Jesus Christ Came by Water, Blood, and the Spirit (1 John 5:1-12)
(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.”
By what did Jesus come?
Water, blood, and the Spirit
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
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.
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
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 He 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.
There Is Also an Antitype Which Now Saves Us, Namely Baptism, through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21)
What is the antitype of salvation?
The baptism of Jesus
The baptism of Jesus
It
is said in 1 Peter 3:21, “There is also an antitype which now saves us,
namely baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.” The Apostle Peter testified that Jesus was the Savior and
that He came by the water of baptism and the blood.
As
a result we should believe in Jesus who came by water and blood. And we
should know that the water of the baptism of Jesus is the antitype of
our salvation. The Apostle Peter told us that the ‘water’ of baptism,
the ‘blood,’ and ‘the Spirit’ are ‘the absolute factors’ in redemption.
None
of His disciples ever believed in the blood on the Cross without the
baptism of Jesus. To believe only in the blood is to possess only half
of the true faith. Faith based on a half or incomplete truth fades with
time. But the faith of those who believe in the gospel of the water, the
blood and the Spirit will grow stronger with time.
However,
the voice of the gospel of only the blood is getting stronger and
stronger in the world these days. Why is this so? People do not know the
Word of truth, the redemption of the water and the Spirit, so they
cannot be born again.
At
one time the churches of the West had fallen victim into superstition.
They seemed to be prospering for a while, but the servants of Satan
helped to turn faith into superstition.
Superstition
is believing that the devil will flee if one draws a cross on a piece
of paper or make it with wood, and that Satan will be driven off if one
confesses the faith in the blood of Jesus. Through these and other
superstitious beliefs, Satan deceived people into believing that they
only had to believe in the blood of Jesus. Satan pretends to be afraid
of the blood, saying that all that Jesus did for sinners was His
bloodshed on the Cross.
However,
Peter and all the other disciples testified to the true gospel of the
baptism of Jesus and the blood on the Cross. But, what do Christians
these days testify to? They testify only to the blood of Jesus.
We
should believe in the words written in the Bible and have faith in the
salvation of the Spirit, of the baptism of Jesus, and of His blood. If
we ignore the baptism of Jesus and only testify to the fact that Jesus
died for us on the Cross, our salvation cannot be complete.
The ‘Word of Testimony’ for God’s Salvation of the Water
What is the proof that God saved us?
The water, the blood, and the Spirit
The water, the blood, and the Spirit
In 1 John 5:8, the Lord says, “There are three that bear witness on earth.” The first is the Spirit, the second is the water of Jesus’ baptism, and the third is His blood on the Cross. All three of these things are as one. Jesus came to this world to save all of us from those sins. He alone did this with all three, the baptism, the blood, and the Spirit.
‘There
are three that bear witness.’ There are three things proving that God
saved us. These three elements of proof are the water of Jesus’ baptism,
His blood, and the Spirit. These three things are what Jesus did for us
in this world.
If
one of these three things were to be omitted, salvation would not be
complete. There are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood.
Jesus
Christ who came to us in the flesh is God, the Spirit, and the Son. He
came down to this world as the Spirit in the flesh of man and was
baptized in the water to take away all the sins of the world. And He
took all sins on to His flesh and saved us sinners by bleeding to death
on the Cross. He paid off all the sins in full. It is the gospel of
complete redemption by the water, the blood, and the Spirit.
Even
if just one of these were omitted, it would be to refuse the salvation
of God that has saved us from all sin. If we were to agree with the
majority of believers today, we would have to say ‘there are two that
bear witness on earth: the blood and the Spirit.’
But
the Apostle John said that there were three things that bore witness:
the water of Jesus’ baptism, the blood at the Cross, and the Spirit. The
Apostle John was very explicit in his testimony.
The
faith that redeems a sinner is the faith in the Spirit, the water, and
the blood. What kind of faith that enables man to overcome the world?
And where can we find such faith? It is right here in the Bible. It is
to believe in Jesus who came by water, blood, and the Spirit. Have faith
in them and receive salvation and eternal life.
Is God’s salvation perfect without the baptism of Jesus?
No
No
A
long time ago, before I was born again, I too, was a Christian who
believed only in the blood on the Cross and in the Spirit. I believed
that He came down as the Spirit and died for me on the Cross and saved
me from all sins. I only believed in these two things and was
presumptuous enough to preach them to all people.
I
had planned to study theology to become a missionary in order to work
and die for all the lost souls as Jesus had done. I had planned all
sorts of grand things.
