REAL CHRISTIANITY
1 John 5:6-13
Blessed Assurance
#17 in Real Christianity (1 John)
The lesson we have in 1 John 5:6-13 is
about being sure on the greatest issue of all, eternal life. This passage helps
us to be sure that our sins are forgiven, sure that we have peace with God,
sure that when we die we are saved from punishment for our sins. This passage shows us that God wants you to
be sure of eternal life. That’s “blessed
assurance”.
God wants you to be sure of eternal
life.
He wants you have “Blessed Assurance”.
There are two key concepts in these
verses.
GOD’S WORK – Vss. 6-9, 11
There are certain things that God does
to make it possible for a person to have eternal life. In the text in front of
us, I see at least two.
First, I see God providing three
witnesses concerning His Son Jesus Christ. What you believe concerning Jesus
Christ is literally a matter of life and death, eternal life or eternal death.
Because of this, God gives to man witnesses concerning the deity and work of
our Lord.
1 John 5:6 - This is he that came by water and blood,
even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the
Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1 John 5:8 - And there are three that bear witness in
earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Notice in these verses that all three
witnesses agree concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first witness we will consider is
the water. Down through the years there have been many interpretations
concerning what the water is referring to. Remember that the subject here is Jesus
Christ.
I personally feel that the water is
referring to Jesus’ baptism. Matthew
The deity of Jesus Christ is an
important issue. In order to have eternal life, one must believe on Christ as
the Son of God. The baptism of Jesus gives evidence of the existence of the
Trinity and the deity of Christ.
First, the Spirit of God came upon Him,
showing that his ministry was certainly in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, God says, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
So water baptism of Jesus becomes a
witness to the deity of Christ.
The next witness is blood.
When man failed in the Garden of Eden by
sinning against God, he was evicted.
They were naked and without shame in the garden, as long as they did not
sin. With sin came the shame, the lack of innocence. They knew they were naked.
Then they needed a covering. What did
God cover them with? “Coats of skins” –
Animals were slain to cover man because of his sin. There was the shedding of
the innocent blood of an animal so man could be covered.
When Adam and Eve’s sons came to God
with sacrifices, God accepted the sacrifice of Abel. Cain brought vegetables from his garden. Abel brought an animal from the flock and shed
its blood. God accepted the sacrifice of
Abel because it was a blood sacrifice.
Read through the Pentateuch and you will
find that the sacrifices God accepted where blood sacrifices. An innocent
animal was slain for the sake of men who were not innocent.
Our Jewish friends celebrate Passover.
The Angel of Death went through
These are all pictures of what God would
do to ultimately pay for the sins of the world.
He ultimately sent His Son to shed his blood for the sins of the world.
Hebrews 9:12,
The blood of goats and calves was just a
temporary covering for sin in the Old Testament, until the true Lamb of God
would pay for our sins. Hebrews 9:13-14, 1 Peter 1:18-19
The blood is a witness to the deity of
Christ, and the work of Christ for our salvation. Isaiah 53:5-6
To me the most significant words of
Christ on the cross were “It is Finished!”
This means His blood had been shed and the price for our redemption had
been paid. Nothing more had to be done.
1 John 5:8 - And there are three that bear witness in
earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
The first witness was the water.
The second witness was the blood.
The third witness is the Spirit. He,
too, is a witness to the deity of Christ. How is He a witness to the deity of
Christ?
First, He is responsible for the writing
of the Scriptures that attest to the deity of Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter
1:21
The Holy Spirit is also a witness to the
deity of Christ because He uses the Word of God to bring about salvation.
Most of us came to Christ because the
Spirit of God in some way used the Word of God to convict us of our need. Isaiah 55:10-11
The Spirit is not only a witness through
God’s Word and through God’s word being shared, but He is a witness through us
Christians. It is He who empowers us to
witness. Acts 1:8
There is a
fourth way the Holy Spirit acts as a witness.
He convicts unsaved people of their need
for a Savior. He convicts them that they need to trust Christ. John 16:8-11
And
there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the
blood: and these three agree in one.
There are three witnesses to the deity
of Christ, the water, the blood and the Spirit.
1 John 5:9 - If we receive the witness of men, the
witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son.
We take people’s word for all sorts of
things. We just believe what they say!
The witness of God is greater! His three
witnesses are more powerful and more reliable than any man’s witness! We need
to believe what God says.
The first work of God mentioned here is
His witness.
The second work of God John mentions is
the offering of a free gift.
1 John 5:11 - And this is the record, that God hath given
to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
This is the record! We have it right
here in the Book of Books.
The record is that God has offered us a
gift!
The gift is eternal life.
It is offered through His Son.
When something is given it cannot be
paid for.
When something is given it cannot be
earned.
When something is given it is not
necessarily deserved.
It is simply given.
A true gift has no strings attached.
When you see a commercial on T.V. offering a free gift, we ask, “What do we have to buy
to get the free gift?”
When God offers the free gift of
everlasting life, there are no strings attached.
If we are honest with ourselves, no
amount of good works, or law keeping, or money, or church attendance, or water
will ever be enough to wash away, to atone for, to
make restitution for our sins.
It had to be a gift because we could not
earn it. Ephesians 2:8-9
The Work of God to bring about assurance
of salvation includes the three witnesses of the water, the blood, and the
Spirit, and the offering of a free gift.
THE WORK OF GOD
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN – Vss. 10,
12, 13
Man simply has one responsibility and
that is to believe.
Vs. 10 says “believe”.
Vs. 12 says “believe”.
Vs. 13 says “believe”.
Jesus already died for your sins.
The gift has already been provided.
All you have to do is accept the gift by
faith.
You need to believe that Jesus alone
died for your sins and that Jesus alone is your hope for Heaven.
Verses 10, 12 and 13 show us what
happens when we believe.
1 John 5:10 - He that believeth on the Son of God hath the
witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he
believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
Belief produces the witness of the Holy
Spirit in your life.
The Spirit before you believe is an
outside witness through the Word, through the preacher and through His
conviction.
Once you believe the Spirit comes into
dwell and we now have an inner witness that we are the children of God. Romans
8:15
There is another important fact in verse
10. If you don’t believe you are making God a liar. God says “believe on my Son
for salvation”. If you say “no” you are implying by your unbelief that God is
not telling the truth.
Belief produces the Holy Spirit.
Belief produces life.
1 John 5:12 - He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Here it means eternal life.
Eternal life is life that lives beyond
the grave.
It is life that lives beyond sickness
and death.
It is life that is forever.
If you have the Son, because you have
believed on Him you have life, eternal life.
Of course, having eternal life means
that you have life right now. You have a
changed life. You have a life that is capable of being abundant! John 10:10
Belief produces the Holy Spirit.
Belief produces life.
Belief produces confidence.
1 John 5:13 - These things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
God does not mess with your mind.
Many well meaning people think that no
one can know that they are saved until they die.
God is not sadistic. He’ll not toy with
you.
He wants you to know that you are saved.
If your faith is in Him you should know
that you have eternal life!
You should be able to confidently say,
“I know that I am going to Heaven when I die.”
Do you have Blessed
Assurance of eternal life?
There is the Work of God.
Have you received the witness of the
water, the blood, and the Spirit?
Have you accepted God’s free gift?
There is the Responsibility of Man
Have you believed in Christ as your
Savior?
Belief produces the Holy Spirit.
Belief produces eternal life.
Belief produces confidence.