ACC ~ 1 John 5 v8

THE SPIRIT, THE WATER AND THE BLOOD. AUGUSTINE: What was it that flowed from Jesus’ side if not the sacrament which believers receive? The Spirit, the blood and the water—the Spirit which he gave up, the blood and water which flowed from his side. The church is signified as being born from this blood and water. SERMONS 5.3.

THE WITNESSES DISTINCT YET NOT SEPARATED. LEO THE GREAT: This means the Spirit of sanctification, the blood of redemption and the water of baptism, which three are one and remain distinct, and none of them is separated from union with the others. This is the faith by which the church lives and moves. LETTERS 28.

HOW THE SPIRIT BORE WITNESS. BEDE: The Spirit bore witness that Jesus is the truth when he descended on him at his baptism. If Jesus were not the truth, the Spirit would not have done that. The water and the blood bore witness that Jesus is the truth when they both flowed from his side at the time he was crucified. That would not have been possible if he had not had a genuine human nature. All three are independent of each other, but their testimony is one and the same, because Christ’s divinity is not to be believed in apart from his humanity, nor is his humanity to be accepted apart from his divinity. And all three are present also in us, not in their natural form but by the mystical union of our souls with him. The Spirit makes us children of God by adoption, the water of the sacred font cleanses us, and the blood of the Lord redeems us. They are invisible in themselves, but in the sacraments they are made visible for our benefit. ON 1 JOHN.

ALL ACCOMPLISHED IN UNITY. ISHO’DAD OF MERV: The three things are one because everything was accomplished by the one Christ. COMMENTARIES.

1 Jn