The true meaning of the cross is not always understood. Many Christians speak about the cross and preach the cross, ha ba ntse ba phela e le lira tsa sefapano. What is the significance of the cross according to the Bible and what does the cross mean in the lives of Christians?
Bakreste ba bangata ba na le kamano le Jesu le Ntate ka tsela ea bona
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. Mme molao ke karolo ya bodumedi mme ha se karolo ya kamano le Jesu Kreste.
Ha ba batle ho bolelloa hore na ba etse eng, but they want to be free. They want to live in freedom and have a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father their way.
Maemong a mangata, the relationship looks more like a LAT relationship (Living Apart Together) than a marriage. Hobane makhetlo a mangata, 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. Leha ho le joalo, the rest of the time, ba phela ka thato ya bona, ho etsa seo ba batlang ho se etsa.
Leha ho le joalo, 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, khabareng, they still live as carnal people to whom the law was intended. See se bolelang?
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 (individual) sins and iniquities of the monnamoholo wa nama, but not with the sinful nature of the old carnal man.
The blood of animals was not powerful enough to deal with the sinful nature of the old man. That’s because animals are not equal to man. The flesh of animals is different from the flesh of man (1 Korinthe 15:39).
The blood of animals could only deal with the sinful deeds that derived from the sinful flesh.
Ka hona, the blood of animals could only make a temporary atonement for the sins of man. That’s why the sacrifices had to be done on a regular basis.
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.
Nako tsohle, ba ne ba lokela ho bolela dibe tsa bona, baka le ho etsa poelano bakeng sa dibe tsa bona. Libe tsa bona li ile tsa tšoareloa le ho tšoareloa ka mahlabelo le mali a liphoofolo ho fihlela ba khutlela mekhoeng ea bona ea khale ’me ba etsa sebe hape.. Ena e ne e le ts'ebetso e tsoelang pele.
Mali a liphoofolo a ne a phalla a sa khaotse, but the sinful nature of the flesh remained present in the generation of fallen man.
Jesu o ile a sebetsana le botho ba boetsalibe ba motho ea oeleng
This process continued until Jesus came and dealt with the sinful nature of fallen man that produces sin and leads to death.
Ka baka leo, kaha bana ba na le kabelo nama le madi, Le Eena ka ho tšoanang o ile a nka karolo ea eona; hore ka lefu A tle a fedise ya nang le matla a lefu, ke hore, diabolose; le ho lopolla bao bophelo bohle ba bona ba neng ba le bokgobeng ka ho tshaba lefu (Baheberu 2:14-15)
Jesu ha A ka A nka libe ho Eena feela. He carried the sins and iniquities ho Nama ya Hae mme ya fetoha Sebapadi sa motho ya weleng. Jesu o ile a jara kotlo ea libe, e leng lefu, le o kene Hadese ka molao (lihele).
Leha ho le joalo, the death was not strong enough to keep Jesus in Hades. Ka mor'a matsatsi a mararo, 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 mme le boelane le Modimo. (Oh. Mattheu 27:50-54; Johanne 1:11-13; Baroma 5:10; 2 Korinthe 5:18-20; Baefese 4:10; Bakolose 1:21-23).
Mme Jesu oa tla mme a buga mo bona, ho bua, Matla ohle a fuoa 'na leholimong le lefatšeng. E-ea ka hona, le ho ruta lichaba tsohle, Ho balile ka lebitso la Ntate, le ea Mora, le ea Moea o Halalelang: Ba se ruta ho bona lintho tsohle ha ke u laetse: le, lo, Ke na le uena haholo, even unto the end of the earth
Mattheu 28:18-20
The new creation is delivered from the sinful flesh through regeneration
Only by faith in Jesus Christ and becoming born again, motho a ka lopolloa nameng ea boetsalibe. Ka Kolobetso 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. Ka matla a Jesu Kreste le ka matla a Moya o Halalelang, the new man has the ability to become a son of God (banna le ba batšehali) 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. (Bala hape: Na u ka phela bophelo ba tsoho ntle le ho shoa?)
