Only born-again Christians are able to understand the Bible and the spiritual things of the Kingdom of God. As a born-again believer, you need the words of God every day. The words in the Bible are your daily bread for your spiritual inner man. When you feed and renew your mind with the words of God and obey and apply the words of God in your life, your spirit matures and you will speak and walk as the new creation. This means that you speak and walk the same way as Jesus spoke and walked on earth. I LENEI TALI, the purpose of the Bible in the life of Christians will be discussed.
O le ā le fuafuaga o le Tusi Paia?
We should be thankful that God gave His Word and that He revealed Himself to us through His Word. We are privileged that we have the Bible and can read and study the Bible. What is the purpose of the Bible in the lives of Christians?
The Word gives life
I le amataga o le upu, Ma o le Upu i le Atua, Ma o le Upu o le Atua. Na tutusa lava i le amataga ma le Atua. O mea uma na fai e ia; ma e aunoa ma ia e le o se mea na faia na faia na faia. Ia te ia le ola; Ma o le ola o le malamalama o tagata. Ma ua susulu mai le malamalama i le pogisa; ma le pouliuli ua malamalama i ai (Ioane 1:1-5)
Jesus is the living Word, Who came in the flesh and was fully Human. He told the Pharisees, that if they had known the scriptures, they would have believed Him.
They would have believed that Jesus was (ma o) the Christ and the Son of the living God. Because the scriptures testify of Jesus, o le Mesia, o le Alo o le Atua, Who became the Son of man and brought salvation for humanity and gave eternal life.
The Father Himself, which has sent Me, has borne witness of Me. Tou te le'i faalogoina lava Lona siufofoga i soo se taimi, pe vaai foi i Lona tino. E le o tumau foi Lana afioga i totonu ia te outou: for whom He has sent, o ia tou te le talitonu i ai. Saili i tusitusiga paia; for in them you think you have eternal life: o i latou fo‘i ia o ē molimau ‘iā te a‘u. Ma o le a outou le o mai ia te Au, ina ia e maua ai le ola (Ioane 5:17-40)
E moni, e moni, Ou te fai atu ia te outou, O lē fa‘alogo mai i la‘u ‘upu, ma fa‘atuatua i lē na ‘auina mai a‘u, has everlasting life, ma o le a le sau i le tausalaina; ae ua pasia mai le oti i le ola (Ioane 5:24)
Ua fetalai atu Iesu ia te i latou, O a'u o le Areto o le ola: o lē sau ‘iā te a‘u e lē toe ‘a‘ai lava ia; o lē fa‘atuatua fo‘i ‘iā te a‘u, e lē toe fia inu lava ia e fa‘avavau (Ioane 6:35,47, 48, 51)
Jesus is the Life and gives eternal life
E moni, e moni, Ou te fai atu ia te outou, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, ma avatu le ola i le lalolagi (Ioane 6:32,33)
O le agaga e fa'aolaina; o le aano o manu: o upu ou te tautala atu ai ia te outou, o agaga i latou, ma o le ola lava ia (Ioane 6:63)
Tagata uma, who believes in Jesus and His work of salvation and believes His words and becomes born again, receives eternal life. Jesus came first for the house of Israel (God’s chosen carnal people, sa fanau mai le fanau a Iakopo). But because they rejected Jesus the Messiah, ua oo mai le faaolataga i Nuuese (a.o. Galuega 11:18, Roma 1:16, 11:11)
In Jesus Christ and by His blood, a New Covenant for the new creation (le tagata faaleagaga) came into being. This New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant for the old creation (le tagata faaletino (a.o. Eperu 8:13).
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Leai, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: ae, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. O lena lava, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed (Roma 9:6-8)
The new man is no longer a son of the devil, but a son of God (e faatatau lenei mea i alii ma tamaitai). The sons of God are born of the Spirit of God and are the children of the promise.
Tagata uma, who believes in Jesus Christ and becomes born again, obeys His words, Ma tausia ana poloaiga, receives eternal life
The Word of God is a shield for the born-again believer
O upu uma o le Atua e mama: O ia o le talita ia i latou na mafua ai ona faalagolago ia te ia (Faataoto 30:5)
The Word of God gives peace
Filemu ou te alu ma oe, o lo'u manuia ou te avatu ai ia te outou: e le o le lalolagi, Tuu mai ia te oe. Aua le popole o lou loto, Aua foi ia fefe (Ioane 14:27)
E tele le filemu o e naunau i lau tulafono: ma e leai se mea e tausuai ai i latou (Salamo 119:165)
Nei mea ua ou tautala atu ia te oe, that in Me you might have peace (Ioane 16:33)
If you read, talitonu, and apply the Word to your life, you will experience peace. But as soon as you leave the Word of God, even if it is just a little bit, you will become agitated, popole, popole, and stressed.
