I John 5: 1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?6 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 truth.7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
How do you know for certain that your relationship with God is real? When you have failed God with a life that seems to scream back to you of each and every sin; how can you know that your salvation was real? When Satan whispers words of doubt; how do you know for a certainty that we are saved? John refers to the three witnesses in heaven and three on earth that not only bear witness of Christ’s all sufficiency in providing salvation; but also prove that He is the only means of salvation. Beyond that, John is reporting the proof on which each believer may stand.
1. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, The only begotten Son of God, who is the word of God made flesh; and truly God ?
Look at verse 7 where John refers to the fact that "the Father, the Word (Christ-go back to John chapter 1); and the Holy Ghost are three; yet one.
2. Do you love Christ? Do you see Him as your greatest treasure? If God had not ever offered Salvation and God never gave you anything in return for your praise; would you still see Him as worthy of your praise, adoration, and worship anyway? In other words, do you love Him for who He is and not for what you might gain by following Him?
3. Look at verse 6 where John refers to the Witness of the Spirit to us that Christ that Christ was born not merely as a man (born of water); but that He was God–He carried the Blood of His Father. He was the only man who also was God. Look back at what Christ has said in John 3 when trying to explain salvation and the term "to be born again" to Nicodemus "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit." He was referring to the water birth as the birth of the flesh, floating in a sea of amniotic fluid.
4. I must agree that at first Verse 8 was a mystery to me as to how to explain it. I was not satisfied with what some referred to as Christ’s water baptism, followed by Christ’s death through the shedding of blood. Somehow for me, there must have been something else, as that explanation did not seem to fit the whole of the verse. So I began a massive search and have concluded that perhaps there are two meanings that might apply here; so bear with me. The most simplistic would be to say that the life of Christ (the water), the death of Christ (the blood) and the witness of the Holy Spirit are the testimonies on earth; but then why in verse 9 separate these into the categories of the witness of men and the witness of God? So if he is referring to the Witness of Men, what could he possibly mean? and How does this help us to understand or grasp a hold of our own security in Christ? I do believe that I found some help in this when I read the commentaries in the Geneva Study Bible which were as follows:
"{8} This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; {9} not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the {g}Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
(8) He proves the excellency of Christ, in whom only all things are given us by six witnesses, three heavenly, and three earthly, who wholly and completely agree together. The heavenly witnesses are, the Father who sent the Son, the Word itself, which became flesh, and the Holy Spirit. The earthly witnesses are water, (that is our sanctification) blood, (that is, our justification) the Spirit, (that is, acknowledging of God the Father in Christ by faith) through the testimony of the Holy Spirit.
(9) He warns us not to separate water from blood (that is sanctification from justification, or righteousness, begun from righteousness imputed) for we do not stand on sanctification, but so far as it is a witness of Christ’s righteousness imputed to us: and although this imputation of Christ’s righteousness is never separated from sanctification, yet it is the only matter of our salvation.
(g) Our spirit which is the third witness, testifies that the holy Sprit is truth, that is to say, that that is true which he tells us, that is, that we are the sons of God."
Let me try to simply this thought. We know that we are the children of God through the Spirit of God communing with our spirit. "16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" Romans 8:16. Secondly, we have been justified before our righteous Creator and God through the blood of Christ. Thirdly, we have witness of that by the ongoing cleansing and sanctification of the water. I may not have yet attained the perfect demonstration of my imputed righteousness; but the cleansing through His word and His work in me to sift out all the chaff remains an ongoing work which I can see as proof that I am His Child.
So, my final question to you is: Do you know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that you are a Child of God; bought by the precious blood of Christ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60&feature=related