ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Puleulu Ma’asi 23, 2022 

FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE

KO E TUI MO E ‘ILO

JOHN 17:3

This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

SIONE 17:3

Pea ko eni ia ‘a e mo‘ui ta‘engata, ke nau fai ke ‘ilo koe ko e ‘Otua mo‘onia pē taha, pea mo Sīsū ne ke fekau mai ko e Mīsaia.

 

Sola Fide - Faith Alone - Ko e Tui´ pe    

Faith consists in the knowledge of God and Christ, not in reverence for the church. Sometimes even the most monstrous errors (are) received by the ignorant as oracles without any discrimination, provided they are prescribed to them under the name of the church. This inconsiderate facility, though the surest precipice to destruction, is, however, excused on the ground that it believes nothing definitely, but only with the appended condition, if such is the faith of the church. Thus they pretend to find truth in error, light in darkness, true knowledge in ignorance.

Not to dwell longer in refuting these views, we simply advise the reader to compare them with ours. The clearness of truth will itself furnish a sufficient refutation. For the question they raise is not whether there may be an implicit faith with many remains of ignorance, but they maintain that persons living and even indulging in a stupid ignorance duly believe, provided, in regard to things unknown, they assent to the authority and judgment of the church; as if Scripture did not uniformly teach, that with faith understanding is conjoined.

JOHN CALVIN

Ko e tui´ ‘oku fakava’e’aki ‘a e ‘ilo ki he ‘Otua mo Sisu Kalaisi, ‘o ‘ikai ko e fakaongoongo pe ki he lau ‘a e siasi. ‘Oku lahi ‘a e taimi, ko e ngaahi fehalaaki lahi ‘oku fou hangatonu mai mei he ngaahi tu’utu’uni ‘a e siasi, ka ‘oku ‘ikai toe fehu’ia. ‘Oku mahu’inga ke fakapapau’i ‘e he kalisitiane´, ‘a e me’a ‘oku ne tui ki ai´ ‘o ‘ikai ke falala pe ki ha tala ‘a e siasi pe kauataha lotu ‘oku kau ki ai. Taimi lahi, ‘oku nau pehee ‘oku mo’oni ‘a e me’a ‘oku ma’u mei he tokateline hala, maama mei he fakapo’uli, mo e ‘ilo mo’oni mei he fakapo’uli faka’atamai.

‘Oku mahu’inga ke sivi ‘a e ngaahi tui ke ‘ilo ‘a e me’a ‘oku mo’oni´, hangē ko e kau Pelea; “Pea na‘e anga faka‘ei‘eiki ange ‘a e kakai ni ‘iate kinautolu ‘i Tesalonaika, he na‘a nau tali loto lelei ‘aupito ‘a e folofola, ‘o nau kumi ‘i he Tohitapu ‘i he ‘aho kotoa pē ‘a e mo‘oni ‘o e ngaahi me‘a ko ia” (Ngaue 17:11). Ko e mo’oni´, ‘oku ne tali pe ‘e ia ‘a e ngaahi fehu’i mei he ‘atakai. Ko e palopalema, ‘a hono ‘ohake ‘a e lau ‘a e siasi´ ke ma’olunga ia ‘i he mo’oni kuo ‘osi fakamahino ‘i he Folofola. Pea ko e tui´, ‘oku ne fakaake ‘a e maama ke tau vivili ki he ‘ilo´.