“A THREEFOLD WITNESS”

7 “For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.”

1 John 5:7-8

What proof do we have that Jesus is who He claimed to be?

John picks up on the idea found in the previous verse. Previously, the Apostle proclaimed who Jesus is and what He’s done. Now, he boosts his readers’ confidence in Christ, saying three testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Collectively, these three agree as one. While some would argue, I don’t think John is referring to the Holy Spirit. But this threefold witness should give us greater trust in the truth about Christ.

First, the Spirit bears witness that Jesus is God in the flesh, the only way to heaven. The Holy Spirit inspired men to write the historical accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Second, the witness of the water, which likely refers to the Lord’s water baptism in the Jordan, where God affirmed Christ as His Son.

Third, the witness of the blood is a clear reference to Jesus’ crucifixion. At the Cross, Jesus proved His claim of being God’s Son by giving up His life and rising from the dead—as He said He would.

Unbelievers would often ask why they should believe in Jesus. They are looking for concrete, fool-proof evidence that He is God. These three—the Spirit, the water, and the blood—give us the unmistakable truth of Jesus’ Person and work.

These are not fictional ideas; they are historical facts written by eyewitnesses like John and Peter who eventually died saying that they saw the risen Christ. If anything, their deaths should inspire us to all the more put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only way for man to be saved.

Pursue the Savior today!