Christ's Death & Your Salvation
A Simple Explanation of John 3v16
"As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;
that whomsoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through him might be saved" (John
3:14-16)
Are You Indifferent to Salvation?
Most people are indifferent to what
they cannot understand.
This includes Salvation, for most have
been brought up in an environment of Bible ignorance, or have
forgotten its pure teachings.
In their minds, the Bible is related
to church-going, paid clergy, immortal devils, hell-fire torment, and
a vague idea of bliss somewhere above the clouds.
They do not have a proper
understanding of Christ's Sacrifice, nor a true appreciation of
"salvation", and therefore are indifferent to both.
What a tragedy! Their "ignorance
alienates them from the life of God" (Ephesians
4:18), so that they are "without God and without hope
in the world" (Ephesians
2:12). A sound understanding of Bible truth, and
particularly Christ's sacrifice (called the Atonement), projects them
a long the way of hope and salvation, and provides the answer to the
most vital need of every individual, now and in the future. It shows
what man is, what he can become, and the means whereby this can be
attained. It provides the solution to the problems that face humanity,
and reveals the purpose of God with mankind and the earth.
Above all, the Bible shows us how we
can achieve victory over the power of death, and attain to life
eternal by a resurrection from the grave at Christ's coming.
We invite the reader to lay aside his
indifference, and perhaps prejudice, to the words
"Atonement" and "Salvation", and consider what we
have to say herein.
In the Shadow of Doubt
When many hear the name of Christ,
they prefer to stand back in the shadows and not be seen. They fear
that the crowd may point and say: "This fellow is one of them -
he is a follower of Jesus!"
The Bible intentionally illustrates
this situation by providing an actual example. Meet Nicodemus, the man
in the shadow of doubt, and learn how Christ drew him to the light of
truth.
Nicodemus (John
3:1-36) was an orthodox Jew in the time of Jesus Christ. He
adhered to the religion of the Pharisees, and was a member of the most
prominent Jewish council of his day.
Early in the ministry of Jesus,
Nicodemus sought him out that he might learn more of him. He had heard
of the miracles he performed, and was confident that Jesus was a man
with a Divine mission. But he wasn't sure; so he came by night (John
3:2). He did not wish to be seen. He did not desire to have
to explain to his friends, or religious associates, why he was
interested in Jesus of Nazareth, whom so many of the leaders despised.
Nicodemus is taught the Truth
The Lord Jesus explained many things
to the Jewish leader. Among other matters, he emphasized the need for
a spiritual begettal or re-birth from above, before a person could
"see the kingdom of God" (John
3:3), see the margin, and a re-birth by baptism and by
spirit before he could "enter the kingdom of God" (John
3:5).
A person must first "see" or
"perceive" the things of the Kingdom of God, before he can
qualify for baptism (or birth of water), and he must be baptized, if
he desires a change of nature from his present mortality to one of
immortality - a birth of spirit at Christ's return (I
Corinthians 15:46-52).
Thus, conception leading to this
"new birth" is brought about by a knowledge of the Truth,
which is described as "the seed of the Word of God" in a
believer (I
Peter 1:23-25; Luke 8:11). This knowledge creates a new
mode of thinking in a person, which manifests its outworking in a
changed moral life. Thus, by the sanctifying influence of Divine truth
(John
17:17), a foundation is laid for the bestowal of life
eternal (spirit nature) at Christ's coming.
This new way of life requires the
denial of the ungodly ways of flesh. Jesus told Nicodemus that the way
to eternal life is to apply the lesson learned by the children of
Israel when they wandered in the wilderness:
"As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;
that whomsoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life" (John
3:14-15)
What is this "Serpent in the
Wilderness"?
You may reply: "I know nothing of
the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel! Does salvation
depend on that?"
It does! The Lord found it needful to
draw the attention of Nicodemus to the incident in order to lead him
to salvation. It can help us in the same direction.
We will briefly outline the relevant
points of the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel.
Many hundreds of years before Christ
was born, a young Jew named Joseph, became Prime Minister of Egypt,
and saved the nation from famine. Later, his father, Jacob (re-named
Israel), brought the remaining eleven sons and their families into
Egypt to settle there. After the death of Joseph, however, the
Egyptians systematically enslaved the Jews. Oppression was severe when
Moses was born some years later. Eighty years afterwards, Moses led
the descendants of Israel out of Egypt and oppression, after that
nation had suffered severe plagues from God.
