Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Water and Blood (5:6-12)

Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Water and Blood

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 Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 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. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. 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. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  (1 John 5:6-12 ESV)

John uses what is for us a somewhat enigmatic statement as testimony to the truth of who Jesus is and why then adopting this truth gives us eternal life.  He says Jesus came by water and by blood.

One view of this is that because some of the false teachers taught that the Christ spirit came upon the human Jesus at his baptism and left him at his crucifixion, John wants to emphasize that Jesus Christ, the united personage, came by water (baptism) but also by blood (crucifixion).  He experienced it all, not just some portion of it.  He is a real human being and yet the divine Son of God.

Others point to the moment at Jesus’ crucifixion when the soldier pierced his side to confirm his death and water and blood came out (John 19:34).  This confirmed that Jesus was really dead and thus his sacrifice was complete.

In either case it was the whole God/Man, Jesus Christ, Son of God, who died for us to make salvation possible and it is the Holy Spirit who has also borne testimony to this fact through the apostles.  And individual believers have the Holy Spirit given to them by whom they are persuaded that this testimony about Jesus is the truth.

The result is, whoever thus understands Jesus in this correct way has him.  And whoever has Jesus has eternal life.  Whoever does not believe the right way about Jesus does not have him nor eternal life.  And isn’t it amazing that Jesus allows us to “have” him?  We belong to each other and are inextricably bound.  Thank you, Lord.