26th February 2024

26th February 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read - (1 John 5:6-12 focus v6-8)


Message (Alan Burke) 


As clear as mud, you ever heard that expression? Well if the varied interpretations that are given to the verses we are focusing on today are anything to go by you could use that expression. You wouldn’t believe the many varied and wonderful interpretations that are given for these words “the water and the blood”. Like everything from when Mary gave brith to Jesus and if you’ve ever been at a birth you’ll get the idea of the reason why some have chosen to interpret these words water and the blood like that and  picture that comes to their mind, that’s definitely not the first thing that came to my mind but for some it seems to have been a good explanation.


There are other explanations that in my mind are a lot more plausible but I think the context of the epistle helps us. Remember what was going on, John was writing to a church where the false teachers, false prophets, those who had the spirit of the antichrist had undermined the confidence of the church. John has repeatedly had to give them assurances because while they have persevered their confidence has been rocked. The group that the church faced or rather the heresy that was being spouted was known as Docetists. In short viewed that the Son of God Jesus Christ only appeared to have a human body, a semblance without any true reality, he was not truly human as the Son of God and it was only an illusion. 


Without the reality of the incarnation, where Jesus took to himself a true human body, then the crucifixion is an irrelevance to us, for if Jesus was only a man, he lived as a man and died as a man he would have been like each one of us here, he would have been a sinner like you and I, and he could not have taken upon himself the sins of the world, only God himself could bear the punishment that we deserve for our sin. Docetism is an egregious heresy is that if you take away the virgin birth, you take away our once-for-all-time perfect sacrifice. You take away our hope. You take away our atonement for sin. 


In this John is referring to the water of the baptism of Christ and the blood that was shed at the crucifixion. The false teachers, false prophets, those who have the spirit of the antichrist could accept that Jesus came by water but they could not accept that he bore the weight of sin on the cross. And John is saying the real Jesus is the one who was baptised, the one whose blood was shed, it is the same Jesus who came by water and blood, these things testify to the truth of who he was and is, he didn’t become the son of God at his baptism and he didn’t stop just before the crucifixion, no this is the Jesus who came to die in our stead to wash away our sin. 


Not only do the water and blood testify the Spirit also. I think what John has in mind here specifically was on specific example of the Spirit’s involvement. Yes the we know at the baptism of Jesus the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon Jesus and God the Father’s voice from heaven declaring that“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Both the Father and the Spirit testified at this baptism, after his baptism the Spirit ministered to Jesus in the wilderness, throughout his ministry the Spirit witnessed to the truth of who he was and is and his death showed forth the Love and Justice of a holy God. What I think though that John had in mind is the Spirit’s direct involvement in the incarnation as Mary conceived by the power of the Spirit, for the Spirit at the very beginning testified to the truth of who he was, at the Baptism the father and the Spirit testified and at the crucifixion the Father testified to the truth as the world was plunged into darkness, the curtain was torn in two. 


Today there are plenty of people in the church and outside it claim to be Christians but they deny some part of the wonder of the incarnation. We must confess the truth of Jesus, is incarnation, hie life and death to be his child. And remember that John is writing this epistle, this letter to give assurance to the church and so this is meant to give you assurance, if you confess the truth of Jesus coming, his baptism, his death, then you are his child.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q78 What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?
The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbour’ s good name. (1 Sam. 17:28, Lev. 19:16, Ps. 15:3)
​