[b][/b]esus Christ Came by Water, Blood, and the Spirit < 1 John 5:1-12 > “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water and blood— Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 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.” [b][/b]
By what did Jesus come? Water, blood, and the Spirit Did Jesus come by water? Yes, He did. He came by His baptism. The water symbolizes the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist at the Jordan River. It was the baptism of redemption with which He took away all the sins of the world. Did Jesus come by blood? Yes, He did. He came in the flesh of a man and was baptized to take away all the sins of the world, then paid off the wages of sin by bleeding on the Cross. Jesus came by blood. Did Jesus come by the Spirit? Yes, He did. Jesus was God, but He came as the Spirit in the flesh to be the Savior of sinners. Many people do not believe that Jesus came by water, blood and Spirit. Only a few believe that Jesus is truly the King of kings and the God of gods. The majority of people still wonder, ‘Is Jesus truly the Son of God, or the son of man?’ And many, including theologians and ministers, believe in Jesus as a man rather than as God, the Savior and the absolute Being. But God said that anyone who believes that Jesus is the King of all kings, the true God and the true Savior would be born of Him. Those who love God love Jesus and those who truly believe in God believe in Jesus in the same way. People cannot overcome the world unless they are born again. Thus, the Apostle John told us that only true Christians could overcome the world. The reason why the faithful can overcome the world is that they have faith in the water, the blood, and the Spirit. The power to overcome the world cannot spring from a person’s will, endeavor or passion. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). ‘The love’ referred to here means that Jesus came by the water, blood and Spirit. In the Bible, the word ‘love’ always refers ‘the love of the truth’ (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Actually, God’s love was manifested through His only begotten Son (1 John 4:9). Only He Who Believes in the Water and the Blood Can Overcome the World Who can overcome the world? Those who believe in the redemption of Jesus' baptism, of His blood and of the Spirit 1 John 5:5-6 state, “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ.” Fellow Christians, the One who overcame Satan and the world was Jesus Christ. Those who believe in the word of the water, the blood and the Spirit of Jesus can also overcome the world. How did Jesus overcome the world? Through the redemption of the water, the blood and the Spirit In the Bible, ‘water’ refers to ‘the baptism of Jesus’ (1 Peter 3:21). Jesus came to this world in the flesh. He came to save the sinners of the world; He was baptized to take away the sins of all the sinners and died on the Cross to atone for those sins. The blood on the Cross refers to the fact that He came to this world in the flesh of a man. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh to save sinners and was baptized with water. Therefore, Jesus came to us by both water and blood. In other words, He took away all the sins of the world with both the water of His baptism and the blood of His death. How did Satan rule over the world? Satan caused humankind to doubt the Word of God and planted the seeds of disobedience in their hearts. Satan tries to turn people into his servants by deceiving them into disobeying the Word of God. However, Jesus came into this world and blotted out all their sins with the water of His baptism and His blood on the Cross: He overcame Satan and blotted out all the sins of the world. This occurred because Jesus Christ was the Savior of sinners. He became our Savior because He came by water and blood. Jesus Took Away All the Sins of the World with His Baptism of Redemption What does it mean by Jesus' overcoming the world? It means that He took away all the sins of the world. Since Jesus was baptized to take away all the world’s sins and died to expiate them, He was able to deliver us from all sins. Because Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, the representative of all human beings, all the sins of the world were passed onto Him. Jesus gave His life on the Cross for the wages of sin. He overcame the power of Satan with His death and resurrection. Jesus paid the wages of all our sins with His death. Jesus Came to Sinners by the Water of His Baptism and the Blood on The Cross How did He overcome the power of Satan? Through His baptism, the blood and the Spirit The Apostle John said that redemption is not just of water, but both of water and blood. Therefore, as Jesus had taken away all sins and removed our sins forever, all sinners would be saved from sin by believing in Him, and being faithful to His Words. When Jesus came down to the world, He not only took away our sins, but He also paid them off by bleeding to death on the Cross. He took away all our sins with His baptism in the Jordan and paid the wages of those sins on the Cross; He paid for our sins with His death. The just law of God which said that the ‘wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23) was fulfilled. What did Jesus mean by overcoming the world? The faith that overcomes the world is the faith in the gospel of redemption, which Jesus bestowed to us by water and blood. He came in the form of flesh and testified to salvation with His baptism of water and His death on the Cross. Jesus overcame the world, namely Satan. The disciples of the early church stood fast even in the face of martyrdom without submitting to the Roman Empire or to any of the temptations of this world. This was all a result of their belief that Jesus came by water (He was baptized to take away all our sins), and by His blood on the Cross (He paid the wages of all our sins with His death). Jesus came in the Spirit (He came in the flesh of man), and took away the sins of sinners with His baptism and His blood on the Cross so that all of us who are to be redeemed could overcome the world. More at www.nlmission.com/english/bstudy/