The cross is the place of atonement and the place of redemption and grace. The cross is a place to die and where your new life begins. יֵשׁוּעַ Christ was the perfect Lamb of God (without blemish and spot), that took all the iniquities and sins of the world upon Him. Jesus became your Substitute and hang on the cross, which should have been your place. You should have hung there, due to your iniquities and sins. But because of God’s great love, God gave His only Son Jesus Christ to become your Substitute. Jesus took your punishment upon Him, כְּדֵי, you don’t have to carry it anymore. Jesus faced death, so that you won’t have to face death and the eternal punishment in hell anymore. עם זאת, many Christians don’t consider the cross a place to die but a place to keep sinning.
What does the word ‘cross’ התכוון?
The word cross comes from the Greek word: stauros (stow-ros), it comes from the base of no. G2476(strong concordance) ואמצעים ;
- a stake or post (as set upright),
- כלומר, (ספציפית) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment)
- figuratively exposure to death, כלומר, selfdenial;
- by implication the atonement of Christ: – לַחֲצוֹת.
What did Jesus say about the cross in the Bible?
Jesus said the following about the cross: He that takes not his cross, והולכת אחריי, אינו ראוי לי (מתיו 10:38)
אם מישהו יבוא אחריי, תן לו להכחיש את עצמו, ולקחת את הצלב שלו, ועקוב אחריי. כי כל מי שיציל את חייו יאבדו אותם: וכל מי שיאבד את חייו למעניי ימצא אותם (מתיו 16:24,25)
כל מי שיבוא אחרי, תן לו להכחיש את עצמו, ולקחת את הצלב שלו, ועקוב אחריי (סִימָן 8:34).
Take up your cross, ועקוב אחריי (סִימָן 10:21)
אם מישהו יבוא אחריי, תן לו להכחיש את עצמו, ולקחת את הצלב שלו מדי יום, ועקוב אחריי (לוק 9:23)
Whosoever doth not bear his cross, ובא אחריי, לא יכול להיות התלמיד שלי (לוק 14:27)
בפסוקים אלו, Jesus is very clear. ישוע אמר, that if you really want to ללכת בעקבות ישוע המשיח, you should take up your cross and follow Him.
What does it mean to take up your cross?
ובכן, to answer this question, we must look at what took place at the cross. Jesus was crucified on the cross. He denied Himself, by becoming fully obedient to the will of God.
Jesus could have done His own will and disobey God. Jesus could have enjoyed His life on earth, maybe Jesus had become a very old man. But Jesus did not do that.
He crucified His will by becoming fully obedient to the will of His Father.
Jesus had only one thing in mind and that was to do the will of His Father, lay down His life, and fulfill God’s plan for His life.
God’s plan was to die for mankind and take the sins of the world upon Him, and become an atonement for mankind, and take back the authority that was taken by the devil and reconcile man back to God.
Jesus tells you to do the same. You should take up your cross daily, which means that you should crucify your will and do His will.
It means to be obedient to Jesus Christ and do the Father’s will and fulfill His purpose for your life.
It means to deny yourself, למות לעצמי, die to the lusts and desires of the flesh. Dying is a painful process. It’s not easy, but it is necessary in order to follow Jesus.
You have a choice
If you don’t want to lay down your old life and its habits, because you say it is too hard, or you can’t do it, because you don’t have the power to do it, then honestly you don’t hate your old life as a sinner yet. יou still love doing the things you do and don’t want to say goodbye to these things. You don’t see any harm by doing them.
Most people want to hang on to their old life and add so called ‘Christian behaviour’. They become a member of the church, ללכת לכנסייה, be friendly, לעשות עבודות צדקה, לקרוא את התנ"ך 5 או 10 minutes before they go to sleep, say a quick prayer and that’s it.
תן לי לספר לך, the more you hate sin and your old life and its habits, the easier it is to take up your cross and follow Jesus.
כן, it will cost you everything. זה יעלה לך בחיים. But your life becomes so much better!
It is a process to die to self. אבל אם אתה באמת רוצה, then it is possible. It is all up to you. The Holy Spirit is there to help you, ללמד אותך, להדריך אותך, strengthen you and warn you.
Your life will become one great adventure with the Holy Spirit.
What did Jesus לֹא say about the cross ?
Jesus did not say that the cross is:
- a permit to keep sinning,
- used to keep doing what you want to do,
- an excuse to keep living in sin and say that you are too weak and therefore keep coming back to the cross over and over again.
The cross is not a place to rest and not a place to camp, but the cross is your starting point.
