Letters from the Beloved: Three-fold Cord
1 John 5:6-8 [NIV*] 6 This is the one who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
Why was John, the beloved, adamant that it was water AND blood AND Spirit? These are not the three parts of what many religions would call the trinity. Remember that John, the Baptist, was baptizing with water before Jesus began His ministry. Many came to him upon repentance and were baptized in the water.
But that was only part of the process, as John, the Baptist, knew and confessed to his followers.
Matthew 3:11 [NKJV] "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
When Jesus was ready to begin His earthly ministry, He went to John to be baptized. At that time the Father sent a visible representation of the Spirit descending upon Jesus. Perhaps this was not just to show that Jesus was the beloved Son of God, but also to confirm what John had been saying – that is, that there was a further need for baptism by the Holy Spirt. The water of repentance was/is not enough.
Later, the disciples, who were likely all baptized by John as well (we know specifically that some were followers of John, so it is a reasonable assumption), received the Holy Spirit [See Acts 2:1-4]. Prior to receiving the Holy Spirit, they were hiding from the religious leaders of the time. After the receiving of the Holy Spirit, they became bold preachers of the Gospel, most being martyred for it.
This – the dramatic change possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—is why water baptism does not stand alone.
1 John 1:7 [NKJV] 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.
Jesus made it clear to the disciples before hand that they would only receive the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, after He gave His blood for us. In his recounting of the Gospel message, John, the beloved, records this part of Jesus’ final words to His disciples in John 14:16-21. The King James Version uses the word Comforter. It is rendered “Helper” in the New King James and English Standard Version and translated “Advocate” in the New International Version. These are the roles of the Holy Spirit within us or for us – advocacy, comfort, and help.
But the Holy Spirit cannot come to dwell in us as “old wine skins”. [Luke 5:37] We first have to be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.
1 John 1:7 [NKJV] 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.
Following the words of Jesus and the further writings of John, the beloved, we see that these three are in agreement because each one is needed in order for us to live out our faith.
The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, talks about the strength of a three-fold cord.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 [NKJV] Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Together, the cleansing blood of Jesus, the repentance and symbolism of water baptism, and the indwelling of the Holdy Spirit, are the unbreakable three-fold cord of our Christian walk. No one of them can stand alone in our efforts to truly be changed.
Let’s review.
The blood – Jesus’s cleansing blood washes away our sins so that we might become something new.
The water – Baptism is our outward symbol of commitment to putting off the old and becoming new.
The Holy Spirit – It’s indwelling is what drives change from the old person into the new person, whose spiritual image reflects God and whose outward acts do His work on earth.
Sweet sisters, we need all three, and, thankfully, our beloved John mapped it out for us.
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org
*Please note that I’m suing the NIV for these verses. The King James and New King James versions have added text that are not in the original scriptures. These words were added by the translators to support the Trinity Doctrine. Adding things to scripture that were not inspired in the original text is a dangerous business. [See Rev. 22:18] The text is pure, God breathed and perfect without human additions.