The assurance of salvation, drawing from 1 John 5:8, which presents the Spirit, water, and blood as witnesses. The passage explains that Jesus' death, evidenced by the blood and water from his pierced side, confirms his real death and the efficacy of his atoning sacrifice for sins. True assurance comes not from outward actions or upbringing, but from receiving Jesus Christ, which brings regeneration and cleansing. The Holy Spirit then empowers believers, and God's witness in His Word provides certainty of eternal life, urging listeners to believe in Christ to know they possess this life.
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In our citywide Bible class in Colorado Springs, we have a little tradition that we never finish anything. For fear, somebody would say, well, I've got the last word on that. I never need to study that book again because we finished it. I never need to make a list of those particular features because we've got that list complete. But we purposely avoid that. I won't say I did that with the first epistle of John, but I just couldn't get through it in six mornings, that's all, and trying to handle certain verses of it for the gospel in the evening.
But I do hope that I've stimulated your appetite for the first epistle of John enough that you will want to study it. Somebody told me today that August Van Ryn has written a very helpful book on the first epistle of John. I didn't know it. I knew he'd written one on John's Gospel, but you may be interested in that. I've enjoyed very much Mr. Darby's nine lectures on the epistles of John, and Mr. Kelly's very exhaustive work on First John, and you may find some others you like.
I hope you'll dig into it. I hope you'll really study it. There is no book in the Bible that is not worth intensive and earnest study. I remember a few years ago hearing that a reader's Bible had been put out by a group in Chicago, and they said, we have eliminated First and Second Chronicles and other unimportant passages. So I said to myself, if the devil hates First and Second Chronicles enough to eliminate them, I'm going to study them. And I got a real feast for my soul in spending most of that winter studying First and Second Chronicles.
There are no unimportant passages in God's Word. And First John is a most helpful study. for anyone who will go into it. Now in the fifth chapter of First John, we read this, and we're going to begin at verse eight. There are three that bear witness in earth the spirit and the water and the blood. And these three agree in one. We have three witnesses to give us assurance.
One of the key words for the epistle of John is the word no, K-N-O-W. And if you would like assurance, I'd like to suggest you do some reading in the first epistle of John. It's given that we might have assurance. There are so many Christians who complain that they don't have assurance. I remember one time having some meetings in the city in northern Colorado, and a young school teacher came to me and said, I'm very disturbed because I have never had any assurance.
And I don't know what made me say it. I usually try to be a gentleman, work at it anyway. But I said to her, what makes you think you ought to have assurance? Well, she said, don't all Christians have assurance? Aren't they supposed to have it? And I said, what makes you think you're Christian? Well, she said, well, my mother brought me up that way, and I teach the Sunday school class. So I proceeded to show her that there's no assurance for people who were brought upright. and who teach Sunday school classes. There is no assurance in the Word of God for people who have always tried to do the right thing.
Assurance in the Bible is offered only to those who have acknowledged their sinfulness and have received the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if you'd like some witness tonight, if you'd like some assurance tonight, we have three to present to you. The Spirit and the water and the blood. Now, verse six had just stated before this, this is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is true.
I feel sure that the reference here is to the sufferings of our Lord Jesus. For the Apostle John in his Gospel calls particular attention to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus when a very remarkable thing happened. When the Lord Jesus was already dead, The soldiers came around to hasten the death of any who might still be living because their Sabbath was soon to start, the Jewish Sabbath was soon to start, and they broke the legs of the two thieves who were crucified with Christ. When they came to the Lord Jesus, they found he was dead already, so they did not break his legs.
And so an Old Testament scripture was fulfilled. A bone of him shall not be broken. But a soldier having a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. And John says, The one who wrote this book saw it personally, and testified of these things, and you know that he's telling the truth. Why is this so important? Well, first of all, it's a most unusual thing. So doctors tell us. But I think more important than that, God wanted us to know that in the death of His Son, because this came from the side of a dead man, the Lord Jesus Christ was really dead.
