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Jesus and the Testimony of God (1 John 5:9, 10)
The first and second witness to the divine Sonship of Jesus are water and blood. The third witness is the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6,
. According to John's Gospel, Jesus had announced that the Holy Spirit would testify about Him (John 15:26).
Why are these witnesses needed? Two to three witnesses were required in the Old Testament to confirm a matter (Deut. 19:15). John, apparently, wants to makes clear that the case of Jesus has a sound foundation. He wants to show that we have good reasons for believing
For John, the idea of witnesses or various testimonies about Jesus is quite important. In his Gospel he mentions several others: John the Baptist's testimony (John 1:6, 7), Jesus' own testimony (John 3:32), the testimony of the Samaritan woman (John 4:39), the testimony of Jesus' works (John 5:36), the testimony of Scripture (vs. 39), the testimony of God the Father (John 8:1, the testimony of the people who watched the resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:17), the testimony of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26), and the testimony of the apostle John himself (John 21:24). This is very impressive. John wants to establish that belief in Jesus rests on powerful testimonies.
The testimony of the Father in our text has been understood differently. It seems to make most sense if connected with the threefold testimony mentioned in the preceding verses. That is, this threefold testimony is, basically, God's testimony.
John says that if we are willing to accept the witness of humans, how much more so the witness of God Himself? Indeed, often we take at face value what people tell us, whether in print or television media, even if we have no good grounds for believing what we hear. How much more should we accept God's own witness and believe in Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament!
God is reliable and true (1 John 5:20). If we do not accept His testimony, we claim that God is a liar, a serious accusation indeed.
What are all the reasons you have for believing in God, in Jesus, in the hope that the Adventist message presents to us? Go back over those reasons, write them down, pray over them, and bring them to class to share with others.
The first and second witness to the divine Sonship of Jesus are water and blood. The third witness is the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6,
. According to John's Gospel, Jesus had announced that the Holy Spirit would testify about Him (John 15:26).Why are these witnesses needed? Two to three witnesses were required in the Old Testament to confirm a matter (Deut. 19:15). John, apparently, wants to makes clear that the case of Jesus has a sound foundation. He wants to show that we have good reasons for believing
For John, the idea of witnesses or various testimonies about Jesus is quite important. In his Gospel he mentions several others: John the Baptist's testimony (John 1:6, 7), Jesus' own testimony (John 3:32), the testimony of the Samaritan woman (John 4:39), the testimony of Jesus' works (John 5:36), the testimony of Scripture (vs. 39), the testimony of God the Father (John 8:1
, the testimony of the people who watched the resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:17), the testimony of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26), and the testimony of the apostle John himself (John 21:24). This is very impressive. John wants to establish that belief in Jesus rests on powerful testimonies.The testimony of the Father in our text has been understood differently. It seems to make most sense if connected with the threefold testimony mentioned in the preceding verses. That is, this threefold testimony is, basically, God's testimony.
John says that if we are willing to accept the witness of humans, how much more so the witness of God Himself? Indeed, often we take at face value what people tell us, whether in print or television media, even if we have no good grounds for believing what we hear. How much more should we accept God's own witness and believe in Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament!
God is reliable and true (1 John 5:20). If we do not accept His testimony, we claim that God is a liar, a serious accusation indeed.
What are all the reasons you have for believing in God, in Jesus, in the hope that the Adventist message presents to us? Go back over those reasons, write them down, pray over them, and bring them to class to share with others.
God Bless! Betty