The true meaning of the cross is not always understood. Many Christians speak about the cross and preach the cross, A o latou ola o ni fili o le satauro. What is the significance of the cross according to the Bible and what does the cross mean in the lives of Christians?
E toʻatele Kerisiano e iai se faiā ma Iesu ma le Tama Lamanū
There are many Christians that believe in Jesus Christ and repented and are born again, but don’t want to have anything to do with the moral part of the law. They don’t want to keep all kinds of rules and consider them legalistic. Ma Onoscissgisgisgisgisgisgisgisgis o se vaega o lotu ma e le o se vaega o fegalegaleaiga ma Iesu Keriso.
Latou te le manaʻo e taʻu le mea e fai, but they want to be free. They want to live in freedom and have a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father their way.
I le tele o tulaga, the relationship looks more like a LAT relationship (Living Apart Together) than a marriage. Ona o le tele o taimi, Christians only spend time with God when they have a need or problems in their lives.
When they’ve a need or problems, they need God to show up and supply their needs and fix their problems. Ae peitai, the rest of the time, latou ola e tusa ma a latou lava loto, faia mea latou te mananao e fai.
Pea lava, going back to the fact that many Christians say that the moral part of the law is not relevant anymore, how come, that they say they are redeemed from the law, taimi nei, they still live as carnal people to whom the law was intended. O le a le uiga o lea mea?
The old carnal man keeps falling back into sin
The law of Moses was meant for the old carnal man, who lived in a sinful flesh from a fallen state and belonged to God’s chosen people by birth and the circumcision in the flesh. The sacrificial laws were meant for the old carnal man.
The sacrificial laws dealt with the (taʻitoʻatasi) agasala ma amioletonu o le O le tagata matua, but not with the sinful nature of the old carnal man.
O le toto o manu sa le lava le malosi e feagai ai ma le agasala agasala o le toeaina. That’s because animals are not equal to man. O le aano o manu e ese mai le aano o le tagata (1 Korinito 15:39).
The blood of animals could only deal with the sinful deeds that derived from the sinful flesh.
O lea la, the blood of animals could only make a temporary atonement for the sins of man. O le mea lea na tatau ai ona faia taulaga i taimi masani.
Despite the sacrifices and the blood of perfect animals, man remained the same.
The old man was still trapped in the sinful nature of the flesh and could not be delivered from it.
Taimi uma, Na latou taʻutaʻu atu a latou agasala, salamo ma fai se leleiga mo a latou agasala. O a latou agasala na faʻataunuʻuina ma faʻamagaloina i taulaga ma le toto o manu seʻia oʻo ina latou toe foʻi atu i a latou masani tuai ma agasala. O se faiga faaauau pea.
O le toto o manu na tafe pea, but the sinful nature of the flesh remained present in the generation of fallen man.
Na taulimaina e Iesu le agalelei agasala o le tagata
This process continued until Jesus came and dealt with the sinful nature of fallen man that produces sin and leads to death.
O le forasmuch i le taimi lava o tamaiti o loʻo 'aʻai o aano ma le toto, O ia foi ia e pei o se vaega tutusa; e ala i le oti na ia faaumatia ai o ia o le mana o le oti, o lena lava, le tiapolo; Ma momoli atu ia i latou e ala i le fefe o le oti o latou uma o lo latou olaga atoa (Eperu 2:14-15)
E l ¯ e na te Iesu agasala 'iā te ia. He carried the sins and iniquities i totonu Lona tino ma avea ma sui le tagata. Na tauaveina e Iesu le sala mo agasala, o le oti lena, ma na ulufale faaletulafono i Seoli (seoli).
Ae peitai, the death was not strong enough to keep Jesus in Hades. Ina ua mavae le tolu aso, Jesus rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit with the keys of hell and death. Jesus conquered the power of death and had taken the dominion legally back from the devil.
Jesus released the righteous prisoners of death and gave the ability to everyone to be delivered from the power of death and hell ma ia lelei ma le Atua. (a.o. Mataio 27:50-54; Ioane 1:11-13; Roma 5:10; 2 Korinito 5:18-20; Efeso 4:10; Kolose 1:21-23).
Ona maliu atu lea o lesu ma fetalai atu ia te i latou, fai mai, Ua tuʻuina mai ia te aʻu i le lagi aʻu. O lea ia outou o atu ai, ma aoao atu nuu uma, ma papatisoina i latou i le suafa o le Tamā, ma le Alo, ma le Agaga Paia: Ia outou aoao atu ia te i latou ia tausi i mea uma ua ou fai atu ai ia te outou: ma, faauta, Ou te faatasi ma oe i taimi uma, even unto the end of the earth
Mataio 28:18-20
The new creation is delivered from the sinful flesh through regeneration
Only by faith in Jesus Christ and becoming born again, e mafai ona togiolaina se tagata mai le leaga o le tagata. E ala i le Papatisoga in Christ and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the flesh of the old man dies and the spirit raises from the dead and the new man receives the Holy Spirit.
