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 bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.
is he.
John 19:34,35 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water…
by water and.
Isaiah 45:3,4 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel…
Ezekiel 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
John 1:31-33 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water…
blood.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
the Spirit that.
1 John 5:7,8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one…
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 15:26 But 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:
is truth.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Jesus Christ—not by water alone, but by water and blood
This clarification underscores that Jesus' mission was not limited to His baptism, which alone would not suffice for salvation. The inclusion of "blood" highlights the necessity of His sacrificial death, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies and typologies of the sacrificial system (Isaiah 53:5, Leviticus 17:11). The dual emphasis refutes early heresies, such as Docetism, which denied the physical reality of Jesus' suffering and death. It affirms the full humanity and divinity of Christ, essential for His role as the mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
And it is the Spirit who testifies to this
The Holy Spirit's role is to bear witness to the truth of Jesus' identity and work. This testimony is consistent with the Spirit's function throughout Scripture, guiding believers into all truth (John 16:13). The Spirit's witness is internal, confirming the believer's faith, and external, through the inspired Scriptures and the proclamation of the Gospel. The Spirit's testimony is reliable and authoritative, providing assurance of the truth of Christ's redemptive work.
because the Spirit is the truth
This statement affirms the Spirit's nature as the embodiment of truth, aligning with Jesus' declaration that He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The Spirit's testimony is trustworthy because it originates from the very essence of God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). This truth is foundational for the believer's faith, providing certainty in the message of salvation and the person of Jesus Christ. The Spirit's role as the truth also connects to the broader biblical theme of God's faithfulness and the reliability of His promises.
“ This is the One who came …” (1 John 5:6a).
• John identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah who truly entered history (John 1:14; Galatians 4:4).
• The word “came” stresses purposeful mission: the Son left glory, took on flesh, and fulfilled the Father’s plan (Philippians 2:6-8).
• This opening phrase pushes back against early false teachers who denied either Christ’s deity or His genuine humanity (2 John 7).
“… by water …” (1 John 5:6a).
• Most naturally points to Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17).
– At that moment the heavens opened, the Spirit descended, and the Father declared, “This is My beloved Son” (Mark 1:9-11).
• That public baptism launched His earthly ministry, identifying Him with sinners He came to save (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• It also fulfilled righteousness, showing obedience to God’s revealed will (Matthew 3:15).
“… and blood …” (1 John 5:6a).
• Refers to the cross where Jesus shed His blood for atonement (John 19:34; Hebrews 9:14).
• His death satisfied divine justice, cleansed believers from sin, and established the new covenant (1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7).
• Water marked the beginning of ministry; blood marked the completion (John 19:30).
“ … not by water alone, but by water and blood .” (1 John 5:6b).
• John insists both events are essential. False teachers accepted Jesus’ baptism but rejected His atoning death; Scripture keeps them inseparable (Luke 24:25-27).
• Salvation rests on the whole work of Christ—from identification with sinners to substitution for sinners (Romans 5:8-9).
• The pairing also echoes Jesus’ own words about a “baptism” of suffering He must undergo (Mark 10:38-39; Luke 12:50).
“ And it is the Spirit who testifies to this …” (1 John 5:6c).
• The Holy Spirit continually bears witness to the true identity and finished work of Jesus (John 15:26; Acts 5:32).
• He applied that testimony at Jesus’ baptism (descending like a dove) and at the cross (using signs such as the temple veil tearing, Matthew 27:51).
• Today He confirms the gospel in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 12:3).
“… because the Spirit is the truth.” (1 John 5:6d).
• Truth is not merely a concept; it is a Person within the Godhead (John 14:17; 16:13).
• The Spirit’s testimony is perfectly reliable, guarding the church from error and empowering believers to stand firm (Ephesians 1:13-14).
• His inner witness aligns with the historical witnesses of water and blood, giving a threefold, unified confirmation of Jesus’ saving mission (1 John 5:7-8).
John counters deception by pointing to three divine witnesses: the historical baptism (“water”), the sacrificial death (“blood”), and the ongoing testimony of the Holy Spirit. Together they affirm that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God who fully obeyed, fully suffered, and fully saves. Accepting all three witnesses anchors faith, assures salvation, and fuels confident living in the truth.
Verses 6-12. - The section takes a new turn; the test of the Christian life furnished by the witness of the life itself. This witness is that of the Spirit (verse 6), identical with that of God (verse 9), and possessed by every believer (verse 10). Few passages of Scripture have produced such a mass of widely divergent interpretation. Verse 6. - This (Son of God) is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ. This may be regarded as one of the main propositions of the Epistle - that the eternal Son of God is identical with the historic Person, Jesus. Of the water and the blood widely differing interpretations have been given. It would be tedious and unprofitable to enumerate them. Our estimate of John 19:34, "the most perplexing incident in the Gospel," will probably influence our interpretation of this "the most perplexing passage in the Epistle." Not that we have here any direct reference to the piercing of Christ's side, and its results. Yet both passages teach similar spiritual truths, viz. the ideas which underlie the two sacraments, and teach them by reference to facts in the life and death of Jesus Christ. But the facts are not the same in each case. It is difficult to believe that this passage contains any definite and immediate allusion to John 19:34. Why in that case the marked change of order, "water and blood" instead of "blood and water"? And if it be thought that this is explained by saying that the one is "the ideal, mystical, sacramental, subjective order," the ether "the historical and objective order," and that "the first is appropriately adopted in the Epistle, the second in the Gospel," we are not at the end of our difficulties. If St. John is here referring to the effusions from Christ's dead body, what can be the meaning of "not in water only, but in water and blood"? It was the water, not the blood, that was specially astonishing. And "in" in this case seems a strange expression to use. We should have expected rather, "not shedding blood only, but blood and water." Moreover, how can blood and water flowing from the Lord's body be spoken of his "coming through water and blood"? The simplest interpretation is that which refers ὕδωρ to the baptism of water to which he himself submitted, and which he enjoined upon his disciples, and αῖμα to the baptism of blood to which he himself submitted, and which raised the baptism of water from a sign into a sacrament. John came baptizing in water only ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων (John 1:31, 33). Jesus came baptizing in water and blood, i.e., in water which washed away sin through the efficacy of his blood. This interpretation explains the marked change of preposition. Jesus effected his work through the baptisms of water and blood; and it is by baptism in these elements that he comes to his followers. Moreover, this interpretation harmonizes with the polemical purpose of the Epistle, viz. to confute the errors of Cerinthus. Cerinthus taught that the Divine Logos or Christ descended upon Jesus at the baptism, and departed again when Jesus was arrested; so that a mere man was born of Mary, and a mere man suffered on the cross. St. John assures us that there was no such severance. The Divine Son Jesus Christ came not by water only at his baptism, but by blood also at his death. Besides these two abiding witnesses, there is yet a third still more convincing. And there is the Spirit that beareth witness (to the Divinity of Christ); because the Spirit is the truth. There can be no higher testimony than that of the truth itself (John 14:17; John 15:26; John 16:13). It is surprising that any one should propose to translate, "The Spirit is that which is witnessing that the Spirit is the truth." What has this to do with the context?