Birth to Death

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:4-12 ESV).

There’s a question I want us to ponder today as we continue to move through Lent: “If Jesus hadn’t been born as one of us, fully human, would His death have been for us?” Sometimes we can be in such a hurry to get to the empty tomb of Easter that we barely stop long enough at the cradle or the cross to know the importance of His birth or death. Think of the things he did to show his humanity. Look at his baptism by John as an example. Our reading today speaks of this: “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” (verses 6-8). Had Jesus come to earth incognito, lived and taught and died—with no baptism, no one knowing He was the Son of God—there would be no identification with us in our sinful lives; and, no identification with us in His death; and, no identification for us in His resurrection. But Jesus loved the Father, obeyed His will, and revealed Him to us. Jesus identified with us through the power of the Spirit during His incarnation. He identified with us in a baptism for sins, ones He never committed, and simultaneously unleashed the Spirit’s conviction upon our sinful state and had the Spirit’s affirmation of Jesus’ divine nature. Therefore, He was revealed as “God with us” in His teachings. And He identified with us on the Cross by paying for our sins. When the Holy Spirit came as Jesus promised, the Spirit testifies, the water of baptism testifies, and the shed blood of Christ testifies that victory is ahead for those who believe this testimony: Jesus is the Son of God.