The Gospel of John II

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C.       The Certainty of the New Birth (John 3:9-13)

1.   Unknown by the wisdom of man (John 3:9-10; 1Corinthians 1:18)

2.   Confirmed by the Son of God (John 3:11)

a.         Openly revealed (Acts 26:24-25)

b.        Assuredly received (1John 5:12-13)

3.    Bringing together things of heaven and earth (John 3:12)

a.         Occurring as events on earth (Acts 2:22-23)

b.        Leading to a home in heaven (Philippians 3:20-21)

4.   Established by the omnipresence of Jesus Christ (John 3:13)

a.         Most theologians apply this to after the ascension of Christ.

b.        However, if Jesus Christ is God, then He must retain all the attributes of God. One of these is that of omnipresence—being in all places at the same time. Though He limited Himself in the form of human flesh, He transcended that body in His eternal existence (Matthew 18:20; Matthew 28:20; John 14:23; Ephesians 1:23).

D.        The Provision of the New Birth (John 3:14-17)

1.   The typology of the brazen serpent (John 3:14; Numbers 21:4-9) – According  to John 3:14, the lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness is a direct picture of God’s offer of eternal salvation through the death of Christ on the cross.  The following outline compares the healing of the Israelites in Numbers with the statement of the gift of salvation in John 3:16.

a.         A Divine remedy

(1)      Numbers 21:8  – “The LORD said”

(2)      John 3:16 – “For God”  (1Peter 1:18-21)

b.        A simple remedy

(1)      Numbers 21:8 – “a fiery serpent…upon a pole”

(2)      John 3:16 – “his only begotten Son”  (John 12:32)

c.         An instantaneous remedy

(1)      Numbers 21:8 – “when he looketh”

(2)      John 3:16 – “”shall have” (Acts 16:30-32)

d.        An effectual remedy

(1)      Numbers 21:8 – “he…shall live”

(2)      John 3:16 – “everlasting life”

e.         An individual remedy

(1)      Numbers 21:8 – “every one that is bitten”

(2)      John 3:16 – “whosoever” (Romans 10:13)

f.          The only remedy

(1)      Numbers 21:9 – “when he beheld the serpent of brass”

(2)      John 3:16 – “in him”  (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)

g.         A free remedy

(1)      Numbers 21:9 – “when he beheld”

(2)      John 3:16 – “he gave”  (Romans 6:23)

2.   The use of typology in scripture

a.         Definition: a type is a divinely designed object lesson or picture that anticipates a later truth, known as the antitype.

b.        Scriptural evidence for the use of types

(1)      The lifting up of the brasen serpent as a type of the crucifixion of Christ (John 3:14): Note: this is only one of many designated types in the New Testament.

(2)      Adam as “the figure of him that was to come” (Romans 5:14)

(3)      The faults of the children of Israel as examples to us (1Corinthians 10:6-11)

(4)      The tabernacle, the priesthood, and the offerings as:

a)         Examples (Hebrews 8:5)

b)        Shadows (Hebrews 8:5; Hebrews 10:1)

c)         Figures (Hebrews 9:9)

d)        Patterns (Hebrews 9:23)