Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 96th. Edition.
Dear Ambassadors of the Risen Lord,
Today’s passage (1 John 5:6-9) is a controversial one because the authenticity of part of it is disputed. If you compare the Authorised Version (King James) with most modern translations, you will notice that the modern versions omit the latter half of verse 7 and the first half of verse 8. Contrary to the allegations of some, the reason for this omission is not because the translators and publishers of those versions did not believe in the Trinity and so wanted to eliminate the clearest statement of the doctrine in the Bible. I’m afraid it a little more complicated than that. Until the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439, all writing was done by hand. The Bible and all other books and texts were copied by hand. Because of this, many mistakes were made by those who did the copying. The Old Testament was copied by trained, devout scribes who operated under very strict rules, so the copying was meticulous and errors were rare. Not so with the New Testament. Some who did the copying were not well trained and many errors ended up in their manuscripts. Some of the ways in which this happened were inadvertent, but some were intentional. Here are some ways errors crept into the portions during the production of copies.
1. Omissions. Sometimes a person would not see a word, or they would think they had written it, yet had not.
2. Mis-spelling. This happened with the addition or omission of a letter, that would usually result in a different word, than was in the original.
3. Confusing a word for another. This happened with words that had similar spelling, much the way English users confuse lose and loose.
4. Explanatory notes. At times the person copying would be aware that his readers would not understand a context. He would write an explanation but often, not indicate that this was not part of the original. The next person who copied from the copy would be unaware of the annexation and would copy it as part of the original.
5. Interpretation. In an attempt to help readers, some of the copiers would write an interpretation, which future copiers were likely to mistake for part of the original.
6. There are other possibilities but if you have interest in the subject, please register for a course in Textual Science (or Textual Criticism) at one of the Theological schools. The Bible text that the translators of the Authorised Version were the result of prior, painstaking textual work. This was not a final document, because textual science is an ongoing effort, much like Archeology. Presently, we have more than 5,000 manuscripts of the New Testament, with more than half a million variations in the text! Textual Science is an attempt, largely successful, to give us a Bible text that is as close as possible to the originals, which we no longer have. Most modern Textual Scientists have reached the conclusion that the parts of verses 7 and 8 omitted in most translations were an editorial addition and were not written by John. My comments will not include the portion omitted by most translations. The good news is that the exclusion of that passage is not a threat to the doctrine of the Trinity. There are other, undisputed passages elsewhere that teach the doctrine clearly.
The One who Came (v. 6a). John here partly echoes the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:5), which John himself recorded for us. He says that Jesus came by water and the blood. In New Testament times, water was associated with purification. People who were ceremonially unclean, bathed to purify themselves. Baptizers like John “bathed” those they baptized as a means of symbolic purification. Prior to baptism, one was expected to repent of one’s sins, then enter the water for purification, so water (and baptism) came to signify repentance. Blood represents death. Life is taken when blood is shed. Blood is, therefore, representative of the penalty that Jesus paid when he died. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), so Jesus took the wages for us. Repentance is great but it alone does not save. The sinner must be absolved by the blood of Jesus. So Jesus came by water (repentance and baptism) and also by the blood (death to pay the price for our salvation). There is also the implication here that Jesus who was baptized is the same one who shed his blood. This is to counter the teaching of some, that the two were different and that Christ did not die but a substitute.
The Three that Concurs (vv. 6b-8). There are three witnesses to Christ. These three are in agreement, which brings to mind the requirement that for a testimony to carry the force of law, it would have to be borne by two or three witnesses. _
The Spirit._ The Holy Spirit in us testifies to our spirits that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). With this testimony is the obvious implication that what is claimed about Jesus is true. _
The Water._ This recalls the baptism of Jesus, at which event the Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven, acknowledging the Son (Matthew 3:16-17). It is noteworthy here, that the Father bore witness to the son, as we will see, shortly. _
The Blood._ This signifies, as we have seen, the death of Christ. The death of the God-man in the person of Christ is essential to our salvation, as we saw earlier. A mediator must represent both parties and only one who is both God and man fits the bill. That Jesus died and rose again is the key to our salvation.
*The One who Commands* authority (v. 9). The witness to Jesus revolves around God:
1. The Holy Spirit is God, and he testifies in our hearts.
2. The Father testified of the Son at the baptism.
3. The Father further affirmed the Son, when he raised him from the dead.
4. Even John’s testimony is inspired by God. It was acceptable to admit the testimony of man, as long as two or three witnesses concurred. When God himself provides the testimony, that should be the end of the argument. God is by nature true.
His word is true and cannot deceive or mislead. Yet we believe men who question God and we doubt God!
Your Loving Pastor Chris.