1 John5:6

Translation

This is the one who has come

by water and blood, JESUS CHRIST, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who is testifying because the Spirit is the truth.

Paraphrase

He, THE SAVIOR and THE ANOINTED MESSIAH, is the one who has shown who He is by becoming the source of cleansing and atonement for us. Cleansing does not stand alone, we also need atonement. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us understand the evidence pointing to who Jesus is because the Holy Spirit reveals the truth through action.

Footnotes

1: "has come"

has come” in this context means “to reveal, to show oneself, to make real, to manifest”. Think of a guardian angel who is always with us, but suddenly appears to us in visible form. We would say the angel “came to me” when really he was there all along. In that case we would likewise be using the word “come” to mean “reveal, show, manifest”.

2: "the Spirit is the truth"

If I had three columns instead of two, the middle one would read like this: “He, THE SAVIOR and THE ANOINTED MESSIAH, is the one who has shown who He is by things that can be represented by water and things that can pertain to blood. Water does not stand alone as a representation of who He is for it is not enough by itself; we need the meaning of water and the meaning of blood. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us understand the evidence pointing to who Jesus is and the Holy Spirit always tells the truth.”

Truth is not just a collection of correct facts. It is reality on every level, in every realm but it must be put into action, it must be lived in order for truth to be truth. God the Father is truth; Jesus is truth; the Holy Spirit is truth. The Godhead lives it. The Godhead puts all truth into action in how He deals with us and with all His creation. Here it says that the Spirit is the truth because He is the member of the Godhead that we have direct contact with today so we can see or sense Him in action in our own experience.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE WATER AND THE BLOOD?

Ever since John wrote these words, there has been much debate about what was being referred to. It is obvious that he intended water and blood, or what they represent, to be witnesses and evidences that prove who Jesus is. Of this there can be no doubt.

Honestly, I struggled to understand this passage as well until I read something by Rich Oka, a messianic Jew who writes the blogsite found at https://messianic-revolution.com . He helped me understand this passage through the eyes of the Torah.

Water and blood are primary pillars of the Law. Water cleanses; blood atones. Both are necessary and they can only be achieved in that order, cleansing first, atonement second.

Jesus became the source of cleansing and atonement for us. The washing and sacrifices of the Torah were not the true sources of cleansing and atonement; they were simply pictures painted every day for man’s benefit, to help him learn what was involved in cleansing and in atonement.

Here Jesus demonstrates again, as He did a few other times, that the emphasis of the Torah on cleansing is still part of the life of a God-follower, just like it was in under the Former Covenant. We need to teach about cleansing, not just about atonement.

We are cleansed when we repent and confess; our sins are atoned for when, by faith, we grasp the blood of Jesus, i.e. the giving of His life.