6 Beliefs Filipinos need to double check with Scripture

Roughly 90 million Filipinos claim to follow Jesus. Whether their profession of faith is true or not is beyond my power to determine. However, true followers of Jesus are bound by one thing—God’s Word.

Christ said it Himself, “If you love me, keep my commands (John14:15).” True Christians live by Jesus’ commands found in the Bible. Even more, those who truly desire to obey Him search the Scriptures to check that their teachings, actions, beliefs and lifestyle do not violate His Word.

This was demonstrated by the Berean Christians who double checked the Scriptures every day to make sure that Paul’s teachings are true (Acts 17:11).

As Filipinos, we have several beliefs that warrant closer inspection in light of the Bible. Let us quickly look at six in this article. The discussions are not exhaustive and are here to encourage readers to study them further.  

1. Mary remained a virgin even after Jesus' birth

L' Annonciation de 1644, Philippe de Champaigne.jpg

Many Filipinos assume that because Mary conceived Jesus as a virgin, she remained in this state even after His birth. That is, she never had sexual relations with Joseph, her husband.

But a simple reading of the Bible will prove otherwise. In Matthew 1:24-25 we read,

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus (New International Version)."

The term "consummate their marriage" is simplified in other Bible translations as "have sexual relations with her (New Living Translation)," "did not know her intimately (Holman Christian Standard Bible) and “sinipingan” in the Magandang Balita Biblia.

If this is not enough, we can even read in Mark 6:3-4 that Jesus had biological half-brothers and half-sisters. This is what Mark wrote,

“‘Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’”

2. The 10 commandments

Most Filipinos read the 10 Commandments not in the Bible but on giant stone tablets that adorn many places of worship. They are supposedly simplified versions of Exodus 20:1-17.

But a simple comparison of the 10 Commandments in the Bible and the commandments on the stone tablets reveals a key difference.

This is a photo of the 10 Commandments at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Iloilo taken by historicphilippines.com

Now, this is the actual text of Exodus 20:1-17

And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The Bible specifically prohibits worship of graven images or statutes and religious icons. Thus, we have a unique second commandment based on Exodus 20:4-5, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them…"

This is written distinctly from the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” which is based on verse 3.

If one doubts this prohibition, we need only to supplement this with Psalm 115:2-8 that tackles the issue of idol worship graphically. In this Psalm we read:

Why do the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
 Our God is in heaven;
    he does whatever pleases him.
 But their idols are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
    eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
    noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
    feet, but cannot walk,
    nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

The sad omission of this vital commandment has led many Filipinos to believe that praying to statues and adoration of images are Biblical. A closer look at the Bible, however, reveals that these practices go against God's Word.

How about the two commandments against covetousness in the stone tablets? These should rightfully be combined because they are written as one in Exodus 20:17. Why split what was originally written together in the Bible?

3. Salvation by doing good

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When heaven and hell and the salvation of one's soul are discussed, majority of Filipinos mistakenly think of a scale. Borrowing from the idea of “karma,” they believe that people’s destiny is dependent on whether or not they can do enough good to outweigh their sins and tip heaven on their favor.

They think that as in a balance, when God weighs a person's deeds, the good acts should overcome the bad so that he can have eternal life in heaven.

However, a plain reading of Ephesians 2:8-10 reveals God's will on this matter. Paul writes,

"8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

A person is saved NOT by good works but by God's grace which is received through faith in Jesus. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone can one gain eternal life. If, by God’s grace, we believe in Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, we are saved!

So what are good deeds for? Notice verse 10. The good that we do have been prepared beforehand as evidences of genuine faith. That is, good works are the result NOT the prerequisite of salvation.

4. Having a religion equals faith in God

Immaculate Concepcion church at Oslob, Cebu

Many religious Filipinos equate their devotion to a certain religion as faith in the Living God. They think that because they are members of a certain church and attend to their religious obligations, they already have genuine faith.

However, faith in the Bible is richer than this simplistic view. When we read Romans 10:1-3, we find that genuine faith involves knowledge or understanding of the truth.

