ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tusite ‘Akosi 22, 2017

Tapa mai, ke tapa atu hono langilangí

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.)

** Me‘a fakaofo ko hotau ngaohí pea fungani mo hotau kaveingá . Vakai na‘a ke fakaongo ki he ngaahi fokotu‘utu‘u fakapoto ‘a e maama ko ení ‘o taku ko e fakalaka. ‘E ‘ikai ha fakalakalaka ‘e ‘aonga kapau te nau faka‘ikai‘i ‘a e taumu‘a lelei ne toka tu‘utu‘uni mei mu‘a ‘e hotau ‘Otuá **

Komeniteli ‘a Sione Paipa

Commentary – John Piper

Ko e hā ‘oku ngaohi ‘imisi ai ha taha? ‘Oku ngaohi pe ha ‘imisi ke tapa atu ‘a e ‘ata ko iá. Ka fatu ha ‘imisi ‘o Napōleone, ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ke tapa atu ‘a e ‘ata ‘o Napoleoné, ‘o ‘ikai ko e ‘imisi na‘e ngaohí. Pea ‘oku ngaohi ‘a e ‘imisi ko iá  ke fakahaa‘i ha ‘ulungaanga pau ‘o Napoleone.

‘A ia, na‘e ngaohi ‘e he ‘Otuá  kitautolu ‘i hono ‘imisí. ‘Oku kei tālanga‘i pe ko ‘etau fakakaukaú, mōlalé pe mafai ke filí ‘oku tapa mai ai ‘a e ‘imisi ‘o e ‘Otuá. Ka ko e tefito‘i fakakaukaú, na‘e ngaohi tangata ‘a e ‘Otuá  ‘i hono ‘imisí  ke ne tapa mai ai kiate kitautolu. ‘A ia leva, ko ‘etau mo‘uí, ke fakahaa‘i mai ha fo‘i taumu‘a pau, ‘a ‘ia, ko hono langilangí. Pea ‘oku ‘uhinga eni ki hono tu‘unga haohaoá - ‘a e ulo mai hono naunaú́ - ‘a e masani faka‘ofo‘ofa ‘a hono tu‘unga ma‘a ‘asinisiní.

Why do people make images? People make images to image. They want to image forth something. If you make a statue of Napoleon, you want people to think not so much about the statue as Napoleon. And you make the statue in a way that shows something specific about the character of Napoleon.

So God makes us in his image. We could argue about whether it is our rationality, or our morality, or our volition that makes us in his image. The point is, he makes humans in his image to image something, namely, himself. So our existence is about showing God’s existence or, specifically, it’s about showing God’s glory. Which I think means God’s manifold perfections – the radiance, the display, the screaming out of his many-colored, beautiful perfections.