I Kolone 3:5-9, Na tusia e Paulo, Mokesi o lo o ou sui i luga o le fogaeleele; faitaaga, le mama, Le tele o alofa, tu'inanau leaga, ma le manamea, o le ifo i tupua: Mo mea’ Le toʻafilemu o le Atua o loʻo afio mai i fanau o le le usitaʻi: O lea na ou ui ai i se taimi, A o ou nonofo ai. Ae o lea ou te lafoaia uma nei mea; ita, ita, loto leaga, upu leaga, mamao le fesoʻotaʻiga mai lou gutu. Pepelo le tasi i le isi, O le vaʻai na e tuʻu ese mai le toeaina o le toeaina ma ana galuega. Ma tuu i luga o le tagata fou, lea e faafouina i le malamalama e tusa ma le faatusa o le na faia o ia: Le mea e leai se Eleni po o se Iutaia, peritome po o le le peritomeina, Fa'alano, Scythian, noanoa pe saoloto: a o Keriso o mea uma lava, ma i mea uma. O le a le uiga o lou tagata i luga o le folo o le lalolagi? How do you mortify your members which are upon the earth?
The responsibility of the new man (atalii o le Atua)
If you are risen with Christ and are seated in Him, tou te saili i mea oi lugā, lea e nofo ai Keriso, and not the things on this earth. The spiritual transformation (the new birth in Christ) shall become visible in your life on earth by putting off the old man and putting on the new man.
God has not only given you the authority in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, but God has also given you the responsibility to (faaleagaga) mortify your members on earth and to put off the works of the flesh, so that the flesh shall no longer reign as king in your life and dictates you what to do, and make you walk after the flesh in disobedience to God and His Word, but that Christ reigns as King in your life and you walk after the Spirit in obedience to God and His Word (Faitau foi: Ia le toe faia le mamalu o le tupu!).
That responsibility has been given to the new man, and no single excuse can be cited, to relieve the new man from this responsibility and duty.
Leai se isi, who says to be a Christian and claims to be born again has an exceptional position and is excluded.
No one has the right to keep walking in ignorance and be carnally minded, which is enmity against God and is death, and live as children of disobedience as enemies of God and His righteousness (a.o. Efeso 2:2; 4:18-19, 1 Peteru 1:14).
Le toeaina (atalii o le tiapolo) is crucified with Christ
If you say that you are born again in Christ, you shall live as a regenerated person, O ai e patino i le Atua, since your nature has changed.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death. Therefore you no longer live under the law of sin and death, lea e nofo i le tino, because your flesh has been crucified with Christ. You have been made free in Christ and live under grace and the law of the Spirit of life (Roma 6:14; 8:1).
When you were the old man, you were alive to the world, but dead to God, due to your trespasses and sins (a.o. Efeso 2:1-3, 1 Peteru 1:13-16).
You belonged to the world and therefore you walked according to the course (olaga) o lenei lalolagi, E tusa ai ma le perenise o le mana o le ea, O le Agaga o le mea lea e aoga ai nei i tamaiti o le le usiusitaʻi.
The old man doesn’t do the will of God, but the will of the devil (le pule o lenei lalolagi), and lives in obedience to the devil in disobedience to God in unbelief.
The old man walks in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the (faaletino) mafaufau, and is by nature a child of wrath (Efeso 2:1-3).
The new man is raised from the death in Christ
O le a le mea tatou te fai atu ai? E tatau ona tatou faaauau pea i le agasala, o lena alofa tunoa e ono tele? Malo. Faʻafefea foʻi ona tatou, ua oti i le agasala, Ola i se isi lava? Le Iloa Oe, i matou na o matou papatiso ia Iesu Keriso na papatiso i lona maliu? O lea ua tanumia ai i tatou i le papatisoga i le oti: Pei ona o le a le toe faʻatuina mai o Keriso mai le oti e le mamalu o le Tama, E faapena foi ona tatou savavali i le fou o le olaga.