Therefore it is important to abide in the Word of God all the days of your life.
The Word of God equips the new creation
O tusitusiga uma o le paia e tuuina mai e ala i musumusuga a le Atua, Ma e aoga mo aʻoaʻoga, mo le aʻoaʻiga, mo le faasaʻoina, mo le faatonuga i le amiotonu: O Le Tagata o le Atua E Mafai Ona Atoatoa, saunia lelei mo galuega lelei uma lava (2 Timoteo 3:16-17)
The Bible is meant for the new creation. The purpose of the Bible is to equip the new creation. The purpose of the Bible is to ensure that the spirit of the new creation is fed, amio pulea, faasa'oina, and instructed and grows up into to image of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is profitable for:
- aoaoga faavae (learning, teaching)
- aoaiga (proof, talitonuga maumaututu, molimau)
- Faʻasaʻoina (a straightening up again, (fa'atusa) rectification)
- instruction in righteousness (Aoaoga, aoaoga; by implication, disciplinary correction, aoaiga, faafaileleina (so that the new man shall walk in holiness and righteousness))
The Word of God gives faith
Ia o le mea la lea e maua mai i le fesili, ma faalogo i le afioga a le Atua (Roma 10:17)
The Word of God divides soul and spirit
Mo le upu a le Atua e vave, ma mamana, ma steper nai lo le pelu-lua pelu, tuia e oo lava i le vaeluaina o le agaga ma le agaga, ma le sooga ma le mapu, ma o le le fiafia o mafaufauga ma lagona o le loto (Eperu 4:12-13)
We shall all give account for our words and works on the Day of Judgement. Nothing shall be hidden from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the living Word, Who came to heal man (toe faafo'isia le tagata) ma toe faalelei le tagata i le Atua. Na aumaia e Iesu le filemu. Ae peitai, people decide to believe Jesus and accept His redemptive work and His peace and choose righteousness and life and receive eternal life, or to deny Jesus and reject His work redemptive work and choose sin and death and receive eternal death.
All people will have an encounter with the Word, either as Savior during life on earth or as Faamasino afterlife on the Day of Judgment.
That’s why it is important to make Jesus Christ; o le Afioga soifua, the Center of your life.
Take His words and apply His words to your life.
Only the Bible reveals the truth and exposes the lies and works of the darkness.
If you want to walk in the truth of Light, you must renew your mind with the Word of God.
E ala i le faafouina o lou mafaufau, O lau auala tuai o le mafaufau (mafaufau tino, who thinks like the world) will be transformed by the Word and the Holy Spirit into a new way of thinking and you shall get the mind of Christ.
A faʻafouina lou mafaufau ma le afioga a le Atua, you shall think the way God thinks and speak and act according to His will, e pei lava o Iesu.
The Bible exposes the lies of the devil and sin
Na o le Word of God divides o le agaga (tino) mai le agaga. All those lies of the world that are built up in your mind, which you believed for all those years, shall be brought into the light. You shall become aware of all the lies of the world. And by believing the Word of God above the words and lies of the devil; le lalolagi, and by acting upon the Word of God, you shall destroy these evil strongholds of darkness. (Faitau foi: O 'olo i le mafaufau o tagata)
Your spirit shall mature and reign over your flesh (tino ma le agaga)
The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit
Ma ave le pulou o le faaolataga, ma le pelu a le Agaga, o le afioga lea a le Atua (Efeso 6:17)
Another purpose of the Bible is that the Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit. The Bible is the spiritual Sword of the new creation and is needed in your daily spiritual warfare. Tagata uma, who becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ, has entered the spiritual battlefield.
There is no such thing as a believer, who doesn’t experience spiritual warfare or doesn’t want to get involved in spiritual warfare.
If you don’t acknowledge and experience spiritual warfare in your life and don’t discern the spirits and the spiritual kingdoms, then you haven’t become a new creation in the spirit. O lea la, the first step will be to believe, salamo, and become born again by water and Spirit.
