Dobra Nowina (Gospel in Polish)

This is my Easter message in Polish. (The translation is underneath)

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)


Kilka waznych pytan, troche zaniepokojenia, mnostwo tradycji i najmniej w tym wszystkim tresci prawdziwej.
Stroimy nasze domy, sprzatamy obejscia, malujemy jajka, moze nawet idziemy do kosciola, tylko czy na pewno wiemy, dlaczego to wszystko robimy?
A moze traktujemy te dni jako jeszcze jedne wolne dni od pracy, kiedy troszke lepiej zjemy i spotkamy znajomych i rodzine?
Moze jedziemy wtedy na dzialke, by posprzatac zimowy balagan?

Jakbysmy na to nie patrzyli, to istnieja tylko dwa mozliwe rozwiazania - albo nie wierzymy w nic, i wowczas mamy wiosenne wakacje, albo...

Albo musimy to wziac na powaznie, i do glebi zrozumiec. Powierzchowne potraktowanie tego swieta to policzek dla Stworcy.

Dla chrzescijanina centralnym punktem historii jest krzyz. Cala historia przed nim prowadzila do niego, a cala historia po nim jest jego konsekwencja - dla wszystkich, wierzacych i niewierzacych jednakowo.
Grzech Adama, jego upadek, stal sie poczatkiem panowania grzechu w calej historii ludzkiej. Bog zazadal sprawiedliwosci, a kara za grzech jest smierc. Bog dal czlowiekowi doskonale prawo, ktorego grzeszny czlowiek nie byl w stanie wykonac. Czy Bog byl sadysta? Nie, Bog jest doskonaly i takie tez sa jego standardy. Skoro jednak do nich nie dorastamy, to co nam pozostaje? Stwierdzenie, ze jestesmy bez nadziei na osiagniecie boskiej doskonalosci - z powodu grzechu. A nikt niedoskonaly do Boga dojsc nie moze - tak mowi Jego Slowo. Coz nam zatem dano jako nadzieje? Czy mamy w ogole cokolwiek jako nadzieje?

Bog czyni wszystko dla wlasnej chwaly, zatem i zbawia czlowieka tak, by nikt co do Jego Chwaly nie mial watpliwosci. Zanim jeszcze cokolwiek stworzyl, wiedzial, jak to bedzie. Zaplanowal, ze Jego Syn stanie sie ta niezbedna ofiara za nasze winy, ze to na Niego zrzuci nasze przeklenstwo, wypelniajac w ten sposob swoje doskonale prawo i nie lamiac zasad swojej sprawiedliwosci.
Czy moze byc wieksza ofiara, niz poswiecenie swego doskonalego Syna za grzesznych ludzi?
Doskonala ofiara - dla tych, ktorzy uwierza i pojda za Nim. Ale kto uwierzy, skoro wszyscy sa martwi w grzechu? Otoz Bog inicjuje wiare, Jana 6:44, i umacnia ja, Rzymian 8:28-30. Szykujac Oblubienice dla Swego Syna Bog nie popelnia bledu.
Chrystus umarl smiercia potworna, okrutna, umarl z dekretu swego Ojca, umarl, bo ja i ty go zabilismy. Gdyby nie umarl wtedy na krzyzu, nikt z nas nie mialby zadnej nadziei. Zycie, smierc i sad, a skoro nikt nie moze doskonale wypelnic przykazan prawa, wszyscy byliby osadzeni jedna sprawiedliwa kara.
A moze ty wolalbys zawisnac na tym krzyzu? Zapewniam cie, ze bedzie to twoj los, jesli nie uwierzysz w Tego, kto tam wisial 2000 lat temu. Bez Niego nie masz nadziei, bo tylko On jest droga, prawda i zyciem, jak sam o tym powiedzial. Nie istnieje zadna alternatywna droga, cokolwiek by mowili madrzy tego swiata. A Jego droga jest waska, brama mala, a jarzmo lekkie dla tych, ktorzy Go miluja.

Czym jest ta Ofiara? Jest DOSKONALYM zadoscuczynieniem, usprawiedliwiajacym wierzacego przed Bogiem w Dniu Sadu, jest obmyciem wierzacego z jego grzechow przeszlych i przyszlych w sensie odpowiedzialnosci za nie, jest darmowym darem, ktory jednak bedzie wierzacego kosztowal wszystko. Przyjmujac ten dar rodzimy sie na nowo, grzebiac stara nature ciala i wchodzac w nowa nature Ducha, jestesmy zbawieni do dobrych uczynkow i do zycia w swietosci (a swietosc oznacza odrebnosc i separacje od grzesznego swiata), zapewnieni o niezmiennej pomocy Boga w tej drodze do Niego, zapewnieni o tym, ze nigdy nas nie opusci i ze wszystko uczyni dla naszego dobra, dla dobra tych, ktorzy Go kochaja. Nie oczekujmy jednak bogactwa, slawy i poklasku - bo to nie o takie dobro Bog dla nas zabiega, a o swietosc i doskonalosc w Jego oczach.

