July 2025: Looking Up to the One Who Was Lifted Up for You

Published on 07/01/2025 by Dr-Shirley-Cheng.

How do we enter God's Kingdom?

By the rebirth of the Spirit, as we studied last month. In this spiritual rebirth, God pours out His Holy Spirit upon you to wash you of your sins. Like the wind, the Holy Spirit is invisible but its effects are visible. When we review the past two thousand years since Lord Jesus graced the Earth, we see accounts of millions of people whose lives have gone through remarkable transformation. People who Once steeped in sin are living lives that benefit others and glorify their Creator. Thousands upon thousands have even willingly submitted to unspeakable torture rather than denying Lord Jesus Christ because they know that following Jesus is the truth and that truth is worth dying for.

The next question is: how do we get spiritually baptized? In other words, what must we do to receive the cleansing of a spiritual rebirth? This newsletter issue will answer this most important question, so let's jump right in!

The Crucial Step: Looking Up to Jesus Christ in Faith

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15, WEB)

In Numbers 21 of the Tanakh (Old Testament), there's an interesting account where Yahweh God sent poisonous serpents among Israel due to their grumbling against Him in the wilderness. To save those who were bitten, Yahweh had Moses make a brass serpent and erect it on a pole so that anyone bitten could be saved just by looking at it. This brass serpent foreshadowed Jesus.

In speaking of his impending sacrifice, Jesus spoke of this brass serpent Moses made. From his statements, we can see that the brass serpent was a prototype of his sacrifice in these two ways:

a) The brass serpent was lifted up upon a pole, just as Jesus was executed and lifted up on a pole. In the New Testament, the execution instrument upon which Christ was impaled is called a "stauros." Prior to Jesus' day, "stauros" simply means a "stake" or "pole," not a cross. Later, "stauros" was used to refer to the wooden instruments on which Romans crucified criminals. However, Romans used instruments with different layout; some were in the shapes of crosses, while others were in a "T," "X," "Y," and simply a single pole. Hence, we do not know the shape of the stauros on which Jesus was impaled. The New Testament does not describe Jesus' execution instrument as a "cross." This is the reason why I sometimes don't use the word "cross" to describe Jesus' execution stake, even if he did die on a cross. If Jesus was impaled to a pole, this would more perfectly link to the brass serpent that was lifted up on a pole.

b) Anyone who obediently looked upon the brass serpent with true faith was healed from the poisonous snakebites and prevented from death, just as anyone who obediently looks upon Jesus with true faith will be healed of their poisonous sins and prevented from eternal death.

This is the first-recorded time where Jesus prophesied his death. His lifting-up pointed to impalement on the stake. But his words would have likely puzzled Nicodemus further. To someone who didn't accept Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus' words would have sounded most peculiar, to say the least. Keep in mind this is still the night meeting between Jesus and the Pharisee teacher.

Here, I just wanted to clarify:
The brass serpent that Moses made did not hold any supernatural powers itself. It was simply an instrument God used by which His people could exercise their faith in Him. It was simply faith of the people that healed them, not the brass serpent itself. Unfortunately, the Israelites seemed to believe otherwise. In 2 Kings 18:4, we learned that Israel actually brought the brass serpent with them into the Promised Land, and centuries later, began worshipping it! In his reform of his kingdom, the godly King Hezekiah destroyed the brass serpent so people could stop committing idolatry with it.

I'm afraid that some of us have fallen into the same snare, by treating the "cross" as a sacred object that many actually venerate and use as lucky charms. Think about it: if the pole on which the brass serpent hung should not be venerated even though it was divinely ordained by God as an instrument by which His people could exercise faith to get healed, should the "cross" upon which Christ hung be venerated? The answer is "no." Worshipping the "cross" would amount to idolatry. We should focus our hearts on the risen Lord, not on the pole or "cross" on which he was impaled.

The Infinite Love of God for the Undeserving World

Jesus next spoke the well-known words to Nicodemus: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him." (John 3:16-17)

Yahweh God loved the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to die in the place of sinners, so that through faith in his sacrifice, the repentant will be saved and receive eternal life and not perish forever. Without Jesus' atoning sacrifice, every person is destined to die forever because every person is a sinner and the penalty for sin is eternal death.

The first time that Yahweh sent His Son into the world, He meant to save the world and not condemn it. But the second time Yahweh sends His Son into the world will be for judgment.

