ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Sapate ‘Okatopa 23, 2022

A LOVELY HOLINESS

KO E MA’ONI’ONI ‘OKU MASANI

EXODUS 15:11

Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

‘EKISOTO 15:11

Ko hai ‘i he ngaahi ‘otua ‘oku tatau mo koe, ‘e Sihova? Ko hai ‘oku tatau mo koe, ko e lāngilangi‘ia ‘i he mā‘oni‘oni, Ko e manavahē‘ia ‘i he fakamālō, ko e fai me‘a fakaofo?

 

Soli Deo Gloria – To the Glory of God Alone

Ki he Langilangi ‘o e ‘Otua Tokotaha pe   

A true sense of the divine and superlative excellency of the things of religion; a real sense of the excellency of God and Jesus Christ, and of the work of redemption, and the ways and works of God revealed in the Gospel: there is a divine and superlative glory in these things; an excellency that is of a vastly higher kind, and more sublime nature, than in other things, a glory greatly distinguishing them from all that is earthly and temporal. He that is spiritually enlightened truly apprehends and sees it, or has a sense of it.

He does not merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but he has a sense of the gloriousness of God in his heart. There is not only a rational belief that God is holy, and that holiness is a good thing, but there is a sense of the loveliness of God's holiness. There is not only a speculatively judging that God is gracious, but a sense how amiable God is on account of the beauty of this divine attribute.

JONATHAN EDWARDS

Ko e ngaahi tu’unga ope atu mo faka-‘Otua ‘o e lotu mo’oni; ko ‘ete ‘ilo’i ‘a e faka’ofo’ofa ‘o e ‘Otua pea mo Sisu Kalaisi, pea mo e ngaue ‘o e huhu’i, pea mo e ngaahi founga ‘o e ngaue ‘a e ‘Otua ‘oku fakaha mai ‘e he kosipeli: ‘oku ‘i ai ha langilangi ‘oku ope atu ‘i he ngaahi me’a ni; ko ha lelei ‘oku makehe atu ‘a hono anga, pea ope atu ‘a hono natula ‘i ha toe me’a, ko ha fa’ahinga langilangi ‘oku ope atu ‘i ha toe me’a ‘i mamani.  Ko ia kuo fakamaama ‘a hono laumālie ‘oku ne mamata ‘o ‘ilo ‘a e ngaahi me’a ni pea ne mahino’i.

‘Oku ‘ikai te ne tui faka’atamai pe ki he langilangi ‘o e ‘Otua, ka kuo ne a’usia mo’oni ‘a e langilangi ‘o e ‘Otua ‘i hono loto.  ‘Oku ‘ikai ko ha tui faka’atamai pe ‘oku mā’oni’oni ‘a e ‘Otua, pea ko e mā’oni’oni ko ha me’a lelei pe, ka ‘oku ne tofanga ‘i he faka’ofo’ofa ‘o e mā’oni’oni ‘a e ‘Otua.  ‘Oku ‘ikai ngata pe ‘i he’ene sivi ‘a e lelei ‘a e ‘Otua, ka ‘oku ne nofoma’u ‘i he faka’ofo’ofa mo e masani ‘o e ngaahi ‘ulungaanga faka’Otua ‘oku ne ‘inasi ai.