Katika Mathayo 21:41 na 1 Peter 2:6-8, we not only read that Jesus Christ is the chief Cornerstone, but that Jesus is a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense. To whom is Jesus a precious Cornerstone and to whom is Jesus a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense? What does the Bible say about the precious Cornerstone and what does a Stone of stumbling mean?
Tazama, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believes on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock ofoffense even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed (1 Peter 2:6-8)
For whom is Jesus a precious chief Cornerstone?
Jesus is a precious chief Cornerstone to those, who believe in Jesus Christ and want to follow Him and are prepared to lay down their lives for Him. Because Jesus Christ is the living Word, the Word is precious to them. Kwa hiyo, they shall spend in the Word, listen to the Word, na kulitii Neno.
They shall lay down their lives and become born again in Christ.
They shall feed their spirit and wafanye upya nia zao pamoja na Neno la Mungu. Kwahivyo, their mind will line up with the will of the Father, Yesu Kristo (Mwana wa Mungu na Neno lililo hai), na Roho Mtakatifu.
Because they believe in Jesus Christ, they shall believe and do His words and walk in His commandments.
The Word shall lead them into all truth. And as they follow the Word, they shall live in the truth of God.
They shall be doers of the Word and walk in His commandments in the faith. (Soma pia: ‘The hearers versus the doers of the Word’).
For whom is Jesus a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense?
Biblia inasema, that Jesus a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to those, who stumble at His words and are rebellious and disobey the Word and refuse to walk in the commandments of Jesus.
Because they refuse to listen to Him and refuse to walk in the Word, they shall not build their lives upon Jesus Christ, Neno hai la Mungu. They shall disobey the words and commandments of Jesus and change the words of God so that they fit into their lives. And so they change the Truth of God into a lie.
They don’t love but hate the Word, because the Word testifies of their evil works; their sins and iniquities.
Yesu, the precious Cornerstone and the living Rock, shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to them, and they shall not be able to endure Him. As they can’t endure the Word, they can’t endure Christians either and be in their presence. They shall avoid them. Kwa nini? Because Christ lives in them.
Why does the world hate born-again Christians?
When you are prepared to lay down your life and live in obedience to God according to His will, Utachukiwa na ulimwengu. You shall be hated by the people around you, who live in darkness in disobedience to God (katika dhambi na uovu). Because you live in obedience to God in the light. As Jesus is a Stone of stumbling to them, you shall also be a stone of stumbling to them.
That’s the price you have to pay, to follow Jesus. Kwa hivyo ni muhimu Hesabu ya gharama before deciding to follow Jesus Christ. Because following Jesus will cost you your life!
Hata hivyo, when you’ve laid down your life and achana na yule mzee, you don’t mind what other people think. You don’t mind whether other people like you, despise you, or even hate you.
That’s because you don’t longer live but Christ lives in you. You’ve kusulubiwa mwili wako katika Kristo. This means that you’ve crucified your carnal emotions, hisia, maoni, matokeo, na kadhalika. which are all part of the flesh.
You don’t need to be liked or to be accepted by people. You also don’t need to prove yourself kwa wengine. Kwa sababu unajua, Wewe ni nani katika Kristo.
Baba wa, mwana, and the Holy Spirit know who you are and that’s what matters. You have their confirmation and therefore you don’t need the confirmation of the world.
Unapotembea kumfuata Roho, you shall understand why the dunia inakuchukia. You shall understand, why some people can’t be in your presence and avoid you. Because you know who their father is and to whom they belong and who lives on the inside of them.
The Holy Spirit testifies of their evil works
When people belong to the world and live in disobedience to God and don’t accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and are not willing to make Him Lord of their lives (neither in the future and God knows this, because God knows already who belongs to Him and who don’t), these people shall not want to be with you and don’t want to hang out with you.
Kwa nini? Because they can’t hang out with someone, who constantly testifies of their evil works; sins and iniquities.
