Monday, August 23, 2021

Monite ‘Aokosi 23, 2021

 you shall write on them all the words of this law

te ke tohi ki ai ‘a e ngaahi lea ‘o e lao ni ‘i he hili ho‘o a‘a atu

 Teutalōnome 27 (Deuteronomy 27)

(v. 2-3) Pea ka faifai pea mou a‘a atu ‘i Soatani ki he fonua ‘oku foaki kiate koe ‘e Sihova ko ho ‘Otua, ko e taimi ko ia te ke fokotu‘u ai ha‘o ngaahi maka lalahi, ‘o vali lahe: pea te ke tohi ki ai ‘a e ngaahi lea ‘o e lao ni ‘i he hili ho‘o a‘a atu, koe‘uhi ke ke hū ki he fonua ‘a ia kuo foaki kiate koe ‘e Sihova ko ho ‘Otua, ko e fonua ‘oku mahutafea ‘i he hu‘akau mo e honi, ‘o hangē ko e tala‘ofa ‘a Sihova ko e ‘Otua ‘o ho tupu‘anga kiate koe.

 (v. 2-3) And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you.

 GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA´, ‘OKU . . )

 6.        GOD IS UNCHANGEABLE

               Ko e ‘OTUA´ ‘oku TA‘ELILIU

            TOKĀTELINE

‘I hono fakamaʻopoʻopo´, ko e tuʻunga taʻeliliu ‘o e ‘Otua´, ko ha tuʻunga mahino mo matuʻaki mahuʻinga fau, pea ‘oku fuʻu fiemaʻu ke ‘oua te tau lau fakaʻapē pe ki ai, ka ke tau fakapapauʻi. Kapau ‘oku malava ke liliu hono natula ‘Otua´, pea ko ha tokotaha mafimafi pe te ne lava iaa´.  Ko e ngaahi potu tohi ‘oku hā ai ‘o hangē ‘oku liliu ‘a e finangalo ‘o e ‘Otua´, ‘oku kāpui kotoa pe ia ‘e he ngaahi akonaki mahino fekauʻaki mo e taʻeliliu ‘a e natula mo e ‘ilo ‘a e ‘Otua´. Naʻe ‘osi hanga pe ‘e he kau teolosia ‘o e fakalelei lotu´ ‘o fakamahino ‘a e ngaahi fakamatala ngali fepaki ko ia ‘o e tu’unga taʻeliliu ‘a e ‘Otua´ ke pau ‘a e tokāteline ko eni´. Naʻa nau fakaʻikaiʻi ‘a e pehē ‘oku fakatomala moʻoni ‘a e ‘Otua´, ka naʻa nau pehēe´, ‘oku fakatomala fakakainga pe, ko ha fakamatala ke fehūmālieʻaki mo e lea ‘a e tangata´. Pea ‘i heʻene pehee´, ‘oku malava ‘e he faʻahinga ‘o e tangata´ ke nau vakai ‘o sivi honau tuʻunga taʻehaohaoa´ mo e tuʻunga haohaoa ‘o e ‘Otua´.

In summary, God's attribute of immutability is too clear and too vital to affirm hesitantly or with reservation. If his essence can be changed, only a being more powerful than him can do so. The Scripture texts that imply God's change of mind are overwhelmed by those clearly teaching his immutable being and knowledge. Reformed orthodox theologians have reconciled the apparent contradictions in these passages to set forth a consistent doctrine of immutability. They have thus denied that God repents properly and have instead affirmed that he repents relatively, a term that reflects the language of accommodation. In this way, men and women are driven to see in these statements both their own imperfections and the perfections of God.

 Naʻe Liliu ‘a Taʻeliliu

‘Ia Kalaisi, ‘oku tau maʻu ha tokotaha ‘oku taʻeliliu mo liliu fakatouʻosi. ‘Io, ko e ‘Alo ‘o e ‘Otua taʻeliliu´, naʻa ne ‘ai kiate Ia ‘a e tuʻunga liliu ‘o e tangata´ kae lava ke maʻu ‘e he tangata liliu´ ‘a e tuʻunga taʻeliliu.