The Holy Spirit has the same will as Jesus and the Father and confronts and reproves a person of sin. Joale ho ho motho ho Mo mamela le ho tlosa libe.
Hobane motho eo ha e sa le oa moloko oa motho ea oeleng 'me ha a sa le diabolose joalo ka ntate.
The person belongs to the generation of the new man (popo e ncha) 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; mmele wa Jesu Kreste.
The morero oa kereke is to raise the saints in the Word of God and equip them. E le hore, 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
Leha ho le joalo, the problem is that in many churches instead of sons of God, Litsebi tsa thuto ea bolumeli, dibui tsa thotloetso kapa baitshepehi, bao e ntseng e le popo ya kgale, ba nang le sebopeho sa borapedi, ba ka mora sefala mme ba rute badumedi.
Ba ba ruta ho tsoa mohopolong oa nama le bohlale ba bona ba botho, tsebo, le lifilosofi ho e-na le kelello ea Kreste le ’nete ea Lentsoe la Molimo.
In order to get an audience and attract people and be exalted, ba bolela seo batho ba batlang ho se utlwa.
Through their sermons that revolve around the carnal man (nama), 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.
Ka mashano a bona, ba ba boloka ditlamong, mme ke hantle seo diabolosi a se batlang.
Ka ho hloka tsebo ea Lentsoe la Molimo, Christians keep living in bondage of their flesh. Ba tsoela pele ho latela nama ’me ba tšoarella sebeng ’me ba ke ke ba khaotsa ho etsa sebe.
Ka lehlakore le le leng, ba bolelloa, hore ha ho sa le sebe. Ka hona, they can’t walk in sin. Mme ka hlakoreng le leng, they are told that they always remain a sinner. Therefore they will persevere in sin until the day that they’ll die. Hobane feela ka lefu la tlhaho, ba tla lopolloa nameng ea bona ea boetsalibe.
False doctrines are preached to keep Christians in bondage
But that is a big lie that derived from the carnal mind of people, bao e neng e ntse e le mmopo wa kgale. This false doctrine is based upon human philosophies and personal experiences. If this doctrine would be true, jwale hobaneng Jesu a tlile lefatsheng lena? Hobaneng ha Jesu a ile a tlameha ho fetoha Moemeli oa rona ho sebetsana le bothata ba sebe hang le ka ho sa feleng?? Le se ileng sa etsahala ka letsatsi la Pentekonta?
The people that came up with this false doctrine were unspiritual. Ba ne ba sa batle ho tela bophelo ba bona ba nama. Me, ea ba, they adjusted the gospel and truth of God to their own carnal experiences, tse fumanoeng, ditakatso, le ditakatso.
Le ka lebaka la 'nete, hore ba khethiloe ke kereke hobane ba ne ba e-na le diploma kapa 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
Ka lebaka la thuto ena ea bohata, 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 (Lentswe) Moea o Halalelang.
Ka lebaka la leshano lena, many Christians have the idea that when they baka 'me u tsoetsoe hape (according to their theology), ha baa hloekisoa libeng tsa bona tsa khale feela, 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, ya buang nnete?
What has Jesus done at the cross according to these theologians or preachers? Morero oa ho tla ha Hae le moelelo oa sehlabelo sa Hae e ne e le ofe?
Ka lebaka la 'nete, that many Christians are not truly born again and have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ; Lentswe, empa le mpe le lumele, trust and lean on the words of preachers and theologians. They believe the words of people above the words of God.
Hobane joalokaha ka ho se utloe ha motho a le mong ba bangata ba entsoe baetsalibe, kahoo ka kutlo ea a le mong ba bangata ba tla etsoa ba lokileng
Baroma 5:19
Libe sebakeng sa nama tse khokhothetsoeng sefapanong
Ho ena le ho thakgisa nama ya bona, moo nama e dutseng ho yona, mme se hlahisa sebe, ba kokotela dibe tsa bona sefapanong. Ha ba sebetsane le bothata ba sebe, tseo Jesu a tlileng lefatsheng lena ka tsona. Sebakeng seo, they keep living in the lies, tse phatlalatswang ke diabolosi ka difilosofi tsa batho ba nama.
