Quote:
Originally Posted by Praxeas
I never said the following was not true, however the only part of the bronze serpent story that is elaborated on is the part about being lifted up. He never says "and just as they looked to the bronze serpent in faith to be healed so too if they look to me hanging on the cross to be saved they will be saved"....it might be true, but the text does not say that and it seems you are either assuming that is what was meant or reading it into the text
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I could list you commentary after commentary which say just the opposite. They would say the intended implication is a definite one of the soul looking to the lifted Christ in faith for salvation just as they looked to the serpent in faith to be healed. Many would add the reference of
Isaiah 45:22 which calls on man to "look on me [YHWH] and be saved."
The words "whosoever believeth in him" in verse 15 are very clearly connected to the concept of the salvation which came by looking upon the lifted serpent. The parallel is extreme because it is faith in the lifted objects which brings salvation in both counts. To remove this concept from the serpent on the pole event is ..... forced blindness. Saving faith in Christ is paralleled to the saving faith those had in the wilderness when they looked on the raised serpent. I realize this very apparent connection would require you to forfeit a bit of your paradigm, but I do pray you strive for objectivity here.
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