In sending His beloved Son to die for us sinners, Yahweh demonstrated His tremendous love for us. His love is so stupendous in light of the fact that He sent what is most precious to Him--His only begotten Son--to die for sinners, not for good people. He sent His Son for us when we were His enemies. There's no greater love than to let your child die for someone else, much less someone who does not deserve it.

Imagine this scene: You and your child visit a prison where a serial murderer and rapist, a bomber who took down a plane, and a human trafficker are waiting to be executed. You go up to the prison warden and tell him, "Take my child in place of these people. Kill my child and let these people free." Would you do that? Well, Yahweh did even more than this when He had His Son die for us, because Jesus as the divine Son of God is infinitely greater than a finite human being. Even if your child were to die for a mosquito, their death wouldn't be able to compare to the extent of Christ's sacrifice for us since humans and mosquitoes are still created physical beings. This is just how much God loves us despite our unworthiness!

The Saved Versus the Condemned

When you're presented with the Gospel--The Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ--what is at stake?

Well, if we return to my imaginary scenario, everything would be at stake; all those criminals would be executed if the warden didn't accept the innocent child in their place. In regard to our salvation through Christ, more than that would be at stake. If we refuse Christ, we face eternal condemnation.

The person who believes in Jesus "is not judged," but the person who doesn't believe "has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God." (John 3:18)

While Jesus' sacrifice for us is the most important thing he has done for us, his sacrifice doesn't automatically ensure us salvation. Each person has to personally respond to it. A person is saved the moment they a) repent of anything bad they have ever done and b) accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord means to accept his teachings and diligently apply them to our lives. Simply believing in Jesus (a passive belief without repentance) does not give us salvation. If a simple passive belief is all that's needed, then Satan can be saved, too!

Once a person comes to trust in Jesus alone as their Lord and Savior for their salvation, believing that he is the Son of God who came to Earth, died for our sins, was buried, resurrected on the third day, and ascended back to heaven, God will forgive that person of all their sins, impute Jesus' righteousness on them, and give them the Holy Spirit that helps them live a whole new life that's pleasing to God. Then in the future, all True Christians will be resurrected whereupon they will live forever with God and Jesus in God's Kingdom of sheer bliss, love, and security. On the other hand, those who willfully reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will also be resurrected, but they will be judged and then sentenced to eternal death, with no chance of a resurrection ever again. Without Jesus, every person is lost, helpless, hopeless, and destined to eternal death.

As you can see, each person's eternal destiny is up to that person. Each of us has one decision to make: eternal life or eternal death? This decision is the most important decision we'll ever make, as it determines our eternal destiny. We mustn't delay, for upon our passing or when Jesus returns (whichever comes first), the door of opportunity for us to decide and repent will close.

What decision will you make? Will you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord?

Jesus died for us and was resurrected unto eternal life so we can die and be resurrected unto eternal life as well. This is the precious gift he has given us. Will you accept his gift by looking up to the one who was lifted up for you?

Will Jesus' death bring you life? That's entirely up to you.


~*~ Q&A with Dr. Shirley ~*~

Question: Does God tempt us?

Answer: No, Yahweh God does not tempt us to do evil, for the Bible says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God,' for God can't be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one." (James 1:13, WEB)

However, God does permit us to be tempted by our environment--the devil, other people, and our own sinful desires--even though He Himself does not cause or initiate the temptation.

Why does God allow us to be tempted?

God's permission can be understood when we think about our relationship with our parents when we were growing up. When we grew older and more mature, our parents permitted us to make our own moral decisions, go out, meet new people and interact with others. Our parents permitted our new experiences to build us up and to teach us lessons. They knew that life and its experiences are teaching tools to mature us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

For the same reason, our Parent in the heaven allows us to be tested by our environment and learn from our mistakes. Thus, when we run into various challenges in life, we should rejoice, for such testing of our faith "produces endurance" and make us "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:3, 4).

Life is full of tests and challenges. The more places we visit, the more tests we will encounter; the more people we know, the more temptations we will face. We must never underestimate the seductive power of temptation or overestimate our own ability to overcome it. Instead, in order to have the strength to overcome temptations, make the right decisions and prevent ourselves from doing what is sinful, we must at all times ask God to help us maintain our stamina and courage to do what is proper and right in times of great temptations.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:13) This is not a request for God to help us avoid temptation; but rather, it is a request for God to help us win the battle against temptation, so that we will not be victims but victors.

Rest assured, God will answer your prayer for Him to help you be victorious over temptations, as the Bible says: "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) With God's help, we will be able to resist the seduction of temptations.

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Then you may subscribe to Dr. Shirley's newsletter by filling out the contact form at the bottom of this page.