Te Mahi Mahi Taha

Te pakanga me te kikokiko

Ka rite ki te korero i mua, He tinana kararehe te tangata me te ahua ano o nga hiahia taiao me nga mea e rite ana ki etahi atu. Engari e mohiotia ana e tatou ma te kaha ki te mohio ki te Atua, Ki te take, matapae me te whakatau i nga whiringa morare. Ko te tikanga o tenei ka hangaia maatau kia taea ai te mahi i nga huarahi e pa ana ki o maatau kaupapa taiao. Engari, Ki te kore te aroaro o te Atua i roto i o tatou ao, Ko ta tatou kaha mo te whiringa morare ka pakaru, I roto i te maha o nga huarahi:

• Ko ta tatou kaha ki te matapae i nga hua o a maatau whiringa he iti noa iho.
• Kaore he paerewa pono o te tika me te he.
• Kaore i te kaha te akiaki me te mana ki te mahi tika.
• I whanau mai matou ki te ao kua kinongia e te kino, a ka waiho e te mea i mua i a maatau te pakeke ki te whakarite whakawa mo te ture.

The result is that we are unable to properly manage our naturally self-centred animal nature. This animal nature is commonly referred to as ‘the flesh’ or ‘fleshly’ nature. And this out-of-control condition, which has affected everyone from Adam and Eve onwards, is what is generally referred to by theologians as ‘Original Sin.’ Some argue that this makes it impossible for people to choose any course of action that is morally pleasing to God: but all Christians agree that this fundamental corruption of our nature makes it impossible for us to consistently live in a way that satisfies God’s standards.

But even apart from our own personal weakness, there is a spiritual corrupting influence – ‘Sin’ with a capital ‘S’ – resulting from the activity of Satan himself; E whai tonu ana kia haere ki te whakamahi i o tatou ngoikoretanga kikokiko, kia mawehe atu i a tatou i te Atua. Ko te hua ko tera, Ka rite ki te wa e taea ai e tatou te whakatau i nga whiringa morare, Ka kitea e tatou he he!

Ka rite ki te tuhi, “Kaore he tangata tika; kahore, e kore tetahi. Kahore he tangata e marama ana. Kahore he tangata e rapu ana i te Atua. Kua peka ke ratou katoa. Kua noho ke ratou, ka kore e whai hua. Kahore he tangata e mahi pai ana, kahore, kaore, kia rite ki tetahi.” (Rom 3:10-12, cf. Ps 14:1-3 & Ps 53:1-3)

Kua hara katoa hoki, a ka tatarahapa te kororia o te Atua. (Rom 3:23)

Ko te Dalemma a Paora

I nga Roma, ūpoko 7, Te faataa ra te aposetolo Paulo i to'na iho iteraa no te haamata i te hinaaro ia tavini i te Atua, ko te kitea anake ia ka riro hei pononga ki te hara.

I a tatou hoki i te kikokiko, Ko nga hiahia kino na te ture, i mahi i roto i o tatou mema ki te whakaputa hua ki te mate. ... No te mea kaore au i te hiahia hiahia, ki te kore te ture i korero, “Kaua e hiahia hiahia.” Engari hara, Te rapu i te waa na roto i te whakahau, hua i roto i ahau nga momo hiahia katoa. Mo te ture hoki, Kua mate te hara. I ora ahau i tua atu i te ture kotahi¹, engari ka tae mai te whakahau, kua whakahoutia te hara, a ka mate ahau. Te Ture, Ko wai te ora, I kitea e ahau mo te mate; mo te hara, Te rapu i te waa na roto i te whakahau, tinihanga ahau, na roto i te whakamate i ahau. (Rom 7:5,7-11)

E mohio ana hoki tatou he mea wairua te ture, Engari he kikokiko ahau, hokona i raro i te hara. Kaore au e mohio ki taku mahi. E kore hoki ahau e mahi i taku e hiahia ai: engari rā, Ka mahia e au taku kino. Engari ki te mahi au i nga mea kaore e hiahiatia e au, Kei te mohio ahau kei te pai te ture. Na, I tenei wa, Kaore ano hoki’ kei te mahi au, Engari ko te hara e noho ana i roto i ahau. (Rom 7:14-17)

Mō, E ai ki te tangata o roto, He harikoa ahau ki te ture a te Atua: Engari ka kite ahau i tetahi ture rereke i aku waahanga, Te whawhai ki te ture o taku hinengaro, ka whakaraua ahau ki te ture o te hara kei roto i oku waahanga. He tino taumaha ahau! Mana ahau e whakaora i te tinana o taua mate? Ka whakawhetai ahau ki te Atua na Ihu Karaiti, To tatou Ariki! Na, me te hinengaro, Ko au hoki e mahi ana i te ture a te Atua: Engari me te kikokiko, Te Ture o te hara. (Rom 7:22-25)

