E le manaʻo le Atua i se tasi e fano. O le mea lea na tuuina mai e le Atua mea uma i tagata e faʻataunuʻuina Lona finagalo ma sefeina tagata mai le oti. Ae peitai, O tagata ua tuuina atu o le a leai se mea e fai ai a latou lava filifiliga i le olaga. They decide which path to go: the broad way of the world that leads to destruction or the narrow way of life that leads to eternal life. I le Feagaiga Fou, we see the great love of God that doesn’t want anyone to perish. O le mafuaaga lena i le Tusi Paia atoa na valaauina ai e le Atua tagata ia salamo. Ae o le a le mea na mafua ai ona salamo tagata? The revelation and conviction of sin brought people to repentance. How else can a person repent if a person doesn’t see his sinful state and consider his works evil? Let’s look at the conviction of sin in the three dispensations of the Bible and how sin was revealed in each dispensation.
O le talitonuga o le agasala i le tisipenisione a le Atua
E pei ona taʻua i le a blog post muamua, e mafai ona tatou vaevaeina le Tusi Paia i tisipenisione e tolu: o le tisipenisione a le Atua le Tama, O Le Alo o Iesu Keriso (Le Upu Lioni), ma le Agaga Paia. Ae peitai, i tisipenisione uma e tolu, ua tatou vaaia le galulue faatasi pea i le va o le Atua Silisiliese, Iesu; le Upu, ma le Agaga Paia.
I le uluai tisipenisione a le Atua, ua tatou vaaia le sootaga i le va o le Atua ma Ona tagata filifilia i la le tino; Isaraelu (fanau mai i le fanau a Iakopo).
A o le Atua; Na faia e El-Elohima le tagata e tusa ma Lona lava faatusa, na faaatoatoaina le tagata. Seia oo ina filifili le tagata e alu i lona lava ala ma fouvale i afioga a le Atua ma le agasala.
Na oti le agaga i totonu o le tagata ma avea ai le tagata ma tagata ola, o lē na iloa le lelei ma le leaga.
Tatou te faitau e uiga i le sootaga i le va o le Atua ma Abel, Enoka, Noa, Aperaamo, Isaako, Iakopo, Iosefa, ma isi.
Sa savavali uma i latou ma le Atua e tusa ma Lona finagalo, a o le'i tuuina atu e le Atua Lana tulafono ia i latou. Ae sa latou faalogo i Ana afioga ma talitonu i Ana afioga ma savavali i totonu usiusitai i Ana afioga.
Ae peitai, ua tatou faitau foi e uiga ia Kaino, Esau, Atalii o le Atua, the people that lived in the time of Noah’, tagata o Sotoma ma Komoro, ma isi. Sa ola uma i latou i o latou lava olaga e tusa ai ma le finagalo, tu'inanauga, ma tu’inanau o latou tino i le le usiusitai i afioga a le Atua.
Na tuuina mai e le Atua Lana tulafono
We read about God’s people that lived in Egypt under the oppression of Pharaoh for 400 years and how God saved them. God heard their cry and chose Moses as His representative to redeem His people out of Egypt and from the oppression of Pharaoh.
Ina ua togiolaina e le Atua Ona tagata i Lona aao ma taitai atu i latou i le vao, Na faaalia e le Atua o Ia lava e ala i faailoga uma ma vavega.
God wanted a relationship with His people. Sa finagalo o Ia e avea ma o latou Atua ma o le a avea i latou ma Ona tagata. And so God gave them the Law that revealed His will concerning their lives.
Mo 400 tausaga, sa latou ola e tusa ma le finagalo o Farao ma e tusa ma le Aikupito aganuu, amioga, ma sauniga ma ifo i tupua.
Sa faaleagaina i latou ma o le mafuaaga lena ua oo i le taimi, o le a faamamaina tagata o le Atua mai amioletonu uma ma tuu ese o latou olaga tuai.
The only way to do that was to renew their mind with God’s will because the mind determined their actions. E ala i le Tulafono o le amiotonu ma le ola, God made His will known to His people and sin was revealed.
O le tulafono na fai ma sui e lē gata i le finagalo o le Atua ae faapea foʻi ma le natura o le Atua, amiotonu, ma le paia.
The holy law of God brought light in the darkness and gave life to those that would submit to the Law (finagalo o le Atua) ma usiusitai i le Tulafono.
The law revealed the truth and exposed every sin that leads to death. Aua e lei finagalo le Atua e fano se tasi o Ona tagata. By keeping the law and all the precepts and ordinances that belonged to the law, O le a faamanuiaina ona tagata, sefe, ma maua le ola. But every person that belonged to His people had a choice to obey the law of God or not.
