This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the (Holy) Spirit is the one who testifies, because the (Holy) Spirit is the truth.
1 John 5:6-12
Our country, in the principle in legal matters, considers one’s innocence until proven guilty. Doing so recognizes that human beings are prone to either make false accusations against others or to be wrongly accused of a crime themselves. The Mosaic law, which most Jews were familiar with in Jesus’ day, dictates that no one can be convicted of a crime without the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). Yet, the law of Moses was not only concerned with the number of witnesses, it also had much to say about the character of a witness. False and malicious witnesses were to receive the punishment due the crime of which they falsely accused another. John shares this concern for the character of the witness in today’s passage and he appeals to the witness of God Himself, whose character is beyond question. John writes that, ”if we are willing to accept the testimony of men” (and we all do, every single day), we should therefore be willing to accept the greater testimony of God. Whoever believes in the Son has this testimony in himself. So, what exactly constitutes this testimony? God’s testimony is likely the same as the testimony of the Holy Spirit, the water, and the blood. In other words, God Himself speaks through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit and the events of Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion confirm the incarnation. Those who reject His testimony regarding the incarnation make the trustworthy God into a liar and thus blaspheme His name. Jesus is not merely a good teacher, He is the Incarnate Son of the living God, and if this is rejected, then God Himself is rejected, no matter how much one may protest. Without confession of the incarnate Son, the Father remains unknown. Those who reject the full humanity and full deity of Jesus are not only mistaken, they are sinning. It is not possible to accept the Son of God unless you believe the biblical testimony, which is God’s testimony, about His person and work. Muslims, secular humanists, Mormons, and all others who reject the divine Messiah are guilty of blasphemous unbelief. Spend some time today praying for a friend who does not believe in the biblical Christ.
Source: S C Ball October 13, 2023
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