Every new creation has become an enemy of the devil and the world and deals with the powers, malo, and rules of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places, just like Jesus had to deal with them.
Jesus resisted and overcame the devil time after time. Faʻafefea? By the Word of God. Jesus knew the will of God, He knew what was written. O lenei, the Word of God is also your Sword.
The Sword of victory
Only with the Word of God you can overcome and be an overcomer. There is no other ‘tool’ that you can use. That’s why it is important to get to know Bible; le Afioga a le Atua. O lena la, you won’t be tempted, nor be seduced and misled by the lies of this world and wrong human doctrines.
Without the knowledge of the Word, faith in the Word, and applying the Word of God in your life, you will not live a victorious life but a defeated life. You won’t be strong enough to overcome the world; malo, mana, pule o le pouliuli o lenei lalolagi, and spiritual wickedness in high places and resist the temptations of the devil.
The spiritual warfare between Light and darkness
Your warfare is not carnal, ae faaleagaga. The spiritual realm is your battlefield. Your job is not to attack people (aano ma le toto), but the powers, malo, pule o le pouliuli, and spiritual wickedness that tempt people, take possession of people, and even use people to attack you, seduce you, and tempt you into sin.
When your eyes become spiritual (meaning, you grow up in the Word with the help of the Holy Spirit), you shall know God’s will.
You’ll know what’s right and what’s wrong and what’s good and what’s evil. You’ll be able to discern the things of the spiritual world (which is behind the visible world) and the spirits.
When people try to provoke you, you stay calm and be silent. You let go when people ‘attack’ you with lies or false accusations. You forgive when people say mean painful words to you or treat you wrongly. (Faitau foi: O le a le mea lilo o le faamagalo atu).
When someone tries to tempt you into sin, you will discern o le faaosoosoga and walk away.
When you walk after the Spirit you know, who is behind all this. You know who keeps the people in bondage and who is speaking and acting through them.
A e savali i le Agaga, you’ll stay silent, calm, let go, faamagalo, walk away, ma isi. e pei lava o Iesu. You will not be ruled by your flesh and therefore not react from your carnal will, lagona ma lagona.
Your power is not carnal, ae faaleagaga. Therefore you’ll not use the knowledge, poto, and methods of this world. You’ll use the spiritual weapons because you have become a spiritual new creation, who operates in the spirit. You will walk in the Leofuga Faaleagaga a le Atua, speak the Word of God, and act and pray according to the Word.
the two kinds of prayer
There are two kinds of prayer; carnal prayers and spiritual prayers. Carnal prayers are selfish prayers coming from your flesh; Lou loto, lagona, lagona, ma isi., and revolve around you. Spiritual prayers derive from the Word and the Spirit and revolve around the will and Kingdom of God.
The devil is afraid of spiritual prayers and hates Christians, who pray from the Spirit. They are a threat to him and his kingdom, because they attack him and his kingdom with the Word of God.
He knows the power of the Word of God because the Word has disarmed him and overcame him.
The devil will try everything to keep you ignorant, by keeping you away from the Word of God and lead you on side ways. He uses faafiafiaga, mea faalavefau, faafitauli, aoaoga faavae sese, ma isi.
He will also use dreams, faaaliga, and prophetic words to tempt you. Fa'ata'ita'iga, the devil shall show the importance of praise and worship music, and let you think that praise and worship is the most powerful weapon in spiritual warfare, nai lo le Tusi Paia; le Afioga a le Atua.
But Jesus didn’t resist and defeated the devil in the wilderness by singing spiritual songs. LEAI! Jesus overcame the devil by the power of the Word!
The purpose and power of the Bible
What is the purpose and the power of the Bible in your life as a Christian? The Word of God separates the soul and spirit. The words of God mean death to your flesh but life to your spirit.
Through the Bible you get to know the will of God and His truth and righteousness, reveals the lies of the devil and sin. You discern the truth from lies, Light from darkness and good from evil.
The purpose of the Bible is that all Scriputres are profitable to teach, aoaiga, sao, and instruct you in righteousness. Le Tusi Paia; the Word is your Sword, which you have to use daily to be an overcomer.
The Bible is your daily bread. Without the words of God, your spirit starves and you will not spiritually mature.
The purpose of the Bible for Christians is to become like the living Word; Iesu
“Ia avea ma masima o le lalolagi”
