Three into the one

Brown makes the interesting observation that the phrase at the end of 1 John 5:8 is not “the three are one” but “the three are into one” (Greek, eis to hen ). Spirit, water, and blood are not quite a united witness but three witnesses tending toward one end, one conclusion. They are witnesses “toward” or “into” the one.

This could be an eschatological reference – the three are eschatologically united. Or, it could be an ecclesiological reference, similar to Paul’s comment that Moses is not “mediator of the one” (according to NT Wright’s reading of Galatians 3). Spirit, water, and blood aim at “the one,” the unified church, consisting of Jew and Gentile. This would be particularly apt if the “Spirit, water, and blood” take on a sacramental connotation in v. 8: These three witnesses conspired to produce the one.