Pastor John,
What is John saying here, in 1John 5:
- For there are three that bear witness:
- the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. And these three agree.
Beth D.
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Hi Beth.
I don’t have a clear answer for that, Beth, but the answer is definitely connected in some way with verses 5–6 of the same chapter:
- Who is it who overcomes the world except he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
- This is he who came through water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit is the witness because the Spirit is truth.
The answer to your question must have something to do with the Spirit bearing witness in the human body of Jesus and of us who believe. His body and ours came “through water [our mother’s womb – see John 3:5] and blood”. I think that “blood” here refers to human nature (see John 1:13). If not, I do not know what John meant by that.
By the way, Paul emphasized our human selves bearing witness in conjunction with the Spirit in Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself bears witness, together with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” So, that may help clarify what John wrote.
That’s the best I can do with that one, Beth. Thank you for your question. It’s one that I have pondered over many times.
Pastor John
Tell us what you think:
https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1881028900685508947