But,
as long as I believed in only two things, there was always sin
remaining in my heart. As a result, I could not overcome the world. I
could not be free of sin. When I only believed in the blood and the
Spirit, I still had sin in my heart.
The
reason that I still had sin in my heart even though I believed in Jesus
was that I didn’t know about the water, the baptism of Jesus. My
deliverance was not complete until I was redeemed by my complete faith
in the water of baptism, the blood, and the Spirit.
The
reason why I was not able to overcome the sins of the flesh was that I
didn’t know the meaning of the baptism of Jesus. Even now many people
believe in Jesus but still commit sins of the flesh. They still have sin
in their hearts and try everything to revive the first love they had
for Jesus.
They
cannot revive the passion of their first enthusiasm because they have
never been washed completely of their sins with the water. They do not
realize that all their sins were passed on to Jesus when He was
baptized, and they cannot recover their faith again after a fall.
I
would like to make this clear to all of you. We can live in faith and
overcome the world when we believe in Jesus. However insufficient we
are, no matter how much we commit sin in this world, as long as we
believe in Jesus as our Savior who made us completely free of sin with
His baptism and bloodshed, we can stand victorious.
However,
if we believe in Jesus without the water of His baptism, we cannot be
delivered completely. The Apostle John told us that the faith that
overcomes the world is the faith in Jesus Christ who came by the water
of baptism, the blood and the Spirit.
God
sent His only begotten Son to us to redeem those who believe in the
baptism and His blood. Jesus took away all our sins with His baptism.
Jesus, the only Son of God, came to us in the Spirit (in the flesh of a
man). And He bled on the Cross to pay off the wages of sin. Thus Jesus
delivered all human beings from sin.
The
faith that leads us to overcome the world comes from believing in the
truth that Jesus came to us by water, blood, and the Spirit and freed us
completely from all sins.
If
there had not been the water of baptism and the blood on the Cross,
there would be no true salvation. Without the one or the other of the
three components, we could not have true salvation. True salvation can’t
be achieved without the water and the blood and the Spirit. Therefore,
we have to believe in the water, the blood, and the Spirit. Know this
and you will have true faith.
I Tell You That It Is Not True Salvation without the Witness of the Water, the Blood, and the Spirit
What are the three essential elements that bear witness to salvation?
The water, the blood, and the Spirit
The water, the blood, and the Spirit
One may think of the above question like this. “Jesus is my Savior. I believe in the blood on the Cross and I want to die as a martyr. I believe in Jesus even though I have sin in my heart. I have repented diligently and worked hard to act in a good, just and charitable manner every day. I have given my life and all my worldly possessions for You. I have not even married. How can God not know me? Jesus died for me on the Cross. Our Holy God came down as a man and died for us on the Cross. I believed in You, sacrificed for You, and did my work faithfully for You. Although I may be unworthy and still have some sin in my heart, will Jesus send me to hell for that? No, He won’t.”
There
are so many people like this person. They are the ones who do not
believe that Jesus was baptized to take away all the sins of the world.
When these nominal Christians who believe in Jesus still have sin, where
do they go? They go to hell. They are mere sinners!
They,
who think as they please and presume that God must think the same, will
go to hell. Moreover, some say that because Jesus took away all sin
when He died on the Cross, there’s no sin in the world. However, this is
only talking about the blood and the Spirit. This is not the faith that
leads people to complete redemption.
We
should believe that Jesus took away our sins with His baptism, was
judged, and died on the Cross for us, and that He rose again the third
day after His death.
Without
such faith, complete redemption would not be possible. Jesus Christ was
baptized, died on the Cross, and was resurrected. Jesus Christ came to
us by water, blood, and the Spirit. He took away all the sins of the
world.
There are three vital elements that bear witness to His salvation on earth: the Spirit, the water and the blood.
Firstly, the Holy Spirit testifies that Jesus is God and that He descended in the flesh of a man.
The
second element is the witness of the ‘water.’ The water is the baptism
of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptist, through which our sins were
passed on to Jesus. All our sins were passed on to Jesus when He was
baptized (Matthew 3:15).
The
third witness is the ‘blood’ that stands for Jesus’ accepting
responsibility of the judgment for our sins instead of us. Jesus died
for us and accepted His Father’s judgment for us and was resurrected on
the third day to give us new life.
God
the Father sends the Spirit into the hearts of those who believe in the
baptism and the blood of His Son to testify to our redemption.
