Witnessing for Jesus Christ (1 John 5:6-12)

John encourages his readers to remain loyal to Jesus Christ. Their congregations had been infiltrated by false teachers. The erroneous teaching had been connected to their opinion of Jesus as to who he really was and what he had done. Presumably the false teachers were still spreading their views in the public arena, which meant that the public would have been informed of at least two different opinions about Christ – there was the opinion of the Christian church and there was the opinion of the false teachers. Therefore, John proceeds to remind his readers who Jesus is and how they have come to have this knowledge. This is a reminder that is not enough to say that we are bearing witness to Jesus – we also have to make it clear concerning which Jesus we are bearing witness. 

1. The crucified Christ 

In describing Jesus Christ, John uses terminology that may appear unusual to us when he says that Jesus ‘came by water and blood’ (v. 6). What does John mean? First, we can say that they were the means by which he made his journey, which was to become our Saviour. When we travel on a journey we all recognise milestones – the water and the blood refer to milestones in the life of Jesus. Is there an event in the life of Jesus that can be classified as him coming by water? The obvious event is his baptism when he began his public ministry. Is there an event in his life that can be classified as him coming by blood? The obvious event is his sufferings on the cross which climaxed his public ministry. 

In order to appreciate John’s point, we have to recall what the false teachers taught. They agreed that Jesus came by baptism, that he had been a public announcement at the beginning of his three years of ministry in Israel. However, they did not want to speak about his death, which they regarded as a defeat and tried to explain away by saying that the divine person left the human Jesus before he died. John obviously disagreed with their emphasis and insisted that the true Jesus, to whom we must be bear witness, is the Jesus was crucified at Calvary, and who died on the cross as the sinbearer. 

Of course, that ancient heresy as long since disappeared. Nevertheless, we are still called to testify to the crucified Jesus because the value of his death is still contested today. Many people are willing to have a Jesus who gave profound teachings and who lived as a good example, which is almost the same as saying that he came by baptism. Such a testimony is not half-correct, rather it is a complete distortion of who Jesus is and why he came. We have to tell all the truth about Jesus. A half truth about him is actually a lie. 

2. The witness of the Spirit 

John adds another aspect to the testimony of Christians when he says that the Holy Spirit also testifies. We should not be surprised at the inclusion of the witness of the Spirit because Jesus told his disciples that when the Spirit came at Pentecost he would bear witness to Jesus: ‘But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning’ (John 15:26-27). In what ways does the Spirit do this? Here are two ways in which we see the witness of the Spirit. 

First, the Spirit bears witness to Jesus in the Bible. The Word of God has come to us by the work of the Spirit, guiding those who wrote the various books of the Bible. We are aware that the Bible speaks about many issues, yet its predominant and uniting theme is Jesus Christ. Every book in the Bible has something to say about him; once we realise that he is the Key that opens the treasures of every book. And he is the uniting theme of the Bible because he is connected to all its contents. The genealogies of the Bible ultimately lead to him, the commandments are given so that people can live for him, and explanations are given of his life and work so that readers can understand who he was on what he did. 

Second, the Spirit bears witness to Jesus by illuminating blind sinners within their minds and hearts regarding their personal need of Jesus and of his suitability to be their Saviour. The Spirit instructs them about the beauty, glory and fitness of Jesus as the Saviour. Millions have experienced this testimony of the Spirit and rejoice in what he has told them. 

It is important to retain the emphasis John has here – he says that the Spirit testifies to the One who came by water and blood, to be the crucified Christ. The Spirit lovingly and gently unfolds before the minds of sinners the significance of Jesus Christ and creates within their hearts a warm love for Jesus, a whole-hearted dependence on Jesus, and a focussed devotion to Jesus that affects every aspect of life. 

What a marvellous blessing it is to have the outward witness (the Bible) and the inward witness (conversion and communion) of the Spirit! How thankful we should be if we have received them! 