The new creation has left the old behind and receives a new life in the spirit. I le pule a Iesu Keriso ma le mana o le Agaga Paia, the new man has the ability to become a son of God (alii ma tamaitai) and walk as a son of God in obedience to God in righteousness.
The new man shall put away the carnal works of the old man, and do the will of the Spirit, whereby the new man shall come forth in the natural. (Faitau foi: E mafai ona e ola i le toe tu le toe ola e aunoa ma le oti?)
The Holy Spirit has the same will as Jesus and the Father and confronts and reproves a person of sin. Ona o le tagata e usitai ia te ia ma tuu ese agasala.
Aua o le tagata e le toe aoga i le augatupulaga o le tagata paʻu ma ua le toe o le tiapolo o se tama.
The person belongs to the generation of the new man (foafoaga fou) that is created in Jesus Christ. The new creation is born of God and has God as Father.
The new creations are the sons of God and together they are the church; O le tino o Iesu Keriso.
O le Faamoemoega o le Ekalesia is to raise the saints in the Word of God and equip them. O lena la, they know the will of God and become equal to Jesus Christ and walk as Jesus walked in obedience to the Father’s will, preaching and bringing the Kingdom of God to the people.
Persevere in sin through ignorance and a lack of knowledge
Ae peitai, the problem is that in many churches instead of sons of God, tagata mataitu, O tagata amio lelei po, O ai lava le foafoaga tuai ma maua ai se ituaiga amio Atua, ua i tua o le pulelaa ma aʻoaʻo le au talitonu.
Latou te aʻoaʻoina i latou mai le tino o le tino ma lo latou lava poto o le tagata, malamalama, ma filosofia nai lo le mafaufauina o Keriso ma le moni o le Afioga a le Atua.
In order to get an audience and attract people and be exalted, they preach what people want to hear.
Through their sermons that revolve around the carnal man (tino), they ensure that the people become depended on them and that they stand above the believers.
By preaching carnal words and vain philosophies that derive from their carnal mind, instead of preaching the truth of God’s Word that derives from the mind of Christ, they keep the believers ignorant about the truth.
E ala ia latou pepelo, latou te tausia i latou i le nofo pologa, Ma o le mea tonu lena o le Tiapolo Manaomia.
Tau leai se poto i le Afioga a le Atua, Christians keep living in bondage of their flesh. Latou te savavali pea i le tino ma tutumau i le agasala ma le mafai ona taofi le agasala.
I le tasi lima, Ua faatonuina latou, e leai se isi agasala. O lea la, they can’t walk in sin. Ma i le isi itu, they are told that they always remain a sinner. Therefore they will persevere in sin until the day that they’ll die. Aua e ala i le oti faalenatura, O le a laveaiina mai o latou tino agasala.
False doctrines are preached to keep Christians in bondage
But that is a big lie that derived from the carnal mind of people, O ai na o le tuai o foafoaga. This false doctrine is based upon human philosophies and personal experiences. If this doctrine would be true, Ona pe aisea na afio mai ai Iesu i lenei lalolagi? Aisea na tatau ai ona avea Iesu ma sui i le taimi e tasi ma mo tagata uma ma le faafitauli a agasala? Ma o le a le mea na tupu i le aso o Penetekoso?
The people that came up with this false doctrine were unspiritual. Latou te leʻi manaʻo e tuu i lalo o latou lava tino. Ma o lea, they adjusted the gospel and truth of God to their own carnal experiences, sailiiliga, tu'inanauga, ma manaoga.
Ma ona o le mea moni, Ua tofia i latou e le Ekalesia aua sa i ai le latou tipiloma po o le ph.d. and therefore obtained a certain status, the church adopted and applied this doctrine. To this day, this lie is still preached.
Christians are sidetracked
Ona o lenei aʻoaʻoga sese, many Christians are sidetracked and many souls have been lost. While they could have been saved by preaching the right sermons according to the Bible (le Upu) ma le Agaga Paia.
Ona o lenei pepelo, many Christians have the idea that when they salamo Ma avea ma fanauina (according to their theology), E le gata na faamaaa ese mai a latou agasala tuai, but also from their sins in which they persevere after they become born again. Because they can’t be redeemed from sin, but will always stay a sinner.
If the Bible says that Jesus came to redeem man and has redeemed man through His work at the cross, but the preacher or theologian says that man always remains a sinner, O ai e tautala i le mea moni?