The
ones who have been born again have the Word with which they overcome
the world. The redeemed will overcome Satan, the lies of false prophets,
and the obstacles, or pressures of the world that attack them
ceaselessly. The reason we have this power is that we have three
witnesses in our heart: the water of Jesus, His blood, and the Spirit.
How do we overcome the world and Satan?
By believing in the three witnesses
By believing in the three witnesses
We can overcome Satan and the world because we believe in the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Those who believe in the baptism and the blood of Jesus are able to overcome all deception of false prophets. Our faith, with this power to overcome, lies in the water, the blood, and the Spirit. Do you believe in this?
You
can neither be born again nor overcome the world if you do not have
faith in redemption through the baptism of Jesus, His blood, and the
belief that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior. Is such faith in
your heart?
Do
you have the Spirit and the water in your heart? Do you believe that
all your sins were passed on to Jesus? Do you have the blood of the
Cross in your heart?
You
will overcome the world if you have faith in the water and the blood of
Jesus in your heart, and if you believe that Jesus died on the Cross
for you and that He took the judgment for you.
The
Apostle John overcame the world because he had all of these three
essential elements in his heart. He also talked about redemption to all
his brothers in faith who were enduring obstacles and threats in their
work. He testified, “This is how you too can overcome the world. Jesus
came by the Spirit, the water, and the blood. As He overcame the world,
so too will the faithful be able to overcome the world. This is the only
way for the faithful to overcome the world.”
In
1 John 5:8, it is said, “And there are three that bear witness on
earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as
one.” Many still talk about the blood and the Spirit only, but they omit
the water of Jesus’ baptism. If they take out the ‘water,’ they are
still deceived by Satan. They should come out of from behind their own
self-deception and repent; they should believe in the ‘water’ of Jesus’
baptism, of being born again.
No
one can overcome the world without believing in the water and the blood
of Jesus. I say to you again, no one! We have to fight using the water
and the blood of Jesus as our powerful weapons. His Word is the sword of
the Spirit, the Light.
There
are still too many who do not believe in the baptism of Jesus which
washed away all their sins. There are still too many who believe only in
two things. So, when Jesus tells them to ‘arise and shine,’ they cannot
shine at all. They still have sin in their heart. Although they believe
in Jesus they still end up in hell.
The
Gospel of the Baptism and the Blood of Jesus Should Be Definitely
Testified to So That People Can Hear, Believe, and Be Saved
Is the faith in His baptism merely a sort of dogma?
No, it is not dogma. It is the truth.
No, it is not dogma. It is the truth.
When
we testify to the gospel, it has to be definite. Jesus came by the
Spirit, by the baptism (which took away all our sins), and by the blood
(which paid for all our sins). We must believe in all three of these.
If
not, we do not preach the gospel but rather simple religion. Most
Christians regard today’s Christianity as just a religion, but
Christianity cannot be classified as a religion. It is the faith of
redemption built on the truth, the faith of looking up to God. It cannot
be a religion.
Religion
is something created by man, while faith is looking up to the salvation
that God granted us. That is the difference. If you ignore this truth,
you treat Christianity as just another religion and preach by means of
morals and ethics.
Jesus
Christ didn’t come to establish a religion in this world. He never
established a religion called Christianity. Why do you believe that it
is a religion? If it is all the same, why not believe in Buddhism
instead? Do you think that I am wrong to say this?
Some
people believe in Jesus as a religious way of life, and end up saying,
“What is the difference? Heaven, Nirvana, paradise.... They are all the
same thing, they just have different names. We will all end up in the
same place anyway.”
Fellow
Christians, we should stand firm on the truth. And we should ‘arise and
shine.’ We should be able to tell the truth without hesitation.
When
someone says, “That cannot be the only way to Heaven,” you should say
in a definite tone, “Yes! it is the only way. You can go to Heaven only
when you believe in Jesus Christ who came by water, blood, and the
Spirit.” You should shine so brightly that other souls may hear the Word
of redemption, be born again, and go to Heaven.
Have Correct Faith: Unrequited Lovers of Jesus Who Don’t Know the Redemption of Jesus’ Baptism and His Blood Will Perish
Who will perish even though he believes in Jesus?
Those who don’t believe in the baptism of Jesus
Those who don’t believe in the baptism of Jesus
Just claiming to believe in Jesus arbitrarily is unrequited love for Jesus and a shorter way to be a Christian-religionist.
