I le Feagaiga Tuai, we read about the relationship between God and His chosen people Israel (o i latou, o ē ‘ua fānau mai i le fānau a Iakopo; Isaraelu). We read about God’s love for His people, His goodness, faapalepale, puipuiga, folafolaga, ma aiaiga. But we also read about His holiness and righteousness. O lea la, we also read about His disappointments, ita, and His judgments. Many consider God in the Old Testament as a strict God, who immediately punished, when a person committed a sin. They have created this image of a strict God through the sermons they heard, faafaileleina, or by reading the Old Testament from a carnal mindset.
They bear this image of a strict God and have developed a (tormenting) fear for God instead of a fear of God (awe of God). They are afraid of God and are led by this fear for God. Because they are afraid of God they are afraid to miss a church service, because they think that by missing a church service, God will be angry at them and they could lose their salvation. And so they go to church out of fear and observe religious traditions, which they have adopted from their parents or through inspiration by a traditional spirit.
Instead of having a fear (an awe) of God and love Him and serve Him out of love, they serve God out of fear, because they have created a wrong image of God. Because if they would read the Bible as the new creation through the Holy Spirit, then their image of God would be different.
The relation between God and His people Israel
The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy (Salamo 103:6-8)
God revealed His greatness and majesty to His people and revealed Himself as their God, through the redemption of His people from slavery in Egypt. God revealed His nature and made His will known to His people by giving them the tulafono. During the time in the wilderness, God looked after His people. He protected His people and provided their needs.
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles wings, and brought you unto Myself. O lea la, pe afai tou te matuā faalogo mai i loʻu leo, ma tausi i la'u feagaiga, ‘ona fai ai lea o ‘outou ma ‘oloa tāua ‘iā te a‘u e sili i nu‘u uma: auā o lo‘u lava le lalolagi uma: E fai foʻi outou ma malo o ositaulaga iā te aʻu, ma se nuu paia. These are the words which though shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Ona alu atu lea o Mose ma valaau atu i toeaina o le nuu, and laid before their faces all these words, which the Lord commanded him. Ona tali faatasi mai lea o le nuu uma, ma fai mai, O mea uma ua fetalai mai ai le Alii o le a matou faia. Ona toe faafoi atu lea e Mose o upu a le nuu ia Ieova (Esoto 19:4-8)
Although the people said wholeheartedly ‘yes’ to the conditions of the covenant and promised to obey the voice of the Lord, it didn’t take long, before the people turned away and became unfaithful to Him and left His words.
Ona o le mea moni, that the people were raised in Egypt and were familiar with the Egyptian culture, gods and rituals, they had created an image of God, which didn’t correspond with the reality. Therefore they were constantly disappointed in their God and murmured and complained because God didn’t meet their expectations. As a result many didn’t want to submit to God and His Word (Faitau foi: ‘O le faamoemoe o tagata‘).
They wanted the same things as the pagan nations and wanted to live the same life and do the same pagan practices. Therefore many were rebellious and did those things, which God had forbidden to do and were an abomination to God.
In order to prevent that the evil would propagate and affect the others of the congregation and to prevent that the whole congregation would be lost, God removed the evil out of the congregation.
O se Atua e mausali a le Atua po o se fouvalega?
The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works (Salamo 145:17)
Is God a strict God, because of that? Leai, but God is a righteous God, who stayed loyal to the law of His covenant. God is righteous and He can’t deny His holy and righteous nature.
In the Old Covenant God was dealing with a carnal people, whose spirit was under the authority of death and therefore the people could only walk after the flesh.
God was dealing with a prideful, stiff-necked and rebellious people, who often went their own way and refused to submit to God and His Word and refused to keep the covenant.
Ioe, they wanted to receive the blessings of the covenant, but they didn’t want to observe the conditions for the blessings. They wanted to live like the pagan nations, but receive the wages of the saints.
A strict father or a rebellious child?
When a father has a child, who refuses to listen and goes his own way and do things, which the father has forbidden to do, then the father shall discipline and punish the child, because the child refused to listen.