Aua afai ua tatou totoina faatasi i le foliga o lona maliu, E faapei foi i tatou i le faatusa o lona toe soifua mai: Iloaina lenei, na faasatauroina le matou toeaina ma ia, o le tino o le agasala e ono faatafunaina, o le taimi nei tatou te le tatau ai i le agasala. Aua o le ua maliu e faasaolotoina mai le agasala. O lenei, afai ua tatou oti faatasi ma Keriso, matou te talitonu o le a tatou ola foi faatasi ma Ia: ‘Ua iloa fo‘i ‘ua toetū mai Keriso nai ē ‘ua oti, e lē toe maliu lava o ia; e le toe pule le oti ia te Ia. Aua o le mea lena na Ia maliu ai, Na maliu o Ia i le agasala e tasi: ae o loo soifua o Ia, e ola o ia mo le Atua. ‘Ia fa‘apea fo‘i ‘ona ‘outou manatu o ‘outou ‘ua oti i le agasala, a ‘ua ola mo le Atua ‘iā Iesu Keriso lo tatou Ali‘i
Aua le avea le agasala o le a nofoleia i lou tino faitino, e tatau ona outou usitaia le luko lo oi ai. Le Fōia Oe Outou Tam ¯ o Faipule le Agalelei ia Aʻu: ae ia epa ia te Oe Lava i le Atua, O i latou e ola mai le oti, ma ou te auai i mea faigaluega o le amiotonu i le Atua. Mo le agasala o le a le maua le pule ia te oe: aua ua le o sau i lalo o le tulafono, Ae i lalo o le alofa tunoa.
O le a la? E tatau ona tatou agasala, Aua tatou te le o i lalo o le tulafono, Ae i lalo o le alofa tunoa? Malo. Le Iloa Oe, o le mea lena ia tou te tuuina ai outou, ana auauna ou te i ai tou te usitai i ai; Pe o le agasala e oti, po o le usitai i le Amiotonu? (Roma 6:1-16)
By faith in Jesus Christ and regeneration in Him, the old man has died in Christ and the new man is raised from the death in Christ and made alive unto God.
The spirit of man has been made alive and the Spirit shall reign in the life of the new man. Through submission to God and obedience to His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the new man shall mortify the members which are upon the earth and lay down the works of the flesh and deprave sin from its power, by not giving in to the will, tu'inanauga, and desires of the flesh and not act upon the thoughts, which oppose the words of God.
If you have become the new man, you shall no longer seek the things which are on the earth and sow in the flesh and reap corruption, but you shall seek those things, which are above and sow in the spirit and bear the fua o le Agaga.
You are no longer a servant of sin and death, but you have been made free in Christ and have become a servant of righteousness.
Therefore you shall no longer yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. You shall no longer let your members on earth dictate to you what to do, but from your new position in Christ, you shall take authority over your members and mortify your members which are on the earth and yield yourself unto God and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
What are your members, which are upon the earth?
Mokesi o lo o ou sui i luga o le fogaeleele; faitaaga, le mama, Le tele o alofa, tu'inanau leaga, ma le manamea, o le ifo i tupua: Mo mea’ Le toʻafilemu o le Atua o loʻo afio mai i fanau o le le usitaʻi: O lea na ou ui ai i se taimi, A o ou nonofo ai (Kolose 3:5-7)
Your members, which are on the earth, are fornication, le mama, Le tele o alofa, tu'inanau leaga, ma le manamea, o le ifo i tupua.
If a Christian keeps walking in fornication, le mama, Le tele o alofa, tu'inanau leaga, ma le manamea, the person is still the old man and not the new man, since the person still bears the fruit of the old carnal man.
It’s important that the person repents and becomes born again in Christ, and from the Spirit mortifies his or her members which are upon the earth.
Ia Keriso, you have been given all authority and power to mortify your members on the earth and put off the works of the flesh by resisting the devil, agasala, and death so that they shall not have dominion over you anymore.
Ae e pule lava oe, if you want to do it or not. It all depends on whether your love for Jesus and the Father is stronger than your love for your flesh (Faitau foi: Pe e te alofa i le Atua e sili i mea uma?).