A
ship crossing the Pacific went down and a few survivors were left
adrift on a rubber raft. They sent out an SOS, but rough seas prevented
other ships from coming to their aid. Then a helicopter came instead and
threw down a rope. If one of them held on to the rope with his hands
instead of tying it around his body, he would be like a man falling into
unrequited love with Jesus; believing in God as he pleases. He is not
safe yet, but he says, “I believe. Save me. I believe, so I guess I will
be saved.”
He
who does not understand the truth of the baptism of Jesus and His blood
believes that he will be saved just because he is holding on to the
rope.
But
as he is pulled up, his hands will lose their grip on the rope. He will
be holding on with only his own strength. But it is too far to the
coast for him to hold the rope to the end. When that strength runs out,
he will lose his grip and fall back into the ocean.
To
be in unrequited love with Jesus is like that. Many may say that they
believe in God and Jesus; that they believe in Jesus who came by the
Spirit, but this is only part of the whole equation. They can neither
really believe in nor dwell in the perfect gospel, so they force
themselves to say over and over that they ‘believe’ in Him.
To
believe and to try to believe is not the same thing. They say that they
will follow Jesus to the end but they will be cast away on the last day
because of the sin that remains in their hearts. They love Jesus
without knowing that Jesus came by His baptism, blood, and the Spirit.
If they love Jesus for His blood only, they will go to hell.
Tie
your soul with the rope of the true gospel, the gospel of the water and
the blood. When Jesus throws down the rope of salvation, those who tie
themselves with the water, the blood, and the Spirit will be saved.
The
rescuer from the helicopter shouted through a loudspeaker, “Please
listen carefully to me. When I throw down the rope, tie it around the
breast under your arms. Then just stay as you are. Don’t hang on to the
rope with your hands. Just tie it around your chest and relax. Then you
will be saved.”
The
first one followed the instructions and tied himself with the rope, the
person was saved. But the other man said, “Don’t worry. I’m very
strong. I’ve been working out at a health club. Look! Can you see my
muscles? I can hang on for miles.” He then held on to the rope with his
hands as the rope was pulled up.
Both
men were pulled up in the beginning. But there’s a difference. The one
who listened to the instructions and tied the rope around his chest was
pulled up without a hitch. He even lost consciousness on the way but he
was pulled up nevertheless.
The
one who had pride in his own strength eventually lost his grip because
his strength ran out. And he died because he refused to listen and
ignored the instructions.
To
obtain complete redemption, one must believe in the redemption of the
water of His baptism and the blood that saved all souls from sin.
Salvation is available to those who believe wholeheartedly in the Word:
“I saved you completely with My baptism by John the Baptist and with My
bleeding to death on the Cross.”
Those
who believe only in the blood say, “Don’t worry, I believe. I will be
thankful to the end of my life for the blood of Jesus. I will follow
Jesus to the end and my belief only in the blood will be more than
enough to overcome the world and all sins for the rest of my life.”
However,
this is not enough. Those whom God admits to be His people are the ones
who believe in all three witnesses: that Jesus came by the Spirit, that
He was baptized (Jesus took away all sins with His baptism in the
Jordan), that He died on the Cross to pay the wages for all sins, and
that He was resurrected the third day from the dead.
The
Spirit comes only to those who believe in all three and witnesses for
them. “Yes, I am your Savior. I saved you with the water and the blood. I
am your God.”
But
to those who do not believe in all three, God does not give salvation.
Even if only one is omitted, God says, “No, you are not saved.” All His
disciples believed in all three. Jesus says that His baptism is the
antitype for salvation, and that His blood is the judgment.
The Apostle Paul and Peter Also Bore Witness Both to the Baptism and the Blood of Jesus
What did the disciples of Jesus bear witness to?
The baptism of Jesus and His blood
The baptism of Jesus and His blood
Did the Apostle Paul talk about the baptism of Jesus? Let’s see how many times he talked about the baptism of Jesus. He said in Romans 6:3, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” And in 6:5, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
He
also said in Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ.” The apostles of Jesus all testified to the
‘water,’ the baptism of Jesus. “There is also an antitype which now
saves us, namely baptism” (1 Peter 3:21).
The Salvation of Redemption of the Lord Came by the Water and the Blood of Jesus
Who does God call righteous?
Those who do not have any sin in their hearts
Those who do not have any sin in their hearts
The redemption that Jesus bestowed upon man is of the water of Jesus’ baptism and His blood on the Cross. By that redemption we can arise and shine. How? By testifying to these three things.
“Arise,
shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon
you” (Isaiah 60:1). God has shone the light on us and tells us to shine
too. We should obey that command.
We
have been preaching the gospel with all our strength. However, so many
people still do not listen. Believe in Jesus and you will be redeemed.
