Our scripture this morning is 1 John 5:6-12.
“And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross—not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. So we have these three witnesses— the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and all three agree. Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son. And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.”
John talks about the water, the blood and the Spirit giving us testimony that Jesus is the son of God. Jesus came to be one of us and although He did not need to be forgiven of sin, He came to be baptized in order to show His love and connection with us (Matthew 3:13-17). From the very beginning of His public ministry, Jesus wanted us to see Him as our brother.
Jesus was obedient even unto death and on the cross He poured out His blood that we might be saved. His sacrifice for us shows how dearly God loves all His children and sets the example for us to be willing to give up our lives for others (John 15:13). At the Last Supper He told His disciples “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28).
The gift of Holy Spirit came to His followers at Pentecost (Acts 2) and to all of us since then. This is His presence with us to guide and protect us from falling back into sin. We may still make mistakes, but we are promised forgiveness when we repent and turn back to God. The waters of baptism, the saving blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit all prove that we are God’s beloved children and called to be part of His plan of salvation.
Gracious God, we do not deserve any of the gifts You give, but You bless us just the same. Help us to be the people of the light, sharing Your love with all the world. Amen.