‘Oku hiki ‘ia Hepelu 1:10-12 ‘a e lau ‘a e Saame 102:25-27, ko e makatuʻunga ‘o e maʻolunga ange ‘a e ‘Alo´ ‘i he kau ‘angelo´, ‘aki ‘a hono fakahaaʻi ‘a e tuʻunga lauʻitāniti mo e tuʻunga taʻeliliu ‘o Sisuu´: “‘E ‘auha ia; ka ke tu‘u ai pē koe... Ka ka pehē pehē ai pē ‘a e ‘Afiona. Pea ko ho ngaahi ta‘u ‘e ‘ikai ngata” (Hepelu 1:11-12). Ko e tuʻunga ‘Otua ‘o Kalaisi, ‘a ia ko e Tuʻi ‘o haʻa ‘Isileli, ‘oku ne foaki ha pauʻia ki hono kakai´ ‘a e makehe atu mo ‘Ene fanāfotu ‘i he kau ‘angelo´. Ko e Sīsū tatau pe eni, ‘i he fakalea ‘a e tokotaha faʻu tohi ‘o Hepeluu´, “‘oku tatau ai pē he ‘aneafi, mo e ‘aho ni, ‘io, ‘o ta‘engata” (Hep 13:8), ko e Tokotaha lauʻitāniti mo taʻeliliu (Hep 1:8). Ka ko e “tatau” lauʻitāniti ko eni´, ‘oku ‘ikai ngata pe ia ‘i hono natula´ ka ‘oku kaui ai mo hono tuʻunga taulaʻeiki´ (Hep 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21, 28). Pea ‘oku fou ‘i heʻene ngaue lauʻitāniti ko eni´, ‘a ‘ene fakahoko ha fakamoʻui ‘oku taʻengata (Hep 5:9; 7-24-25; 9:12) maʻa hono kakai´ (Hep 9:15).

Ko e kau taki kotoa, kau palōfita, kau akonaki, mo e kau faifekau, te nau haʻu mo ʻalu, ka ko Sisu Kalaisi, koeʻuhi´ ko hono natula ‘Otua´ mo hono lakanga taulaʻeiki´, ‘oku ne fai tōtōaki ‘ene ngaue maʻa hono kakai´, ‘o ‘ikai ha liliu ‘i hono anga pe taumuʻa kiate kinautolu. Ko e pesona ‘o Kalaisi (‘a hono tuʻunga ‘iate Ia pe) ‘oku mahuʻinga fau ki heʻene ngaue´ (meʻa ‘oku ne fakahoko). ‘Oku tuʻu ‘etau falala´ ‘i he Fakamoʻui ‘oku ‘ikai toe liliu pea ‘oku taʻeliliu ‘ene ‘ofa kiate kitautolu.

The Unchangeable Changed

In Christ, we behold one who is both unchangeable and changeable. In short, the unchangeable Son of God took on changeable humanity (i.e., mutability) in order that we (mutable humans) might enter a state of immutability.

Hebrews 1:10-12 cites Psalm 102:25-27 to establish the Son's superiority to the angels by showing the eternality and immutability of Jesus: "They will perish, but you remain. ... [Y]ou are the same, and your years will have no end” (Heb. 1:11-12). Christ's divine status as Israel's King gives his subjects great assurance of his superiority to all angelic beings. This same Jesus, the writer of Hebrews says, "is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb. 13:8), the eternal and unchangeable One (see Heb. 1:8). But this eternal “sameness" attests not simply to his being but also to his priesthood (Heb. 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21, 28). And through this eternal ministry, he has accomplished an eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9; 7:24-25; 9:12) for his people (Heb. 9:15).

Leaders, prophets, teachers, and ministers come and go in the church, but Jesus Christ, by virtue of his being and office as priest, always ministers to his people without changing in his attitude and purposes toward them. Christ's person (i.e., who he is) remains crucial for his work (i.e., what he does). We put our faith in an unchanging Savior who is unchanging in his love toward us.

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