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Since the earliest centuries, the Cross has been both the greatest symbol of hope for Christians and the greatest challenge to unbelievers. St. Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “የመስቀሉ ቃል ለሚጠፉት ሞኝነት፥ ለእኛ ግን የእግዚአብሔር ኃይል ነውና”. Satan, defeated on the Cross, has always sought to distort its meaning. Even today, some misinterpret Scripture, calling the Cross an idol or the “murderer of our Father,” failing to recognize it as the divine instrument through which Christ defeated Satan, reconciled humanity with God, and revealed the victory of divine love.
This essay explores
the true significance of the Cross, showing that it did not kill our Father but
decisively defeated Satan, the father of sin and enmity. By examining
Scripture, it highlights that the Cross is not a symbol of defeat or
destruction, but the instrument through which Christ voluntarily embraced
death, conquered sin and death, and secured the victory of divine love and
human salvation.
The Cross in Scripture: Destroying
Enmity, Not the Father
The Apostle Paul directly addresses the salvific work of the Cross:
“ጥልንም በመስቀሉ ገድሎ በእርሱ ሁለታቸውን በአንድ አካል ከእግዚአብሔር ጋር ያስታርቅ ዘንድ ነው::” (Eph. 2:16)
Here, the Cross is described not as the destroyer of the Father (Christ
the Lord), but as the destroyer of enmity (ጠላትነት)—the hostility (ጠላትነት) that separates
humanity from God. The enmity personified in Satan was broken when Christ
offered Himself on the Cross.
Paul further declares:
“በእኛ ላይ የነበረውን የሚቃወመንንም በትእዛዛት የተጻፈውን የዕዳ ጽሕፈት ደመሰሰው፤ እርሱንም በመስቀል ጠርቆ ከመንገድ አስወግዶታል፤ አለቅነትንና ሥልጣናትን ገፎ፥ ድል በመንሣት በእርሱ እያዞራቸው በግልጥ አሳያቸው።” (Col. 2:14–15)
This verse shows that the Cross was not a tool of defeat for Christ,
but the instrument through which Satan and spiritual forces were decisively
defeated, freeing humanity from bondage and restoring the path to God.
Thus, the Cross is not the murderer of the Father but the battlefield
upon which Christ disarmed Satan and revealed the victory of divine love and
justice.
The Voluntary Death of Christ
To blame the Cross as the murderer of the Father is to misunderstand the
Incarnation. Christ was not a helpless victim but the divine Redeemer
who freely embraced death for our salvation.
Christ Himself decalares: “ ነፍሴን ደግሞ አነሣት ዘንድ አኖራለሁና ስለዚህ አብ ይወደኛል። እኔ በፈቃዴ አኖራታለሁ እንጂ ከእኔ ማንም አይወስዳትም። ላኖራት ሥልጣን አለኝ ደግሞም ላነሣት ሥልጣን አለኝ ይህችን ትእዛዝ ከአባቴ ተቀበልሁ።” (John 10:17-18)
This verse affirms
that Christ willingly offered His life, exercising divine authority over death,
and shows that His death was an act of redemption, not defeat. The Cross
was the instrument through which He voluntarily entered death to conquer
death itself.
The Cross Is Not Our Enemy
Scripture clarifies several important truths about the Cross:
- The Cross is
the enemy of Satan, not of Christ.
St. Paul declares: “በእኛ ላይ የነበረውን የሚቃወመንንም በትእዛዛት የተጻፈውን የዕዳ ጽሕፈት ደመሰሰው፤ እርሱንም በመስቀል ጠርቆ ከመንገድ አስወግዶታል::” (Col. 2:14). Through
the Cross, Christ disarmed Satan and destroyed his dominion . Therefore, the
Cross is the enemy of Satan, not of Christ.
- The Cross did
not kill Christ; Christ conquered death through it.
St. Paul writes, “ሞት ሆይ፥ መውጊያህ የት አለ? ሲኦል ሆይ፥ ድል መንሣትህ የት አለ? የሞት መውጊያ ኃጢአት ነው የኃጢአትም ኃይል ሕግ ነው፤ ነገር ግን በጌታችን በኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ በኩል ድል መንሣትን ለሚሰጠን ለእግዚአብሔር ምስጋና ይሁን።”
(1 Corinthians 15:55–57)
This verse affirms
that death and its power over humanity have been defeated through Christ.
The Cross was not a tool of defeat for Him; rather, through it, Christ
conquered death, sin, and the devil, granting victory and salvation to all who
believe.
- The Cross is
honored, not worshiped.
The Cross is a sign of victory, the trophy of salvation. St. Paul proclaims on
this,
“ነገር ግን ዓለም ለእኔ የተሰቀለበት እኔም ለዓለም የተሰቀልሁበት ከጌታችን ከኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ መስቀል በቀር ሌላ ትምክህት ከእኔ ይራቅ።” (Gal. 6:14).
In this verse, St. Paul emphasizes that the Cross is
our glory (ክብራችን/ ትምክህታችን) and triumph (ድላችን). It is honored
as the instrument through which Christ conquered sin, death, and Satan,
offering salvation to all who believe. Importantly, the Cross has never been
worshiped in the Orthodox Church; it is venerated (መከበር) as a sacred symbol
of divine victory, not an Idol.
If the Cross were truly an idol, how
could those who claim it as such embrace the redemptive work that Christ
accomplished through it? Many misinterpret Scripture by applying verses meant
for idols to holy objects, such as the Cross, icons, and other sacred items.
Holy items are set apart and sacred, while idols are unclean. As St. Paul
states, “ለእግዚአብሔር ቤተ መቅደስም ከጣዖት ጋር ምን መጋጠም አለው?” (2 Cor. 6:16), highlighting that what is dedicated to God is distinct
from idols.
Similarly, verses such as “…የማናቸውንም ምሳሌ፥ የተቀረጸውንም ምስል ለአንተ አታድርግ።” (Exodus 20:4)
clearly refer to idols, which are defiled (ርኩስ), not to the sacred
objects of the Church, such as the Cross, which serve in prayer and the worship
of God.
The Contradictions of the Opponents
Those who dismiss the veneration of the Cross yet display it prominently
on their buildings reveal a clear theological inconsistency. If the Cross were
truly an idol, why use it as a logo on their buildings or even on the cover of
their Bibles? Such contradictions expose not only a misinterpretation of
Scripture but also a fundamental misunderstanding of the Cross’s true meaning
and significance.
Conclusion
The Cross is not the murderer of the Father but the eternal sign of
Satan’s defeat and Christ’s victory. To deny or despise it is to reject the
very means of redemption. The Orthodox Church proclaims boldly: the Cross is
the weapon that destroyed enmity, the sign of salvation, the power of God, and
the glory of the faithful..
For those who disrespect it, the Cross is foolishness; for those who
believe, it is the gateway to eternal life, the revelation of God’s love, and
the assurance of humanity’s victory and power in Christ, as St. Paul clearly
affirms: “የመስቀሉ
ቃል ለሚጠፉት ሞኝነት፥ ለእኛ ግን የእግዚአብሔር ኃይል ነውና” (1 Corinthians
1:18). The Cross stands not as a symbol of
death or despair, but as the eternal triumph of divine love, the assurance of
salvation, and the victorious path through which humanity is restored in
Christ.
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