The Testimony of God

Yesterday we saw that John drew on the law of Moses concerning the number and character of witnesses to show that God has strong testimony about the person and work of His Son. In today’s passage, he argues that if we are willing to accept the testimony of men, we must be all the more willing to accept the greater testimony of God (1 John 5:9). Whoever believes in the Son has this testimony in himself (v. 10).

The argument proceeds from the lesser to the greater. We trust human testimony in matters of far smaller weight every day. We swallow medicine because a label tells us what is in the bottle. We board aircraft based on certifications that we will never read. Human life would grind to a halt if we sought to verify every claim personally.

John presses the point toward its obvious conclusion: “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater” (v. 9). Consistency would require that we receive the Word of God, for He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). His testimony does not merely add one voice among many; it’s the end of the matter, because no court sits above the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25). This is why Scripture never asks for blind faith; it gives testimony and calls on us to receive it.

The question remains as to what exactly constitutes this testimony. God’s testimony is likely the same as the testimony of the Spirit, the water, and the blood (1 John 5:7–8). In other words, God Himself speaks through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit (3:24) and through the events of Jesus’ baptism (Matt. 3:16–17) and crucifixion (27:32–54) to confirm the incarnation.

Those who reject His testimony regarding the incarnation make the trustworthy God into a liar (1 John 5:10) and thus blaspheme His name. Jesus is not merely a good teacher; He is the incarnate Son of the living God, and if this is rejected, then God Himself is rejected, whatever may be said to the contrary. Without confession of the incarnate Son, the Father remains unknown.

This is a warning, but it is a comforting one. The same testimony that condemns unbelief is a support for every believer, for God will not go back on what He has said. When we take Him at His word, we honor Him as true, and He is pleased to confirm His witness within us. Those who rest on the testimony of God rest on ground that cannot move, and they may face every accusation of the evil one with the verdict of God in hand.