Ko etahi e kii ana ko tenei irava e whakaahua ana i nga wheako o ia ra o nga Karaitiana, me nga tangata kore-Karaitiana. Āna koia, He maha nga Karaitiana ka tautuhi me te wheako o Paora i te mea e pa ana ki tera waa o to raatau oranga, me etahi keehi i muri tata mai, to ratou hurihanga. Ko etahi ka tohu i nga waa i te wa i kaha ai ratou ki nga mahi kino rawa atu. Engari ki te whakaatu tenei pikitia o te koiora Karaitiana i te mea e whakaarohia ana e te Atua, He oro te ahua tino pouri o te ao. Ka waiho e ia te mana'o tonu i whakaheia e, Tuhinga ka whai mai, Ko te taumahatanga o te hara e mau tonu ana ki nga mahi e kore nei e whakaaetia e matou me te Atua.

– Me tana otinga

Engari ki te titiro tatou ki nga irava e whai tonu ana i konei mai i konei, Ka kite tatou he tino noa tenei kaore Kia pehea te whakaaro o Paul i te tikanga o to tatou ao.

Na, kahore e tau te he inaianei ki te hunga i roto ia Karaiti Ihu, e kore nei e haere i runga i ta te kikokiko, Engari kia rite ki te Wairua. Ko te ture hoki o te wairua o te ora i roto ia Karaiti Ihu, i whakaorangia ahau e Ihu i te ture o te hara, i te mate. Mo nga mea kaore i taea e te ture te mahi, i te ngoikore hoki na te kikokiko, Na te Atua i mahi. Te tuku i tana Tama ake kia rite ki te kikokiko hara me te hara, i whakahe ia i te hara i te kikokiko; kia rite ai te whakaritenga o te ture i roto i a tatou, kahore nei e haere i runga i te kikokiko, engari i muri i te Wairua. (Rom 8:1-4)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh can’t please God. (Rom 8:5-8)

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Tena ki te mea e noho ana i roto ia koutou te Wairua o te kaiwhakaara o Ihu i te hunga mate, Ko te kaihanga o te Karaiti Ihu te hunga mate ka hoatu e ia ki o koutou tinana mate i roto i tona wairua e noho ana i roto i a koe. (Rom 8:9-11)

Na ka, teina, he kaituku matou, Ehara i te kikokiko, kia ora i muri i te kikokiko. Ki te ora koe i muri i te kikokiko, Me mate koe; ki te mea na te Wairua i whakamate ai koe i nga mahi a te tinana, ka ora koe. Ko te hunga katoa e arahina ana e te Wairua o te Atua, He tama enei na te Atua. (Rom 8:12-14)

Ka mea a Paora ki a tatou, 'Ko te hunga i roto ia Karaiti Ihu’ ka taea e te ora te ora me te kore e whakahe. Ko te mea nui ko te 'haere kia rite ki’ (Rom 8:1) a kia 'arahina e’ (Rom 8:14) 'Te wairua'. Ko te hunga e mahi ana i tenei e whakaahuatia ana ko te 'i te Wairua’ a ko ia e whakaatu ana i a ia (Rom 8:8) A, kia rite ki o maatau whakaaro i whakatakotoria ki nga 'nga mea a te Wairua’ (Rom 8:5).

The Spirit is variously described in this passage as the ‘Spirit of life’ (Rom 8:2), ‘Spirit of God’ (Rom 8:9), ‘Spirit of Christ’ (Rom 8:9) and ‘Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead’ (Rom 8:11). These characteristics identify him as the Holy Spirit; the third great manifestation of the character and nature of the one true and indivisible God. For further explanation see Te Atua akakino.

The product of a life lived in such a relationship with the Holy Spirit is that, instead of being dominated by sin and failure, our lives will be characterised by a clear conscience, te rangimarie me te whanonga tika.

Panuihia…

Kupuwaewae

1. What does Paul mean?
   By saying, ‘I was alive without the law once,’ Paul implies that he did have a relationship with God up until the time when he first knowingly broke God’s law. This is consistent with Jesus’ own teaching on the status of children (kite Mt 18:1-6,10). Note also that Paul has earlier explained that for non-Jews, their own moral conscience functions in a similar manner to the Jewish law (Rom 2:12-16).