Ki te whanau ano koe i roto ia te Karaiti, you are no longer a child of the devil, but you have become a child of God. But what does it mean to be a child of God? Because there are a lot of people, e ki ana kua whanau hou ratou, but still walk as the old creation after the flesh and live the same lives as those, no te ao.
Becoming a child of God
Nana, he aha te ahua o te aroha i homai nei e te Matua ki a tatou, kia kiia ai tatou he tamariki na te Atua: No reira kaore te ao e mohio ki a tatou, no te mea kihai tera i mohio ki a ia. Arohanui, inaianei he tama tatou na te Atua, a kahore ano kia kitea he aha tatou a mua: engari e mohio ana matou ki tena, ina puta mai ia, ka rite tatou ki a ia; for we shall see Him as he is. Na ki te mea kei tetahi tenei tumanako ki a ia, ka tahia e ia ona he, rite tonu ki a ia he ma. Ko te tangata e mahi ana i te hara, ko ia ano te ture: he takahi hoki te hara i te ture. E matau ana ano koutou i whakakitea mai ia hei waha atu i o tatou hara; kahore hoki he hara i roto i a ia. Ko te tangata e noho ana i roto i a ia e kore e hara: Ko te tangata e hara ana, kaore ia i kite ia ia, kahore hoki i mohio ki a ia (1 Hone 3:1-6)
When you become a child of God; He Tama a te Atua, na roto i te whanautanga i roto i a te Karaiti, Kua tapu koe, he tika hoki. As a child of God you have become holy and righteous and therefore you shall walk in holiness, and in righteousness. You shall live according to His will and you shall keep His commandments, because His Holy Spirit abides in you.
Because the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you have received His nature and you shall live from your new nature. You have crucified your old nature (o koutou kikokiko), a kua riro ia ia tona ahua, therefore you shall walk in this ahua hou I muri i te Wairua.
Ko koe Noho ana i roto ia Ihu Karaiti i te ringa matau o te Atua. That’s your new place.
Before you got whanau ano, your place was on this earth, and you were subjected to all powers and forces of darkness, that rule in this world. You were their slave, and they ruled over you (i roto i te kikokiko).
Did they have the right to rule over you? Actually not, because Jesus took their authority, but they just did it anyway, and they still do it.
They still have the ability to work in the flesh (wairua me te tinana) of men, and as long as a person walks after the flesh, he/she shall be dominated by these forces.
But Jesus didn’t suffer and didn’t give up His own life, (mō Te hinaaro o te Atua) mo koe, so that you will be dominated, and ruled by these wicked forces of the enemy.
It was God’s will that you would become a child of God; His child; Ko tana tama; he hanga hou, born out of His Spirit, living in holiness and righteousness, and being completely obedient to the Word of God.
Noho ana i roto ia Ihu Karaiti
When you walk after the Spirit and stay in Him (stay in His Word), then you shall sit at the right hand of God. You shall sit, with Jesus Christ, I nga waahi o te rangi, a reign with Him above all powers of darkness.
When you take your position in Him, e ia ora ia au i To’na hinaaro, only then shall you be able to create order on this earth.
Ko te ao kotahi te tino whaikorero
There are all kinds of things going on in this world; pakanga, matenete, Nga aitua taiao, etc. People are living after the lusts and desires of their flesh, they do what they want and do everything that God has forbidden.
The main spirit of this world is to live for the ‘self’ and fulfill their own lusts and desires.
People live after the flesh. Āe, even ‘Christians’ are partakers of this world, they want to be accepted by the world, and they want to be liked and adapt their behavior.
There is hardly any distinction in lifestyle between a sinner, and a Christian. They both live according to their own will, their own lusts, me nga hiahia.
The only difference is that the so-called Christian uses the grace of God to justify sins and to keep sinning.
Where are the saints?
But where are the saints, i roto ia Ihu Karaiti? Where did they go? Where are:
- The saints who walk in holiness and righteousness and turn away from evil; from sin
- The saints who walk in humility and submission to the will of God instead of their own will and the will of people
- The saints who walk in the authority of Jesus Christ and keep His commandments.
- Te hunga tapuobey the Word of God instead of adjusting the Word of God to a worldly lifestyle that is full of sins
Who dares to take a stand for God and His Word and stand against this world system?
Who dares to take a stand for Jesus Christ?
As soon as you become a child of God, you don’t belong to the world anymore and therefore the world shall not recognize you atu, that’s what the Word says.
Te world shall not understand you and therefore you shall not be able to have communion with the world. You live in another Kingdom, then the world lives in.
The world is not able to comprehend the things of the Spirit, because they are not born again in the Spirit, and don’t have the Holy Spirit of God abiding in them.
But what do most Christians do in this age? They don’t walk, as a child of God anymore. But they live like the world (who have the devil as their father).
Many Christians are not children of obedience but have become prideful rebellious children, who walk in Te whakapono ki te Atua.
They are carnal and walk after the flesh, and therefore pride and rebellion are part of their character.
The ‘self’ is king in their lives. They do what they want, live the way they want to live, and satisfy the lust and desires of their flesh.
But as soon as someone disobeys the Word of God; Ihu, kātahi (s)he lives in rebellion, ki a ia, and therefore lives in sin.
Why did Jesus walk without sinning?
Why did Jesus walk without sinning? Because Jesus loved God, His Father above all, and therefore Jesus was obedient to the will of His Father. Jesus did whatever pleased God. Because of the fact that Jesus stayed in God’s will and kept His commandments, there was no sin in His life and there’s still no sin in Him.
I a koe e noho ana i roto i a te Karaiti, it means that you live according to the Word; Tona hiahia.
As long as you keep walking after His will, me te pupuri i ana whakahau, you withdraw yourself from sin.
That’s why it’s so important to know the Word, so that you will learn His will. Na te Kupu, ka mohio koe ki a ia, and when you obey the Word you shall live according to His will.
If you love Him and keep His commandments, you will stay in Him and shall not walk in sin.
But if you become disobedient to Him and don’t keep His commandments, you shall leave Him, and you shall walk in sin.
If you keep walking in sin, it means that you don’t love Him. Even when you say that you do love Him. Kia mahara, your actions speak louder than words. E whakaatu ana o mahi, Ko wai koe:
- a child of God, who believe His Word and obeys His Word and keeps His commandments and walks after the Spirit, rānei
- he tamaiti na te rewera, who believe the words of the world and obeys them and keeps the commandments of the world, and walks after the flesh.
'Kia tote o te whenua'
