Ang Dignidad ng Tao sa Kamay ng Manlilikha

Awit 8:3-8

3 Pinagmasdan ko ang langit na gawa ng iyong kamay,
pati ang buwan at mga bituin na iyong inilagay.

4 Ano ba ang tao upang iyong pahalagahan;
o ang anak ng tao upang iyong pangalagaan?

5 Nilikha mo siyang mababa sa iyo nang kaunti,
pinuspos mo siya ng dangal at ng luwalhati.

6 Ginawa mo siyang pinuno ng lahat ng iyong nilikha,
sa lahat ng mga bagay, siya ang iyong pinamahala:

7 mga tupa at kawan pati na ang mababangis,

8 lahat ng ibong lumilipad, at mga isda sa karagatan,
at lahat ng nilikhang nasa karagatan.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Ang isa sa mga dapat pahalagahan ng tao ay ang kanyang dignidad. Ang bibliya mismo ay nagtuturo na dapat nating ingatan ang ating karangalan. Tulad na lamang sa Kawikaan 22:1-- kung tayo raw ay kinakailangang pumili sa pagitan ng yaman at dangal, marapat na isuko ang yaman at panatilihin ang malinis na pangalan.

May mga taong nagtataguyod ng dangal ng tao subalit tumatanggi naman sa kapahayagan ng bibliya. Sinasabi nilang sila ay makatao subalit itinatanggi naman nila na merong Diyos na siyang lumikha. Ano ang bunga nito? Sa halip na maiangat ang dignidad ng tao, kabaligtaran ang nangyari. Nasaan ang dangal ng tao sa paliwanag na sinuwerte lang tayo sa proseso ng ebolusyon? Nasaan ang aking dignidad sa paliwanag na ako'y isang malayong kamag-anak ng mga bakulaw?

Mauunawaan lang natin ang dignidad ng tao kung makikinig tayo sa kapahayagan ng bibliya. Sino nga ba ang mapapagpapaliwanag ng dangal ng tao kundi ang mismong lumalang sa tao?

Dito sa Awit 8:3-8 ay matutunghayan natin ang dalawang hakbang upang maunawaan natin ang dignidad natin bilang mga tao.

Unang hakbang:
Maaaring ito ay isang sorpresa sa ilan. Ang unang hakbang upang maunawaan natin ang ating dignidad ay makita muna natin kung gaano tayo kaliit-- Tayo ay maliit kung ihahambing sa malaking Diyos.

Isang gabi'y pinagmamasdan ng salmistang si David ang kalangitan-- ang buwan at mga tala; ni wala siyang hawak na telescope ngunit siya ay lubhang namangha, ang kalangitan ay nagpapatotoo kung gaano kadakila ang Diyos sapagkat ang lahat ng mga nasa kalawakan ay gawa lamang ng maikhaing mga daliri ng Diyos

"3 Pinagmasdan ko ang langit na gawa ng iyong kamay,
pati ang buwan at mga bituin na iyong inilagay."

Habang pinagmamasdan ni david ang ganda ng kalangitan, nabatid niya kung gaano siya kaliit kung ihahambing sa karangyaan at kaluwalhatian ng diyos. Tuloy ay kanyang naitanong:

4 "Ano ba ang tao upang iyong pahalagahan;
o ang anak ng tao upang iyong pangalagaan?"

Pangalawang Hakbang:
Ang pangalawang hakbang upang maunawaan natin ang dignidad ng tao ay ang mabatid na sa kabila ng liit natin, binigyan niya tayo ng espesyal na tungkulin sa sannilikha.

Sambit ng Salmista sa talata 5:
"Nilikha mo siyang mababa sa iyo nang kaunti,
pinuspos mo siya ng dangal at ng luwalhati."