He wasn't in a swoon. He wasn't stolen away and revived. He was really dead. and a broad Roman spear opened up his side and opened up his heart, and blood and water flowed out. The Lord Jesus died. And in the death of the Lord Jesus, two things are presented to us, two things which every one of us need. I'm sure the ushers will do a good job. Will you look this way? You act like a bunch of kids. I'm used to that at home. You know, I expect the kids to act that way in the children's home, but I don't expect you grown-ups to do it.
Consider yourselves slapped on the wrist. Now, look this way. I want you to get this. If you don't get this, I might as well have stood in bed, as the Dutchman says. There are two things that we need. We need, we need the forgiveness of sins. We need to be cleansed, and only the precious blood of Christ can cleanse us from sins. But we also need cleansing from defilement. Let me explain to you what I mean. Back in the thirteenth chapter of John, the Lord Jesus said, as he went around to wash the disciples' feet, he was teaching them a lesson in humility, let's not overlook that, but he was teaching them a spiritual lesson too.
He said to them, he said to Peter, if I don't wash your feet, you won't have any part with me. And Peter said, well, in that case, just give me a bath, my hands and my head. I want everything that it takes. No, no, says the Lord. He that has had his bath needs only to have his feet washed. Now, to understand that, you need to think of the Oriental countries where sandals are worn. and the public baths are located usually in the heart of town, and people go and take a bath and then come home and promptly have to wash their feet, because they walk through the streets with sandals on, and their feet are defiled.
Now, says the Lord, you've had your bath, you only need to have the defilement cleansed away from your feet. What did He want us to know? He wanted us to know that when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive the bath of regeneration. Now, please don't misunderstand me. I am not talking about baptism. Baptism is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh any more than it is the putting away of sin. Baptism never cleansed away one single sin. Whether that so-called baptism was something which took place when you were a little tiny baby or whether it's something that took place when you voluntarily associated yourself with some group.
Baptism does not take away sin. How do I know that? Because in the first chapter of this same epistle, he says, The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleansed us from all sins. Now, if the precious blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins, that doesn't leave any sins to be cleansed away by the right of baptism, by your own good works, or by any other means. Judicially, you and I are made fit for the presence of God because Christ died in our place. Have you any other reason for expecting to go to heaven?
Well, then ditch it tonight. Get rid of it right this minute. For you have no basis in Scripture for expecting God to take you to heaven, except because the Lord Jesus died in our place. Poured out his wife's blood. He really died. Well, why should he die? He had no sin. He did no sin. He knew no sin. Why then should he die? For sin... results in death, and death is the wages of sin. And he had no sin. Why should he die? Well, the answer is plainly given to us, Christ died for our sin, according to the Scriptures, and was buried and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
The Lord Jesus Christ had to die if you were to live, for he is a substitute for sinners. I believe in the substitutionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know how you could believe God's word and not believe that. Now have you had the bath of regeneration? What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Has that happened to you? I mean, by that have you appropriated the means of cleansing.
I guess they've got a lot of shower baths and bathtubs and the whole Merced River running down through the valley. I guess there are plenty of opportunities to get cleaned up physically here in the valley. Does that mean everybody in the valley is clean? You should have seen the character I saw today. It doesn't mean that everybody's going to heaven because Christ's precious blood was shed for us on the cross. It doesn't mean necessarily, doesn't necessarily follow that your sins are put away because the Savior came down to die in your place. You'll have to appropriate this for yourself.
Have you received the Lord Jesus as your Savior? All right. The second thing is, For we not only need to have our sins put away, but we need our life cleansed. When he says the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin, he is not speaking of the point of time. That's very easy to ascertain from reading the language in which our New Testament was given. It isn't so clear in the English, but it's perfectly plain that he's not talking about a point in time. He's merely talking about the character of that blood.
The blood of Jesus Christ is the cleanser away of all sin. That's what it does. If that has been done for you, you do not need to be cleansed by the precious blood daily, as some people say, and as some misleading songs say. You do not need to come back again when you've gotten away from the Lord and get born again, again, again. You do not need to come back to God and get saved over again. The Bible doesn't teach that. I'm not trying to offend you if your particular church teaches that. I'm talking about what the Bible teaches.