The Jews were saved from the last
terrible plague of death, through the Passover Lamb they offered; they
were "baptized into Moses" (I
Corinthians 10:1-2) when they passed safely through the
waters of the Red Sea; they were educated and given a form of Divine
worship at Sinai where the Law of Moses was delivered to them. Then,
for forty years, they wandered in the wilderness, until the rebels
were purged out, and they were allowed to enter the promised land,
ultimately named "the land of Israel".
At one stage of the journey, the
people became so discouraged by the harshness of the way, that they
"spake against Moses" and expressed their doubt as to
whether they would ever enter the Land of Promise (Numbers
21:4-9).
In punishment, God "sent fiery
serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of
Israel died" (Numbers
21:6).
Why serpents?
Because it was a serpent that had
introduced sin and brought death to the first human pair (Genesis
3), and the complaining attitude of the Israelites in the
wilderness was serpentine and rebellious to the Divine Laws in its
characteristic.
The close proximity of death in their
midst had impressed the people with their need of God. IN fear (Numbers
21:7) they humbly asked Moses to intercede with God on
their behalf that He might save them. Moses made this a matter prayer.
The merciful reply of God was:
"Make thee a fiery serpent of
brass, 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" (Numbers
21:8).
Moses did as he was instructed. He
made a "serpent of brass and put it upon a pole, and it came to
pass, that if the serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the
serpent of brass, he lived" (Numbers
21:9).
How could the serpent save?
Why should God forgive because of a
serpent of brass? Because in Scripture, both the serpent, and brass,
are used as symbols of sinful flesh, and in this case the believer saw
the serpent rendered powerless, and inactive, with no venom in its
fangs, with the brass purified by having passed through the fire, and
polished by friction. The serpent hung lifeless, impaled on a pole or
a stake (the word "cross" in the New Testament is translated
from a Greek word signifying "stake"), symbolic of
sacrifice.
Upon the condition of the believer
understanding the symbol, acknowledging his sins and pleading for
forgiveness, God, in mercy, was pleased to grant this unto him. The
serpent on the pole taught that flesh must be crucified, and it was
this serpent to which Jesus made reference in his conversation with
Nicodemus. In this enactment God was shown to be both righteous, by
requiring the death of that which is evil; and merciful, by providing
the means by which He can forgive and save.
Now carefully note the principle
involved in this incident which Christ used to illustrate his mission
to Nicodemus.
How Can Jesus Save?
Death is as much a reality to us today
as it was to those Israelites in the wilderness; and we, too, need
God's help if we would live. Moreover, God has provided a way.
Jesus told Nicodemus, that as the
serpent was lifted up, so also must he be, that "whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John
3:14-15).
What does this mean?
Let us first state the principle, and
then supply the proof.
All mankind, without exception, is
under sentence of death because of inherited mortality. As well as
that, through weakness of the flesh, all people sin, and the sentence
of death is justified.
There is only one man who has never
sinned: the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet he died, and by Divine appointment
(Acts
2:23). Was his death justified? It was, because the
righteousness that he exhibited in life, came not from flesh, but in
spite of it; not from obedience to its will, but by
"crucifying" (denying) it in order to perform the will of
God (John
5:19).
From whence did Jesus derive the
strength to accomplish such sinlessness and perfect obedience unto God
that which no other person has done?
He received it from God who dwelt in
him by His spirit (II
Corinthians 5:19). He was "born from above" (Luke
1:32-35), was anointed with Holy Spirit without measure (John
3:33), and was thus strengthened to conquer the flesh (Psalm
80:17; Isaiah 11:2-5; John 14:10).
This, of course, was not sufficient in
itself. The denial of the flesh had to be accompanied with a desire in
Jesus to perform the will of God (Hebrews
10:7-10), and to declare that God was righteous in all that
he decreed (Romans
3:25-26).
Therefore, without minimizing Jesus'
own efforts in this grand victory over flesh, Scripture emphasizes
that it was only possible by the joint labors of the Father and the
Son. Jesus put no confidence in the flesh (John
6:63), and drew heavily upon the resources that the Father
placed at his disposal (John
5:30; 16:32).
