人相信这位基督，得着永远的生命
十五节的“叫”字指明，这节是十四节的结果。基督在蛇的形状中作我们的代替，死在十字架上。祂这样死的时候，就对付了我们的蛇性，并废除了在我们肉体里的蛇。这事的结果，就是叫我们藉着相信祂得到永远的生命。
就如中了蛇毒的以色列人，藉仰望杆子上的铜蛇而活；我们今天若悔改，举起我们的心，又注视那被钉在十字架上的耶稣，我们也能经历同样的事。当我们这样作的时候，我们的罪被除去，我们的蛇性受到对付，撒但也在我们里面被废除，我们就得到了永远的生命。这就是重生的意思。当我们重生的时候，我们就在我们人的生命之外接受了神的生命，这人的生命是被蛇所败坏，又在十字架上被基督所对付的。
在亚当里因着他的罪被定罪
众人在亚当里，因着他的罪都被定罪。十八节主将尼哥底母的光景更多启示给他看见。他不只有蛇的毒性，并且还在神的定罪之下。这一节说，“信入祂的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪已经定了，因为他不信入神独生子的名。” 你是几时被定罪的? 你在亚当被定罪的那天就被定罪了。换句话说，你在六千年前就被定罪了。因为你是亚当的一部分，当他被定罪时你也在内。不管你是好是坏，你是已经在神的震怒之下（约三36）。
虽然尼哥底母是一位上流的绅士，他还是被定罪了。他是好人，宗教人，道德人，然而他已经被定罪了。这样一个好人，他实际的情形并不是真好。他的真实情形有两层：在他的天性里有撒但的毒素，而他的地位是在神的定罪之下。我们并非仁人君子，我们乃是蛇。就我们的天性而论，我们有撒但魔鬼的毒素，以及使我们成为“魔鬼的儿女”（约壹三10）的元素。就我们的地位而论，我们已经在神的定罪之下。
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Believing in Him to Have Eternal Life – John 3:15-16
Whoever Believes into Christ Receives Eternal Life
The word “that” in verse 15 indicates that this verse is the result of verse 14. Christ, in the form of the serpent, died on the cross as our substitute. When He died in this way, He dealt with our serpent nature and destroyed the serpent in our flesh. The result of this is that we may receive eternal life by believing in Him.
Just as the Israelites, bitten by serpents, lived by looking at the bronze serpent lifted up on the pole, so today, if we repent, lift up our hearts, and gaze upon the Jesus who was crucified, we can experience the same thing. When we do this, our sins are taken away, our serpent nature is dealt with, Satan in us is nullified, and we receive eternal life. This is the meaning of being born again. When we are born again, we receive the life of God in addition to our human life — a human life that had been corrupted by the serpent and dealt with by Christ on the cross.
Condemned in Adam Because of His Sin
All men, being in Adam, are condemned because of his sin. John 3:18 reveals even more of Nicodemus’s situation. He did not only have the serpent’s poison in his nature, but he was also under God’s condemnation. This verse says, “He who believes into Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God.” When were you condemned? You were condemned on the day Adam was condemned. In other words, you were condemned six thousand years ago. Because you were part of Adam, when he was condemned, you were included in that condemnation. Whether you are good or bad, you are already under God’s wrath (John 3:36).
Although Nicodemus was a gentleman of high standing, he was still condemned. He was a good man, a religious man and a moral man — yet he was condemned. Such a good man’s actual condition was not truly good. His real condition had two aspects: in his nature he possessed Satan’s poison, and in his standing he was under God’s condemnation. We are not noble gentlemen; we are serpents. In our nature we have the poison of Satan the devil and the element that makes us “children of the devil” (1 John 3:10). In our standing we are already under God’s condemnation.