"And I, If I Be Lifted Up From the Earth, Will Draw All Men Unto Me" John 12:32

Scott Price

These words spoken by Christ are a promise we may put our confidence and trust in like many other promises that He has assured us with in His word. There are at least two ways in which we may see this truth and be blessed by it. First, by the means of His death on the cross: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14). Jesus Christ the Lord established a perfect righteousness in His obedience unto death for the elect that resulted in His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation, which lifted Him up and seated Him in the most preeminent place that has ever existed, or ever will exist (Eph 1:19-23).

Secondly, this lifting up is seen as the gospel of grace is preached. This is the God-appointed means in which He savingly calls and draws sinners to Himself by the power of the Holy Spirit, in both regeneration and conversion. As the glorious gospel of Christ is preached God is honored in His redemptive character of both a just God and Savior. In that sense He is lifted up in holy reverence and honor, seeing Him where He is seen as God Almighty being a faithful and consistent to the description that matches what He has said about Himself in His own word. When this is done God uses His gospel to draw out His people from their active idolatry to serve the only True and Living God. On the effect of Christ being lifted up He draws and lifts His people up: "No man can come unto me except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).

May God cause us to see how His whole counsel declares that salvation is Trinitarian and the God-appointed means of gospel preaching is used in it. I pray we make use of these God-glorifying means as the Church moves to forward in the goal of lifting Him up in our message as He was lifted up historically and is presently lifted up at the Father's right hand. Amen.