You will be righteous. If there is still sin in your heart, you are not
yet righteous. You have not yet overcome the sins of the world.
You
can never get rid of the sin in your heart if you do not believe in the
water of Jesus (the baptism of Jesus). You can never avoid judgment if
you do not believe in the blood of Jesus. You can never be saved if you
do not believe in Jesus Christ who came by the Spirit. You can never be
completely righteous unless you believe in those three witnesses.
Insufficient
righteousness only leads to ‘so-called righteousness.’ If anyone says
that he still has sin but considers himself a righteous man, he is not
yet in Jesus. Some people these days try to hang redemption on
‘so-called righteousness.’ They have written tons of useless articles on
the subject.
Does
God call a man sinless when there is sin still in his heart? He does
not do that. He calls it as He sees it. He is almighty but He can never
lie. People do not understand the true meaning of righteousness. We call
something ‘clean’ only when it is clean. We do not say ‘righteous’ when
there is sin.
You may think that you are called righteous by Jesus even though you have sin in your heart. That is incorrect.
Jesus
only calls us righteous when we believe in Jesus as the One who came by
the Spirit, by the water (that He took away all our sins when He was
baptized), and by blood (He came in the flesh and died for us).
Fellow
Christians, ‘so-called righteousness’ has nothing to do with the gospel
of the water and the blood. ‘So-called righteousness,’ or ‘to be called
righteous’ is a dogma that was invented by men. Does God call you
righteous when you have sin in your heart? God does not call someone
righteous when he has sin in his heart, no matter how fervently he may
believe in Jesus. Jesus can never lie.
Yet,
do you still think He calls someone righteous when there is sin in
his/her heart? That’s what people think, not God. God hates lies. Would
He call you righteous when you only believe in the ‘Spirit’ and the
‘blood?’ Never.
There
is only one kind of persons that God calls righteous. They are those
who do not have any sin in their hearts. He only recognizes those who
believe in all three things: that Jesus, who is God, came down to the
world in the flesh, that He was baptized in the Jordan, and that He bled
on the Cross to blot out all our sins.
Only
those who believe in the good news of redemption are recognized to be
the righteous by God. They are the ones who believe correctly. They
completely believe in all things He did for us. They believe that Jesus
came and was baptized to take away all their sins, and that He took
judgment for us by dying at the Cross, and was resurrected from the
dead.
All
these things were done out of the love of God. Jesus came down from
heaven and said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He did this by taking away our
sins.
God
doesn’t recognize those who only believe in the blood of Jesus. Those
who only believe in the blood of Jesus still have sin in their hearts.
Who does Jesus recognize to be the redeemed?
Belief
in the baptism of Jesus, His blood, and the fact that He is God. All
are necessary for your salvation. “I took away all your sins when I came
down to this world and was baptized by John the Baptist. I testify that
all the sins of the world were passed on to Me. I paid for the sins on
the Cross. I saved you thus.”
To
those who believe in all three, Jesus says, “Yes, you are saved. You
are righteous and children of God.” You too can be saved if you believe
in the baptism of Jesus, His blood, and the Spirit all together. Those
who believe only in the blood and the Spirit still have sin in their
hearts.
In
the Kingdom of God, there is only one truth. There is justice, honesty,
love, and kindness. There’s not a speck of a lie. Lies and wiles do not
exist in Heaven.
Who is the one ‘who practices lawlessness?’
The one who doesn’t believe in the baptism of Jesus
The one who doesn’t believe in the baptism of Jesus
“Many will say to Me in that day. ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’” (Matthew 7:22)
God
never recognizes those works of man to be eligible to enter His
Kingdom. “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you: depart
from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23)
“I
offered two houses for You. I gave up even my life for You. Didn’t You
see me? I have never denied you until my last breath. Didn’t You see
me?”
“So do you have sin in your heart?”
“Yes, Lord. I do a little.”
“Then, stay away from Me! No sinner is allowed to come in here.”
“But I died a martyr to my faith in You Lord!”
“What
do you mean, died a martyr? You only died of your stubbornness. Did you
acknowledge My baptism and the blood? Did I testify in your heart that
you are My people? You do not believe in My baptism and I never
testified that you are My people, yet you hung on to your belief and
died for it. When did I ever testify for you? You brought it on
yourself. You loved and tried alone for your own redemption. Do you
understand? Now, be on your way.”