Because every family has its own rules, which every family member should keep. When a family member choses to disobey the rules, ona i ai lea o taunuuga.
When the child tells others about the punishment, they will probably develop an image of a strict father, instead of a rebellious child. If they visit the child, it could be that they will be afraid for the strict father. A o le mea moni, it could be that the father isn’t strict by nature. But because of the rebellious behavior of the child the father was forced to take action, which he didn’t like and maybe found difficult to do, but was necessary and the best for the child.
O lea la, you can say that the child has a strict father or you can look at the cause of the behavior of the father and say that the father has a rebellious child. It’s just how you look at it.
This applies to all the areas in life, where you are dealing with covenants and rules, like in society in general, at school, galuega, faaipoipoga, aiga, taaloga, traffic, ma isi. If you don’t want to observe the rules and rebel against the rules than there will be consequences
Rules are needed to give structure, manino, and to keep order for both parties. Because if there wouldn’t be any rules, then it would be one big mess.
A strict teacher or a rebellious pupil?
If you go to school and obey the rules, O le a lelei mea uma. But if you do things, which are forbidden and you are caught, then probably you will be disciplined and punished for your actions.
A strict boss or a rebellious employee?
The same applies to work. When you are a person of integrity and you do you work according to your contract and live by the standards and rules of the company, then you are fine. But when you lack integrity and do things in secret, which go against the standards and rules of the company and it will be noticed, then you will also have to bear the consequences.
Atonu e fai mai tagata, that you have a strict boss, but you can also say that the boss has a rebellious employee, who is not willing to listen and do things which are not right.
And that was also the case with God and His carnal people. Many didn’t want to listen to God despite His poloaiga and the many warnings through His prophets and did those things, o ē leaga i luma o le Atua, causing God to act according to His holiness and righteousness.
Do you look at God from a carnal mind or a spiritual mind?
When you look at God as the toeaina and from a carnal mind that thinks like the world, then you will probably take offense at God, His Word and the things, which God did. You shall not understand the things, which are written in the Word. Therefore you shall consider God as a strict God and a cruel God and maybe develop a tormenting fear for God and become afraid of God.
You shall not be able to Alofa i le Atua, because of the tormenting fear and incomprehension in your heart. Therefore you shall, pei lava o le lalolagi, don’t obey and keep His words and do His will, but reject them.
But if you look at God as the foafoaga fou and from a renewed mind, then you will have a different view on the situations, o loo tusia i le Tusi Paia. You shall not look at them from a carnal view, but from a spiritual view.
You shall not consider God, His words and behavior strict and cruel, but you shall see the love of God and His goodness, patience and mercy for His people.
From your renewed mind; the mind of Christ, you shall not consider God as a strict God and a cruel God, but you shall consider the world and the ruler of the world as cruel. You shall walk in the truth and from God, through the Word and the Holy Spirit, you shall see the pride, fouvale, lawlessness and the sinful state of the world.
God is long-suffering and full of love
Pei o le Atua, O lona ala e atoatoa: Ua taumafai le upu a le Alii: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him (Salamo 18:30)
The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and His righteousness endures for ever. He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion (Salamo 111:2-4)
When you read the Old Testament as a new creation; Le Tagata Fou, E ala i le Agaga Paia, than you shall find out that God is not a strict God but a righteous God.
God didn’t want to treat His people the way He did.
God wanted the best for His people and wanted His people to love Him and that they listened to Him and obeyed His words and warnings and go Lona ala.
Ae paga lea, that wasn’t always the case and because God doesn’t lie, but is trustworthy and faithful and acts according to His words, God dealt with His people after their works.
O i latou, who lived in the covenant and were rebellious, were responsible for their own deeds. They brought their own mischief upon themselves (Faitau foi: ‘O tagata leaga e aumaia i latou lava‘).
You can feel sorry for the person or the people and say ‘what a terrible thing of God to do’. But you can also turn it around and say ‘what a foolish and terrible thing, that the person or the people were so rebellious and didn’t want to listen to God’.