תן לי להיות ברור, I don’t say that you have to forget the cross. לא, you may never forget the cross!
The cross is the place where you die and you lay down your life
The cross is the place where Jesus Christ became your Substitue. It’s the place where you identified yourself with Christ and got born again. The cross is the place, where all of your iniquities and sins were taken away from you. It’s the place where you were reconciled with the Father, בישוע המשיח.
But the cross must not become a camping place. מקום, where you stay and get stuck in between your old and new life and stay there. הכל בגלל, you can’t say farewell to your old habits, החטאים שלך. (קרא גם: הקרב והחולשה של הזקן)
Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things(פיליפים 3:18)
If you keep doing your will and if your mind is set on the things of the world, you are an enemy of the cross.
If the things of the world and your will, are more important than doing the will of God and walking after the Spirit, then the Bible says that you are an enemy of the cross.
שׁוּב, יש לך בחירה. But it is all or nothing, there is no way in between.
You can’t serve two gods. Either you will lose your life here on earth or you will lose your life in hell.
What did Paul say about the cross?
Paul said the following about the cross, אבל חלילה לי להתפאר, הצילו בצלב אדוננו ישוע המשיח, שבזכותו העולם נצלב לי, ואני לעולם. כי במשיח ישוע אף ברית מילה אינה מועילה דבר, ולא ברית מילה, אלא יצור חדש (הגלטים 6:14,15)
Paul’s life was crucified with Jesus Christ. He took up his cross, מַשְׁמָעוּת, that Paul denied himself and obeyed Christ.
Paul was sent to preach the gospel. Not in words, אלא בשלטון. Paul didn’t preach human philosophies and the carnal wisdom of the world, but Paul preached the cross, שהוא כוחו של אלוהים.
כי המשיח שלח אותי לא להטביל, אלא להטיף את הבשורה: לא בחוכמת מילים, שמא הצלב של המשיח לא ייעשה ללא השפעה. כי הטפת הצלב היא לנספים טיפשות; אֲבָל לָנוּ שֶׁנִּגְשִׁיעִים זֶה כֹּחַ אֱלֹהִים (1 קורינתים 1:17-18)
You’re reconciled with God through the cross, through the blood of Jesus. לכן, you have peace because you’re reconciled. The blood of Jesus made you righteous.
In Christ Jesus you have become righteous, קָדוֹשׁ, unblameable and unreproveable.
טחבְּ- He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, לאחר שהרוג את האויב בכך (אפסים 2:16)
ו, לאחר שעשה שלום באמצעות דם הצלב שלו, על ידו ליישב את הכל עם עצמו; על ידו, אני אומר, בין אם הם דברים בכדור הארץ, או דברים בגן עדן.
ואתה, שהיו לפעמים מנוכרים ואויבים בנפשך במעשים רשעים, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, להציג אותך קדושה ובלתי ניתנת לאשם ובלתי ניתנת להוכחה בעיניו (קולוסים 1:20-1:22)
All your sins, all of your trespasses, have been forgiven
ואתה, בהיותך מת בחטאייך ובערלת בשרך, הוא החיה יחד איתו, לאחר שסלח לך על כל העבירות; מחיקת כתב יד של פקודות שהיו נגדנו, דבר שהיה מנוגד לנו, והוציא אותו מהדרך, מסמר אותו לצלב שלו; ואחרי שקלקלו נסיכויות ומעצמות, הוא השמיע אותם בגלוי, מנצח עליהם בו (קולוסים 2:13-15)
תאר לעצמך, papers written full of your sins; full of your trespasses, that would have condemned you unto the death penalty, but are blotted out by the work at the cross.
It is like taking all of the papers with your trespasses that would have condemn you unto death, and throw them all into the fire.
Jesus did that for you.
Jesus took that blame fully upon Him. He took your death penalty upon Him, so that you could walk in righteousness in Him. Free of sin, free of guilt, free of condemnation.
כן, all your trespasses were nailed to His cross. You start with a clean sheet.
כשאתה הופך נולד מחדש, your spirit is like a baby.
The more you feed your spirit, by hearing and studying the Bible (דבר אלוהים) and renewing your mind and doing the word of God, the quicker your spirit matures.
עם זאת, if you don’t feed your spirit but feed your flesh, your spirit will starve to death and eventually die. שׁוּב, יש לך בחירה.
There will be different seasons in your life. But if you stay in the will of God and keep hearing and studying His Word and doing His Word, you will stand firm and walk as a son of God (זה חל על זכרים ונקבות כאחד) על פני כדור הארץ.
'היה מלח הארץ”