I am not here to represent any church. I'm here to teach what I see in the Bible. And the Bible teaches that when we sin against God as Christians, we are cleansed by the washing of the water by the Word. You'll find that in Ephesians chapter five and verse twenty-five. You'll find also in the hundred and nineteen psalm a very wonderful verse that says, Wherewithal, that is, what shall he use? Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his ways? Now that hasn't anything to do with our relationship to God as a judge. That's already been settled.
In my case, it was settled on the last day of the year, nineteen hundred and eleven. I received the Lord Jesus from my Savior. And that doesn't need to be repeated. But there have been very few days since that time, if any, when there hasn't been defilements in my life. I don't mean by that that I've alternated between robbing banks and strangling my grandmother. All I'm talking about is defilement, and it may take the form of a proud look. God puts that at the top of the list of seven things he hates.
Don't forget that. It may take the form of a lustful look. It may take the form of covetousness. It may take the form of foolish thoughts, whatever it is. There is defilement, even in the lives of believers. That's why he says in the first chapter of this epistle, if we, Christians, confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When the Lord Jesus died, he opened up a fountain for sins. For the unbeliever the precious blood of Christ, for the believer the washing of the water by the word.
But there's a third witness here, a third way by which you may be assured that you're right with God, and that is the presence of the Holy Spirit of God. And these three agree in one. These three operate together to produce the same effect. Now what is the Spirit of God doing here on the earth today? Well, I have the problem of sin. That's been taken care of. But I have another problem. I have the problem of weakness. That's been taken care of too. For I have no strength to go on to please God except the strength that I draw from the Holy Spirit of God.
Now, when the Lord Jesus came down to this earth, he had a job to do, and he finished that work because the last thing he said to the world on the cross, he cried with a loud voice, said, Let's die. It's finished. and he cried with a loud voice. He wanted everybody to know that he came to finish the work and he did finish it. Then he went back to heaven. But as soon as he went back to heaven or very shortly after he went back to heaven within ten days, he sent the Holy Spirit of God down to this earth. Now why did the Holy Spirit come down?
He has a job to do too. The Lord said to I go to the Father, I'll send the Holy Spirit unto you. And when He comes, He will give you power. What do you need power for? What do you need power for any thing you're going to do spiritually? Too many people have thought that the Bible speaks of our talents and our ability to do for the Lord on a purely natural level. For my part, I don't see that any value is placed in the Word of God on native ability.
Now, you may not agree with this, but I don't see any value in native ability. I don't see that God ought to save that man because he has such a wonderful voice. He'd make such a wonderful gospel preacher. He might make a good auctioneer. He isn't necessarily a good gospel preacher because he has a good voice. I can't see that the Lord ought to save that person because he has such a magnificent brain. You know what the human brain usually does? The human brain usually works against God. My proof for that is the eighth chapter of Romans. The carnal mind is enmity against God.
and is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. When God saves you, He puts in you whatever gift He wants you to exercise. And the Spirit of God is the power operating within you as a believer. Don't you tell anybody that you have no gift. For every Christian has some gift or gift from God which need to be developed and you The Holy Spirit is a power for this. But now he adds something in verse nine. We have this witness. Now he says, if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.
What does that mean? Well, that means if you believe me, I believe you. We certainly ought to believe God. We believe total strangers, don't we? Today a young man waited on me at the filling station, did a very fine job of it. And I told him about the meeting up here tonight. I don't know, maybe he investigated it otherwise, but I really think he believed me. And he told me he was going to try to come, and I believed him, and he's here tonight. You see, we believe each other, and I never saw that young man until today, and I don't think you'd ever seen me.
Strange, isn't it? We can believe each other and can't believe God. Isn't that strange? If we receive the witness of man, the witness of God is greater, and for this is the witness of God which has testified of his Son, let me tell you something. There is no good news in the Bible about you. All the good news in the Bible is about Christ. The gospel is concerning His Son. All of the good news is about the Lord Jesus. The gospel is not a work to be done, but a message about a work that is done. And you need to believe that message. You ought to believe God.
That's the first argument. The second argument in verse ten is, He that believeth on the Son of God hath a witness in Himself. I believe that this is the word of God which is received. He that believeth not God have made him a liar. Does that sound too strong? We don't toss that word around very loosely, do we? I mean, you're pretty careful about calling anybody a liar. You might use a more polite term. You might insinuate. certain things, but you're a little careful about how you use that. Usually you have to be angry before you even use it at all.