People decided to obey the Law or disobey the Law
I lenei tisipenisione atoa, ua tatou iloa ai sa tuutoina atu tagata o le Atua i le Atua mo se taimi patino ona liliu ese ai lea mai ia te Ia. O le natura lena o le toeaina that walks after the flesh: devoted to God, turning away from God, crying to God for help, salamo, devoting to God, turning away from God, ma isi.
Every time God’s people got into trouble by leaving His law and adopting the ulture, agaifanua, and behavior of pagan countries, sa latou alalaga atu i le Atua ma salamo.
Ona o lea o le Atua, Who is faithful and full of mercy, sent His word (through an angel or His prophet(s)) ma faaolaina i latou.
But it didn’t take long before His people rebelled again and became disobedient to the law and rejected God. Ae o le a le mea na faaalialia ai le agasala i le olaga o Ona tagata? O le tulafono a le Atua na faaalialia ai le agasala ma le liliuese o le tagata faaletino.
O le fa'amaonia o le agasala i le tulafono
Ina ua faitauina le tulafono a le Atua i luma o tagata, na vaaia le paia o le Atua ma na faaalia ai le agasala ia i latou. The law was their teacher and showed them how far they were driven away from God and His words. Ona i ai lea o se filifiliga a Lona nuu salamo pe leai.
A aunoa ma le tulafono a le Atua, lea e faatusa i le tulafono o le amiotonu ma le ola, sa latou le iloa le mea moni sa tumu o latou olaga i le agasala. Ua teena e lona nuu le tulafono, O Upu a le Atua, ma ola e pei o isi atunuu uma, e tusa ma tu’inanau ma tu’inanau o le tino.
They went their own way and did their own will and were led by their flesh instead of the Word of God.
They took strange women from pagan nations, sa latou mulilua, ma le ifo i tupua, sa i ai amioga lē mamā ma sa latou faatagaina mea inosia i le maota o le Alii.
But as soon as the law of Moses appeared and was read, na faaalia mai le agasala ma ta'usalaina ai le tagata i le agasala. Without the law of Moses that came from God and represented His will, sa leai se iloa o le agasala.
O le talitonuga o le agasala i le tisipenisione a Iesu Keriso
I le tisipenisione i lona lua, ua tatou vaai i le afio mai o Iesu Keriso, o le Alo o le Atua, Lona Galuega o le Togiolaina, ma Lana faiā ma tagata o le Atua. Jesus is the Word that became flesh and lived among the people.
Na faauuina Iesu e le Atua i le Agaga Paia ma le mana. He went about doing good, fa'amālōlōina i latou uma na fa'asauāina e le tiapolo, auā sa ‘iā te ia le Atua (Galuega 10:38).
Jesus was the reflection of God and represented and brought the Kingdom of God, e aofia ai le tulafono a le Atua (the law of of righteousness and life), i le Lalolagi.
Jesus lived according to the will of God and therefore He established and fulfilled the law. O le natura paia o le Atua sa ola ia Iesu ma sa Ia faafeagai ma tagata o le Atua ma a latou agasala.
O le talitonuga o le agasala e ala i le Upu
Jesus is the Light that shone in the darkness. He brought all the things that were hidden in darkness into the light. Na faafesagai le Malamalama i tagata ma a latou agasala. The people of the house of Israel that heard His words and believed and were convicted in their hearts of their sins repented. Sa papatisoina i latou i le vai ma aveesea agasala mai o latou olaga ma mulimuli ia Iesu.
But the people that were proud and rebellious in their hearts and had the devil as father were not willing to repent.
Latou te teena Iesu Keriso; le Upu ma tumau ai ona ola i le agasala. Sa latou inoino ia Iesu ona sa molimau atu Iesu ia latou galuega leaga.
E le mafai e le lalolagi ona inoino ia te oe (le toeaina) talu ai o oe o se vaega), ‘ae ‘ino‘ino mai ‘iā te a‘u (Tagata fou ua faatumulia i le Agaga Paia) auā ‘ua ‘ou ta‘uleagaina ma molimau atu e leaga ana amio (Ioane 7:7)
Ana ou le sau ma tautala ia i latou, Sa leai se agasala: ae o lenei ua latou leai se nuke mo la latou agasala. O lē e ʻinoʻino mai iā te aʻu, e ʻinoʻino foʻi o ia i loʻu Tamā. Afai ou te leʻi faia i totonu o latou galuega e leai se isi tagata na faia, Sa leai se agasala: Ae o lenei ua latou vaʻai uma ma fevaʻaiaʻi ia te aʻu ma loʻu tama. (Ioane 15:22-24)
The confrontation with the living Word, O ai e fai ma sui o le amiotonu ma le paia o le Atua, faaalia le agasala i tagata. The living Word convicted the people of sin.