Jesus
told us to arise and shine. The redeemed people may cower down before
many nominal Christians and many false prophets, and fail to shine
brightly! But a little flame can start a big fire. If one stands bravely
and testifies the truth, the whole world will brighten up.
In
Isaiah 60:1-2, it says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the
glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise
over you and His glory will be seen upon you.”
God
orders us to arise and shine because the darkness of untruth, that is,
the false gospel has covered the whole world. Only those who believe in
Jesus can love Him. Those who are not redeemed can never love Jesus. How
can they? They are only talking of love but can never truly love Him
unless they believe in the whole truth.
There Are Three Things That Bear Witness to the Salvation of Sinners
What is the witness of the salvation in our heart?
The baptism of Jesus
The baptism of Jesus
“And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.” Jesus came to earth and He did His work with the water and the blood. He did this and saved us.
“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” (1 John
5:9-12).
The
born-again receive the witness of men. We are recognized as the
righteous. When the born-again who are the redeemed speak of the truth
about redemption, people cannot dispute it. They accept it. They say
that we believe correctly, that we are correct in our faith. If we tell
them how we were born again, no one can stand against the true gospel we
bear witness to. They say we are right. We receive the witness of men.
But
this passage also says, “The witness of God is greater; for this is the
witness of God.” It says the witness of God is of His Son. Correct?
What is the witness of His Son? The witnesses that God saved us is that
Jesus came by the Spirit, He came by the water of redemption, and He
came by the blood on the Cross. And God witnesses that this is the way
He saved us, and that we are His people because we believe in it.
“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.”
This
passage tells us precisely who are the delivered ones. It says that he
who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself. Do you have
the witness in your heart? It is in you and it is in me. God came on
earth for us. (He came in the flesh through the body of Mary by the Holy
Spirit.) When He was 30 years old, He was baptized to take all our sins
upon Himself. And with all our sins, He was judged on the Cross. He was
resurrected the third day to give us eternal life. Jesus saved us
thus.
What
would have happened if He had not been resurrected? How could He have
testified for us in the grave? That is why He is our Savior. This is
what we believe.
And
just as He said, He saved us with His baptism and the blood. And
because we believe, you and I are saved. The witness is in me and it is
in you. The redeemed can never ignore the ‘water’ of His baptism. We
never omit the things that He did to save us.
“For
thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).
We never deny that Jesus took away all our sins at the Jordan when He
was baptized by John the Baptist. The redeemed can never deny the
‘water,’ the baptism of Jesus.
Those Who Believe but Are Not Redeemed Deny To The End the Baptism of Jesus
Who makes God a liar?
He who does not believe in the baptism of Jesus
He who does not believe in the baptism of Jesus
How precise he was when the Apostle John said, “He who does not believe God has made Him a liar.” If the Apostle John were living here and now, what would he tell us today’s Christians? He would ask whether ‘Jesus took away all our sins when He was baptized.’
Wouldn’t
John the Baptist also testify to the gospel that Jesus redeemed us with
His baptism? “Were not your sins passed on to Jesus’ head and did He
not bear your sins on His back when He was baptized by me?” Thus, he
explicitly testified that Jesus had been baptized to save all of us
(John 1:29, 1 John 5:4-8).
Those
who do not believe in God, in other words, who do not believe in
everything He did to save us, make Him a liar. When we say that Jesus
took away all our sins when He was baptized, they say, “Oh, dear me! He
couldn’t have taken away all our sins! He only took away original sin,
so all our daily sins still remain.”
So,
they insist that they have to offer prayers of repentance for their
daily sins in order to be redeemed. This is what they believe. Do you
all believe so too? The ones who do not believe that our sins were
washed away with Jesus’ baptism are making God a liar.
Jesus Redeemed Us Once and for All When He Was Baptized and Bled on the Cross
Who is lying?
The person who doesn’t believe in the baptism of Jesus
The person who doesn’t believe in the baptism of Jesus
Jesus was baptized and took away all sins once for all. God saves those who believe in the baptism and the blood of Jesus, but abandons those who do not believe. They go to hell. Therefore whether we are saved or not depends on what we believe in. Jesus delivered the world of all sins. Those who believe are saved, and the ones who do not believe are not yet saved because they have made God a liar.
People
do not go to hell for their weaknesses, but for their lack of belief.
“He who does not believe God has made Him a liar” (1 John 5:10). Those
who do not believe that all their sins were passed on to Jesus still
have sin in their hearts. They cannot say that they don’t have sin.
Once I met a deacon and asked him, “Deacon, were all your sins gone when you believed in Jesus?”
“Of course they were.”