But the Bible says, if you don't believe God, you've made him out to be a liar. I hope nobody will go away from this bowl tonight calling God a liar. It's all right if you think I am. It's all right if you think Mr. Tatham is. But please don't think that God is lying. God has given us his word, which has stood the test of nearly twenty centuries. Some of it a great deal longer than that. The Bible is God's word. Please believe God. Don't make him out a liar. Then he says, verse eleven, this is the record.
This is what God wants you to believe. This is the record that God hath given to us. eternal life. God has given to us, not sold, not traded, not bartered. God has given to us eternal life. The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans six twenty three says, God had his son. He gave that son. God has a gift for you. Eternal life in Christ, not separate from him, but in him.
That is, when you receive Christ, you do receive the gift. Proof of that is given in the next verse. Although the rest of this verse, this is the record that God has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Maybe you came in here tonight wondering whether you're a real Christian or not. Maybe you thought, well, my parents brought me up and I went to Sunday school and I always thought I was a Christian. I'm not right sure. Would you like me sure? I'm sure you would. If you're a thinking person, I think you'd like to be sure.
All right, let me show you God's way of being sure. He that hath a son hath light. Now if you had eternal life, you'd be happy, wouldn't you? You'd know things were right, because eternal life is God's kind of life. If you had life, you'd have all that God can give you, for it's all wrapped up in this one bundle. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. You may have respectability, and you may have church membership, and you may have a lot of things. But if you do not have the Son of God, you do not have life. That's very evident. That's as plain as English can put it.
All right, the thing to decide then is, do I have Christ or do I not? What you say, I don't know. How do you feel? Now let's leave that out of it. Some of you folks are married. The rest of you are waiting to be, especially the girls. I'm sure that you wouldn't miss a chance. All ladies think that's conceded when a man says it, but evidence is to that point, and I haven't any doubt at all that you're all interested in marriage, either because you've been through it or because you expect to, except the eleven-year-old boys and they hate girls. Listen, getting married is receiving a person.
That's what it is. I love a marriage. I shed a few tears along with the bride's mother too, but I love a marriage. I love to be present at marriages. They're happy occasions. The Lord Jesus graced the marriage feast. I think it was probably the marriage of the man who wrote this. In any case, he was there and he made it a happy occasion. You just be sure the Lord Jesus is at your wedding and it'll be a very happy one. When you get married, you receive a person. The preacher said to me, do you take this woman whose hands you hold to be your lawful wedded wife?
Now, I didn't reach down and scoop her up in my arms, though I could have very well. At that time, she weighed a hundred and two, and I weighed two hundred and one. I suppose it wouldn't have been hard to pick her up. I suppose I could have said, yes, I'll take her, but that isn't what he meant. I said, yes, and I took her as my wife. I assented to this. It was my choice. I wanted her for my wife. Then he asked her if she would take me to be her husband. And there, of course, it was a physical impossibility if it's a matter of picking him up or taking him into her arms. She said, yes, that's all was necessary.
That's all the preacher expected her to say. He would have been surprised if she'd done anything else. And she said, yes. And then, according to the laws of the state, and before God and these witnesses, we had made the promises, and he pronounced us husband and wife. And it must have been all right, because it's lasted over twenty-five years. I took her. Now somebody had said, well, are you sure you're married? And I'd said, well, now let me think a little bit. Yes, I sort of feel like it. Wouldn't that have been stupid? Wouldn't that have been a silly thing to say?
Somebody who had authority to say so said we were. Does anybody have authority to say that you're saved? Well, a preacher doesn't. The priest does not. The rabbi can't. There isn't any human being who can tell you that you are a child of God. But somebody can. Here it is. Look at verse thirteen. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Will you believe on the name of the Son of God tonight? Will you trust the Lord Jesus tonight? Will you take him as your Savior tonight?
Will you accept him? Will you come to him? Will you trust him? Will you look to him? All of these words mean the same thing. Will you put your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? Will you have him? These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. Yes, you can know. God has given you witness. I hope you'll not make him a liar, but believe him tonight.