ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Monite Siulai 25, 2022

ACKNOWLEDGING GOD'S GRACE

KO E FAKAMO’ONI KI HE KELESI ‘A E ‘OTUA

DEUTERONOMY 8:17-18 NKJV

then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

TEUTALONOME 8:17-18 

Ka ke lau ‘e koe ‘i ho loto, Ko hoku ngū pē, mo e ivi ‘o hoku nima ni kuo ne ngaohi ma‘aku ‘a e koloa ni. Ka te ke manatu pē kia Sihova ko ho ‘Otua, he ko ia ia ‘oku ne foaki kiate koe ‘a e mafai ke ngaohi koloa; koe‘uhiā ke ne fakaai ‘ene kovinānite, ‘a ia na‘a ne fuakava ai ki ho‘o ngaahi kui, ‘o hangē ko ia he ‘aho ni.

 

Sola Gratia - Grace Alone - Ko e Kelesi´ pe    

This is the principal ground of pride: to assume and assign to ourselves what belongs to God. For nothing so greatly confines us within the boundaries of humility and modesty as the acknowledgment of God's grace; for it is madness and temerity to raise our crests against Him on whom we depend, and to whom we owe ourselves and all we possess.

Rightly, then, does Moses reprove the pride of the human heart which arises from forgetfulness of God, if they think that they have gained by their own exertions (marte suo) what God has given them of His own pleasure, in order to lay them under obligation to Himself. "To say in the heart" is a Hebraism for thinking in one's self, or reflecting in one's self. [God] does not, therefore, only require the outward expression of the lips, whereby men profess that they are grateful to God's bounty (for in this there is often nothing more than hypocrisy and vanity); He would have them seriously persuaded that whatever they possess is derived from His sheer beneficence.

JOHN CALVIN

Ko e aka eni ‘o e mo’ui ‘afungi: ko ‘etau lau mo hilifaki kiate kitautoluto ‘a e me’a ‘oku ‘a e ‘Otuaa tokotaha pe ia. Ko e me’a ‘oku ne fesi’i hifo kitautolu ki lalo, ka ko ‘etau fakamo’oni ki he kelesi (ngaahi me’a’ofa) ‘a e ‘Otua; he ko ha toki me’a fakatu’a mo fulikivanu ko ha hako hoto tope ‘i ha me’a ‘oku te fai ‘o te polepole ai, ke te tukuhifo ai ki lalo ‘a e langilangi ‘o e ‘Otua; ‘a Ia ‘oku tau fakafalala ki ai pea ‘oku ‘a’ana ‘a e me’a kotoa ‘oku tau ma’u.

Na’e tonu pe ‘a e fakatokanga ‘a Mosese, mo ‘ene lea valoki ki he ‘afungi ‘i he loto ‘o e kakai ‘o ngalo ai ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘i he’enau pehe na’a nau lava ha me’a ‘i ha’a nau ngaue - ‘a e me’a na’e foaki ‘e he ‘Otua koe’uhi ko ‘Ene ‘alo’ofa, koe’uhi ka nau tauhi ange kiate Ia. Ko e kupu’i lea, ko e “lau ‘e koe ‘i ho loto”, ko e to’onga lea faka-Hepelu pe ia, na’e ‘uhinga ko e “fakakaukau faka loto” pe ko e “sio faka e kita pe” ki ha me’a. Ka ko e ‘Otua, ‘oku ‘ikai tokanga pe ia ki he me’a ‘oku tau fakaha ‘i hotau ngutu, ‘a e tala ‘e he tangata ‘a e me’a ‘oku ne hounga’ia ai ‘i he tapuaki ‘a e ‘Otua (he ‘oku kei lava pe ‘a e malualoi ia heni); Na’e finangalo ‘a e ‘Otua ke matu’aki ‘ilo ‘e hono kakai, ko e me’a kotoa ‘oku nau ma’u, ko e ha’u kotoa mei he to’ukupu ‘o e ‘Otua.