ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Falaite Sanuali 19, 2018

Ko ‘ene kelesi tōnoa ko e tapuaki ke tau tokanga ki ai

( God’s common grace to appreciate & respect)

Fehu‘i #27

‘Oku mo‘ui ‘a e tokotaha kotoa pe ‘ia Kalaisi, ‘o hangē ko e mate ‘a e tokotaha kotoa pe ‘ia ‘Atamá ?

‘Ikai, ko kinautolu pe kuo fili ‘e he ‘Otuá  mo fakatahataha‘i kia Kalaisi ‘i he tuí. Ka neongo iá, ‘oku fakahaa‘i ‘e he ‘Otuá  ‘ene meesí  ‘aki ‘a ‘ene faka‘atā mai ‘a ‘ene kelesi tō noá (ngaahi tapuaki ta‘efilifilimānako) ke ‘inasi ai ‘a e fa‘ahinga ‘oku ‘ikai ke kau ‘i he filí, ‘aki ‘a hono ta‘ota‘ofi ‘a e ngaahi maumau tupu mei he fai angahalá  pea ne fakaola ‘a e ngaahi ngaue fakafonua ‘a e ngaahi matakalí  ki he lelei ‘a e tu‘u fakalukufua ‘a e fa‘ahinga ‘o e tangatá.

Are all people, just as they were lost through Adam, saved through Christ?

No, only those who are elected by God and united to Christ by faith. Nevertheless God in his mercy demonstrates common grace even to those who are not elect, by restraining the effects of sin and enabling works of culture for human well-being.

LOMA 5:17

He kapau na‘e Hau ‘a Mate ‘i he faihala ‘a e toko taha, pea founga ‘ene Hau ‘i he toko taha ko ia; huanoa ‘enau Hau ‘i he mo‘ui, ‘e kinautolu ‘oku ma‘u hono lahi faufau ‘o e kelesi, mo e me‘a‘ofa ko e fakatonuhia, ko e fou ‘enau Hau ‘i he toko taha ko Sīsū Kalaisi.

ROMANS 5:17

For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free of righteoosness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Commentary - TIMOTHY KELLER (cont…)

On the other hand, this catechism answer talks about common grace. Richard Mouw defines that in his book on this subject: “Is there a non-saving grace that is at work in the broader reaches of human cultural interaction, a grace that expedites a desire on God's part to bestow certain blessings on all human beings - elect and non-elect alike, blessings that provide the basis for Christians to cooperate with and learn from non-Christians?”

And the Bible's answer, in places like Romans 1 and 2, is yes. Though not all people are going to be saved, God still gives his gifts of wisdom and insight across the face of the whole human race. Through art and through science and through good government and in other ways, God is making this world a far better place than it would be if only Christians had those gifts. And so, again, here's that very helpful balance that we should strike. On the one hand, no, not everyone is to be saved. No, not everyone has the saving grace of Jesus Christ in their lives. But on the other hand, we must appreciate the common grace that God gives across the whole human race. We must see that God is helping us and helping in the world through many people who do not believe. We need to appreciate those. We must be grateful for them, and we must respect them. That's the balance that we must strike.