Dying to Live
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”
John 3:14-15
When Israel grumbled against God in the wilderness, He sent fiery serpents among them as a judgment for their rebellion. The people were dying, crying out for mercy, and God gave them an unlikely command. He told Moses to lift a bronze serpent on a pole, and anyone who looked at it in faith would live (Numbers 21:4-9). It made no logical sense, but those who believed God’s word and lifted their eyes were healed. Those who refused, died.
Jesus told Nicodemus that this story was about Him. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent, the Son of Man would be lifted up on a cross so that whoever looked to Him would live. It was a startling image for a religious man like Nicodemus. To be lifted up meant death.
Jesus was saying that the path to eternal life would come through His own suffering and death. The cure for sin would come through sacrifice. The way to life would come through a cross.
But this was not just about what Jesus would do, it was also about what He calls us to do. The new birth does not come by improving the old self, but by dying to it. “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). That means dying to self, to pride, to our own ideas of success. It means surrendering our desires, our control, and our right to define what life should look like. Every follower of Jesus must learn this truth, there is no resurrection without crucifixion.
We live in a world obsessed with self-preservation and self-expression. Everything in our culture says, “Be true to yourself.” But Jesus says, “Die to yourself.” We think freedom comes from doing whatever we want, but real freedom comes from surrendering to the One who knows what we were made for. When we cling to control, we lose life. When we let go, we find it.
Paul said it best, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). To die with Christ is to live more fully than we ever could on our own. The Spirit breathes new life into hearts that have been emptied of self. This is what it means to be born again.
Nicodemus came to Jesus hoping to learn how to live a better life, but Jesus offered him a new one altogether. That offer still stands today. Stop trying to polish what God intends to crucify. Look to the Son of Man who was lifted up, and live. The death you fear is the doorway to the life you have been searching for all along.
John 3:14-15
When Israel grumbled against God in the wilderness, He sent fiery serpents among them as a judgment for their rebellion. The people were dying, crying out for mercy, and God gave them an unlikely command. He told Moses to lift a bronze serpent on a pole, and anyone who looked at it in faith would live (Numbers 21:4-9). It made no logical sense, but those who believed God’s word and lifted their eyes were healed. Those who refused, died.
Jesus told Nicodemus that this story was about Him. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent, the Son of Man would be lifted up on a cross so that whoever looked to Him would live. It was a startling image for a religious man like Nicodemus. To be lifted up meant death.
Jesus was saying that the path to eternal life would come through His own suffering and death. The cure for sin would come through sacrifice. The way to life would come through a cross.
But this was not just about what Jesus would do, it was also about what He calls us to do. The new birth does not come by improving the old self, but by dying to it. “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). That means dying to self, to pride, to our own ideas of success. It means surrendering our desires, our control, and our right to define what life should look like. Every follower of Jesus must learn this truth, there is no resurrection without crucifixion.
We live in a world obsessed with self-preservation and self-expression. Everything in our culture says, “Be true to yourself.” But Jesus says, “Die to yourself.” We think freedom comes from doing whatever we want, but real freedom comes from surrendering to the One who knows what we were made for. When we cling to control, we lose life. When we let go, we find it.
Paul said it best, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). To die with Christ is to live more fully than we ever could on our own. The Spirit breathes new life into hearts that have been emptied of self. This is what it means to be born again.
Nicodemus came to Jesus hoping to learn how to live a better life, but Jesus offered him a new one altogether. That offer still stands today. Stop trying to polish what God intends to crucify. Look to the Son of Man who was lifted up, and live. The death you fear is the doorway to the life you have been searching for all along.
Posted in The Word Made Flesh
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