The Testimony of a Witness

“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.”  I John 5:9

We know that God is One but also in combination as three, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Jesus, the Son, is referred to as the “Word”.  John 1:1 tells us that the Word was in the beginning, that is, there was never a time when Jesus did not exist.  John continued to write that the Word was with God, and the Word was (and is) God.  God spoke the world into existence by His Word.  He said, “Let Us make man in Our image”, signifying that Jesus was the Creator along with His Father.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reside in heaven, but their influence is felt upon the earth.  The Holy Spirit’s eternal residence is heaven, but He travels the earth to convict and save those who repent and believe on Christ, and then indwells those who do, communicating with the Father in His own words the prayers of the saints.  The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ agent on earth until such time as God calls an end to the world as we know it.

When Jesus ascended back to His Father in heaven (Acts 1:9), He left three proofs of His mission for which He came to earth and completed:  The Spirit, the water, and the blood, which are all tied in together, inseparable, and necessary for salvation.  The water, which represents Christ’s baptism and identified Him as God’s Son sent for a specific mission upon earth was God’s way to anoint Him as Prophet, Priest, and King, with His position as Priest being our great High Priest.  When the Holy Spirit as a dove lighted upon Him at His baptism, it was God’s sign that Jesus was set aside as God’s means of redemption for mankind.  Under the Levitical laws, priests were to be consecrated around 30 years of age.  They first had to be washed (baptism) and then anointed (Exodus 29:4-7); Leviticus 8:6-36).  This is why Jesus said He must be baptized to fulfil all righteousness, that is, to obey God’s law as given to Moses.

The blood that Jesus shed on the cross was the most substantial witness upon earth that 1.) Jesus was/is the Son of God, 2.) that God’s love and mercy for people has no equal, and 3.) that Jesus’ sacrifice was all-sufficient for the redemption of sinners.  God, who made man, shed His own blood to reconcile sinful man back to Himself.  Who else would suffer and die for sins that He never committed?  The writer of Hebrews 9:22 wrote that “without shedding of blood (there) is no remission” (of sin).  This is the way that God set up to provide forgiveness of sin.  For Christ to bleed profusely, in excruciating pain and agony as the sinless Savior, seems extreme to the human psyche until folks understand the extreme egregiousness and outrageous offense that sin is to the Creator who made man in His own image.  Therefore, the shed blood of the sinless Christ is the only way by which God can accept a sinner into His family.  Only the blood of the sinless Christ can cover the filth of sin in men and women.

The other witness upon earth is the Holy Spirit.  He was there in the beginning when the world was created, when Christ was born on earth, when Christ was crucified and resurrected, and when Jesus returned to His Father in heaven.   The Holy Spirit was left upon earth to move about, convicting sinners in order that they would repent and trust Christ for salvation.  Then he would indwell those who are born again as a helper, comforter, and teacher throughout their lives.  I suppose we could call Him, “God’s Executive Assistant” for He serves God by serving God’s people.  A believer couldn’t make it without the help of the Holy Spirit, nor could he or she have real assurance that he or she is truly a follower of Christ and has been accepted into the family of God.

Paul wrote in Romans 8:16-17 that “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God”.  He went on to say that if we are God’s children, we are also His heirs, meaning that since Christ suffered, we, too, will suffer, but we will also be glorified together with Him.  After all, we believers are all in the same family.  What affects one family member affects all of them.  The Holy Spirit, water, and blood are all in agreement for they all work together to accomplish the goal of bringing sinners into a right relationship with God, the Creator, which honors God and Christ.

John wrote that if we believe what man tells us about Christ, what God tells us is a greater and better witness because Jesus is God’s Son.  No one knows Christ any deeper than His Father.  Whatever God tells us in His word about Jesus, we can have full assurance of the truth of His word.  Man, whether unintentionally or intentionally can be wrong about Jesus and the gospel.  There are multitudes of false witnesses, prophets, and preachers who teach all sort of lies about Christ and the gospel.  The only way to determine the truth of any teaching about Christ is to read what God, His Father, has said about Him in His word.  Always consult the Authority in His word.  John had already admonished believers to test the spirits, that is, what people say about God and Christ, because there are so many false prophets and witnesses who spread lies (4:1).  A witness speaks of what he or she knows is true.  God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).  He only speaks the truth.  Man can speak truth, or he can lie.  What he says about God or Jesus must be verified by God’s word, a complete, accurate, and unquestionable witness of Jesus Christ.