Ito ay tumutukoy sa likas ng tao na galing sa Diyos. Bago likhain ang tao ay may usapang naganap sa loob ng Banal na Trinidad:

"Ngayon, likhain natin ang tao ayon sa ating larawan, ayon sa ating wangis..." (Gen. 1:26). Bukod diyan ayibinigay niya sa tao ang pinakamataas na posisyon dito sa ibabaw ng lupa-- ang tungkulin ng pamamahala (Awit 8:6-8) kalakip ang kanyang pagpapala sa kanila (Gen.1:28a).

Ito ang tunay na dignidad ng tao: bagamat tayo ay maliit sa gitna ng malawak na solar system; maliit sa gitna ng malawak na galaxy; maliit sa gitna ng malawak na universe, tayo ay nilikha ng Diyos upang ating isalamin sa ating buhay ang Diyos.

 Ang Nasirang Dignidad ng Tao

at ang Solusyon ng Manlilikha

Malayo na nga ang agwat sa pagitan ng nilikha sa manlilikha, mas lumapad pa ang agwat nang ang tao ay magkasala. ang buhay natin na dapat sumalamin sa Diyos ay nagkaroon ng lamat. Nasira ang larawan at wangis ng Diyos sa atin dahil sa kasalanan. Naging pangit tayong lahat at ito'y hindi natin kayang ayusin.

Subalit sa kagandahang-loob ng Diyos, siya na rin ang gumawa ng paraan upang maayos ang lamat sa ating pagkatao. Isinugo niya ang kanyang anak, nagkatawang tao, nag-anyong alipin at namuhay nang walang sala. Sa kanyang kamatayan at muling pagkabuhay ay nilinis niya ang lahat ng bahid ng kasalanan sa sinumang sasampalataya sa kanya.

Siya na malayo ang agwat sa atin; Siya na lubhang mataas at hindi natin maabot ang siya mismong nagpakababa upang tayo ay abutin. Hinango niya tayo mula sa putik ng kasalanan. Sa kanyang piling lamang maibabalik nang buong-buo ang dignidad ng tao.

2 Corinto 3:18

"At ang kaluwalhatiang iyan na nagmumula sa Panginoon, na siyang Espiritu, ang siyang magbabago sa atin mula sa isang antas ng kaluwalhatian hanggang tayo'y maging kalarawan niya".

-----------------------

ang salin na ginamit ay ang Bagong Magandang Balita Bibliya

INDEX: God's Power Manifested Through Weak Servants (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)

part 1- The Church's Obsession with Celebrities

part 2- We Need Some Background

part 3- Great Treasure in Cheap Jars of Clay

part 4- The Power of God and the Fragility of His Servants

part 5- Weaklings Sustained; Christ Displayed

part 6- For the Sake of God's People (with Conclusion)





--------------------------------------

For the Sake of God's People (part 6 of 6: "God's Power Manifested Through Weak Servants"-- Insights from 2 Cor. 4:7-12)-- with CONCLUSION

” So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
2 Cor.4:12 (NIV)

While God exposes the vulnerability of his servants forcing them to be dependent upon him, he does it for the salvation of souls. In Paul's thought, his sufferings are not just God-given; they are also purpose-driven. And its purpose is for the welfare of God's people..

“I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” (Col. 1:24).

“For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen” (2 Tim. 2:10).

The difficult circumstances of a servant’s life are not coincidental; they are not accidents. They are part of the divine plan to accomplish things for those whom they minister to. As God comforts his weak servants, he equips them to comfort others also.

2 Cor. 1:3-4 says: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

Conclusion

Why do you think God should use you?

Is it because you have graduated from a prestigious school?

Is it because you excelled academically?

Is it because you are so talented?

You may not think of your self as a super apostle,

but perhaps you think you are a super musician

or a super exhorter

or a super Cell leader

super intercessor

a super missionary

or a super administrator

or a super teacher

or a super giver

or a super pastor

Do you think God ought to use you because you are a vessel made of gold?

No, his servants are nothing but clay pots—

cheap and fragile.

May this teaching break our proud hearts

and remind us that the real treasure is God’s saving message and we are mere jars of clay.

