The Moncton Herald

Generally, when evaluating a person’s character, your first interaction with them seldom really gives a genuine indication of who they really are. Even after a positive first encounter, their character is still unclear since it’s almost entirely based upon our feelings after the niceties are out of the way. Ultimately, in such a short period of time, we are obviously lacking a real knowledge of who they are. Over time, we may acquire better knowledge of a person’s character. But even this won’t necessarily paint a real picture of their persona. One way that you establish a person’s character is to see their reaction in a tough situation or how they respond to someone’s needs in times of despair. Take for instance how a person receives the news of the death of your loved one. The typical reply is to offer condolences or expressions of sympathy for your loss. But try to imagine if that person knew that you were unable to provide a proper funeral for your loved one, and they took it upon themselves to arrange the funeral on your behalf, or better yet, pay for it in its entirety. Suddenly, the impression of that person becomes something more.

Now, let’s take this even further. Let’s say that you find out that this generous person knew the deceased well but that his life had been ruined by this individual who died. Let’s say that the deceased had stolen this person’s spouse and cheated him/her out of a lot of money but still paid for the funeral and took care of your family. The response to these afflictions, one of forgiveness and compassion, would give an impression of the highest caliber of integrity, forgiveness, and love through action. This individual would have displayed that his loss didn’t eclipse the need of the family.

What you might not know is that God has demonstrated His character to us in a very similar way. He exhibited His grace, and a sacrificial love in action (1 John 4:8), by placing it on full display for everyone to see. He wanted to demonstrate His generosity, his forgiveness and commitment to the good of others. And much like our above example, He showed these characteristics towards those who had wronged Him, who had sinned against Him.

The Text

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:14-18)

The Lifted Up

For those of you who may not be aware, the story of Moses lifting up the serpent is found specifically in the book of Numbers 21:4-9. In this account, Israel repeatedly sinned against God and God judged them by sending poisonous serpents to attack the Hebrew people in the wilderness. When death was taking them over, Moses was told by God to fabricate a bronze serpent placing it on a pole and to lift it up so that all who looked upon that serpent would receive a physical healing and in return would continue to live. This story may seem strange to you, but it is communicating something very important. While they had rejected God on multiple occasions, sinning over and over again against Him, God was merciful and exhibited His grace to them by providing a means to save them. In the same way, because all men and women have sinned against God, people are dying under the affliction of their sins. This time, God didn’t choose a bronze serpent on a pole but sent His Son to be lifted up on a cross. Notice that, according to the above passage in the bible, this wasn’t one way among many options, but the Son of Man MUST be lifted up. Jesus had to die on a cross to save sinners. Nothing else could have satisfied God’s judgment against sin. He would deal with sin, not through a variety of religious options or a many paths to God theory, or even by good deeds done one towards others, but God would be satisfied by the removal of our guilt of sin and giving us spiritual life (and eventually physical life in the resurrection) through the lifting up of the Son. With our sins taken away, we have peace with God. But much like the Israelites in the wilderness, who were required to look upon the serpent to be healed, you are required to do something. You need to receive Him. It is only the ones who believe who benefit from having their sins forgiven and receiving this new life. You must place your trust and confidence in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in believing that the suffering and death on the cross He experienced was in fact the payment for your sins and that God is satisfied with this substitutionary giving of Himself. Substitutionary because the death that you deserved for your sins were placed upon Jesus and in return, the righteous standing that He received will be placed upon you. The exchange happens the moment you believe. You can only be in a right standing with God because you’ve been forgiven and at that moment you are the possessor of eternal life, a life without end, a life that no one can take from you because it is yours in Christ.

A Love for the World

Further, Jesus’ desires for you to know what is behind the lifting up of the Son of Man. The Son of God was sent because God so loved the world. This wasn’t a passive affection, not just empty words, but a truly intense love. God knew what His Son would have to go through to pay the debt of guilty sinners, and that required a deep love for the lost. That love was exemplified in the uniqueness of the One whom He sent to show that love. Jesus is the only begotten Son. God sent His one and only Son, and for God to send Him in this way, to suffer and die in shame on a cross on our behalf, was the ultimate demonstration in showing just what He was willing to give to an undeserving world. It showed the severity of sin, and the extent that God would go to deal with it. The plan of God’s salvation is found in none other that Jesus, the perfect Son.  

The Judge of the World

The purpose of God in sending the Son is further defined in our text of John chapter 3. God didn’t send the Son to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him (V.17). God sent the Son into a hostile world, a world that He knew would reject Him. But the mission of God to save the world would not hinder Him from doing so. His objective is clear, that Jesus didn’t come to condemn but to save. John furthers this by distinguishing between people groups, mainly those who believe and those who don’t believe. Sin needs to be punished for justice to prevail. There are two options for the destiny of men, either they are punished, or they receive the punishment Jesus experienced on their behalf, and they have eternal life. The deciding factor of that destiny is whether they believe on the Son. This is the dividing line between the living and the perishing.  The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). The fate is once again reiterated that the believer is not judged or condemned but the unbeliever is condemned, and it is so assured that it can be said that He is judged already for not believing in the only begotten Son.  Where do you stand today? Will you accept the love of God and eternal life by believing in Jesus? Come to Him this day, in repentance from your sin and by receiving His substitutionary atonement for yourself as the only means of the forgiveness of your sins.