Empa 'nete ke eona, hore ha feela nama ea monna-moholo e sa shoe, the person shall walk after the flesh and persevere in sin and shall keep doing the things that oppose the will of God.
Ha feela batho ba tiisetsa sebeng, ha baa lopolloa sebeng, but are still a mohlanka wa sebe.
In some churches or at seminars there is even a wooden cross on the stage with pieces of paper, nails, and a hammer.
Baeti ba ka ngola libe kapa mathata a bona pampiring ena ebe ba e kokotela sefapanong. Empa sena ke ketso ya nama ya maikutlo (nama) mme ha e amane le Moya ka letho.
Because when they go home, they continue their lives and fall back into the same sin. Jwalo ka batho ba Modimo Selekaneng sa Kgale.
That’s why many Christian, ba ipolelang hore ba tsoetsoe labobeli, mme ha ba batle ho ba le letho le amanang le molao, live the same way as the carnal people of God for whom the law was intended, ka lebitso: monnamoholo wa nama, who is trapped in the sinful flesh.
Ho ena le ho sebetsana le bothata ba sebe, e leng sesosa sa sebe: nama ya sebe, they try to deal with their sins out of their flesh by using all kinds of natural means and methods
Jesu o ile a shoa ka lebaka la sebe sa monna-moholo
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, Moetsalibe. E le hore, ho Yena, monnamoholo (nama) a shoa le motho e mocha (moya) o tsosoa bafung.
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, e teng ka nama. Ke ka lebaka lena, Ha motho a le mong, eo eleng mmopo wa kgale (moetsalibe), e ba ea tsoaloa hape, ha e sa le moetsalibe.
Le ho yena le bolotse ka lebollo le sa etswang ka matsoho, ka ho hlobola mmele wa dibe tsa nama ka lebollo la Kreste: Ho patoa le Yena kolobetsong, moo le tsohileng le yena ka tumelo ya tshebetso ya Modimo, ya Mo tsositseng bafung (Bakolose 2:11-12)
The person has become a new creation: ho loka ha Modimo ho Kreste. Motho, ya fetohileng mmopuwa e motjha, ha a sa tla hlola a tiisetsa sebeng. Hobane tseo, bao e leng ba Kreste ba thakgisitse nama ya bona le dithato tsa bona le ditakatso tsa bona. Ka hona, ba ke ke ba tiisetsa sebeng, empa ba tla etsa mesebetsi ya ho loka.
Seo molao le mali a liphoofolo li neng li ke ke tsa se etsa, Jesu o ne a ka khona! Jesu, Lentswe le phelang, came in the flesh and became the Substitute of the disobedient, monnamoholo wa lerabele, eo qetello ea eona e leng lefu le sa feleng letšeng la mollo.
They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts
Bagalata 4:24
The true meaning and result of the cross in the lives of believers
Sefapanong, Jesu o ne a sebetsana le botho ba boetsalibe, e teng ka nama. E le hore, bohle, ya dumelang ho Yena mme a tswalwa labobedi, ba tla lopolloa bothong ba nama, e hlahisang sebe le lefu.
The believer shall no longer produce sin from the sinful flesh, but righteousness from the Spirit (Oh. Baroma 6-8; Bagalata 5:16-26).
Na u batla ho tlosa libe tsa bophelo ba hao? Joale sohle seo u lokelang ho se etsa ke: eyang bakeng sa sebe. E-ea motsong oa bothata ba sebe, e leng nama. Ha feela nama ea hao e sa shoe, moya wa hao o ke ke wa tsoswa.
‘E be letsoai la lefatše’
