Is Christ’s witness of Himself true or not?
His witness alone would not be taken as proof under the law; yet it is true in itself, and it isn’t alone.
The Passages
John 5:31-32
John 8:13-14
The Difficulty
Jesus says, “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true” (John 5:31). Later, when the Pharisees say, “Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true,” He answers, “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true” (John 8:13–14).
The Answer
In John 5 He speaks of witness as the law receives it: “at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15). A man’s word for himself alone is not proof, not “true” in the sense of valid testimony, and Jesus grants their rule so as to answer them by it: “There is another that beareth witness of me” (John 5:32), and He calls the Baptist, His works, the Father, and the Scriptures (5:33–39).
In John 8 He speaks of what His witness is in itself, and of why it stands: “for I know whence I came, and whither I go,” and “I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me” (John 8:14, 16). Even then He keeps the law: “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me” (8:17–18). The two statements answer the same rule from two sides; they don’t contradict.
Sources
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His single witness, how true soever it was, would stand for nothing in their court … for “true” here, is not opposed to that which is “false”, but to that which is not valid in law.
Checked against: Internet Archive scan of the first edition, 2026-10-23 -
The first passage sets forth his testimony as it was in itself; the second as it was in the account of men.
Checked against: Internet Archive scan of the 1874 edition, 2026-10-19
