Knowing the Good News vs. Understanding the Good News

1 John 5:11-13

We hear the words "Good News" a lot. So much, in fact, that it has come to mean about as much as a frogs left foot.  

There are several reasons why the words have lost their significance in our ears.  

First, it's old hat. There's a lot of things that once meant something so grand that fade away into ordinary.  

Do you remember the first time that special someone said those beautiful words, "I love you."? 

But then, over time, you both said it enough that they merely become three words habitually said before goodbye. And then "I love you," turns into "love you," and that turns into "yup, you too." 

That's what has happened with the words "Good News." 

You see, before my wife told me she loved me for the first time, I spent years of my life waiting to hear someone say that to me. I longed for it. When it happened, it literally changed my life.  

Before the "Good News," all there was, all that existed, the only kind of news there was…was bad news.  

God made law. Mankind broke law. Mankind goes to Hell. 

Now, God promised that good news was coming, but people lived in fear of the bad news for thousands of years, trying so very very hard to be good enough and holy enough for God to overlook the bad news.  

Until one day, the long-awaited good news finally came in Jesus.  

In this series through 1 John, we've read a lot about what a believer should look like, should do - be. But lest we get lost in ourselves, and fall back into self righteousness or worse yet, self loathing, here is a reminder of the Good News.  

"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." - 1 John 5:11-13 

The bad news is simple. You and I were born into sin. We were born into hopelessness, helplessness and utter despair. Every ounce of good news we thought existed was a lie by Satan to keep us from the actual good news. Every form of light was simply a different shade of darkness to make us think we'd found light.  

The good news is simpler. Jesus has torn away the veil, the light is pouring in and we, the believers, have seen it and have been saved by it.  

God, the Almighty, Holy Creator who demands death for sin, chose to spare us from our deserved punishment, and laid it upon Christ instead. This is Good News.  

If every member of ISIS laid down their weapons, turned themselves in, and vowed to do everything in their power to undo their wrongs and make the world a better place, we would consider that great news, but that does begin to touch the surface of the kind of Good News that Jesus is to the lost sinner - to you and me.  

And not only are we saved, but we are assured of our salvation. We who have believed in Jesus and His work on the cross and His resurrection can be sure. No matter what bad news we receive in our lives, it cannot touch the Good News we hold. God has accounted a lying, thieving, adulterating wretch like me…righteous - faultless before God.  

I need fear no man. I need not fear my own failures and shortcomings. I need not fear the state of this earth, nor of my country, nor or my freedoms. I have been made free in such a way that can never be undone by man.  

This is indeed Good News.  

Spirit, Blood and Water

1 John 5:6-10

I didn't used to be much one for reading commentaries. "I'm only going to read the Bible," said I. And while that certainly is all you need (God can certainly give even the most uneducated man or woman clarity when reading the inspired Word), sometimes men like Warren Wiersbe and Matthew Henry have some wonderful insights to offer (but never rely on such men above Scripture).

It is in the following verses that I relied on these two men's interpretation of Scripture more than I usually do. There are at least four different ways the following verses have been interpreted, though regardless of how you interpret them, the same main truth shines forth.

Blood and Water

V.6 - "This is He who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood."

This verse is the main discrepancy. It has been interpreted as: 1. Jesus' baptism and resurrection (Warren Wiersbe), 2. His incarnation, 3. as the water and blood that flowed from His side on the cross (Matthew Henry) and 4. the baptism of the believer and the Lord's Supper.

Most scholars agree with the first, but I am a big fan of Matthew Henry, so I'm going to talk about both.

In the time of John's writing, men were teaching that Jesus was an ordinary man whom God had placed His Spirit upon the cross. According to Wiersbe (and many others), John's reference to "water" is Jesus' baptism, where God spoke from Heaven declaring that Jesus was His "beloved Son." This is the first proof that Jesus was God's Son, not a normal person on whom God had placed His Spirit.

The blood refers to the death of Jesus, where God again made a statement about His Son, not audibly, but through an unnatural darkness that filled Jerusalem along with an earthquake. God twice made it evident to a crowd that Jesus was the Christ - the Son of God.

According to Henry, the water and blood refer to the water and blood which flowed from Jesus' side when He was stuck with a spear to make sure He was dead. This proves a similar point, because of the Jewish practice of cleansing themselves from sin through water and blood (Leviticus 6).

Either way, both Henry and Wiersbe would agree that the blood and water were a sign that Jesus was God's Son - the final sacrifice for mankind's sin. Both would agree that men and women (believers and unbelievers) witnessed these events, and could not deny what they saw. Even the Roman guard declared, "Truly this was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54)!"

The Spirit bears witness. The Spirit witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus. He convicts men of sin and convinces them of the resurrection of Jesus.

A quick word about the Spirit bearing witness. Wouldn't it be nice if we heard God's audible voice like the crowd did in Luke 3. But the water and blood and Spirit are the precise reason we do not need an audible voice.

