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. Iesu 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, Ina ia, 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. Ae peitai, many Christians don’t consider the cross a place to die but a place to keep sinning.
What does the word ‘cross’ uiga?
The word cross comes from the Greek word: stauros (stow-ros), it comes from the base of no. G2476(strong concordance) ma lona uiga ;
- a stake or post (as set upright),
- o lena lava, (specifically) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment)
- figuratively exposure to death, o lena lava, selfdenial;
- by implication the atonement of Christ: – satauro.
What did Jesus say about the cross in the Bible?
Jesus said the following about the cross: He that takes not his cross, ma mulimuli mai ia te au, e le aoga mo au (Mataio 10:38)
Afai o soʻo se tagata e sau pe a maimau aʻu, ia faafitia e ia o ia lava, ma ave lona satauro, ma mulimuli mai ia te au. Auā o lē fia fa‘asaoina lona ola, e māumau ai: ma o se faamaumau lona ola ona o a'u, e maua e ia (Mataio 16:24,25)
Ai se fia mulimuli mai ia te au, ia faafitia e ia o ia lava, ma ave lona satauro, ma mulimuli mai ia te au (Mareko 8:34).
Take up your cross, ma mulimuli mai ia te au (Mareko 10:21)
Afai o soʻo se tagata e sau pe a maimau aʻu, ia faafitia e ia o ia lava, ma ave lona satauro i aso uma, ma mulimuli mai ia te au (Luka 9:23)
Whosoever doth not bear his cross, ma sau mulimuli mai ia te aʻu, E le mafai ona avea ma ou soo (Luka 14:27)
In these verses, Jesus is very clear. Na fetalai Iesu, that if you really want to mulimuli ia Iesu Keriso, you should take up your cross and follow Him.
What does it mean to take up your cross?
Ia, 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, oti ia te oe lava, 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. You 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, alu i le lotu, be friendly, fai galuega alofa, faitau le Tusi Paia 5 pe 10 minutes before they go to sleep, say a quick prayer and that’s it.
Se'i ou ta'u atu ia te oe, the more you hate sin and your old life and its habits, the easier it is to take up your cross and follow Jesus.
Ioe, it will cost you everything. O le a tau ai lou ola. But your life becomes so much better!
It is a process to die to self. Ae afai e te manaʻo moni lava, then it is possible. It is all up to you. The Holy Spirit is there to help you, aoao oe, taitaiina oe, strengthen you and warn you.
Your life will become one great adventure with the Holy Spirit.
O le a le mea na faia e Iesu e leai 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.
Let me be clear, I don’t say that you have to forget the cross. Leai, 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, ia Iesu Keriso.
But the cross must not become a camping place. O se nofoaga, where you stay and get stuck in between your old and new life and stay there. O mea uma ona, you can’t say farewell to your old habits, au agasala. (Faitau foi: O le taua ma vaivaiga o le toeaina)
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(Filipi 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.
Toe foi, E i ai sau filifiliga. 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, ‘Ae vavao le Atua ‘ona ‘ou mitamita, faaola i le satauro o lo tatou Alii o Iesu Keriso, o lē na fa‘asatauroina ai le lalolagi ‘iā te a‘u, a o au i le lalolagi. Mo ia Keriso E le o Aafia se mea, pe uncercication, ae o se meaola fou (Kalatia 6:14,15)
Paul’s life was crucified with Jesus Christ. He took up his cross, uiga, that Paul denied himself and obeyed Christ.
Paul was sent to preach the gospel. Not in words, but in power. Paul didn’t preach human philosophies and the carnal wisdom of the world, but Paul preached the cross, o le mana lea o le Atua.
Aua e lei auina mai au e Keriso e papatiso, ae ia folafola atu le tala lelei: e le o le poto i upu, ina ne'i faaleaogaina le satauro o Keriso. Mo le folafolaina o le satauro o le a latou valea le valea; Ae ia i matou mai ia e ua sefe lava le mana o le Atua (1 Korinito 1:17-18)
You’re reconciled with God through the cross, through the blood of Jesus. O lea la, you have peace because you’re reconciled. The blood of Jesus made you righteous.
In Christ Jesus you have become righteous, paia, unblameable and unreproveable.
Thi He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, ua fasiotia le ita (Efeso 2:16)
Ma, ua faia le filemu e ala i le toto o Lona satauro, e ala ia te Ia e faalelei ai mea uma ia te Ia; e Ia, Ou te fai atu, pe o ni mea i le lalolagi, po o mea i le lagi.
Ma oe, o se taimi na ese ma fili i lou mafaufau e le amio leaga, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, Ina ia tuuina atu ia te oe le paia ma le le fuafuaina ma le le fuafuaina i lana vaai (Kolose 1:20-1:22)
All your sins, all of your trespasses, have been forgiven
Ma oe, ua oti i a outou agasala ma le le peritomeina o outou tino, ua Ia faaola ea faatasi ma Ia, ua uma ona faamagaloina o outou agasala uma; Soloia le tusilima o sauniga sa faasaga ia i tatou, lea sa faafeagai ma i tatou, ma aveese mai le ala, natia i lona satauro; Ma ua latou faoa malo ma pule, Na ia faia le a o ia o latou, manumalo ia i latou i totonu (Kolose 2:13-15)
Vaai faalemafaufau, 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.
Ioe, all your trespasses were nailed to His cross. You start with a clean sheet.
A e avea oe toe fanauina, your spirit is like a baby.
The more you feed your spirit, by hearing and studying the Bible (Upu a le Atua) and renewing your mind and doing the word of God, the quicker your spirit matures.
Ae peitai, if you don’t feed your spirit but feed your flesh, your spirit will starve to death and eventually die. Toe foi, E i ai sau filifiliga.
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 (e faatatau lenei mea i alii ma tamaitai) i le Lalolagi.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi”