Mortifying your members which are upon the earth and putting off the works of the flesh is something you have to do yourself. Nobody else can do that for you. It’s your responsibility, you will be held accountable for it.
But if you don’t take your authority in Christ and you don’t mortify your members which are upon the earth, then your members will eventually mortify you.
How do you mortify your members, which are upon the earth?
Afai ua avea oe ma atalii o le Atua (e faatatau lenei mea i alii ma tamaitai), you shall no longer feed yourself with the things of this world that will arouse and strengthen the will, and the lusts and desires of your flesh.
You know the truth and the will of God and you will be careful with whom you associate with and the things you get involved with and what you do. You will be cautious about what you watch, what you listen to, mea ua e faitauina, ma isi.
When you stop feeding your flesh and subdue the flesh, then the lusts and desires of the flesh shall not be aroused and strengthened but shall die.
You mortify your members, which are upon the earth by reigning over your members and resisting them. You’re not giving in to what your will and the lusts and desires of your flesh want.
The new man is an obedient son of God
Ae o lea ou te lafoaia uma nei mea; ita, ita, loto leaga, upu leaga, mamao le fesoʻotaʻiga mai lou gutu. Pepelo le tasi i le isi, O le vaʻai na e tuʻu ese mai le toeaina o le toeaina ma ana galuega. Ma tuu i luga o le tagata fou, lea e faafouina i le malamalama e tusa ma le faatusa o le na faia o ia: Le mea e leai se Eleni po o se Iutaia, peritome po o le le peritomeina, Fa'alano, Scythian, noanoa pe saoloto: a o Keriso o mea uma lava, ma i mea uma (Kolose 3:8-11).
Besides mortifying the members, which are upon the earth (faitaaga, le mama, Le tele o alofa, tu'inanau leaga, ma le manamea), you shall also put off anger, ita, loto leaga, upu leaga, mamao le fesoʻotaʻiga mai lou gutu, because they don’t fit in the life of the new man (Faitau foi: O le ā le tala a le Tusi Paia e uiga i le toeaina? ma Faʻafefea ona tuʻu ese le toeaina?).
The old man is a liar, just like his father the devil, but the new man is not a liar, but speaks the truth just like his Father. Therefore the new man shall not lie, despite the fact that in some countries lying is considered normal and is part of a culture.
The devil uses cultures to execute his destructive work and to keep the people in bondage to the beggarly elements of this world and sin and death and control the people so that they will do what the devil wants and the devil can build his throne (Faitau foi: O le nofoalii o Satani)
Ae o le mea moni, that every culture disappears in Christ. Both the old nature of fallen man as the culture disappears in Christ (Faitau foi: E mou ese aganuu uma ia Keriso)
There is no distinction in Christ
Aua o outou uma o fanau a le Atua i le faatuatua ia Keriso Iesu. Aua o le toatele o outou ua papatiso ia Keriso ua outou ofuina Keriso. E leai se Iutaia po o se Eleni, e leai se noataga po o se saoloto, e leai se alii po o se tamaitai: auā ‘ua tasi ‘outou uma ‘iā Keriso Iesu (Kalatia 3:26-28)
O le mea lea ia fusia sulugatiti o outou mafaufau, ia agalelei, ma faamoemoe e oo i le gataaga i le alofa tunoa e aumaia ia te outou i le faaaliga o Iesu Keriso; I le avea ai ma fanau usiusitai, aua le faatulagaina outou lava e tusa ma tu'inanauga sa i ai muamua i lo outou valea: Ae pei ona paia o Ia na valaauina outou, ia paia outou i amioga uma lava; Aua ua tusia, Ia paia outou; auā e paia lava a‘u (1 Peteru 1:13-16)
E ala i le faagasologa o le faapaiaina, you shall renew your mind with the Word, put off the old man and put on the new man, o lē ‘ua fa‘afouina i le poto e tusa ma le fa‘atusa o lē na faia o ia, whereby there is neither Greek nor Jew, tane po o le fafine, peritome po o le le peritomeina, Fa'alano, Scythian, noanoa pe saoloto, a o Keriso o le mea uma lava ma i totonu o tagata uma lava.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