Weaklings Sustained; Christ Displayed (part 5 of 6: "God's Power Manifested Through Weak Servants"-- Insights from 2 Cor. 4:7-12)

"For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake,
so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body" (NIV)
2 Corinthians 4:11

As God exposes the fragility of his servants, he does not leave them on their own. Rather he sustains them that Christ may me displayed. For this post, I will just reproduce Linda Belleville's Commentary on 2 Cor.4:8-9 (2 Corinthians, IVP New Testament Commentary):

hard pressed on every side, but not crushed- "The verb hard pressed means "to press in hard against" someone, or, as we say today, to squeeze the life out of a person, while the term not crushed indicates that the pressure never got to the point where there was no escape or way out."

perplexed but not in despair- "There is a play on words here that the NIV misses. To be aporoumenoi is to be at a loss how to act, while to be exaporoumenoi is to be utterly at a loss (i.e., in extreme despair). Although Paul may have been at a loss about how to proceed, he never--as we say--went off the deep end."

persecuted but not abandoned- "The Greek verb means "to pursue" and is commonly used of tracking a prey or enemy. Paul was pursued from city to city by hostile Jews. But through it all, God never abandoned him. The idea here is that God did not leave Paul behind or in the lurch for the enemy to pick up."

struck down by the enemy but not destroyed- "Paul was not only pursued by hostile Jews, but when they caught up with him, they stirred up trouble whenever they could. He may also be thinking of the time he was stoned at Lystra and left outside the city for dead. Yet he lived."

Belleville further comments on verse 11:

"Paul's approach is to make clear that it is God's power (v. 7)
and the life of Jesus (v. 10) that empower and sustain him,
and not his own fortitude."

Belleville's commentary on 2 Corinthians and other volumes in the
IVP New Testament Commentary are available at Bible Gateway. Click here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The Power of God and the Fragility of His Servants (part 4 of 6: "God's Power Manifested Through Weak Servants"-- Insights from 2 Cor. 4:7-12)

“to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”(2 Cor. 4:7)

Aside from the contrast between the great treasure and its cheap containers, we also see the contrast between the power of God and the fragility of these clay vessels. God shows his power when we are weak.

We have an Old Testament precedent for this. In Gideon’s time, Israel was getting ready for battle against the Midianites. They initially assembled an army of 32,000. The Midianite forces outnumber them with 135,000 warriors.

But what did God say?
"You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, `Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.' (Judges 7:2-3 )

Immediately, 22,000 left. But God was not satisfied. He further trimmed it down to 300. The ratio is now 450 to 1. One soldier against a batallion! The message will be clear that Israel’s victory will not be because of their might, but because of God.

If you want credit for yourself, then God will not be pleased to use you. He wants to engrave in your heart that power belongs to him, not you.

That is why God actively exposes the vulnerability of his servants. He arranges the circumstances of his servants in a way that exposes their weakness forcing them to rely solely in him. The passive voice in verse 11 (“always being given over to death” NIV)shows that someone else is actively arranging our circumstances, and it is God.

Perhaps, the super-apostles, like some today, taught that adversity has no place for those who are anointed. So in 12:12, Paul reminded them that the signs of an apostle: miracles signs and wonders were manifested in his ministry. So he is not inferior when it comes to anointing. But when it comes to listing his credentials, he shows them his sufferings (2 cor. 11:25ff.) He was not boasting about his exploits, he was telling them about how weak he is (11:30). And if you will move to chapter 12, he boasts about a prayer denied!!! Three times he asked for a thing, and three times God said "No". Why? Because his grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:7-9)
--------------------------------------------------

Great Treasure in Cheap Jars of Clay (part 3 of 6: "God's Power Manifested Through Weak Servants"-- Insights from 2 Cor. 4:7-12)

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay..." (2 Cor. 4:7 NIV)

There were vessels of greater value then: ivory, glass, marble, brass, costly wood (Linda Belleville, IVP New Testament Commentary), but Paul used the most common—jars of clay. Elsewhere, Paul uses this imagery:


“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” (2 Tim.2:20-21)

It will be natural for us to use gold and silver for noble purposes and cheaper things for the less noble. But in this text, we see that God’s requirement for us to be used for noble purposes is not to be transformed into a costlier instrument but to cleanse ourselves.

