14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 

The religious teacher knew a great deal about the Old Testament. He knew all about Moses and about the time when the people were sinning in the wilderness and they were punished with a plague of snakes and serpents that were poisonous causing death throughout the tribes.

God heard the prayers of the people in the wilderness and told Moses to make a golden serpent and place it on a pole. If anyone would look to the serpent, they would be saved from the death from the poison. It took an act of faith to do that. That story is what Jesus used to explain our need for a savior.

That Old Testament experience was prophetic of the saving power of Jesus Christ on the cross. We are now to look to Jesus so we can be healed and not die eternally. It is also a glance of faith, but the spiritual understanding is just as the serpent was on the pole so Jesus would be put on the cross.

God is just and must punish sin, but because God is also merciful. He will pardon all who believe in Jesus. The cross represents the death Jesus took in our place as the sentence for our sin. We know the serpent is a symbolic of Satan or sin. God is destroying sin and the sin was placed on the pole.  The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

 

The object of my belief is Jesus Christ. No one can come unto the Father but by Jesus.  There is no other way.  That is why good works are insufficient and living a monk’s life in a monastery won't be good enough to take care of our sin bite from the serpent, Satan.

This is hard for some to understand and very easy for others. Jesus gives us life, abundant peace, joy, and freedom from all condemnation.  Hell is real. To be condemned is the judgement placed on all of mankind for our evil, but God not only gave us a way out, He paid the price which is why He is our savior.

I’ve heard excuses. Some want to trust Jesus, but refuse to accept Him as their savior until they change something in their lives first. Where does it say that in the Bible? After you believe and trust in Christ, then change takes place by the power of the Holy Spirit allowed to work in you. If you could change to be good enough, then salvation is by man and not by Jesus.

Application:  Simply look to the cross!

Prayer:  Lord, because my flesh is so weak, I just need to hear this beautiful gospel message every day.   May Your Word  be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.