The Sting of Sin is Healed
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14–15)
These words of Jesus are the introduction to perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible. Jesus connects the bronze snake to himself. Both are expressions of God’s love. Just as God showed his love to the people of Israel by giving them the promise of healing to those who put their faith in God and trusted that he would heal them if they looked to the bronze snake, there is healing from the sting of sin for those who put their faith in Jesus.
Sin has a deadly sting. It bites us before we are born and makes us spiritually dead. It is a poison that sticks with us throughout this life. And nothing we do can rid us of this poisonous sting. Without healing, sin drags us into eternal death in hell. It is relentless, striking at us over and over again, trying to devour us.
But Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that we might have the healing necessary for us to live. And we receive this healing through faith in the one who was lifted up. This healing gives us life. It makes us alive to live for God. And because Jesus was lifted on the cross, sin no longer has power over us. He has removed its sting forever. We now live to glorify God. Amen.
The song for today is “Death Where is Your Sting” by Cory Asbury