ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Tusite Sune 7, 2022

INFINITE GRACE

KELESI ‘OKU ‘IKAI HANO NGATAʻANGA

ISAIAH 11:1-2

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

‘AISEA 11:2

PEA ‘e fisiki mai ha lito mei he sino‘i ‘akau ‘o Sese, pea ‘e fua ha huli mei hono aka. Pea ‘oku nofo hifo ki ai ‘a e Laumālie ‘o Sihova, ‘a e laumālie ‘o e poto mo e ‘ilome‘a, ‘a e laumālie ‘o e fale‘i mo e mafai, ‘a e laumālie ‘o e ‘ilo‘i ‘o Sihova mo e ‘apasia ki ai.

 

Sola Gratia - Grace Alone - Ko e Kelesi´ pe   

You know also what Isaiah said of our Lord, that He received infinite grace and the gifts of the Spirit rested upon His head. The Spirit of the Lord, said he would rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and of piety, and He would be filled with the fear of the Lord.

But wherefore did the prophet say that all these gifts would rest upon our Lord when He could have had no need of them, seeing that He Himself was the Source of all grace? It was not otherwise than for us, to cause us to understand that all graces and heavenly blessings must be given to us by Him who is our Head, who distributes them to us who are His members, that is, children of the holy church of which He is the Head. And as a proof of this truth hear what He said in the Song of Songs to His well-beloved: "Open to Me, My spouse, My sister." He called her “spouse” because of the greatness of His love, and His "sister" as an evidence of the purity and chasteness of that love.

MARTIN LUTHER

‘Oku tau maʻu ‘a e fakamatala ‘a ‘Aisea kau ki hotau ‘Eiki, ‘io, ‘a ‘Ene maʻu ‘a e ngaahi kelesi taʻe fakangatangata mo e ngaahi meʻaʻofa ‘a e Laumālie´ naʻe hilifaki kiate Ia. Naʻe nofoʻia Ia ‘e he Laumālie ‘o Sihova, ko e laumalie ‘o e poto mo e ‘ilo meʻa, ko e laumālie ‘o e faleʻi mo e mālohi, ko e laumālie ‘o e ‘ilo loloto mo e angatonu, pea naʻe fonu ‘i he ‘apasia ki he ‘Otua´.

Ka ko e hā ‘oku fakamatala fakaikiiki ai ‘e he palōfita´ ‘a e ngaahi meʻaʻofa mo e kelesi ‘e hifo ki hotau ‘Eiki´, kapau naʻe ‘ikai te ne fiemaʻu ha tufa makehe kiate Ia. He ‘oku ‘ikai ko ā te ne taʻe maʻu kotoa ‘a e ngaahi kelesi´, he ko Ia tonu ‘a e fauniteni ‘o e ngaahi kelesi? Pea kapau ‘oku ‘ikai ke ‘uhinga kiate Ia, pea tā naʻe ‘uhinga koeʻuhi´ ko kitautolu, he ko Ia hotau ‘Ulu´, pea ‘oku Ne tufa kelesi kiate kitautolu, mo hono ngaahi kupu, ‘io, ko e fanau ‘o hono siasi haohaoa, pea ko Ia ‘a hono ‘Ulu´. Pea ko eni ‘a e fakamoʻoni, ‘oku hā ‘i he taʻanga ‘a e Hiva ‘o e Hiva´;  “To‘o kiate au, si‘oku tuofefine; Si‘oku ‘ofa‘anga, si‘eku lupe, si‘eku ta‘emele”. ‘Oku ne ui kitautolu ko e “hoa ʻofaʻanga” koeʻuhi´ ko e ope atu ‘o ‘Ene ‘ofa´, pea mo e “tuofefine” ko e fakamoʻoni ‘o e haohaoa mo e maʻa ‘o ‘Ene ‘ofa´.