The treasure is not Paul. It is not Apollos. It is not Peter. The treasure is the gospel inside God’s servants.

Joshua Harris, in I Kissed Dating Goodbye tells a story about his younger brother who was given a bicycle as a gift. But the kid was too young to appreciate the bicycle. For a time, he was playing with the box! It took a while for the Harris family to convince the child that the gift is the bicycle taken out of the box.

Sometimes we are like that. We are more impressed with ourselves and our religious leaders than the message of salvation entrusted to us.

John Macarthur says: “The New Testament was not written by the elite of Egypt. It was not written by the elite of Greece, or Rome, or even Israel. The greatest scholars in the world at that time were down in Egypt. They were in the greatest Library of Antiquity at Alexandria. And the most distinguished philosophers were at Athens and the most powerful leaders and movers of men were in Rome and the religious geniuses were in Israel's Temple. And God never used any of them, none of them. He just used clay pots. He passed by Herodotus, the historian. He passed by Socrates, the philosopher. He passed by Hippocrates, the father of medicine; Plato, the philosopher; Aristotle. He passed by Euclid, the mathematician; Archimedes, the father of mechanics; Hipparchus the astronomer; Cicero, the orator; Virgil the poet. He passed them all. Why? Well He was looking for clay pots.”

So when the time came for Jesus to formed his team, he chose peasants:

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13)

Do you want to be used by God? Recognize that the treasure is not you; it is the gospel.

We have so little worth. What counts is God’s glory in the gospel.

Photo credit: http://www.sucessoativo.com.br/

--------------------------------------------

We Need Some Background (part 2 of 6: "God's Power Manifested Through Weak Servants"-- Insights from 2 Cor. 4:7-12)

See part 1: Introduction (Click here.)

------------------------------

Disputes about personality figures was a persistent problem at the Corinthian church.

1 Cor. 1:12-13 : What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Their loyalty belongs to different church leaders. Kanya-kanya sila ng fans’ Club. Paul addressed that already by explaining that Christian workers are fellow laborers. Paul planted the seed; Apollos watered it. But he who plants is nothing; he who waters it is nothing. But only God who makes it grow.

Great teaching! But the personality cults in Corinth did not die. It is now worse due to the advent of “SUPER-APOSTLES” (2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11)-- Yun ang tingin nila sa sarili nila…Just as Superman is not an ordinary man so these super apostles claim superiority over the apostles).

They were persuasive; 2 Cor. 11:5 indicates that they are trained speakers. The worst thing is that, unlike Apollos they are not fellow workers; 11:4 is explicit that these Super-apostles are actually false teachers. They were preaching a different Jesus.

They are so influential and they have begun to discredit Paul. 2 Cor. 10:10: “For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." When I was a kid, I saw video clips of Ninoy Aquino speaking. I was fascinated!!! He was both impressive in appearance and in speech. Those qualities are absent in Paul.

Because of the presence of these false super-apostles, Corinth’s reception of Paul is poor. In 2 Cor. 2:1, he mentioned about a painful visit. We don’t know the specifics, but surely it has wounded him deeply.