Even if you don’t say anything, Roho Mtakatifu, Ambaye anakaa ndani yako, Rudia Ulimwengu wa Dhambi. Kwa hiyo, you shall be for those, who don’t believe, a stone of stumbling and a savor of death
Kwa maana sisi tu manukato ya Kristo kwa Mungu, katika wale wanaookolewa, na katika hao wanaopotea: Kwa wale ambao sisi ni harufu ya mauti iletayo mauti; na kwa hao wengine harufu ya uzima iletayo uzima (2 Wakorintho 2:15-16)
Yule, anayeishi ndani yao; shetani, hates Jesus Christ and therefore they will hate you. By the abiding of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is in you and He testifies of their evil works; dhambi.
Yesu alisema, Ikiwa ulimwengu unakuchukia, Mnajua kuwa ilinichukia kabla ya kukuchukia. Kama mngekuwa wa ulimwengu, ulimwengu ungewapenda walio wake: bali kwa sababu ninyi si wa ulimwengu, bali mimi nimewachagua ninyi katika ulimwengu, kwa hiyo ulimwengu unawachukia ninyi (Yohana 15:18-19)
A born-again Christian is set apart from the world
Kama Mkristo aliyezaliwa mara ya pili, you are set apart from the world. Ingawa unaishi katika ulimwengu huu, Wewe sio wa ulimwengu tena. Therefore you shall not live like the world anymore.
You have freely laid down your old worldly life and your sinful nature, ambayo ipo katika mwili. Your state as a sinner has been exchanged for a holy and righteous state as son of God (hii inatumika kwa wanaume na wanawake). Matokeo yake, you shall be persecuted by the world, by the people, who live in disobedience to God. (Soma pia: Je, wewe bado ni mwenye dhambi?).
Watu, walio wa dunia, could be your acquaintances, Marafiki, Marafiki, Wanafamilia, and maybe even fellow Christians.
Kuna watu wengi, who go to church and call themselves Christians, while they live in rebellion against God and disobey the Word. They still belong to the world and live like the world in darkness.
If you live like the world, doing the same things that unbelievers (Wadhambi) fanya, who don’t know God and disobey Him, and if the world likes you and enjoys hanging out with you, you should examine yourself if you are really born again. (Soma pia: Unajuaje kama Kristo yuko ndani yako?).
You could ask yourself the following questions:
Am I really born again? Have I become a new creation? Does Jesus Christ live in me? Is the old ‘me’ really crucified and have I really laid down my life as a sinner? Do I live after His will or do I live after my will? Do I love the Word or do I love the world? Who do I obey and serve?
Kwa sababu kama Yesu alisema, “Remember the word that I said unto you, Mtumwa si mkuu kuliko bwana wake. Ikiwa wamenitesa Mimi, watawatesa ninyi pia; ikiwa wameshika neno langu, wataiweka yako pia. Lakini haya yote watawatenda ninyi kwa ajili ya Jina Langu, because they know not Him that sent Me” (Yohana 15:20-21)
Is the savor of Christ a savor of life or a savor of death?
The world shall not love you because you are no longer of the world. You shall be an offense to the world. Hii ni kwa sababu, through regeneration and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you are the light that shines in the darkness.
To those, who belong to the darkness and walk after the flesh and love the works of darkness and keep doing the works of darkness, you shall be an offense and a savor of death. They shall dislike and hate you and avoid you, because you expose their evil works of the flesh and testify that their works are evil. (Soma pia: The savor of Christ; a savor of life or a savor of death).
Lakini kwa wale, who are seeking and are willing to give up their lives for Jesus Christ, to them you shall not be an offense, nor a savor of death, but you shall be to them a savor of life; a sweet savor of Christ. They shall be drawn to the Light; Yesu Kristo, Ambaye anaishi ndani yako. You shall lead them to Jesus Christ, and they shall tubu of their evil works and be saved.
Yesu Kristo, Neno Hai, shall always be the Cornerstone. Lakini swali ni, is Jesus to you a living Stone and a precious Cornerstone or is Jesus to you a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense?
‘Kuweni chumvi ya dunia’