God wanted the best for His people, but despite His warnings, many went their own way instead of God’s way (Faitau foi: O le alofa o le Atua?).
The relation between God and His Son Jesus Christ
In contrast to Jesus, who loved God and submitted Himself to God and His commandments, ua tusia i le tulafono.
Jesus was also free to do what He wanted to do. But Jesus His Godly nature chose to not walk after the flesh and live a life for Himself, but He chose to walk after the Spirit and live for God and do His will.
Ia i ai lenei mafaufau ia te oe, sa ia Keriso Iesu foi: WHO, ua i ai i foliga o le Atua, e le o se faomea le tutusa ma le Atua: Ae na Ia faia o Ia lava e leai sona talaaga, ma ave i Ona luga foliga o se auauna, ma na faia i le faatusa o tagata: Ma maua i le faiga o se tagata, Sa ia faamaualaloina o ia lava, ma ua usiusitai e oo i le oti, e oo lava i le oti i le satauro (Filipi 2:5-8)
Because of His love for His Father, Jesus submitted to the Father and went His way that led to the cross. O lena la, through His death and resurrection from the death, many sons of God would be born in Him, who would belong to God’s people and would live after the Spirit, pe a mavae Lona finagalo.
O le Feagaiga Fou
Faauta, Ua o mai le aso, ua fetalai mai ai le Alii, pe a ou faia se feagaiga fou ma le aiga o Isaraelu ma le aiga o Iuta: E le tusa ma le feagaiga na ou osia ma o latou tamā i le aso na ou tago atu ai i o latou lima e taitai ese ai i latou mai le nuu o Aikupito.; because they continued not in my covenant, ma sa ou le manatu ia te i latou, ua fetalai mai ai le Alii. Aua o le feagaiga lenei o le a ou faia ma le aiga o Isaraelu ina ua mavae i latou aso, ua fetalai mai ai le Alii; Ou te tuu aʻu tulafono i o latou mafaufau, ma tusi i latou io latou loto: Ma o le a ou i ai i luga o latou atua, ma o le a latou i ai ia te au se tagata: Ma latou te le aoaoina i tagata uma lona tuaoi, Ma tagata uma lona uso, fai mai, Iloa le Alii: Aua o le a iloa uma au, mai le itiiti ifo i le sili. Aua o le a ou alofa mutimutivale i lo latou amioletonu, Ma a latou agasala ma a latou amioletonu o le a ou le manatua. I lena ua Ia fetalai mai ai, O se feagaiga fou, Ua ia faamatuaina le muamua. O lenei, o le mea ua pala ma ua tuai ua sauni e mou ese atu (Eperu 8:13)
E ui lava i le mea moni, that the Old Covenant is replaced by a New Covenant, the will of God and His holiness and righteousness remained the same and still applies in the New Covenant
O poloaiga o le tulafono, which represented the will of God and were written on tablets of stone and given to His people and applied in the New Covenant are now put into the mind and written in the hearts of the new creation, by the abiding of the Holy Spirit (Faitau foi: ‘O le a le mea ua tupu 50 aso ina ua mavae le Paseka?'ma'Why did God write His commandments on tables of stone?'')
I le Feagaiga Tuai o tagata, who belonged to God’s people through natural birth, had a choice to obey God and to keep His law or become lē usiusitai i le Atua and His law.
I le Feagaiga Fou, le foafoaga fou, who has entered the Kingdom of God through regeneration, has a choice to stay obedient to God and His words and to walk after the Spirit or to disobey God and His words and walk after the flesh and return to the kingdom of darkness. Because ‘once saved always saved’ is a false doctrine, which derived from a carnal mind of the old man (Faitau foi: ‘Na sefe ai pea?'')
The relation between God and His sons
You have freely chosen to enter into the covenant with God, e ala i le faatuatua ia Iesu Keriso ma le toefaafouina ia te Ia. You have said ‘yes’ to do God’s will and to live a life after the Spirit and you said ‘no’ to the will of the devil and to live a life after the flesh.