“Then, since Jesus took all the sins of the world and said that ‘it was finished,’ you have been saved. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, I have been saved.”
“Then you must be without sin.”
“Yes, I am.”
“What happens if you sin again?”
“We are only human. How could we not sin again? So we have to repent and wash away our sins every day.”
This deacon still has sin in his heart because he does not know the complete truth of redemption.
The
likes of him are the ones who are mocking God and making Him a liar.
Did Jesus, who is God, fail to get rid of all the sins of the world? It
is very upsetting. If Jesus had not gotten rid of all sins, how could He
be the God of Salvation? How could He tell us to believe in Him? Are
you going to make Him a liar? I advise you should not do that!
The Bible tells us not to mock Him. This means do not make Him a liar and do not try to deceive Him. He is not like us.
The
Apostle John tells us precisely about the gospel of redemption. Many
people do not want to believe in the things that God did for us—the fact
that Jesus Christ came by water, blood, and the Spirit.
Here
are two groups of Christians: those who do not believe as the Bible
says and confess, “I am a sinner,” and those who believe in all the
things that God has done for them and confess with faith, “I am
righteous.” Which group do you think are telling the truth?
Those
who do not believe in the things that God did, in other words, who do
not admit the witness of the water, the blood, and the Spirit are lying.
They have false faith. The ones who do not believe are making God a
liar.
Do
not make Him a liar. Jesus came to the Jordan River and thus (by being
baptized) fulfilled all righteousness (took away the sins of the
world).
The Unbelievers Deny the Baptism of Jesus and His Holiness
What do Satan and the devil deny?
The Baptism of Jesus
The Baptism of Jesus
A believer in His Son has the witness in him. The born-again believe that their sins were passed on to Jesus when He was baptized, and that they were delivered with the water and the blood of Jesus. They believe that Jesus was born into this world through the body of the Virgin Mary, that He was baptized in the Jordan before He died at the Cross, and that He was resurrected.
The
righteous have the witness in their hearts. The proof of our salvation
is in our faith in Jesus, who came by water, blood, and the Spirit. The
witness is in you. I advise you to have the witness in yourself. I say
to you. It is not salvation if there is no witness, the proof of
salvation, is within you.
The
Apostle John said, “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness
in himself” (1 John 5:10). Is it to have the witness to believe only in
the blood on the Cross? Or, to believe in the water but not the blood?
You should believe in all three to be recognized by God.
Only
then will Jesus testify for you that ‘you are saved.’ Are you saying
that you will have the witness if you believe in only two of three? It
would be to believe in God in your own way. It would be to ‘testify for
yourself.’
There
are so many like this. There are so many in the world who believe only
in two out of the three. They testify that they have been saved and
write books about it as their minds insist. How fluent they are! It is
so frustrating. They call themselves ‘the Evangelicals.’ They feel that
they are not just ‘the Evangelicals,’ but ‘the religious.’ They do not
believe in the ‘water’ but still boast of their salvation! How logical
they sound! But they do not have the witness of God in their minds. It
is only a hypothesis.
How
can you call it salvation? Only the ones who believe in Jesus, who came
by the Spirit, water, and blood, have the witness of God and men.
The
Apostle Paul said, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only,
but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance” (1
Thessalonians 1:5). Satan is delighted when people believe only in the
blood of Jesus. “Oh, you fools, you are deceived by me, ha-ha!” There
are many who believe that when people praise the blood of Jesus, Satan
would go away. They think Satan may be afraid of the Cross. But you
should keep in mind that Satan is only putting on a show. We should not
be fooled by it.
When
a demon gets into a man he may become crazed and foam at the mouth. It
is not a difficult feat for the devil. The devil has the power to make a
man do almost anything. The devil only has to use his brain a little.
God gave the devil all sorts of powers except the power to kill. The
devil can make someone tremble like an aspen leaf, scream, and foam at
the mouth.
When
this happens, believers shout, “Be gone in the name of Jesus! Be gone!”
And when the man regains his senses and comes back to his normal self,
they say to him that it was the blood of Jesus that had the power. But
this is not the power of His blood. It is only the devil putting on a
‘show’.
Satan
and the devil are most afraid of those who believe in Jesus, who has
washed us clean with His baptism, and who took the judgment for us with
His blood and on the third day was resurrected. Satan cannot stay around
a witness of the baptism of Jesus and the salvation of the blood.
As
you know, Catholic priests sometimes minister exorcism. We have seen it
in the movies. In the movie ‘The Omen,’ a priest holds up a wooden
cross and shakes it but the priest dies. Someone who was born again
would not be defeated like this.
