“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.” (John 3:14)

Who looked at the snake?

Did all the children of Israel look to the serpent on the pole? No they did not. Only those that were bitten by the snakes and realized that they were going to die sought help from the brazen serpent in the wilderness.

And so it is with Christ on the cross. Only those who recognize the sting of sin in their lives will want help from the Savior.


Yes, all mankind is dead in sin because of inherited depravity, but only those that have been graciously born of the Spirit recognize that they need a savior!

As Jesus told the self-righteous Pharisees:

“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mark 2:17)

A person, like the unrighteous Pharisees, who does not feel himself a sinner does not look for the Great Physician to help him because he does not realize he is sick.

The glory of the gospel is that it doesn’t just have the potential to give hope. It gives hope of glory to all those that have felt the sting of sin in their lives and they want to be rid of its influence and consequences.

The gospel is good news to the believer because it tells him that there is a Savior Who died to set him free!