318. The Three Witnesses: the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood

The Witness of the Blood

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7.

What sin are we cleansed from when we walk in the light? Surely it cannot be conscious works of the flesh (Gal:5), for those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. They walk in darkness and allow themselves to be led by the prince of darkness. But those who walk in the light must also have sin that needs to be cleansed away by the blood of Jesus. This is possible because of the new and living way that has been consecrated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh. Heb. 10:19-20. By walking in the light, we keep the flesh with its desires crucified on the cross. Then like Jesus we suffer death according to the flesh and are made alive in the spirit. By resisting sin unto bloodshed, we enter into the sanctuary, and this gives us the witness of the blood, the inner cleansing—sanctification. The soul is in the blood, and when the blood is poured out as a result of the obedience of faith, so then the first Adam is poured out, he who was a living soul. Our forerunner Jesus Christ experienced just the same thing; He poured out His soul unto death and was numbered with the transgressors. Isa. 53:12. Through this Jesus became a life-giving Spirit, and when we suffer death with Jesus, the second Adam will also quicken our human spirit. Those who suffer death in this way and are quickened with Christ become partakers with Him in the first resurrection. They are redeemed from the earth and from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. Rev. 14. In this process of sacrificing His own self-will, Jesus was formed to be High Priest. God appointed Him to this. Heb. 3:2. Jesus sacrificed His own will in order to do the will of the Father. We are to do the same. This is what makes us kings and priests for God. From the time of John the Baptist, Jesus preached the “kingdom of heaven.” Spirit, water, and blood. He was the first to bear this within Himself, but since the day of Pentecost there have been many. The kingdom of heaven demands the sacrificing of the first Adam: he who loses his life shall find it. Much can be said about this, and all those who give themselves to walking according to God’s will in the spirit of sacrifice and in the light will understand this.

The Witness of the Water

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

Such people had committed sin. They had walked in darkness and done the works of the devil. But for those in verse 7 it was quite different. They had walked in the light and were cleansed inwardly by the blood of Jesus. The others, however, had sins on their conscience and had committed manifest sins. “Every sin that a man does is outside of the body.” 1 Cor. 6:18. These people had sinned outside of the body, and therefore they had to be cleansed with pure water.

John the Baptist came baptizing for the forgiveness of sins, and he said, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Such people had received the witness of the water, and I suppose that the majority of Christians today do not have any knowledge of salvation other than the baptism of John, that is, the forgiveness of sins. The reason for this is that they have not given all diligence to take the kingdom of heaven with violence. Such people have not been redeemed from the earth and from people; far from it! They are tightly bound to their fleshly relatives, to people generally, and to the earth. They have in no way resisted sin unto bloodshed, and they themselves testify that they sin daily and therefore daily need the forgiveness of sins. And why is this? Quite simply because they do not daily take up their cross and follow Him who daily took up His cross.

When Jesus died, a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear, and out flowed water and blood. The Spirit of God led Jesus into death—according to the flesh. Here the three witnesses, Spirit, water, and blood, were united into one. Most Christians only know the witness of the water, and so the apostle John found it necessary to write, “This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood.” 1 John 5:6.

The Witness of the Spirit

“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Cor. 15:45. Note that it says “became.”

It is written that Jesus poured out His soul, Isa. 53:12. So obviously, He must have had a soul to pour out just like the first Adam. Soul and spirit are firmly bound to the body. However Jesus came into the world not to do His own will, which was soulish, but God’s will, which was spiritual. In this way He poured out His soul so that His Spirit was made alive. This life-giving Spirit was the one that in His last breath He committed into the hands of God. His soul had been totally poured out. This same Spirit has now been sent to the earth to lead us on the same way that Jesus went. On this way we are made alive in the spirit and our soulish life is surrendered into death. This is how we are formed into heavenly beings, redeemed from the earth and from among people. We become firstfruits and are taken up as the bride in the first resurrection.

“There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.” 1 Cor. 15:40. Terrestrial, earthly bodies are appropriate for those who only have the testimony of water, but heavenly bodies are fitting for those who have the testimony of the water, blood, and the Spirit. The Spirit itself testifies of these things.

“As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” Verses 48 and 49.

We must conclude from these verses that the witness of the Spirit, water, and blood entitles us to a heavenly body in the resurrection, but the testimony of the water entitles us to an earthly body.