Believe in Christ. But what must I believe about Christ?

Follow The Way. But how do I find The Way, so I can follow?

Come, drink of the water of life freely. But where do I go to get this water of life?

Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. What?!

When Jesus compared Himself with the serpent of brass, He used a familiar historical event to help Nicodemus understand. Here is the history, so we can also see the context.

Numbers 21:4-9
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
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.
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.

And here is the comparison Jesus made:

John 3:14-19
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
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.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

There are a couple of elements to this comparison. Our sin is like the venom of the serpent. We have been mortally poisoned. We are doomed to die because of our rebellion against God. What is the antidote to this poison? Look to Christ crucified. Jesus took our sin upon Himself, then paid the penalty. It is only what Christ has done for us, that can save us. There is nothing we can do but look to Him. This is strictly faith, not works. Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

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