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. 耶稣 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, 以便, 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. 然而, many Christians don’t consider the cross a place to die but a place to keep sinning.
What does the word ‘cross’ 意思是?
The word cross comes from the Greek word: stauros (stow-ros), it comes from the base of no. G2476(strong concordance) 和手段 ;
- a stake or post (as set upright),
- 那是, (具体来说) a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment)
- figuratively exposure to death, 那是, selfdenial;
- by implication the atonement of Christ: – 叉.
What did Jesus say about the cross in the Bible?
Jesus said the following about the cross: He that takes not his cross, 并跟随我, 不配我 (马修 10:38)
若有人来追随我, 让他否定自己, 并背起他的十字架, 并跟随我. 因为凡要救自己生命的，都会丧掉生命: 凡为我丧掉生命的，必得着生命 (马修 16:24,25)
凡要跟随我的人, 让他否定自己, 并背起他的十字架, 并跟随我 (标记 8:34).
Take up your cross, 并跟随我 (标记 10:21)
若有人来追随我, 让他否定自己, 并每日背起他的十字架, 并跟随我 (卢克 9:23)
Whosoever doth not bear his cross, 来追随我, 不能成为我的弟子 (卢克 14:27)
在这些诗句中, Jesus is very clear. 耶稣说, that if you really want to 跟随耶稣基督, you should take up your cross and follow Him.
What does it mean to take up your cross?
出色地, 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, 死于自我, 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. 是ou 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, 去教堂, be friendly, 慈善工作, 阅读圣经 5 或者 10 minutes before they go to sleep, say a quick prayer and that’s it.
让我告诉你, the more you hate sin and your old life and its habits, the easier it is to take up your cross and follow Jesus.
是的, it will cost you everything. 这会损失您的生命. But your life becomes so much better!
It is a process to die to self. 但是，如果您真的想, then it is possible. It is all up to you. The Holy Spirit is there to help you, 教你, 指导你, strengthen you and warn you.
Your life will become one great adventure with the Holy Spirit.
耶稣做了什么 不 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.
让我清楚, I don’t say that you have to forget the cross. 不, 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, 在耶稣基督里.
But the cross must not become a camping place. 一个地方, where you stay and get stuck in between your old and new life and stay there. 都是因为, you can’t say farewell to your old habits, 你的罪过. (另请阅读: 老人的战斗与弱点)
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(腓立比书 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.
再次, 你有选择. 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, 但上帝禁止我夸耀, 拯救在我们主耶稣基督的十字架上, 世界因我而被钉在十字架上, 我对世界. 因为在基督耶稣里，受割礼毫无益处, 也没有未受割礼, 但一个新的生物 (加拉太书 6:14,15)
Paul’s life was crucified with Jesus Christ. He took up his cross, 意义, that Paul denied himself and obeyed Christ.
Paul was sent to preach the gospel. Not in words, 但掌权时. Paul didn’t preach human philosophies and the carnal wisdom of the world, but Paul preached the cross, 这就是神的力量.
因为基督派我来不是为了施洗, 但为了传福音: 不是用智慧的言语, 免得基督的十字架落空了. 因为十字架的道理，对那些灭亡的人来说是愚拙的; 但对于我们得救的人来说，这是神的大能 (1 哥林多前书 1:17-18)
You’re reconciled with God through the cross, through the blood of Jesus. 所以, you have peace because you’re reconciled. The blood of Jesus made you righteous.
In Christ Jesus you have become righteous, 圣, unblameable and unreproveable.
时间h在 He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, 杀死仇恨 (以弗所书 2:16)
和, 通过他的十字架使和平, 由他调和自己的一切; 他, 我说, 它们是否是地球上的事物, 或天堂的事物.
你呢, 有时因为邪恶的行为而被疏远并成为你心目中的敌人, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, 在他面前呈现圣洁、无可指摘、无可指责的 (歌罗西书 1:20-1:22)
All your sins, all of your trespasses, have been forgiven
你呢, 死在你的罪孽和未受割礼的肉体中, 他与他一起加速, 原谅了你所有的过犯; 涂掉反对我们的法令的笔迹, 这与我们相反, 并把它拿开, 把它钉在祂的十字架上; 并破坏了公国和权力, 他公开做了一口, 在其中战胜了他们 (歌罗西书 2:13-15)
想象, 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.
是的, all your trespasses were nailed to His cross. You start with a clean sheet.
当你成为 重生, your spirit is like a baby.
The more you feed your spirit, by hearing and studying the Bible (神的话语) and renewing your mind and doing the word of God, the quicker your spirit matures.
然而, if you don’t feed your spirit but feed your flesh, your spirit will starve to death and eventually die. 再次, 你有选择.
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 (这适用于男性和女性) 在地球上.
‘成为地球之盐”