Przeslanie Dobrej Nowiny, to nie jest sielankowa historia szopki, siana i gwiazdy. Przeslanie Dobrej Nowiny to krzyz, jego znaczenie, jego doskonalosc i jednorazowosc. Nigdy przedtem, ani nigdy potem - tylko ten jeden raz, tylko ten jeden Bog-Czlowiek, jedyny bezgrzeszny, jedyny mogacy zadoscuczynic, jedyny, ktory stal sie pierwszym Nowym Stworzeniem, czyli zmartwychwstal do nowego zycia i otworzyl nam te sama droge.
Czy zatem prawo nie ma juz znaczenia? Ma, ale nie ma mocy nad nami, bo nasza sprawiedliwoscia jest On, ten na krzyzu i ten w Wieczerniku, ktory wzial na siebie nasze grzechy.
On zna nasze serca, znal je juz wowczas, gdy niczego jeszcze nie bylo poza Bogiem, i on nas podniesie ku sobie, by Jego chwala stala sie jawna dla wszystkich.
Czy to sprawiedliwe? Czy to sprawiedliwe, ze wielu nie uwierzy? A moze jednak chcesz sprawiedliwosci po ludzku? Bo wowczas nikt zbawiony byc nie moze...
Laska to dar, odnowa to dar, wiara to dar... A dar nie jest naszym uczynkiem...

Krzyz jest Wielkanocna Dobra Nowina. Pomysl o tym, gdy bedziesz swietowac. Zarowno ukrzyzowanie, jak i zmartwychwstanie. Pomysl o przyczynach, pomysl o skutkach, pomysl o tych gwozdziach, ktorymi i ty Go przybiles do krzyza.

********

Some vital questions, a bit of anxiety, lots of tradition and least of all - the real contents.

We decorate our homes, we tidy up thiongs around the houses, we paint eggs, maybe even we go to church, but do we know for sure why we are doing all this? Can it be that we treat these days as some more work-free time, time to grab some fancy food, time to meet family and friends? Maybe we use this time to simply go and see to our summer cabin?

In however way we should look at it, there are only two possible solutions - we either do not believe in anything, and then we are having the spring break, or... Or we have to take it seriously and understand deeply. The sirface treatment of this holiday is like a slap in the face of our Creator.

The sin of Adam, his fall, became the beginning of the dominion of sin in the entire human history. God claimed justice, and the wages of sin is death. God gave men a perfect law, but a sinful man was not able to fulfill it. Was God a sadist? No, God is perfect and such are His standards. But since we do not live up to them, what are we left with? With an understanding that there is no hope for us to become as perfect as God is perfect - because of the sin. And nobody imperfect can come to God - as we read in His Word. What is then given to us in form of hope? Do we even have anything to hope for?

God works all for His Glory,so He also saves man in such a manner so that nobody may have any doubt about His Glory. Before He even created anything, He foreknew everything. He planned His Son to become this essential sacrifice for our sins, He planned to make Him our curse, thus fulfilling his perfect law and holding to the principles of His justice. Can there be a greater sacrifice than this one, giving His perfect Son for sinful people?
Perfect sacrifice - for those who would believe and follow Him. But who would believe, when all are dead in sin? Well, God initiates Faith, John 6:44, and strengthens it, Romans 8:28-30. While He prepares the bride for His Son, He does not make mistakes. Christ died a terrible death, a cruel death, He died according to the decree of His Father, He died because you and I killed Him. But had He not died then, on that cross, noone of us would have any hope. Life, death and judgement, and since nobody is able to fulfill the commandments of the law, all would be judged according to one just punishment.
Oh, but maybe it's you who would prefer to hang on that cross? I assure you that it will be your fate, unless you believe on Him who was hanging there 2000 years ago. You have no hope without Him, only He is the way, the truth and the life, as He said so Himself. There is no other way, no matter what the wisdom of this world might tell you. But His way is narrow, the gate small, and His yoke is light for those who love Him.

What is this sacrifice? It is a PERFECT atonement, justifying a believer before God on the Judgement Day, it washes the believer from his sins past and future in the sense of responsibility, is a free gift that will cost the believer everything. By accepting this gift we are born again, we bury our nature of flesh and enter our new nature of Spirit, we are saved to good works and to life in holiness (which means separation from the sinful world), assured of the unfailing help of God on our walk to him, assured that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that He will work all things for good for those who love Him. But do not expect riches, fame and applause - this is not the good that God works in us and for us, but holiness and perfection in His eyes.

The Good News, the Gospel, is not the fairy tale of the barn, hay and star. The Gospel is the Cross, its meaning, its perfection and uniqness. Never before and never after - just this one time, this one GOD-MAN, the only sinless, the only one able to atone, the only one who become the firsborn of creation, that is, He rose from the dead to the new life and opened this way for us, too.
Does the law not matter, then? Oh yes, it does, but it does not have the power over us, because He is our justification, the One on the cross, the One in the upper room, the One who took our sins upon Himself.
He knows our hearts, He knew them already when there was nothing else but Him, the God, and it is He who will lift us up to Himself, so that His Glory would become apparent to everyone.
Is this fair? Well, is it fair that there are many who will not believe? Or maybe you would like a justice the human way?

Because then nobody can be saved...
Grace is a gift, regeneration is a gift, faith is a gift... And a gift is not our works...

The cross is the Gospel of Easter. Think about it when you celebrate. Both the crucifiction, and the resurrection. Think about the reasons, think about the consequences, think about those nails, with which also YOU nailed Him to the cross.