Crowds of people witnessed the physical proof of Jesus' death and resurrection. They witnessed God's voice at Jesus' baptism. They witnessed the fantasy-like changing of the weather upon the death of Jesus and the earthquake that followed. They witnessed the resurrected Jesus. And now, we have not only the testimony of those men and women who died for the faith they were so certain of, we have the Spirit in us confirming this belief.

A threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Neither is a threefold testimony.

The Spirit

1 John 5:7

 The controversy of this chapter continues in verse 7, where John writes, "For there are three that bear witness in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one."

You may look at your Bible and say, "Wait a second. My Bible doesn't say that!" In fact, your verse 7 only says, "For there are three that testify."

That is because certain version like the ESV, NASB and NIV cut a line out of the verse, whereas the NKJV and others leave it in. (Side note: you can find many empty verses in your translation here.) Some of these verses might just have a few words taken out, but some verses (like Mark 7:16 literally aren't in your Bible. More on that another time.)

So what happens in a moment like this, where not only the Bibles vary on wording, but if the verse should be in the Bible at all?

You compare the verse to the rest of the Scriptures. Does it agree? What does it say about God?

The verse says that the Trinity in Heaven bears witness that Jesus is the Savior - who died and rose again. This agrees with Scripture just dandy.

In 1710, Matthew Henry spoke up about this verse in his commentary of the Bible.

He said, "It can scarcely be supposed that, when the apostle is representing the Christian's faith in overcoming the world, and the foundation it relies upon in adhering to Jesus Christ, he should omit the supreme testimony that attended him. …The apostle, having told us that the Spirit that bears witness to Christ is truth, shows us that he is so, by assuring us that he is in heaven. Here is a trinity of heavenly witnesses, such as have testified and vouched to the world the authority of the Lord Jesus in his claims.

Verse 8 discusses the threefold testimony that is on earth: the Spirit, water and blood. These are wonderful things. The blood that was shed for us, the washing away of our sin, and (once again) the Spirit, not only stamping His mark upon our souls, but changing us daily to better resemble Christ.

However, of what value are these without verse 7? If Heaven is not in agreement, what matter is it if earth is? The Three in Heaven must bear witness, or all else is futile.

If the Word brings the argument before the Father, and the Father denies that is exactly what happened, what shall we say? If the Spirit approaches the Father and admits that he was not paying attention, what shall we do?

I don't mean to be irreverent. Certainly this neither how the Three would interact nor even a possible scenario. My point is that they MUST be in agreement…and they are.

The Reflection

Have you ever been to the lake on a gorgeous, sunny windless day? The water sits nearly motionless, perfectly reflecting the sky and trees.

This is how I view the witness of Christ. The blue sky, the light puffy cloud and trees stand or hover above the water and the water perfectly reflects that image, just as the Three in Heaven bear witness, and that witness is reflected on earth.

We were not created as creatures meant to constantly be looking upward. If we had been, God would have designed our necks differently. We were meant to live on this planet and look straight ahead. The testimony of God is here all around you. You need not live in a constant state of looking for God.

We do not need to "invite" God into our worship. Why would He not already be there? The Spirit is HERE, the testimony is HERE.

Don't spend your life looking up and waiting to see Jesus. Spend your life looking straight ahead on earth, waiting for the day when looking straight ahead will mean looking at the face of Jesus.

George Washington and Jesus

5. 9-10

Perhaps in church or at a conference, you have heard the old line, "There is more evidence of Jesus' resurrection than of George Washington crossing the Delaware.

Actually, over 500 individuals saw the resurrected Jesus after his death, many more than witnessed the aforementioned crossing of our first president. So why the fuss over Jesus?

Why do so many people agree that Washington crossed the Delaware? It's the same reason people believe in evolution or that man landed on the moon or that the wind exists. Someone knowledgeable on the subject told them that's what happened, and there seems to be enough evidence to support it - so they believe it.

We are quick to believe the experts (although there has been some shift in this mindset since the boom of social media). So, why do so many not accept the witness of God which is so much greater?

Is it because it is so old? I don't think so. We still teach Einstein's Theory of Relativity, we still hold to Newton's Law of Gravity. So, why do we so quickly dismiss God's Witness of Jesus Christ?

The witness of God, though a thing of the past, is still as sufficient for faith as Newton's Law of Gravity is for stopping an individual from trying to fly off a skyscraper. However, it would not matter if we had seen the baptism or resurrection of Jesus with our own eyes. The timeframe does not matter. We are too blind because of our sin to understand the witness. We are like preschool children. No matter how many times you explain the theory of relativity, they will not understand.

Without a present witness to open our eyes, we will forever be blind to the witness of old. However, when we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, our eyes are not only opened to understand the old witness, but we daily receive the witness of Jesus' resurrection. We are daily confirmed of our faith, because the One who abides in us is the One who witnessed all things present, past and future.

You need not be intimidated by those who reject your faith and your resurrected king. You need only pity them, for they are blind and lost, with no hope outside the sovereign grace of God.

If you are not convinced of the witness of God, I would beg of you to fall on your knees, and ask for an awakening. We were all once dead in our trespasses and sins. But He has made some of us alive. I pray that you, unbeliever, might be counted among us.