BIBLE LESSON

“This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.”

— 1 John 5:6

In 1 John 5:1-5, we learned that those born of God believe Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. Furthermore, we learned that those who believe in Jesus as the Bible reveals Him overcome this world through faith in Him. John taught that belief or faith comes from historical evidence that can be examined and testimony that can be evaluated. Then, he wrote about three that testify regarding Jesus. John particularly chose these three because he and the church needed to overcome false teachings. Some of these false teachings centered on whether Jesus came in the flesh as a human being. Because Gnostic teachers thought the human body was evil; they believed the Son of God would never contaminate himself by coming into the world with a real human body. We do not know all they taught, but John refuted them with historical evidence. First, John testified that Jesus came by water — Jesus was born of a woman. When Jesus was baptized in water, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus and His Heavenly Father declared, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17). Second, after Jesus died, a soldier pierced Him and John saw water and blood flow from Jesus’ side (John 19:34). Mercifully, Jesus shed His blood to cleanse believers from all sin (1 John 1:7). Third, the Holy Spirit testifies directly to people so they can evaluate truths He reveals, believe in Jesus Christ, and know they are born of God.

— L.G. Parkhurst Jr.

Send email to lgp@prayersteps.org