At the end of a life of perfect
obedience, his flesh was crucified and publicly exhibited on the pole
(or cross) as a final demonstration that "the flesh profiteth
nothing." It was set forth that all might see and ponder, and
recognize that victory is only possible by following this example (Galatians
5:24).
Jesus' nature was the same as our own.
He came in death-doomed, sin's flesh. But, triumphing over it, even
unto the death of the cross, he was raised to life eternal and led the
way for others to do likewise "in him" through the
forgiveness of their sins.
God: Both Just and Merciful
In proclaiming the doctrine of the
Atonement, Paul taught that God is revealed therein as both "just
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans
3:26).
We respectfully suggest, that the
common doctrine of the Atonement, which sets forth Jesus as a
substitute sacrifice, does not reveal God as just. This teaching
asserts that Jesus died instead of others; that he paid a debt
of death that they had incurred but to which he was not associated.
Does this set forth God as just?
It does not! Would anybody suggest
that a Government was just if it put to death an innocent man instead
of a guilty one? By no means! There would be an outcry against any
authority that did such a thing!
Jesus did not die instead of
others; he died as a representative of humanity, as one who was
involved in the common destiny of mortality, along with every other
person, and who, therefore, was in need of redemption from that
death-doomed state as much as anybody else (Philippians
2:8-11).
His righteousness ensured that
redemption, and revealed God as just.
But God is just in every way; you
consider the facts.
God's Wisdom In Creation
God was just in placing man under law
(Genesis
2:16-17), for it is right that man should recognize the
wisdom and supremacy of his Creator by obedience.
Was God just in punishing sin with
death? Certainly, for otherwise sin would have triumphed.
Was God just in so punishing Adam,
that the effect of the punishment rested upon his posterity?
Certainly, for that was the inevitable consequence of a physical state
of mortality. But God is also shown to be merciful as well as just in
that He made provision for mankind to escape from it.
Was God just in demanding the death of
a righteous man, even Jesus? He was, for Jesus Christ, son of Adam (Luke
3:23,38), was of the same flesh and blood nature (Hebrews
2:14), and, as such, under the same sentence of death (Romans
5:12; Hebrews 5:7). Therefore, the righteousness he
manifested came from denying the flesh, not obeying it. Moreover, God
also raised him from the dead, because His justness would not allow
that one manifesting complete righteousness "should be holden of
death" forever (Acts
2:24).
In every way, therefore, God is shown
to be just. It is comforting to recognize this, for it shows that
virtue will never go unrewarded. But God is more than just; He is also
merciful. "He knows that we are dust;" He realizes that
flesh is weak and prone to sin, and that unless we are Divinely
strengthened, we must inevitably succumb to it. Therefore, having
illustrated this principle in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son,
He is prepared to offer forgiveness of sins to those acknowledging it
and seek forgiveness through the Lamb He provided as a cover for sin.
The Doctrine of the atonement reveals
God as just and merciful. The Lord Jesus Christ is His provision of a
way of salvation for all mankind (Acts
4:12).
Is God Responsible for the Weakness
of Flesh?
Many people blame God for the sins of
humanity. They recognize that sin stems from the flesh, as Jesus truly
taught (Mark
7:21-23), and therefore excuse them as only natural. They
place the responsibility of sin on God, claiming that He made flesh as
it is.
The Bible is careful to show that man
brought this condition upon himself. It teaches: "God made man
upright, but they have sought out many inventions" (Ecclesiastes
7:29). Man was made "very good", but he succumbed
to temptation, and brought upon himself the fruit of sin: a nature
that strives against its Maker (Romans
7:18-19), and inevitably terminates in death (Genesis
3:19; Romans 5:12; 6:623).
To understand this, we must go back to
the epoch of creation. Very few people today know how the human race
started. Education urges our thinking in a wrong direction by
propounding the false theory of evolution, which is little more than
an attempt to evade responsibility towards God by dispensing with Him.
In the records of man's beginnings is
found the explanation of the terrible fact and problems of sin and
death that afflict us.
Man originated about six thousand
years ago by a specific act of creation by God. He made them man and
woman, and provided for all their needs.
