INTRODUUCTION

John 3;1-21 deals with 2 subjects;
Verses 1-13 deal with Regeneration;
Verses 14-21 deals with Conversion.

Now, to the untutored mind, conviction seems to be the same as Regeneration.
But, to the one, who studies The Bible, he will learn to distinguish the difference.

Regeneration is the sole act of God, in the heart of the sinner, and is described in The Bible, by such terms as;
1. The New Birth--
John 3;3, 5-[Turn].

2. God's Workmanship--
Ephesians 2;10-''For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.''

3. A New Creature--
2 Corinthians 5;17-18-''Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.''

Conversion, however, is the turning of the regenerated, or quickened, or awakened sinner to
Christ, by the influence of God's Grace.

Now, get this truth; TRUE CHRISTIANITY INVOLVES A CHANGE, THAT IS COMPARED TO
BIRTH.

When Nicodemus staggered at that teaching, Christ unveiled What makes The New Birth possible-The Incarnation.
He also spoke, of the end of The Incarnation-Christ's Death on The Cross.

In speaking of the subjective work of Christianity, Christ mentioned only The New Birth.

When speaking of the CAUSE of the subjective work, Christ refers to His objective work upon
The Cross.

Thus, The Regenerated Person does not rest upon anything ''WITHIN'' himself.
He is led by The Indwelling Spirit to look ''outside'' of himself to embrace The Objective Christ in
Conversion.

The New Birth is given by The Sovereign Spirit, applying the merits of Christ's Death.

Knowledge of Salvation is obtained by faith, in the sacrifice of The Lord Jesus Christ.
We must learn to rest upon the risen and glorified Christ.
He is the object of our love and adoration.

I. CONVERSION IS HISTORICALLY ILLUSTRATED
John 3;14-[Turn].

Throughout His earthly ministry, our Lord used many illustrations. In John 3, He borrowed one from human life birth;
One from Nature-The Word;
And One from The Old Testament-The Serpent of Brass.

The illustration of the Serpent of Brass is taken from Numbers 21.
When studying John 3;14-15, one must not ignore Numbers 21.
One should never make the mistake of isolating a few verses from the context of Numbers 21.

Now, Get this truth; OUR LORD JESUS DID NOT, IN HIS DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS,
USE A CONVERSION EXPERIENCE, IN THE LIVES OF REDEEMED PEOPLE, AND APPLY IT, AS A MEANS OF REGENERATION.

Israel's Sin is recorded for the admonition of God's people, for all ages-
I Corinthians 10;11-''Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.''

Now, types, or institutions are intended to deepen, expand, and ennoble the circle of thoughts and desires, of God's People.
Thus, Paul appealed to the experiences of The Fathers.

Israel complained about being brought out of Egypt, to die in The Wilderness.
She also complained about The Bread and Water, the two means of her sustenance.

This sin of Israel caused God to send fiery serpents among the people.
They bit the people, and many died.

The bite of The Serpent is the Divine Conviction of what the flesh truly is, in the source of his being.
Thus, God brought Israel to the place, where she would judge the very root of the mischief.

Now, Why did God send fiery serpents/ The Serpent would call to mind What took place in
The Garden of Eden.
There, we have the record of The Fall of Man.

The serpent first stung Mankind with the fruit of the tree, and it is, by the fruit of another tree, that man is converted-I Peter 2;4-[Turn].

All of Adam's progeny have been so inflicted with the serpent's venom, as to be called, ''A Generation of Vipers''-
Matthew 3;7-8-''But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee the wrath to come/ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance;''

Please notice, in Numbers 21, God did not remove the serpents, but He did give the remedy for their sting.
Romans 8;3 is the fulfillment of this-''For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;''
Sin is not abolished; but it is condemned.

That which brought Death upon Mankind, wrought Death in mankind--
Romans 5;12-''Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned;''

The venom of the serpent terminates in Death, in spite of Man, or the help of Man.

Now, We all sinned in Adam, and Adam continues to sin in us.

The Brazen Serpent foreshadowed The Lifted-up Christ on The Cross.
The Serpent was an emblem and reminder of the curse.
On The Cross, The Lord Jesus was made a curse for His people-
Galatians 3;13-''Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree;''
The Atonement is the ONLY Healing Balm. Penances, Moralities, and all other substitutes are vain.

Now, The Atonement is as descriptive of sin, as it is, of salvation.
The Awesomeness of Sin was exhibited at The Cross.

The Brazen Serpent actually resembled the fiery serpent in appearance, as Christ was made in the likeness of sinful flesh [Romans 8;3].

Now, as The Brazen Serpent was without venom, so Christ was without sin. The Bible clearly sets forth, the great truth of our Lord's Impeccability.

We'll continue this in our next post