. Amen.