O le talitonuga o le agasala i le tisipenisione a le Agaga Paia
I le Tisipenisi lona tolu, ua tatou vaaia le fanau mai o foafoaga fou ma le sootaga ma le Agaga Paia. What the devil destroyed in the Faatoaga o Etena was restored by Jesus Christ and His blood. Na faavaeina e Iesu le Tulafono ma taulimaina le faafitauli o le agasala a le tagata.
E ala i Lona maliu ma lona toetu mai le oti ma le afio mai o le Agaga Paia, o le fatuga fou na fanau.
Through repentance and regeneration in Christ, ua oti le tino o le toeaina ma ua toe faatuina mai le agaga mai le oti i le mana o le Agaga Paia.
Na fanau mai le tagata fou vai and Spirit and was no longer a son of the devil. But the new creation had become a son of God.
The new creation was reconciled in Jesus Christ with the Father and received His Holy Spirit.
The new creations didn’t belong to the world but to the Kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit Who bears witness of Jesus Christ; le Upu, and represents the Kingdom of God, ma le tulafono o le amiotonu ma le ola, lives inside the new creation. Just like God prophesied:
Ina ua mavae na aso, ua fetalai mai ai le Alii, O le a ou tuu laʻu tulafono i latou vaega i totonu, ma tusi i o latou loto; O le a avea ma o latou Atua, ma o le a avea ma ou tagata
Ieremia 31:33
The new creation submits to the Father, Word, and Spirit and does the will of God
God’s will and His nature live in the heart of the new creation through the abiding of the Holy Spirit.
The old evil nature of the devil that is present in the flesh doesn’t exist anymore. The flesh is crucified in Christ. O lenei, O le natura paia o le Atua e ola i totonu o le foafoaga fou.
Pe a savali le foafoaga fou i le Agaga, he shall submit himself to the Word and the Holy Spirit and the will of the Father and do the will of God. O le mea lea o le a faia ai le foafoaga fou Faatu le Tulafono (Roma 3:31).
O le talitonuga o le agasala e le Agaga Paia
Na molimau Iesu i le Agaga Paia ma fetalai mai o le Agaga Paia e aoai (nofosala, fa'alavelave, apoapoai atu, fa'aalia, aoaiga) le lalolagi o le agasala, Ma o le Amiotonu, ma le faamasinoga (Ioane 16:8-10)
O le Agaga Paia e fai ma sui o le finagalo o le Atua ma fa'amaonia agasala a tagata. Just like Jesus convicted the sins of the people and called the people to repentance and to put away sin. Ma e pei lava ona faamaonia e le Atua agasala a tagata, e ala i le tulafono ma valaauina Lona nuu e salamo ma ia tuu ese le agasala.
Atua, Iesu, ma o le Agaga Paia e tasi. O lea la, They have the same nature and the same will. E le fete'ena'i lava le tasi i le isi!
O le Agaga Paia o le Agaga o le upumoni ma faaalia pepelo uma a le tiapolo. O le mea lea o mea uma e tutupu i le pogisa, O le a Ia aumaia i le malamalama.
He confronts people with their sinful state. He reveals to them their evil works from God’s point of view instead of man’s point of view.
O le mafuaaga lena tatou te manaomia ai le Agaga Paia. He alone will convict the person of sin and shows him his defiled sinful nature.
E aunoa ma se talitonuga o le agasala, e le mafai e se tagata ona salamo ma tuuina atu lona ola ma tuu ese ana agasala. E mafua ona e le o iloa e le tagata ana agasala.
E le o iloa e le tagata le tatau ona tuuina atu o lona tino ma toe fanaufouina i le agaga. He shall not consider the works of the flesh as evil. Therefore he shall never put off the carnal works of the flesh. The person will only do that if God reveals to him his spiritual state.
The goodness of God and conviction of sin bring man to repentance
E le manaʻo le Atua i se tasi e fano. Mea tonu lava lena, ona o Lona agalelei, Na Ia tuuina mai Lana tulafono, Lona Alo, ma Lona Agaga Paia. Ina ia agasala a le lalolagi, ua natia i le pogisa ma ua natia mo mata faalenatura o le toeaina, o le a fa'aalia ma maua e le tagata le avanoa e salamo ai, aveese ana agasala, faaolaina, ma avea ma foafoaga fou ia Iesu Keriso.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
