John 3:14-18 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Jesus made a reference to an Old Testament story back in Numbers 21:4-9. The people had spoken against God and against Moses. Under Old Testament Law, they had a conditional covenant. If they obeyed God, blessing would be theirs. If they disobeyed God, they would be cursed. When they sinned, serpents came and bit them and many people died. When they confessed their sin, God told Moses to make a fiery serpent out of bronze and put it on a pole, and whoever had been bitten, when they looked upon the bronze serpent, shall live. The bronze serpent on a pole was a type of Christ being lifted up on the cross for our sins. This Old Testament story also shows that Jesus suffered for our healing. When they looked at the fiery bronze serpent, they were healed from the serpent bites. When we look at Christ lifted up on the cross for our sins, we receive forgiveness for our sins. When we see that He was beaten and bruised for us, we see that by His stripes we are healed. Jesus healed people of every type of sickness and disease during His earthly ministry, as well as forgiving people of their sins. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
But notice a major difference in the New Testament with the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God initiates sending His Son to bear the punishment for our sins when we were already under condemnation from the Old Testament Law. Grace is unconditional. God initiated this action independent of our obedience to Him. God so loves us that He sent Jesus, even when we were helpless. This is the difference between the Old Testament law and New Testament grace.
God did not send His Son Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Notice what Jesus said in verse 18. He who does not believe is condemned already. This described John with his Old Testament Law mindset of condemnation. It describes the state we are in before we believe in Jesus; we are in condemnation in our thinking. When we try to earn our right-standing before God by our performance, we will always end up in condemnation. But when we believe in the gift of righteousness that Jesus extends to us by grace, we are no longer condemned. What grace!
John 3:19-21 "And this is the condemnation, that the Light (the grace of God shown in Jesus Christ) has come into the world, and men loved darkness (condemnation and judgment of others) rather than light (grace and truth), because their deeds were evil (motivated by pride or independence from God). For everyone practicing evil (self-righteousness or independence from God and His grace) hates the light (grace) and does not come to the light (grace) lest his deeds should be exposed (his pride and independence from God). But he who does the truth comes to the light (grace), that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God (in union or dependence upon God and His grace)."
John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." This wrath of God is the Old Testament mindset of condemnation. This mindset of the wrath of God comes from the Old Testament Law. When we believe in New Testament grace through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we have everlasting life and the darkness of condemnation is expelled from our thinking.
Keith Oliver
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