Understanding "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,..."

Believer, beware of "men of God" who tell you to depend on the arm of flesh (human effort at keeping the law) that will fail to make you godly but distrust the power of the Holy Spirit to transform even the vilest offender who believes to live right. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says:

"But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed to the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

We behold the glory of the Lord and are being transformed by His Spirit the same way the Israelites that had been bitten by snakes in the wilderness looked at the bronze serpent and were made whole. Remember Christ's word in John 3:

"14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Beware of ministers of Satan who try to put up the Law of Moses that condemns even the best of us as a barrier to believers receiving God's gift of everlasting life to us in Christ!

Christ's typology in John 3 above is not just to fill up space. It is our LIFE! We have salvation (from committing sins, sickness, lack, depression, every earthly ill, death and hell) the same way the Israelites that were bitten by snakes in the wilderness did- by looking to Jesus ALONE and expectantly for Salvation.  See what the Lord said in Numbers 21 where the incident with the snakes is recorded:

"8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

All that the Israelites who had been bitten had to do to be transformed to life was look at the bronze snake on the pole; for us, Christ lifted up for our sins. Just imagine what would have happened if any of the Israelites that had been bitten had rushed off to do good works, sow seed, fast, confess sins, offer sacrifices, remove braids and skinny jeans or obey the law in order to get God to heal them or to make the power in bronze snake more effective in their lives. Their eyes would no longer be on the bronze serpent. The snake venom would spread and they would die.

But this is what many churchgoers are doing today. Instead of focusing on Christ lifted up for us at the cross as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, many are rushing off to do things to get God to forgive, heal, protect and generally save them- everything that Christ died that we might freely have. Notice the eyes of such are no longer on Christ and His finished work at the cross but on the things they are doing in order to get God's freely-given blessings in Christ for all who believe.

It is not uncommon to hear boastful testimonies that glorify the arm of flesh such as: "I fasted/sowed seed/paid tithe/obeyed the law and that is why God is blessing me financially," right from behind many pulpits. Notice Christ is no longer in this equation of salvation from lack? This demonic doctrine contradicts 2 Corinthians 8:9-

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."

Believer, see what Romans 8:32 says of our heavenly Father: "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

Beware of anyone that tells you that God will not bless you until sow seed or pay tithe. With Christ, God gives us ALL things FREELY and not because we obeyed the law or fasted or sowed seed. Good works are EVIDENCES of our salvation, not CONDITIONS. In Christ, God fills us to overflowing with His abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ so much that with what is spilling over, we can't help but be a blessing to others, so we get to boast in Him and not in human effort. In Christ, 2 Corinthians 9:8 is our story:

"And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

With Christ, we don't GIVE to GET; we GET to GIVE. We get to live in triumph over sin and death. We get to live more, love more, do more and give beyond the lawful regulations of the tithe. We get to live a life of moral excellence that exceeds that which the law demands, yet not us but Christ in us, so we can't boast in the flesh (Human effort.)

Believer, the spirit of the antichrist is not anti-God. In fact, it is a very religious spirit that preaches strongly against sin. But it will never point you to Christ as Saviour from sins and our Source of right-standing with God. It subtly tries to remove Christ from the equation of salvation. It tries to keep believers focused on keeping the law in order to be godly/righteous. It tells you that you have to do things by human effort in order to be godly- the same strategy that Satan used on Eve in the garden of Eden when he told her that she would be godly by human effort at doing something.

Believer, believe right. See Christ lifted up for our salvation as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. You don't have to rush off to start doing things in order to get right with God so that He can heal/provide for/bless/save you from wrath and give you eternal life. Christ paid the price for us to freely enjoy all these. Romans 5:9 says of God:

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

Never means Never.

Believer, by grace, let's stop trying to re-accomplish the finished work of Christ in our lives with puny efforts at trying to keep the law in order to get right with God and escape His wrath/punishment. Trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law is akin to the Israelites rushing off to do things in order to get right with God so that He would save them, this after God already provided them with Salvation! Doing this would only give the snake venom time to destroy them as all of their efforts would only serve to cut off their connection to the bronze serpent (for us, Christ lifted up.)

Galatians 5:4 says of all who are trying to get right with God by doing what the law commands-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."

Doing this gives the sting of death that is sin time to destroy those who try. Believer, let's look to Christ lifted up for us ALONE. Healing, salvation from every ill and right-living will follow.

May the Lord rid our heart and mind of every wrong doctrine, help us to understand and bless us with His Spirit of wisdom and revelation in Christ Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Right believing always produces right living.