Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1187
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, August 9th, 1874, by, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
‘There are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.’’1 John 5:8.
CHRISTIANITY PUTS FORTH very lofty claims. She claims to be the true faith, and the only true one. She avows her teachings to be divine, and therefore infallible; while for her great Teacher, the Son of God, she demands divine worship, and the unreserved confidence and obedience of men. Her commands are issued to every creature, and though at present her authority is rejected by millions of mankind, she confidently looks forward to a time when truth shall obtain universal dominion, and Jesus the Lord shall take unto himself his great power and reign.
Now, to justify such high claims, the gospel ought to produce strong evidence, and it does so. It does not lack for external evidences, these are abundant, and since many learned men have spent their lives in elaborating them, there is less need for me to attempt a summary of them. In these days scarce a stone is turned over among yonder eastern reins which does not proclaim the truth of the word of God, and the further men look into either history or nature, the more manifest is the truth of scriptural statements. The armoury of external evidences is well stored with weapons of proof. The gospel also bears within itself its own evidence, it has a self-proving power. It is so pure, so holy, so altogether above the inventive capacity of fallen man, that it must be of God. But neither with these external or internal evidences have we to do this morning, but I call your attention to the three witnesses which are spoken of in the text, three great witnesses still among us, whose evidence proves the truth of our religion, the dinning, of our Lord, and the future supremacy of the faith. Our text speaks of three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood: may the Holy Ghost who is our Interpreter, lead us into the full meaning of this very, remarkable passage.
I. I shall note, first, that OUR LORD HIMSELF WAS ATTESTED BY THESE THREE WITNESSES. If you will carefully read in the twenty-ninth chapter of the Book of Exodus, or in the eighth chapter of the Book of Leviticus, you will see that when a priest was ordained (and a priest was a type of Christ) three things were always used: he was washed with water in every case, a sacrifice was brought, and his ear, his thumb, and his toe were touched with blood, and then he was anointed with oil, in token of that unction of the Spirit with which the coming High Priest of our profession would be anointed. So that every priest came by the anointing Spirit, by water, and by blood, as a matter of type, and if Jesus Christ be indeed the priest that was for to come, he will be known by these three signs.
Godly men in the olden times also well understood that there was no putting away of sin except with these three things; in proof of which we will quote David’s prayer, ‘Purge me with hyssop’’that is, the hyssop dipped in blood’’and I shall be clean; wash me’’there is the water’’and I shall be whiter than snow;’ and then, ‘Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit.’ Thus the blood, the water, and the Spirit were recognized of old as necessary to cleanse from guilt, and if Jesus of Nazareth be indeed able to save his people from their sins, he must come with the triple gift’the Spirit, the water, and the blood. Now it was evidently so.
Our Lord was attested by the Spirit. The Spirit of God bore witness to Christ in the types and prophecies, ‘Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost;’ and Jesus Christ answers to those prophecies as exactly as a well-made key answers to the wards of a lock. By the power of the Holy Spirit our Lord’s humanity was fashioned and prepared for him, for the angel said unto Mary, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’ When our Lord in due time commenced his public ministry, the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove, and rested upon him, and a voice was heard from heaven saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ This was indeed one of the surest seals of our Lord’s Messiahship, for it had been given by the Spirit of prophecy unto John as a token’’upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’ The Spirit abode in our Lord without measure, throughout his whole public career, so that he is described as full of the Spirit and led of the Spirit. Hence his life and ministry were full of power. How truthfully he said, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind.’ Well said Peter, ‘God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and healing an that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.’ Mighty signs and miracles were the witness of the divine Spirit to the mission of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit abode with our Lord all his life long, and to crown all, after he had died and risen again, the Holy Ghost gave the fullest witness by descending in full power upon the disciples at Pentecost. The Lord had promised to baptise his disciples with the Holy Ghost, and they tarried at Jerusalem in expectation of the gift: nor were they disappointed, for on a sudden ‘they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ Those cloven tongues of fire, and the ‘rushing mighty wind,’ were sacred tokens that he who had ascended was Lord and God. The apostles said, ‘We are witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.’ The word of the apostles, through the Holy Spirit, convinced men ‘of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment,’ as the Master had foretold; and then the Spirit comforted the penitents, and they believed in the exalted Savior and were baptised the selfsame day. The words of Jesus were abundantly fulfilled,’’When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.’ Thus from our Lord’s birth, throughout his life, and after his ascension, the Holy Ghost bore conspicuous witness to him.