ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tokonaki ‘Akosi 19, 2017

“‘Oku mahu‘inga fau ‘a e ‘ilo ko ení”

Komeniteli ‘a Kēvini TeiʻIongi

Commentary – Kevin DeYoung

Uá, ‘i he‘etau ma‘u ‘a e Tolu-taha‘i-‘Otuá, ‘oku tau ma‘u ‘a e tu‘unga lau‘itāniti ‘o e ‘ofá. Na‘e tomu‘a ‘i ai pe ‘a e ‘ofa ia mei tuai. Kapau leva ko e ‘Otuá ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha pēsona ‘e tolu, kuopau ke ne fakatupu ha me‘amo‘ui ke ‘ofa ki ai, ke fakahā ki ai ‘ene ‘ofá. Ka ko e Tamaí, ‘Aló, mo e Laumālie Ma‘oni‘oní, ‘i honau tu‘unga lau‘itānití, na‘a nau tomu‘a ma‘u pe ‘a e feohi vāofi ‘o e ‘ofá mo e fe‘ofa‘akí. ‘A ia, ko e ‘ofá na‘e ‘ikai ko ha me‘a na‘e toki fakatupu. Na‘e ‘ikai toe fiema‘u ke kumi ‘e he ‘Otuá ‘a e ‘ofá ‘o ‘atā meiate Ia (kitu‘a). ‘Oku ta‘engata ‘a e ‘ofá. Pea ‘i he‘etau ma‘u ‘a e Tolu-taha‘i-‘Otuá, ‘oku tau ma‘u kakato ‘a e ‘Otua ko ‘ofá.

Faka‘osí, pea ko e poini mahu‘inga tahá eni, ko e ‘uhinga ‘oku fu‘u mahu‘inga pehē ai ‘a e tokāteline ‘o e Tulinitī ki he Kalisitiané, he ‘oku ‘ikai mo ha toe kaveinga fisifisimu‘a ‘i he mamani ko ení ka ko hono ‘ilo‘i ‘o e ‘Otuá. Kapau ‘oku mo‘ui ‘a e ‘Otuá ‘i ha pesona ‘e toko tolu, pea ‘okapau ko e uho pe ‘e taha ‘oku mo‘ui ai ‘a e Tamaí, ‘Aló mo e Laumalié, pea kapau ‘oku papitaiso kitautolu ki he ‘i he huafa ‘o e tolu-taha‘i-‘Otua ko ení, pea ‘oku ‘ikai totonu ke ta‘e‘ilo ha Kalisitiane ki he ngaahi mo‘oni ko ení. ‘I hono aofangatukú, ‘oku mahu‘inga ‘a e Tulinitīí he ‘oku mahu‘inga ‘a e ‘Otuá.

Second, when you have a triune God, you have the eternality of love. Love has existed from all time. If you have a god who is not three persons, he has to create a being to love, to be an expression of his love. But Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existing in eternity have always had this relationship of love. So love is not a created thing. God didn’t have to go outside of himself to love. Love is eternal. And when you have a triune God, you have fully this God who is love.

Finally, and most importantly, the doctrine of the Trinity is crucial for the Christian because there is nothing more important in all the world than knowing God. If God exists as one God in three persons, if one divine essence subsists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, if we are baptized into this triune name, then no Christian should want to be ignorant of these Trinitarian realities. In the end, the Trinity matters because God matters.