3. The clear distinction (vv. 9-10) 

John reminds his readers of these two aspects of the Spirit’s witness. Verse 9 (‘If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son’) describes the witness of the Bible; verse 10a (‘Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself’) describes the witness inside a person who believes in Jesus. But what about those who do not believe in Jesus? What has John to say about such? The remainder of verse 10 tells us: ‘Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.’ 

Perhaps some will be appalled to read John’s description that such behave as if God was telling lies to them in the Bible. Yet when we think about it, any person who does not immediately believe the gospel is saying this about God. The Lord, in the Bible, tells us that Jesus is the only Saviour of sinners and that they will be lost for ever unless they repent of their sins and trust in Jesus. The proof that they take God’s testimony seriously is that they will immediately respond in repentance and faith. Surely the prospect of the danger of hell, the presence of the disease of sin and the promise of salvation should cause each of us, if we are truly concerned about our own souls, to avail ourselves immediately of the gospel offer. But if we don’t do so, are we not in effect saying to God that his warnings are not so urgent as he indicates. And that response is the same as telling God he is a liar. 

4. The wonderful provision (vv. 11-12) 

The witness that a Christian bears is that, through the work of the crucified Christ and the twofold testimony of the Spirit, he or she now possesses eternal life. This life is both a gift from God and is located in Jesus himself. But how can we describe it? 

Some focus on the word ‘eternal’ and limit its meaning to the idea of endlessness. Of course, it will never end, and that is wonderful to know. But the meaning of the adjective ‘eternal’ includes much more. We can think of it in this way. If the words were ‘human life’, how would we describe the life intended? We would produce a list of all the features that compose authentic human life. Or if the words were ‘Scottish life’, we would have a list detailing the many qualities that compose our national existence. We would not say that Scottish life is only found in a certain geographical area of the world. That would be true, but it would not explain what Scottish life is. In a far higher sense, eternal life is far more than endless existence. It also includes an infinite range of spiritual blessings. So what is eternal life like? 

To begin with, we can make some observations about how this life comes to us. First, it is the type of life that God experiences – God gives out of himself when he gives life to us. This means that it is spiritual life. Second, the place where God has located this life is in his Son. In this regard Jesus is like a secure bank where spiritual riches are stored safely. Third, Jesus conveys all features of this God-given life to his people. This is true today and will be the case in the new heavens and earth as well. By the Spirit, Jesus gives life continually to his people. 

What makes our daily existence into life? Many answers could be given, but here are five suggestions: security from danger, social interaction or living in a community marked by mutual love, freedom to develop, a sense of peace and satisfaction, and joy from future prospects as well as from current experiences. Do Christians have these features of life day by day? Do they enjoy Life? 

Security from danger. Is there an enemy that can prevent them having eternal life? Their enemies are sin, the world and the devil. There will be spiritual battles, even wounds, but no one or nothing can take them out of God’s grip. They have security, even although they are not yet in heaven. 

Social interaction or living in a community marked by mutual love. The community of which they are members is the family of God. In this world, there are occasional fall-outs within the family, yet in the main it is marked by brotherly love expressed in shared prayer and care. Further, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit also live within this community and spread God’s love throughout it. 

Freedom to develop: there are some countries in which citizens are not free to go where they wish or improve their own knowledge. In the spiritual country in which God’s people live, they can go where they wish within God’s inheritance and extend their understanding of God’s divine provisions and intentions, with Jesus himself as their guide. 

Sense of peace and satisfaction: This awareness of security, experience of love and opportunities for spiritual development bring about within their souls peace and contentment. They are experiencing what they are made for as the peace of God is given to them by Jesus. 

Joy from future prospects as well as from current experiences. In addition they receive from God, through his Word, great assurances about the future. As they scan the distant horizon, using the telescopes of God’s promises, they see a future bright with the glory of God. This expectation, combined with their present enjoyment, leads to joy unspeakable and full of glory. 

Those five features are known in a measure in this world, and will be experienced in their fullness in the eternal state. This life is given to believers in Jesus. But note the awful straightforwardness of John’s words in verse 12: ‘Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.’ It’s as simple as that, and one day, when Jesus returns, the division will be even clearer than it is today.