John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Numbers 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
It may well be that Jesus was speaking of being lifted up on the cross just as Moses lifted up the serpent upon a pole. Jesus is also lifted up as being exalted. The people of Israel spoke against God and Moses so the Lord sent serpents against the people and many died. Whoever looked upon the serpent of brass lived just as whosoever looks upon Jesus and believes in him shall not perish.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
While John 3:16 is given prominence in the passage above, John 3:18 is most often ignored. John 3:18 condemns those who don't believe in the name of the Son of God. To believe in the name of Jesus is not just acknowledging the eminence of his name, but rather, it was necessary to believe Jesus is Christ, the Son of God.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
In John 20:31 for life, Israel had to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
These passages were given to Israel, but just as they, we have to believe on Jesus to be saved. Israel was condemned by not believing in the name of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God; nothing was as yet revealed of the redemption for all in the cross. For us, Jew and Gentile, we have the cross, the redemption in Christ Jesus made manifest through Paul.
3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Numbers 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
It may well be that Jesus was speaking of being lifted up on the cross just as Moses lifted up the serpent upon a pole. Jesus is also lifted up as being exalted. The people of Israel spoke against God and Moses so the Lord sent serpents against the people and many died. Whoever looked upon the serpent of brass lived just as whosoever looks upon Jesus and believes in him shall not perish.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
While John 3:16 is given prominence in the passage above, John 3:18 is most often ignored. John 3:18 condemns those who don't believe in the name of the Son of God. To believe in the name of Jesus is not just acknowledging the eminence of his name, but rather, it was necessary to believe Jesus is Christ, the Son of God.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
In John 20:31 for life, Israel had to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
These passages were given to Israel, but just as they, we have to believe on Jesus to be saved. Israel was condemned by not believing in the name of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God; nothing was as yet revealed of the redemption for all in the cross. For us, Jew and Gentile, we have the cross, the redemption in Christ Jesus made manifest through Paul.