The Bible clearly states that death is
in the world because of man's disobedience, his sin:
"By one man (Adam) sin entered
the world, and death by sin" (Romans
5:12).
When man was made, he had a physical
constitution termed "very good" (Genesis
1:31). Man was not dying, because he was not under sentence
of death; he was not immortal because he had been made of the dust of
the ground, and a dust-constitution is not designed to exist for ever.
Adam was in a unique condition. Whether he would become a dying or an
immortal being depended upon what his response would be to God's law.
God's Law Given to Adam
He was forbidden to partake of the
fruit of a particular tree in the garden in which he dwelt (Genesis
2:17).
What would happen if he disobeyed?
Death, which was until then only a possibility, would become a
certainty.
"... thou shalt surely
die!" (Genesis
2:17).
What did Adam do?
"... and he did eat" (Genesis
3:6).
Paul shows in Romans 5, that through
Adam's offence, "many be dead" (Romans
5:17); "death reigns" (Romans
5:17); "judgement came upon all men to
condemnation" (Romans
5:18).
We conclude therefore, that God is not
responsible for the weakness of flesh, but that man brought this upon
himself ** by his disobedience, so
that "sin hath reigned unto death" (Romans
5:21).
But the mercy of God has provided in
the Lord Jesus Christ, an atonement whereby we can escape the
consequences of sin.
Why Man Sins
Theology has invented an immortal
devil that tempts man to sin, but the Bible knows nothing of such
teaching. It speaks of a "law of sin and death" that is
found "in our members" - our nature (Romans
7:23). In every one, apart from the Lord Jesus, this law
has its inevitable outworking in active transgression and death.
It is like an incurable disease with
which all are inevitably afflicted.
** We point out that
death is a reality, a state of unconsciousness in which all conscious
existence ceases (Psalm
6:5; Ecclesiastes 9:10). There is no such thing as an
immortal soul in man (Ezekiel
18:4); and the Bible nowhere teaches that man possesses any
such thing. It reveals that man's only hope is in a physical
resurrection, apart from which the dead have perished (I
Corinthians 15:16-18).
Consider David, King of Israel, a
"man after God's own heart." He was forced to lament:
"Behold, I was shapen in
iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm
51:5).
In these expressions he described the
fallen state of human mature as the result of the entrance of sin and
death. No matter how high the ideals, how hard or sincere the
strivings, man walks a path marred by sin and finishing in death.
Paul declared: "For I know
that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing" (Romans
7:18) - not even an immortal soul!
He continued: "O wretched man
that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death. I thank God
through Jesus Christ my Lord" (Romans
7:24-25).
Jesus gained the victory, for he
conquered the flesh. He "was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin" (Hebrews
4:15). He was born of a woman in order that he might have
the same nature as those he came to save. But whereas in their case
this nature leads them to sin - to murder, commit adultery, strive
unlawfully, manifest hatred, and so forth, it did not do so in his
case, because with God's strength he suppressed sin.
Paul taught: "Forasmuch then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is the devil" (Hebrews
2:14).
Here we learn two things: (1) Christ
came to destroy the devil; and, (2) The devil is that which had the
power of death.
Both statements teach that the devil
is sin. The book of Hebrews declares that Christ came to "put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews
9:26), whilst I Corinthians declares that the "sting
of death is sin" (I
Corinthians 15:56). The devil, or sin, was rendered
powerless by the death and resurrection of Jesus. **
For further information on this
subject see The
Devil & Satan Defined.
The Serpent Sting of Sin
What is sin?
Primarily it is transgression of
Divine law (I
John 3:4), so that sin is disobedience.
Paul likened sin to a king which
reigns (Romans
5:21). The territory over which this king reigns is human
nature, flesh and blood. There, sin, as a law in one's members, reigns
as absolute monarch. Hence, Jesus describes those ruled by sin, as
"Ye serpents" (Matthew
23:33). These enemies were "serpents" because
they were ruled by the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis
3:4-5). In such people, sin reigns as king.
But the word "sin" is also
used to personify that from whence transgression stems: the flesh with
its affections and lusts. In that sense, it is used in the following
passages:
"He hath made him (Jesus) to
be sin for us who knew no sin" (II
Corinthians 5:1). Jesus was made of our nature, but he
was not made a transgressor of law.
