#141 - Joby Martin // Salvation: Received, Not Achieved

Jesus reveals to Nicodemus that salvation is received through faith, not achieved through works, using the Old Testament bronze serpent as a powerful illustration of his coming sacrifice on the cross. The conversation exposes how our sin problem is internal, requiring transformation from the inside out rather than external religious performance.

• Jesus explains to Nicodemus that salvation comes through being born again
• Nicodemus, despite being a religious teacher, doesn't understand spiritual rebirth
• Jesus uses the story of Moses and the bronze serpent from Numbers 21 to illustrate salvation
• Like the snake-bitten Israelites who had poison in their veins, humanity has sin running through us
• The bronze serpent represents Jesus being lifted up on the cross
• Healing comes by looking to Jesus rather than through our own efforts
• Salvation cures us from the inside out, not just external behavior
• Jesus fulfills the Old Testament patterns and prophecies
• Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 5:21 – Christ became sin so we could become righteous

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Daily Blade.
The Word of God is described asthe sword of the Spirit, the
primary spiritual weapon in theChristian's armor against the
forces of evil.
Your hosts are Joby Martin andKyle Thompson, and they stand
ready to equip men for the fight.
Let's sharpen up.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right, welcome back Day three of our deep dive
in John, chapter three.
So far, what we've covered isthat Nicodemus shows up at night
and he's completely confusedabout the nature of salvation
and he's asking Jesus about whathe's teaching and it just goes
right over his head.
I mean he says you know, jesus,you must be a rabbi because

(00:42):
nobody could do the things thatyou do unless they were from God
.
And immediately Nicodemusdoesn't even ask a question and
Jesus just gives an answer.
He's like, truly, but unlessyou're born again, then you
can't be saved.
And he very clearly explainsthat salvation is received, it's
not achieved.
And I think it goes straightover Nicodemus' head.
And then Jesus, being themaster teacher, is going to use

(01:06):
a couple of rabbinicaltraditions, to take something
that Nicodemus is very, very,very familiar with, which is the
Old Testament, the HebrewScriptures, and he's going to
show Nicodemus Jesus, is goingto show Nicodemus where Jesus is
in the Old Testament.
This is why, by the way, we donot unhitch from the Old
Testament, because Jesus did notunhitch from the Old Testament.

(01:29):
So we'll pick it up in versenine.
And Nicodemus said to him howcan these things be?
And Jesus answered him are youa teacher of Israel, and yet you
do not understand these things.
Truly, truly, I say to you wespeak of what we know.
Now, who's the we here?
Well, that's the triune God,god the Father, god the Son and
God the Holy Spirit.
We speak of what we know andbear witness to what we have
seen.
But you do not receive ourtestimony If I have told you

(01:52):
earthly things and you do notbelieve.
How can you believe if I tellyou heavenly things?
No one has ascended into heavenexcept the one who descended
from heaven, the Son of man.
Now, now, here's the biblicalillustration that Jesus is going
to give.
That's going to help Nicodemusconnect the dots.
He says as Moses lifted up theserpent in the wilderness, so

(02:15):
must the son of man be lifted upthat whoever believes in him
may have eternal life.
Now again, like I said yesterday, nicodemus has memorized the
entire Old Testament.
He knows Numbers 21.
He knows the biblical accountthat Moses has led the people of
God out of Egypt across dryground, across the Red Sea.

(02:35):
They are wandering in thewilderness and they are
grumbling and complainingbecause, you know, church people
were different back then.
And so God allows venomoussnakes to inhabit the camp of
Moses and the Israelites and thepeople wake up in the morning
and they are snake bitten andthey have poisonous venom
running through their veins.

(02:56):
And so they come running toMoses and say, hey, man, we got
a problem.
We got poisonous snakes in thecamp and we have have been snake
bitten and there is a problem.
Now here is the picture of ourcurrent situation.
You and I have poison runningthrough our veins that you and I
are by nature and nurture.
We're not bad people that needto be better.
We are wretched, crooked anddepraved, black-hearted sinners,

(03:19):
and it's an internal issue.
And so Moses did not tell them.
What you need to go do is gowash the outside, because if you
have poison running throughyour veins, what good is it
going to do if you clean up theoutside?
By the way, this is what Jesussaid about the Pharisees.
He says you're like whitewashedtombs.
All you do is clean the outsideof the cup, but the inside is

(03:41):
still dirty.
But what Jesus has come to dois he has come to clean us from
the inside out.
So God tells Moses to take abronze serpent, which
represented a venomous orpoisonous snake, put it on a
stick and lift it up.
And whoever looks to the bronzeserpent, whoever looks to the
poisonous snake up on the stick,they will be cured for the

(04:03):
inside out.
Jesus is saying you rememberthat, nick?
And Nick's like yep, I totallyremember that from Sunday school
.
And Jesus is saying that's me.
I came to do for you what youcould not do for yourself.
You were born into sin.
I am going to become sin, thatyou can have my righteousness,
and all you do is simply notlook to yourself, not clean

(04:25):
yourself up.
All you do is simply not lookto yourself, not clean yourself
up.
All you do is simply look to me.
You don't work to earn myapproval.
You simply look to me andbelieve on me on the cross.
The way that Paul is going tosay it in 2 Corinthians 5.21 is
this that God made him, who waswithout sin, to be sin for us,

(04:45):
that we would be made therighteousness of God.
And so what Jesus is doing hereis he's taking that Old
Testament event and he's showingNicodemus how Jesus is the
greater fulfillment of thatactual event that actually
happened.
So he's saying, nicodemus, it'snot about what you do.
You have been snakebitten andyour problem is that you've got

(05:07):
dead blood running through youand it's going to kill you.
So what you need is you neednew blood, you need my blood.
So when I am high and lifted upon the cross, then you look to
me and all who look to the sonof man on the cross for
salvation will be saved, likethe Israelites who were
snakebitten, who looked to thebronze serpent that Moses lifted

(05:28):
up.
That's what he is saying.
He's saying, nicodemus, I amnot simply here to teach you
things about God.
I am God, the second person ofthe Trinity, and I have come to
make payment for your sin.
Amen.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
Thank you for listening to today's episode
Before you go.
If you want to help equip othermen for the fight, share this
podcast around and leave us afive-star rating and review.
Stay sharp.