The Testimony of God – 1 John 5:6-10

It has always been said that actions speak louder than words.  It’s one thing to make a claim, it’s another to back it up.  In 1 John 5:6-10, the apostle tells us that Jesus did both.  He not only claimed to be the Son of God and savior to the world, his actions are evidence of that truth.  Beyond that, the Holy Spirit, as we’ve talked about before, offers testimony, both internally and externally (which we’ll see in just a second).

I suppose this could be considered one of those passages somewhat difficult to understand.  John starts talking about Jesus coming by water and blood and that testifies about him, agreeing that He is the Son of God and it can sound pretty crazy at first.  I think, though, if we break it down just a bit, we’ll see what I believe John is talking about.

The testimony of water.  This most likely refers to Jesus’ baptism.  We need to think about what that was all about and what happened.  When Jesus came up out of the water, after having identified Himself with us in the act of baptism, the Spirit of God descended upon Him for all to see and a voice was heard giving testimony:  “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  God, Himself, testified and the Spirit confirmed the nature and person of who Jesus was as He obediently undertook an important sign of His identification with us.

Then, of course, was the blood.  Jesus not only talked about the need for Salvation, He provided it.  He put His money where His mouth was and went to the cross, fulfilling prophecy completely, demonstrating His divinity through the resurrection.  John says that their (the witnesses) testimony is strong, having seen all of this take place, but the testimony of the Spirit of God, Himself, the baptism and the sacrifice of Christ give us a certainty of who Jesus was and is.  It is because of this that John speaks in such strong terms regarding making God a liar, having been provided such compelling evidence.

In the midst of such turmoil surrounding this “holiday” season (who can put up what display and is this a pagan holiday or a Christian one, etc.) we who are Believers can reflect on the reason Christ came and appreciate the testimony God has given us that Jesus became flesh to bring hope to the hopeless, sight to the blind, healing to the sick and salvation to the lost.