"By one man's disobedience
many were made sinners" (Romans
5:9). They were born into a constitution of sin in that
they inherited the consequences of transgression - but they were not
made transgressors!
"Sin dwelleth in me" (Romans
7:17). Paul was speaking of the lusts of the flesh, not
actual transgression.
"He died unto sin once" (Romans
6:10). Christ put to death the desires of the flesh
that ran counter to God, and physically died on the cross, but not to
actual transgression which he never committed.
As Jesus literally "died unto
sin" in that he was put to death on the cross, his followers must
figuratively do so also, in order to be accounted as "dead to
sin" (Romans
6:2), and are exhorted to "reckon" themselves as
such (Romans
6:10). So Jesus tells his followers to "deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow him" (Matthew
16:24).
They are therefore to act as though
the flesh has no dominion over them.
How Can We Die Unto Sin?
It is obvious that Jesus saved himself
from endless death - that was the first result of his sacrifice. When
he expired, the Father in heaven had before Him the record of a
perfect life of obedience on the part of His Son. In justice, He
raised him from the dead, so that the Lord Jesus, by the shedding of
his own blood, obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews
1:3; 7:26-28; 9:12; 13:20). **
But what of us? How can salvation be
extended to us? Since we do not render perfect obedience unto God,
does that mean we are without hope?
No, for the grace or mercy of God,
comes to our aid. God is prepared to forgive the sins of those who
acknowledge the principles of the Atonement, and having been brought
into a relationship "in Christ", plead for forgiveness of
their sins.
Like the children of Israel in the
wilderness, we have to do something towards our salvation. They had to
gaze in faith upon the serpent of brass; we have to be baptized
"into Christ" after belief of the gospel of the Kingdom to
come. This is styled by Paul as "obeying from the heart that form
of doctrine delivered unto you" (Romans
6:17).
Like the children of Israel, we must
acknowledge that we are the sinners.
Like the children of Israel, we must
recognize that we are death-doomed creatures.
Like the children of Israel, we must
gaze upon that one displayed before us on the stake, and apply the
lessons of his life.
** Jesus, as a representative man,
who bore in his nature the same flesh-promptings as all other men but
conquered them (I
Peter 2:21-24), was in need of redemption from that nature
(not from actual sin for he never committed any) as is all mankind. He
obtained this by his own offering. This is the clear teaching of
Hebrews 13:20. Hebrews 9:12 states that by his offering he
"obtained eternal redemption." The "for us" of the
A.V. should be excluded as it is in the R.V. and all other versions.
How do we do that?
By the very means that Jesus explained
to Nicodemus. Firstly, by being "begotten from above," that
we might "see" or perceive. We do that by absorbing the
message of salvation. Peter declares that those who do are
"begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever" (I
Peter 1:23). Thus Jesus told his disciples: "Ye are
clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John
15:3).
The Gospel: God's Power Unto
Salvation
It is absolutely essential for us to
grasp an understanding of God's purpose as revealed in the Bible if we
are to experience that "new birth" of which Jesus spake to
Nicodemus.
This revelation will show that God is
one, not three; that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the perfect man,
not God the Son; that he is to return to this earth to accomplish his
purpose in it. It will demonstrate the helpless, hopeless state of
mortal man, the true nature and extent of sin, the inevitability and
finality of death, the need of a physical resurrection to attain unto
the life of God.
It will show us the need to seek God's
forgiveness, and will reveal that baptism is the means to that end.
The Lord Jesus sent his disciples forth with the commission:
"Go into all the world and
preach the Gospel; he that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved" (Mark
16:15-16).
This is the "birth of
water", to which Jesus made reference to Nicodemus.
Baptism: The Figure of Death to Sin
In itself, immersion in water
accomplishes nothing; but in its significance baptism performs a lot.
It is the means that God has provided for the forgiveness of sins. So
Peter taught the people to whom he had first preached the Gospel:
Repent and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts
2:38).
Why is baptism appointed as the means
whereby this will be done?
Because, as a rite, the person
undergoing baptism publicly acknowledges the principles exhibited in
the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus; it is tantamount
to gazing intelligently and in faith at the serpent on the cross.
