1 John 5: Water + Blood + Spirit = Baptism

If you look about halfway down the 1 John 5 in the NIV, you’ll notice that the last section is titled “Concluding Remarks.” This section title could be an accurate title for the whole chapter because it seems like John is simply repeating and summarizing what he’s taught so far into a nice conclusion. Yet John does have morsels of new information in this chapter. I’m not going to spend on reviewing the old information because I’m saving that for a grand conclusion on the epistle of 1 John. Instead, I’m going to pick out one of the morsels of new information and expound on that. I’m really excited about the morsel I picked because it centers around my Mennonite beliefs. The verses I have chosen are 1 John 5:6-8.

1 John 5:6–8-

This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

The Mennonites believe heavily the Jesus to show the way how to live and bring about God’s Kingdom in our behavior. To them, Christ’s life on earth is a demonstration on how Christians should live their lives. I also firmly believe in this, believing that Jesus never asked His disciples to talk or act differently than He did. Jesus walked the walk as much as Jesus talked the talk. This doctrine provides a wonderful answer to the question, “Why did Jesus get baptized?” Most Christian denominations recognize baptism as a public sign that shows confession and repentance of sins, dying to the old, sinful self, believing in the Lord Jesus, and rising up to new life in him. If baptism has a lot to do with rejecting sins and the sinful nature, then why did Jesus, who perfectly sinless, have to get baptized? The Mennonite doctrine gives us a simple answer. Jesus was setting up an example. Jesus wanted his followers to live exactly as he did. So if Jesus wanted his followers to get baptized, he needed to get baptized as well. Jesus did get baptized, and therefore Christians need to be baptized, too.

When most people think of baptism, they think of water. The thought of baptism might even spark a debate among Christians on which method is the right method to baptize someone (sprinkling, anointing, dunking, etc.). The Mennonite Confession of Faith chooses not to debate those methods of baptism, but it does look at 3 different types of baptism. It is a baptism of water, a baptism of blood and a baptism of Spirit, as written in 1 John 5:6-8. Jesus got baptized in all 3 ways, and so Christians need to also be baptized in these 3 different ways.

Let’s start with Jesus because Jesus is our example. Jesus received all 3 baptisms. The first and obvious baptism is the baptism of water. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by his second cousin John the Baptist at the age of 30. This baptism signified the start of Christ’s ministry. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit rested on him in the form of a dove. This is the baptism of the Spirit, the Spirit testifying about Christ’s baptism. If this is not enough proof, throughout Christ’s ministry, Jesus preached on how the Holy Spirit testifies about him. Even after Christ’s earthly life, the Holy Spirit continued to testify about Jesus in the same way. So without a doubt, Jesus had baptism of the Spirit. The third baptism was the baptism of blood. This event is also an obvious one. Christ’s baptism of blood was his crucifixion on the cross. 1 John 5:6-8 says that these 3 baptisms serve as a testimony that Jesus was the Christ. The book of Deuteronomy states that a testimony needs 2 or 3 witnesses to verify the testimony as truth. John declares that the baptism of water, Spirit and blood testify that Jesus is the Christ. Considering the context, John has once again shot down the heretical false teachers that deny Jesus is human, God or the Christ, for John has provided 3 witnesses that say differently.

Now just as Jesus was baptized 3 ways, the Christian life calls Christians to also be baptized in those 3 different ways. First of all, there’s water baptism. Just like the Lord’s Supper, the Mennonites see baptism as a symbolic. I’ve noticed that the more symbolic something comes, the less emphasis is put on it. I also see baptism as a symbolic sign, so I therefore also see that baptism is not required for salvation. Once again, I will always point you to the criminal on the cross who recognized he was a sinner and that Jesus was the holy God. He did not get baptized, yet Jesus said he would be in paradise. Water baptism is not required for salvation, but it is highly recommended for those who can to do so. Why? First of all, Jesus did it, and if we are able to, we need to follow His example and do exactly what He did. Second, the symbolism behind it displays who we are as Christians and what it means to be Christian. Just as we “bury” ourselves in the water when we perform baptism by dunking, so we die to our old lives of sin. Just as we anoint ourselves with water to when we performing baptism by pouring, so we set ourselves apart for serving the Lord (in Old Testament times, anointing was a symbolic sign to show that the person was consecrated and dedicated to the Lord for His service). Just as water cleans things (dishes, laundry, etc.), so baptism represents that we have been cleansed of our sin. Third, baptism displays the person’s faith publicly, to the church and to the world. Baptism becomes an action that defends the belief. In a way, it is proof to the belief. If the baptism is done in a really public place, like an outdoor place, it can even be an evangelistic witness to the world. Fourth and finally, baptism can be identification in the church. When a person is baptized, the person shows that he or she is one and the same as all the other people in the church. The similarity is that they’ve all been baptized. It’s a spiritual take on the saying, “Blood is thicker than water.” If blood is what connects the physical family, then water baptism is what connects the spiritual family.

