ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Monite Sepitema 13, 2021

mou tauhi ‘eku ngaahi fekau ‘a‘aku

keep my commandments

Sione 14 (John 14)

(v. 15-16) Kapau ‘oku mou ‘ofa kiate au, te mou tauhi ‘eku ngaahi fekau ‘a‘aku. Pea te u tala ki he Tamai, pea te ne foaki kiate kimoutolu ha Taukapo ‘e toko taha, koe‘uhi ke ne ‘iate kimoutolu ‘o ta‘engata; ‘io, ko e Laumālie ‘o e Mo‘oni;

(v. 15-16) If you love me, you will  keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever

GOD IS . . . (KO E ‘OTUA´, ‘OKU . . )

7.    GOD IS INDEPENDENT

          Ko e ‘OTUA´ ‘oku TAU‘ATAINA

         How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

         The children of mankind take refuge in the

         shadow of your wings.

         They feast on the abundance of your house,

         and you give them drink from the river of your

         delights.

         For with you is the fountain of life;

         in your light do we see light.

         (Psalm 36:7-9)

                Hono ‘ikai mahu‘inga ho‘o ‘ofa, ‘e ‘Otua!

                Ko ia ko e fānau ‘a e kakai ‘oku hūfanga ki he malu ‘o ho kapakau na.

                ‘Oku nau fu‘u mākona ‘i he ngako ‘o ho fale;

                Pea ‘oku ke fakainu kinautolu ki he vaitafe ‘o ho ngaahi mālie.

                He ko e matavai ‘o e mo‘ui ‘oku ‘i he ‘Afiona:

                ‘I ho‘o maama te mau sio maama.

                (Saame 36:7-9)

         Tokāteline

Ko e tau‘ataina ‘a e ‘Otua´, ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ki he‘ene mo‘ui pe ‘iate Ia mo ‘ene fe‘unga pe ‘iate Ia pe. Ko e ‘ulungaanga faka-’Otua ko eni, ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ko e ‘Otua´ ‘oku makehe ia pea tau‘ataina mei he fokotu‘utu‘u ‘o e fakatupu´ pea mo e meʻafakatupu´. ‘Oku ‘ikai te ne fiemaʻu ‘a kitautolu, ka ko kitautolu ‘oku tau fiemaʻu Iaa. Ka ‘oku ‘ikai totonu ke tau pehee ‘oku ‘ikai malava ‘a e ‘Otua´ ke ofi pe felāveʻi mo ‘ene meʻafakatupu´. Ka kuopau ke tau fakamahinoʻi ‘oku tau fakafalala kiate Ia pea ‘oku falalaʻanga ‘a e ‘Otua´ - ka ‘oku ‘ikai ke fakafalala Ia ki ha tokotaha pea ha me´a kehe.

Ko e tokāteline ‘oku ‘iloa ko e ‘Aseatia, ‘oku ne talamai ko e ‘Otua´ ‘oku moʻui pe Ia ‘iate Ia tokotaha pe. ‘Oku ne fakahaaʻi ‘a e tuʻunga feʻunga ‘o e ‘Otua´ ‘i heʻene moʻui´ pea ‘oku ne matuʻaki tauʻatāina mei he meʻa kotoa.

‘Oku tupu ‘a e ‘Otua´ mei he ‘ikai´. Ko e foʻi ngaue haohaoa (‘a ‘ene hoko mai´) ‘a ‘Ene moʻui meia Ia pea ‘iate Ia tokotaha pe. Naʻe ‘ikai fakatupu mai Ia, he ‘oku ‘ikai ha meʻa naʻa ne fakatupu mai Ia. ‘Oku ‘i ai pe Ia. Ko e tuʻunga haohaoa ‘o e ‘Otua´, ‘i heʻene ‘ataʻatā mo tauʻatāina mei ha meʻa kehe pea ‘oku ‘ikai ha taha ‘o hono ngaahi ‘ulungaanga´ ‘e fiemaʻu ke fakaleleiʻi pe holo ‘i ha taimi. Koeʻuhi´ ko e tauʻatāina ‘a e ‘Otua´, ‘oku tupu ‘a e meʻa kotoa pe meiate Ia, ko e fauniteni ‘o e moʻui. ‘Oku makatuʻunga ‘a e moʻui kotoa pe ‘iate Ia.

 Ko e taha eni ‘o e ngaahi fakamatala loloto mo lelei fekau’aki mo e tu’unga ‘Aseatia ‘o e ‘Otua mei he tangata teolosia ko Heamani Pavinoke:

Ko e ‘Otua ‘oku taafataha pe meiate Ia pe, ‘o ‘ikai ‘uhinga na’a ne fakahoko mai ‘e Ia ia, ka na’a ne talu mei ‘itaniti ki ‘itaniti ‘iate Ia pe, ‘o ‘ikai ko ‘ene hoko mai meiate Ia. Ko e ‘Otua ‘a e tokotaha taupotu taha, ko e kakato‘anga ‘o e mo‘ui, pea ‘oku ne lau’itaniti pea matu’aki tau’ataina ‘i he mo’ui ‘oku ne ma’u, mo ‘ene haohaoa, ‘i he ngaue kotoa pe ‘oku ne fai, ko e kamata’anga mo e ngata’anga, ko e tupu’anga mo e aofangatupu ‘o e me’a kotoa. Pea ‘i he ‘aseatia ‘o e ‘Otua, fakakaukaua ‘i he mo’ui ‘oku ‘iate ia tokotaha pe, ka ko e kakato‘anga ‘o e mo‘ui, ‘oku ne katoi ‘a e haohaoa kotoa pe.

         Doctrine

God's independence refers to his self-existence and self-sufficiency. This divine attribute means that God is ontologically independent from the created order and all created beings. He is not in need of us, but we are in need of him. We should not imagine that God is therefore unable to relate to his created beings. But we must be clear that we depend on him and can depend on him—because he does not depend on anyone or anything.

 Aseity is the idea that God derives his existence entirely from himself. It expresses God's self-sufficiency in terms of his being, which implies his utter and complete independence in all things.

God is derived from nothing. As the purest act (i.e., a completely actualized being), he has existence by and from himself alone. God is not his own cause, for he has no cause. He simply is. All his perfections are characterized by independence insofar as no single attribute can possibly be augmented or diminished. Because of God's independence, all creatures are derived from him as the source of all life. All life outside God depends on him.

Herman Bavinck offers one of the richest descriptions of God's aseity:

God is exclusively from himself, not in the sense of being self-caused but being from eternity to eternity who he is, being not becoming. God is absolute being, the fullness of being, and therefore also eternally and absolutely independent in his existence, in his perfections, in all his works, the first and the last, the sole cause and final goal of all things. In this aseity of God, conceived not only as having being from himself but also as the fullness of being, all the other perfections are included.'