For a person properly baptized, is
baptized "into the death" of the Lord Jesus (Romans
6:3). He acknowledges that he has figuratively
"died" to the old way of life in which the flesh dominated (Romans
6:6); he has been buried in water, so that his have been
covered over, or washed away; and, as did Jesus, he has been raised to
newness of life in Christ (Romans
6:4).
As the believer strives to overcome,
he may continue to sin in lesser measure, but now he has an advocate
(the Lord Jesus Christ) with his Father, and can turn to Him with
every confidence that humble confession of sins will be followed by
forgiveness for Christ's sake.
Figuratively, though not literally, he
has "crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts
thereof" (Galatians
5:24), and baptism is the token of that.
Like the sheep following the shepherd,
he is led by the Lord through the valley of death, to the glory beyond
(Psalm
23).
And the glory leads him to the
"birth of the spirit" (John
3:5).
Born of the Spirit
When Jesus was brought again from the
dead, his heavenly Father bestowed upon him divine nature. This
describes a physical body energized by God's spirit rather than by
blood, and the Lord attained to this through "the resurrection
from the dead" (Romans
1:4). So Paul taught that "flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God" (I
Corinthians 15:50), but flesh energized by the spirit can
do so. He showed that the physical body, brought from the grave, must
be subjected to change:
"It is sown a natural body; it
is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body" (I
Corinthians 15:44).
"We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed ... for this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (I
Corinthians 15:52-53).
That is what Jesus meant when he said
to Nicodemus:
"Except a man is born of water
and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
Birth of water relates to baptism;
birth of spirit relates to the change of nature at Christ's return.
Both are necessary before a person can enter the Kingdom of God.
Birth is preceded by conception and
quickening. In relation to baptism, the conception takes place when a
person's attention is directed to truth. Quickening follows when his
understanding is deepened. Birth finally takes place when he
"obeys from the heart the form of doctrine delivered him" by
being baptized.
In turn, baptism initiates the process
that will lead to the birth of the spirit at Christ's return. It can
be likened to a conception, whilst the quickening relates to the moral
development that follows when a person learns to "walk in the
Spirit" (Galatians
5:16), or in accordance with the teach of Christ (John
6:63), the Word of God (Ephesians
6:17), or the Truth (I
John 5:6); all of which are styled "Spirit" in
Scripture because they constitute the revelation given man through the
outpouring of God's spirit (II
Peter 1:21).
The steps to salvation, therefore,
are, (1) KNOWLEDGE; (2) BAPTISM; (3) A TRANSFORMED LIFE; (4) A CHANGED
NATURE.
Peter wrote: "There are given
unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might
be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that
is in the world through lust" (II
Peter 1:4).
The possession of Divine Nature, or a
change from mortality to immortality, constitutes the "birth of
the spirit" which will ensure entrance into the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus' Conversion
Nicodemus never forgot the teaching of
the Lord relating to the serpent in the wilderness. At first he could
not understand it, but he pondered the matter deeply, and at last the
truth dawned upon him as a blinding light, revealing what he should
do.
As a member of the Jewish Council, he
had firsthand knowledge of the utter illegality of the Lord's trial,
and the false charges pressed against him. With Joseph of Arimathea,
he opposed the wickedness of the Jewish Council, but in vain. The Lord
was condemned by a group of fleshly minded men, and given over to
death. Moreover, the death they demanded, was not the normal Jewish
death for blasphemy, which was by stoning, but the Gentile death of
crucifixion.
He saw the Lord impaled upon the
cross; he witnessed the death of this one whom he realized had
appeared with a divine mission of mercy, and at last, he appreciated
the significance of the statement that had been earlier made to him:
"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son
of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have eternal life" (John
3:14-15).
He now comprehended the significance
of the Lord's mission to Israel and the world. His doubts were swept
aside, and turning from his Jewish companions, he identified himself
completely with the Lord (John
19:39-40). It had been difficult for him to come to an
understanding of these things; he had to struggle against prejudices
of his beliefs, but at last he had broken through to Truth, and had
embraced and confessed an attitude of mind that will ensure for him
entrance into the Kingdom of God at Christ's return.
The struggle had been well worthwhile.
Are you prepared to follow his example? We urge you to "save
yourself from this untoward generation" (Acts
2:40) by seeking the way to salvation shown in the life and
death of Jesus Christ.
No other way will achieve it.