Second of all, there’s the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This baptism is a required baptism because it is the “proof of purchase” that the person has been saved. All Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they are saved. If someone does not have the Holy Spirit, they are not saved. The Holy Spirit is needed in the person’s life, for the Holy Spirit is the one who makes the person a new creation. The Holy Spirit baptism literally does what the water baptism symbolically does. The Holy Spirit kills the sin within us. The Holy Spirit washes us clean of sin. The Holy Spirit sets us apart and makes a new creation for the service of God. The Holy Spirit unites a Christian with the rest of the body of Christ. What is the relation between water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism? Do a read through of the book of Acts, or at least a quick skim. You’ll find out that people received the Holy Spirit before, during and after water baptism. It is never too late for either water baptism or Holy Spirit baptism.

Last of all, there’s the baptism of blood. The baptism of blood has a rich history with the Mennonites. Back when the Anabaptist movement (which would birth the Mennonite denomination) began, the Anabaptist beliefs weren’t accepted by other church denominations. These churches would persecute, even martyr, Anabaptists who didn’t agree with their faith statements. Yeah, that’s right, Anabaptists were being tortured, even killed for baptizing adults, calling the Lord’s Supper symbolic, and putting God and His Law over the government and its laws. After all, heresy and treason were one and the same during medieval times. Thus, the Anabaptists, and later on, the Mennonites, held strongly to the baptism of blood. Just as Jesus was persecuted and martyred for his teachings, so Christians must also be willing to accept persecution and martyrdom for holding on to the true teachings of Jesus. Just as Jesus was baptized by blood in his crucifixion, Christians must also be willing to give up their lives in the same way.

When the rest of the Christian world finally figured out that the Mennonites had it right the whole time (notice how most evangelical Christians, who are the majority of Christianity today, practice adult baptism and hold communion to be symbolic), the persecution of Mennonites decreased greatly, and Mennonites no longer were killed or tortured for their faith. So what was to become of the baptism of blood? Was it only to be conditional? Was it to be voluntarily or optional? The Mennonites turned to verses like Romans 12:1. In Romans 12:1, Paul calls Christians to become “living sacrifices.” The paradoxical term simply means to yield your personal wants and needs in life and to give them up for the sake of God and His kingdom. The Gospel accounts further continue this idea, when Jesus tells the disciples to “take up their cross” (see Matthew 10:38 and Mark 8:34). Once again, the term simply means to give you all to God. Just like you are dead to your sins and alive in righteousness because of Jesus, you are now dead your personal needs and wants and you’re now alive to glorifying God and advancing His kingdom. The baptism of blood means that you reject the ways of the world and accept the ways of God, even if it comes to your own personal life. This also still retains its original meaning, for if rejecting the world and accepting Jesus means persecution and death, the Christian must willingly face it. A Christian who has been baptized by blood has willingly taken on the life of the suffering servant, just like Jesus lived out. This also unites fellow Christians.

Baptism is not as simple as being one-fold. Baptism is three-fold. Baptism consists of a baptism of water, a baptism of the Holy Spirit and a baptism of blood. These 3 baptisms serve as witness. Jesus received all 3 baptisms. They witnessed that Jesus was the Christ. Anyone who also receives the same 3 baptisms has witnesses that declare that the person is a Christian. Whether you’re a Mennonite or not, I encourage everyone to receive these 3 baptisms. Be baptized with the Holy Spirit by accepting Jesus and being saved from your sins. Be baptized with water, and make your faith public to the church and to the world. Be baptized by blood, and adopt a life where you’re willing to do anything for God and His kingdom, even if it means suffering.