ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tu‘apulelulu ‘Akosi 24, 2017

The Transforming glory of the Gospel

Fehuʻi #4

Na‘e founga fēfē hono fakatupu kitautolu ‘e he ‘Otuá pea ko e ha ‘a e ‘uhinga na‘a ne fakatupu ai kitautolú ?

(How and why did God create us?)

Na‘e fakatupu kitautolu ‘e he ‘Otuá, ko e tangata mo e fefine ‘i hono ‘imisí, ke tau ‘ilo‘i Ia, ‘ofa kiate Ia, nonofo mo Ia pea ke fakalangilangi‘i Ia. Pea ‘oku totonu mo e fa‘ahinga na‘e ngaohi ‘e he ‘Otuá ke nau mo‘ui ko hono fakahoifua.

(God created us male and female in his image to know him, love him, live with, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.)

Komeniteli ‘a Sione Paipa

Commentary – John Piper

Pea ko e potu ‘oku hā mahino taha ai ‘a e kolōlia (langilangi) ko ení, ko e koosipeli ‘o e pekia ‘a Kalaisí; pekia ‘a e ‘Alo ‘o e ‘Otuá ma‘ae angahalá. ‘Oku makatu‘unga eni ‘i he fakamatala ‘a 2 Kolinito 4:4 ‘oku pehe ai, “Kuo fakakui ‘e he ‘otua ‘o e tu‘u ko eni” (‘a ia Setane ia),  “‘a e ‘atamai ‘o e kau ta‘etui, koe‘uhi ke ‘oua na‘a hulu‘ia ‘e he ulo mei he Kōsipeli ‘o e lāngilangi ‘o Kalaisi, ‘a ia ko e ‘īmisi ‘o e ‘Otua.”

‘Oku ke fie ‘ilo pe ko e fē ‘a e potu ‘oku ulo lahi taha ai ‘a e langilangi ‘o e ‘Otua? ‘Oku ulo lahi taha ‘ia Kalaisi mo e Koosipelí. Ko ia, kapau te tau fie fakaangatatau kitautolu ki hono ‘imisí́ mo fakatapa atu ki mamani ‘a e naunau mo e langilangi ‘o e ‘Otuá, ‘oku talamai ‘e he fo‘i veesi kimu‘a pe ‘i he veesi ko ení, “Ka ko kitautolu kotoa pē, lolotonga ‘etau lau ta‘epūlou, ‘o sio ki he lāngilangi ‘o e ‘Eiki hangē ha ma‘ali mai ‘i ha sio‘ata, ‘oku tau liliu ai ki hono ‘īmisi ko ia, ‘o fai mei ha lāngilangi ki ha lāngilangi” (2 Kolinitō 3:18). ‘Oku fou mai eni mei he Lamālié.

And the place where the glory is shown most clearly is the gospel where Christ dies; the son of God dies for sinners. I say that because in 2 Corinthians 4:4 it says, “the god of this world,” that’s Satan, “has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Do you want to know where the glory of God is shining most brightly? It is shining in Christ and the gospel most brightly. So if we want to be conformed fully into his image and display to others his glory, there’s a verse just before that that says “beholding the glory of the Lord, [we] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). And that comes from the Spirit.