What has Jesus done at the cross according to these theologians or preachers? O le a le mafuaʻaga o Lona afio mai ma o le uiga o Lana taulaga?
Ona o le mea moni, that many Christians are not truly born again and have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ; le Upu, Ae i le talitonu, trust and lean on the words of preachers and theologians. They believe the words of people above the words of God.
Aua e pei o le le usitaʻia o le tagata na faia na faia tagata agasala, Ma o le usitai o le tasi o le a avea ma tagata amiotonu
Roma 5:19
A agasala nai lo le tino na fagofi i le satauro
Nai lo le faasatauroina o latou tino, O le mea e loto agasala e maua ai, e maua ai le agasala, ua latou fao a latou agasala i le satauro. Latou te le feagai ma faafitauli a le agasala, Na Leʻi Iesu i Lenei Lalolagi. Nai lo lena, they keep living in the lies, Lea ua salalau e le tiapolo e ala i filosofia o tagata.
Ae o le mea moni, o le a le umi lava o le tino o le toeaina e le oti, the person shall walk after the flesh and persevere in sin and shall keep doing the things that oppose the will of God.
A o tagata e finafinau i le agasala, Latou te le togiolaina mai le agasala, but are still a Auauna o le Agasala.
In some churches or at seminars there is even a wooden cross on the stage with pieces of paper, nails, and a hammer.
E mafai ona tusia e tagata asiasi a latou agasala poʻo faʻafitauli i lenei fasi pepa ma fao i le satauro. Ae o le mea lea o le carnal (tino) ma e leai se mea e fai ma le Agaga.
Because when they go home, they continue their lives and fall back into the same sin. E pei lava o tagata o le Atua i le Feagaiga Tuai.
That’s why many Christian, O ai e faapea e toe fanauina, ma le fia maua se mea e fai i le tulafono, live the same way as the carnal people of God for whom the law was intended, o le: O le tagata matua, who is trapped in the sinful flesh.
Nai lo le feagai ai ma faafitauli a le agasala, Faasino le mafuaaga o le agasala: le tino agasala, they try to deal with their sins out of their flesh by using all kinds of natural means and methods
Na maliu Iesu ona o le agasala a le toeaina
Jesus didn’t die for your sins so that you can keep walking in sins. But Jesus died because of your sins that derive from the sinful nature of the flesh of the old man.
Jesus died for the old man, le tagata agasala. O lena la, ia te ia, le toeaina (tino) maliu ma le tagata fou (agaga) ua siitia mai le oti.
Jesus not only dealt with the sins and iniquities of fallen man at the cross. But Jesus also dealt with the sinful nature of fallen man, o loo i ai i le tino. Mea tonu lava lena, A o le tagata, O ai o le tuai o foafoaga (O se Tagata agasala), ua toe fanauina, ua le toe avea ma tagata agasala.
O ai foi e te peritomeina ma le peritomeina na faia e aunoa ma lima, I le lafoaia o le tino o agasala a le aano e le peritomeina o Keriso: Tanumia ma ia i le papatisoga, Iai foi e te toetu faatasi ma ia i le faatuatua o le Faagaioiga a le Atua, O ai na toe faatuina o ia mai le oti (Kolose 2:11-12)
The person has become a new creation: Le Galuega a le Atua ia Keriso. O se tagata, O ai na avea ma Forld Foafoaga, e le toe sili atu le finafinau i le agasala. Ona o na, O ai e iai le Keriso ua faʻasatauroina o latou tino i o latou lagona ma tuʻinanau. O lea la, E Le Maʻeu i le agasala ae o le a faia galuega o le amiotonu.
O le a le tulafono ma le toto o manu le mafai ona faia, Na Mafai e Iesu! Iesu, o le Afioga soifua, came in the flesh and became the Substitute of the disobedient, One Manumiotonuina One, o lona tulaga mulimuli o le oti e faavavau i le vaituloto o le afi.
They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts
Kalatia 4:24
The true meaning and result of the cross in the lives of believers
I luga o le satauro, Na taulimaina e Iesu le agalelei agasala, o loo i ai i le tino. O lena la, tagata uma, O ai e talitonu ia te ia ma ua toe fanauina, o le a togiolaina mai le uiga agasala o le tino, e maua ai le agasala ma le oti.
The believer shall no longer produce sin from the sinful flesh, but righteousness from the Spirit (a.o. Roma 6-8; Kalatia 5:16-26).
E te manaʻo e aveese agasala i lou olaga? Ma e tatau ona e faia o le: Alu i le galuega o le agasala. Alu i le aʻa o le faʻafitauli o le faʻanoanoa, o le aano lea. O le a lava le umi e le oti ai lou aano, E le mafai ona siitia lou agaga.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
