THE WAY TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE
John 3:14-18
Morning Meditation 10/21/2015
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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."
Nicodemus said when he heard Jesus speak these words, "How can these things be?" These verses may be taken as our Lord's full and perfect explanation of how a man can be "born again" even when he is old. As such they are of vital significance to every man. They contain--
THE REVELATION OF A GREAT NEED
Jesus said in verse 14, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."
There was a great need for Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, because it was God's remedy for a serpent-poisoned people. So must the Son of Man be lifted up for a sin-poisoned people. The lifting up of the serpent was to attract the eye of the perishing, that they might look and live. This illustrates the exclusiveness of believing on Jesus as the sole means of salvation. Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Next we see--
THE REVELATION OF GREAT LOVE
Verse 16 is called the golden text of the Bible: 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."
All the gods of this world operate on the principle of fear. Have you ever looked at the images that the idolaters of this world worship. They are fierce, ugly, and threatening. Jesus came into this world to die to pay the penalty of man's sins. Why? Because He loves the world. He wants to save the world and has provided for it by dying to pay the penalty of sin. God does truly "SO LOVE" the world. Next we see--
THE REVELATION OF GREAT SUFFERING
Hebrews 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
The "suffering of death," when applied to Christ, means much more than the physical sufferings that bring death to the body. When the believer dies, he goes immediately into the presence of the Lord. When the unsaved man dies, he goes immediately into the place of punishment. This place is called hell and is described by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31. When Jesus died, He suffered separation from His Father, and in so doing He suffered the pain of the second death.. Next we see--
THE REVELATION OF A GREAT PURPOSE
John 3:16-17, "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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
The salvation that Jesus wrought at Calvary is personal. Each of us must repent of our sins and trust Jesus as a personal Saviour. 1 Timothy 4:10, "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe."
This verse makes it clear that Jesus is the Saviour of all men in the sense that He provided for the salvation of all men. However, all men are not saved just because Jesus died for them. For what Jesus did on the cross can only be applied to the individual when he believes in Jesus, and this is brought out in the words, "specially of those that believe." This reveals His great purpose. Next we see--
THE REVELATION OF A GREAT PRIVILEGE
Salvation, through being made a new creature, is the greatest possible blessing that the God of infinite love can bestow upon sinful men, and yet He offers it upon the easiest possible terms--"Whosoever believeth in Him." This great salvation is threefold:
1. Deliverance from present condemnation; vs 18.
2. Deliverance from future destruction; vs 16.
3. Assurance of present and ETERNAL LIFE; vss 15-16.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