A
born-again believer confidently talks about the water and the blood of
Jesus. When the devil tried to torment him, he would ask the devil, “Do
you know that Jesus took away all my sins?” The devil would then run
away. The devil hates to be around ‘the born-again.’ If ‘a born-again’
just sat there, the devil would try to escape. It is said that those who
do not believe in God make Him a liar. They do not believe in the
witness of His Son, the witness of the water and the blood.
What is the witness of the Son of God?
His baptism, His blood, and the Spirit
His baptism, His blood, and the Spirit
What is the witness of the Son of God? It is that He came by the Spirit and took away our sins with water. He took all the sins of the world on to Himself and He bled on the Cross for all of us. Isn’t that the redemption of the water, the blood, and the Spirit?
People
tell lies before God because they do not believe in the true gospel of
the water and the blood, the gospel of redemption. All the others than
this true gospel are false. Their beliefs are false, and they propagate
these false gospels in vain.
Let’s
return to 1 John 5. The 11th verse says, “And this is the testimony:
that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” It
tells us that God has given us eternal life, and the life is in the man
who receives it. Also this life is in His Son.
Those
who receive eternal life are the ones who are redeemed by believing in
the baptism of Jesus and His blood. The redeemed receive eternal life
and live forever. Have you received eternal life?
In
the 12th verse, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the
Son of God does not have life.” In other words, he who believes in the
things the Son did on earth—His being baptized, and dying at the Cross,
and His resurrection—has eternal life. But he who omits even one of
these will not have life, nor will he be redeemed.
The
Apostle John distinguished the people of God on the basis of their
belief in the things that Jesus did: the water, the blood, and the
Spirit. These things tell us whether they have the Word in them. He
identifies the redeemed by their belief in the water of Jesus’ baptism,
His blood, and the Spirit.
Those Who Are Not Born Again Cannot Discern a Sheep from a Goat
Who can discern the redeemed from the unredeemed?
He who is born again
He who is born again
The Apostle John clearly identified the righteous ones who were redeemed. The Apostle Paul did too. How can the servants of God distinguish sharply between a sheep and a goat? How do they distinguish the true servants of God from the pretenders? Those who are redeemed by believing in the water and the blood of Jesus receive the power to see.
Whether
a man is a pastor, an evangelist, or an elder, if he cannot identify
the redeemed, or if he cannot distinguish between a sheep and a goat, he
has not been born again yet, and he does not have the life in him. But
those who have truly been born again can explicitly see the difference.
The ones without the life in themselves can neither see the difference
nor acknowledge it.
It
is just like that we cannot distinguish colors in the dark. Green is
green and white is white. But, if you close your eyes, you can neither
see nor acknowledge colors.
But
those with their eyes open can recognize even the tiniest variation in
color. They can tell which is green and which is white. Similarly, there
is an obvious difference between the redeemed and those who are not
redeemed.
We
have to preach the gospel of redemption, the gospel of the water, the
blood, and the Spirit. We have to arise and shine. When we gather people
around us to propagate the true faith, we do not speak with man’s
words. In the Bible, 1 John 5 explains its meaning. We should explain it
step by step so that there is no confusion.
The
Word that we are preaching, that is, the Word of the water, the blood,
and the Spirit of Jesus is the light of redemption. To make the ‘water’
of Jesus known to people is to shine brightly. To make the ‘blood’ of
Jesus known is to shine brightly. We have to make it very clear so that
there is no one on earth who does not know this truth.
If
the born-again do not arise and shine, many people will die without
redemption, and God will not be pleased. He would call us lazy servants.
We do have to spread the gospel of the water and the blood of Jesus.
The
reason why I am repeating myself so many times is that the baptism of
Jesus is very important to our being saved. When we speak to children,
we have to explain things over and over, going through every point so
that we are sure they understand.
If
we were trying to teach an illiterate man, we would probably first
start with the alphabet. Then we could gradually teach him how to write
words with this alphabet. When he was able to put together words such as
‘punishment,’ we would begin to explain the meaning of these words.
This is exactly how we should talk to people about Jesus to make sure
that they truly understand.
We
should clearly explain the baptism of Jesus. He came into this world by
water, blood, and the Spirit. I pray that you will believe in Jesus as
your Savior and be redeemed.
The
redemption of the water and the Spirit springs from the faith in the
baptism of Jesus, His blood on the Cross, and from the belief that Jesus
is God, our Savior.
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