ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Pulelulu Sune 22, 2022 

GRACE: THE FRUIT OF MERCY

KO E KELESI´: KO E FUA ‘O E MEESI´

EPHESIANS 4:7

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

‘EFESO 4:7

Ka na‘e foaki kelesi kiate kitautolu tāutaha, ‘o fakafuofua ki he lahi ‘o e me‘a‘ofa ‘a Kalaisi.

 

Sola Gratia - Grace Alone - Ko e Kelesi´ pe   

Grace is properly set in opposition to offense; the gift which proceeds from grace, to death. Hence grace means the free goodness of God or gratuitous love, of which He has given us a proof in Christ that He might relieve our misery: and gift is the fruit of this mercy, and hath come to us, even the reconciliation by which we have obtained life and salvation, righteousness, newness of life, and every other blessing.

We hence see how absurdly the schoolmen have defined grace, who have taught that it is nothing else but a quality infused into the hearts of men. For grace, properly speaking, is in God; and what is in us is the effect of grace. And [Paul] says that it is by one Man; for the Father has made Him the Fountain out of whose fullness all must draw. And thus he teaches us that not even the least drop of life can be found out of Christ that there is no other remedy for our poverty and want than what He conveys to us from His own abundance.

JOHN CALVIN

‘Oku fokotuʻu ‘a e kelesi´ ke ngaue; ko e meʻaʻofa ‘oku tafe mei he kelesi´ ‘oku ne ikunaʻi ‘a mate. Ko ia ai, ko e kelesi´ ko e angalelei ʻaufuatō ‘a e ‘Otua´, pe ko e ‘ofa ‘oku ope atu, pea kuo ne foaki kiate kitautolu ha fakamoʻoni ‘ia Kalaisi, ke ne fakatauʻatāina kitautolu mei he ‘etau ngaahi mamahi´: ko e meʻaʻofa ko ia´, ko e fua pe ia ‘o ‘Ene meesi´, pea kuo hifo kiate kitautolu, ko e fakafiemālie ‘o e houhau ‘a e ‘Otua´, ‘o tau maʻu ai ‘a e fakamoʻui´, maʻoniʻoni´, fakafoʻou ‘o e moʻui´, pea mo e ngaahi tapuaki kehekehe.

‘Oku tau fakatokangaʻi ‘a e fehalaaki ‘a hono lau ‘e he kau ako´, ko e kelesi´, ko e meʻa pe ia ‘oku fakahū ki he loto ‘o e tangata´. Ka ko e kelesi´, ‘i hono ‘omi kiate kitautolu ‘e he Folofola´, ‘oku ‘I he ‘Otua´ pe ia; pea ko e meʻa ‘oku ‘iate kitautolu´, ko e ola pe ia (fua) ‘o e ngaue ‘a e kelesi´. Pea ‘oku talamai ‘e Paula, kuo hoko mai ‘i he Tokotaha; pea kuo ngaohi ‘e Tamai´ Ia ko e fauniteni ‘oku tafe kotoa mei ai ‘a e fonu mo e kakato ‘o e koloa ko eni´, ke tau ‘utu mei ai. ‘Oku ne talamai, ‘oku ‘ikai ha foʻi tulutā ‘e taha ‘e maʻu mei he potu kehe ‘o ‘atā meia Kalaisi – ‘oku ‘ikai ha faitoʻo pe tokoni ki hotau masiva´ mo ‘etau fiema´u te ne fakaai ‘o tatau mo e lahi fau ‘e ‘Ene kelesi´.