In this letter, Paul has to defend himself against these false super-apostles. He has to defend his credentials as an apostle of the Lord, yet he did so not by exalting himself but by laying bare his weakness. 2 Cor 12:9: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

With that background, we are now ready to tackle the first principle drawn from our text. See next post.
-----------------------------------------

The Church's Obsession With Celebrities (Intro to the series "God's Power Manifested Through Weak Servants"-- Insights from 2 Cor. 4:7-12)

Paminsan-minsan ay may mga celebrity na napapasyal sa lungsod ng San Carlos upang magtanghal o makisaya sa aming pista o mangampanya para sa isang pulitiko. Pero ako talagang walang hilig tumingin sa mga ganun kaya sa buong buhay ko ay kakaunti pa lamang ang aking nakikitang celebrities. Ang mga celebrity na aking namasdan ay noon-noon pa nang ako ay batang paslit pa lamang. Baka nga hindi pa ninyo kilala yung mga nakita ko eh. Kilala ba ninyo ang mag-asawang Rodolfo “Boy” Garcia at Lucita Soriano ? Malamang hindi. Ang isa pang nakita ko nang personal ay si Yoyoy Villame.

Alam ba niyo kung saan ko sila nakita? Subukan ninyong hulaan.

Nakita ko sila… sa church!

It was a time when celebrities, upon profession of faith, were immediately brought to stage. They were immediately asked to testify; they were immediately asked to teach.

You could hear them in churches…
You could hear them on Christian radio…
You could watch them on Christian TV…

Some were basketball players…
Some were recording artists…
Some were celebrity fashion designers…
Some were beauticians…
Some were politicians…

I thought it was an ‘80’s thing , but I soon realized that the old mindset is still alive and kicking. When the song Pagdating ng Panahon were ruling the airwaves, I heard on Christian radio a church advertising a concert featuring Aiza Seguerra. I hope they have seen their faults now because after that concert, Aiza would soon reveal that she is a lesbian.

In a seminar that I attended a few months ago, one of the speakers said that they are persistently convincing Miss Connie Reyes to join their organization for that would surely achieve great things considering her wide sphere of influence.

I have nothing against celebrity Christians. Some of them are truly converted. Some of them are a true blessings to the church. My concern is this mindset that in order to win the world for Christ, you have to use the popular ones-- the stars.

Isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit laganap pa rin ang pananaw na ito ay bunga ng pag-usbong ng Church growth movement. Sinusukat kasi natin ang tagumpay ng isang iglesya o ng isang pastor sa paramihan ng mga dumadalo sa kanilang worship service. Ang mga tinitingalang pastor ngayon ay yung mga celebrity-type. Ang hanap ng karamihan ay hindi katapatan sa Panginoon kundi mga pastor na pang-showbiz ang dating. Yung bang kapag ngumiti ay puwedeng gawing endorser ng toothpaste (tipong Joel Osteen). Ang hanap ng mga tao ay yun bang mga pastor na iimbitahan ng mga pulitiko sa kanilang inaugural (tipong Rick Warren).

Ang iba naman hindi kuntento na yung pastor nila ang manguna ng panalangin sa presidential inaugural. Ang nais nila, yung pastor nila mismo ang maupong pangulo. Again I would say that I have nothing against Christians running for public office; my problem is the mindset that God’s servants must have political power in order to be more effective in the kingdom of God.

The idea is this: we would achieve more if God’s workers are the world’s most famous, most popular, most talented, and most influential.

It sounds so logical isn’t it? If you are a businessman, and your rival hired a superstar as a product endorser, you would not hire a starlet to endorse your product. You will hire an equally popular superstar.

It seems logical that if you are planning to conquer the world, you will not build an army of weaklings; you would assemble an army of tested warriors.

It sounds logical that if you are planning to win the gold at the Olympics, you will not form a team of bench-warmers, but highly skilled players.

It sounds so logical that we want to apply the principle to the church and to our ministries. Therefore we have this mindset that in order to win men for Christ, we would have to use the most talented, the most educated, the most articulate, and the most popular.

If God has not spoken on this issue, I would follow what seems logical. But since God has spoken, we have to listen; we have to bow down and trust the wisdom of our Creator. We must fall on our knees and say “Lord, my logic amounts to nothing. I trust your Word Lord.”

This series of posts is for everyone who wants to be used by God. In my next posts, I will lay down some principles on this issue drawn from 2 Cor. 4:7-12.

Click here  to read the rest of the series

--------------------------------------------