God didn’t force you to, you have made that decision voluntarily. But if you don’t want to keep and do the commandments of Jesus and don’t want to live after the will of the Father, then you will leave the covenant through your works.
You have entered the New Covenant by grace and not by your works, but your works will cause you to either stay in the covenant or leave the covenant.
O le mea lea (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted Me, fa'amaonia a'u, ma sa vaai foi i au galuega i tausaga e fagafulu. O le mea lea na ou tiga ai i lena tupulaga, ma fai mai, They do alway err in their heart; ma ua latou lē iloa oʻu ala. O lea na ou tautō ai i loʻu ita, They shall not enter into My rest.)
Ave le usitai, Uso, Lest e i ai i se tasi o outou le loto leaga o le le talitonu, Tauaga mai le Atua Soifua. Ae apoapoai atu le tasi i le isi i aso uma, a o valaauina i le aso; neʻi mautu oe e seisi o oe e ala i le taufaasese o le agasala. Aua ua avea i matou ma tagata tofu ma tagata e aai ia Keriso, pe afai tatou te taofi mau i le amataga o lo tatou faatuatuaga e oo i le gataaga (Eperu 3:7-14)
Many think that in the New Covenant you can keep living after the flesh and do whatever you want to do and make your own rules.
Of course you may do what you want to do, since you have been given a free will from God. But your walk and your works shall reveal your true nature and determine the way you will go and your works shall lead you to your final destination.
If you submit to God and listen to the Word and the Holy Spirit, then you shall live as the new man in the Kingdom of God being led by your new Godly nature, walking after the will of God and fulfilling the law (O Le Amio Lelei o le Tulafono, O le a fai ma sui o le finagalo o le Atua) e pei lava o Iesu (Faitau foi: ‘Pe mafai ea e le tagata ona faataunuuina le tulafono a le Atua'').
But if you are not willing to submit to God and don’t listen to the Word and the Holy Spirit, but reject Them and keep walking after the flesh, then you shall live like the old man in the kingdom of darkness being led by your fallen nature, o loo pule ai le agasala ma le oti, and you shall keep walking after the will of the devil.
God’s will stands forever
Ia e le lava a outou amoina faatasi ma tagata le talitonu: po o le a le faaaumeaina oi ai le amiotonu ma le amioletonu? Ma o le a le fesoʻotaʻiga o loʻo malamalama ma le pouliuli? Ma o le a le tulafono ia Keriso ma Pele? pe o le a le vaega o ia te ia o le talitonu i se tagata le taua? Ma o le a le maliega ua i ai le malumalu o le Atua ma tupua? aua o oe o le malumalu o le Atua soifua; E pei ona fetalai mai le Atua, O le a ou nofo i latou, ma savali ia i latou; Ma o le a avea aʻu ma o latou Atua, ma o le a avea ma ou tagata. O le mea lea na sau mai ai, ma ia outou valavala, ua fetalai mai ai le Alii, ma tago i le mea le eleelea; ma o le a ou mauaina oe, Ma o le a avea ma tama ia te oe, ona fai ai lea o outou mo'u atalii ma afafine, fetalai atu le Alii Silisili Ese (2 Korinito 6:14-18)
God has revealed His will in His Word. O lea la, it is very clear what God likes and dislikes and what is good and what is evil. His will is clear and stands forever. No one can change anything about it.
Just like in the Old Covenant God warned His people about the consequences if His people wouldn’t repent and submit to Him and listen to His words, but reject His words, God still warns in the New Covenant His people through His Word and His Holy Spirit.
Because God loves man and doesn’t anyone to perish because of his or her works (1 Timoteo 2:4)
God so loved the world that He gave His Son, Iesu Keriso, to redeem mankind by the blood of Jesus from the power of sin and death and release them from the captivity of the kingdom of darkness.
But every person makes his or her own choice to either accept the love of God and by faith in Jesus Christ and through regeneration and sanctification tuu ese le toeaina ma ofu le tagata fou and walk after the Spirit or reject the love of God and keep living after the flesh as the world.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
