ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Falaite ‘Akosi 18, 2017

“Unity in diversity”

Komeniteli ‘a Kēvini TeiʻIongi

Commentary – Kevin DeYoung

‘Oku toe fihi foki mo fakatupu fifili ki he tokolahi ‘a e fehu‘i ko ení, “Ko e ha hano ‘aonga? ‘Oku ou mahino‘i pe ‘a e tolú mo e tahá, pea mo e taha ‘a e tolú. Ka ko e hā ha‘a ne kaunga ki he‘eku mo‘ui faka-kalisitiané?” Ka ‘i he hisitōlia ‘o e Tolu-taha‘i-‘Otuá, ‘oku ‘i ai ha ngaahi mo‘oni ‘e tolu ‘oku mahu‘inga fekau‘aki mo e tokāteliné ni.

‘Uluakí, ‘oku tokoni ‘a e “Tiulinitī” (Tolu-taha‘i-‘Otuá) ke tau mahino‘i ‘a e fā‘ūtaha ‘a e faikehekehé. Ko e taha foki ení ia ha kaveinga ‘oku tokangaekina ‘e mamani. ‘Oku ‘i ai ‘a e ni‘ihi ‘oku tāfataha pe ‘enau tokangá ki he tu‘unga kehekehé; ‘a e kehekehe ‘a e kakaí. ‘Oku ‘ikai te nau sio ki he me‘a ‘oku fai ai e faaitahá (tatau). Pea ‘i he taimi tatau, ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e ni‘ihi ia ‘oku nau feinga ke fā‘ūtaha mo fakatahataha‘i ‘a e ngaahi fakakaukaú, taha ‘a e pule‘angá, pea taha mo e fakafōtungá. ‘Oku fakahaa‘i ‘e he Tiulinitī ‘a e loloto mo mo‘oni ‘o e faaitaha ‘a e kehekehé, pea lava ai ki he Tamaí, mo e ‘Aló pea mo e Laumālié ke nau ngāue ‘i he taha mo‘oni fekau‘aki mo hotau fakamo‘uí. ‘Oku tu‘utu‘uni ‘a e Tamaí. ‘Oku ngāue ‘a e ‘Aló. Pea fakahoko ‘e he Laumālié. ‘Oku tau fakafeangai ki he ‘Otuá ‘i he tu‘unga ‘Otua kakato ‘i he Tamaí, ‘i he ‘Aló, pea ‘i he Laumālié. ‘Oku ‘ikai ha fetuiaki pea ‘ikai ha fakafekiki ngaue.

Even more confusing to people is the question, “Why does this even matter? Okay, I understand I got three in one, one in three. What difference does this make for anything in my Christian life?” In good Trinitarian fashion, I think there are three important things that the doctrine means for us.

First, the Trinity helps us to understand how there can be unity in diversity. This is one of the most pressing questions in our world. Some folks focus almost exclusively on diversity, on the fact that people are so different. They don’t see any common ground. Others want to press for complete uniformity in thought, in government, and in expression. The Trinity shows us that you can have a profound, real, organic unity with diversity, so that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are working in complete union in our salvation. The Father appoints. The Son accomplishes. The Spirit applies. We encounter God as fully God in the Father, in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. And yet, their divine work is neither interchangeable nor redundant.