11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
In the previous verses, the apostle John wrote about several records or witnesses concerning Christ and His gift of eternal life. In verse 7, the apostle mentioned a set of three heavenly witnesses – “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Those witnesses are the three Persons of the Trinity. John here referred to the Triune God Himself as the heavenly witness.
In verse 8, he mentioned the second set of three witnesses on earth – “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” These witnesses are: first, the Holy Spirit’s witness, whether at Christ’s baptism or through His miracles or by His resurrection; second, the water baptism of Christ by John the Baptizer; and third, Christ’s own blood shed in His death.
Those two sets of witnesses are divine witnesses, and hence the firmest and most faithful witnesses concerning Christ and His gift of eternal life. Referring to those divine witnesses, John said in verse 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.” If man’s testimony can be accepted when adequately attested to (Deuteronomy 19:15), God’s testimony, being greater, must be accepted without hesitation! In other words, to spurn the testimony of God is to reject His mercy and redemption that He has sent to us through Jesus Christ.
In addition to all those witnesses, according to verse 10, there is also a witness within every believer concerning the gift of eternal life – “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself”. As a result of believing all the witnesses of God concerning Christ and His gift, one will receive assurance within oneself. The external witnesses of God, when faithfully accepted, become internal assurance.
These witnesses of God are immutable and everlasting. Nothing else can be a greater witness than those that John had already mentioned. If we have accepted the testimony of God and believed on Jesus Christ, His Son, we have eternal life. Christ Himself is life eternal. God has appointed no other but Christ to give us eternal life.