Paul writes,

“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

One cannot just follow something blindly. To say that faith exists, a person needs to understand what he believes in. In the case of Biblical Christianity, he needs to understand the Gospel message.

The Gospel tells us that all human beings have sinned and are now separated from God (Romans 3:23), condemned to suffer eternal death (Romans 6:23). But by God’s grace, He sent Jesus to take the death penalty (Romans 5:8) and provide a way to reconcile people to God (1 Peter 3:18). He died on the cross as our substitute but rose again (1 Corinthians 15:2-4), promising eternal life to everyone who believes in Him as personal Lord and Savior (John 3:16).

But not everyone who knows the Gospel message possesses genuine faith. James 2:19 even tells us, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.” Demons believe, in the sense that they know God’s Word, but instead of faith, they shudder in fear.

This is so because the second element of genuine faith is persuasion. Knowing something is not enough, we have to be convinced that what we know is true. We have to believe that we are sinners, that we are separated from God, that we will one day suffer in hell for our rebellion.

And if we’re convinced by these, we must naturally be persuaded of the need for a Savior and that this is no other than Jesus.

Finally and most importantly, as in Apostle Paul’s experience recorded in Acts 26, genuine faith entails personal trust in Jesus. We do not just know, we’re not just convinced, ultimately, we surrender our entire lives to Jesus.

This is how genuine faith looks like in the Bible—intellectual knowledge, intellectual persuasion and whole-hearted trust in Jesus.

5. Who becomes a saint

http://sanpedrocalungsod.com

The country rejoiced in 2012 when another Filipino was declared a “saint” after meeting the strict criteria laid down by religious institutions. This set of criteria makes people believe that being a saint is reserved only to the holiest and most pious followers of God.

However, we can read throughout the New Testament that all true believers in Jesus are called saints. Two telling examples are read in Acts 9:13 and Acts 9:32 where Luke called Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem and Lydda “saints,” “believers” or “holy people.” Notice that the terms are interchangeable.

And perhaps none is more telling than 1 Corinthians 1:2 where we read,

 “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours…”

Paul makes plain that those who belong to the Church of God in Corinth are called to be “saints,” “believers” or “holy people” together “with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Does “every place” include the Philippines? Certainly! Even Filipinos who consider Jesus as Lord are saints of God.

The Bible shows from these examples that being a true follower of Jesus, believing in Him as personal Lord and Savior, makes one a saint in God’s eyes. After all, to be a saint (Gk. hagios) means to be set apart (holy) for God’s work and for the expansion of His Kingdom.

No one fits this description but God’s people, true followers of Jesus.

6. We lose nothing when we believe in swerte or luck

http://www.foreigners-in-china.com/images/
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Many times we hear Filipinos say, “Wala namang mawawala kung maniniwala sa swerte.” Thus, every new year, we watch several TV segments about feng sui and astrology in an attempt to improve our luck.

But this seemingly innocent tradition and hobby, actually attacks the very character of God. The concept of luck is foreign in the Bible because it presupposes the absence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, benevolent and sovereign God.

Luck, after all, leaves our lives to chance. There is no assurance about anything because the universe operates randomly.

But in the Bible, we see that God is in control of the universe. In Psalm 115:3 we read, “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”

No knowledge escapes His mind, be it about the vastness of the universe or our personal lives. These are demonstrated clearly in Psalm 139:2-4,

“You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.”

and in Psalm 147:4, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”

All these are true because God created everything there was, is and ever will be. God bares this in Job 38 where He challenged Job,

“6 Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
    or who laid its cornerstone….
“Who shut up the sea behind doors
    when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
    and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
    and set its doors and bars in place,
“Have you ever given orders to the morning,
    or shown the dawn its place,
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
    and shake the wicked out of it?
“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
    or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
    Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?

These six items are but some of the beliefs Filipinos need to be more critical of. If we truly desire to obey God and His commands, the best place to start is in the Bible. Why don’t we spend more time reading and understanding it so that we can see for ourselves whether the things we practice are true?

Let us not depend on the media or other people or even this article to tell us what to believe. Instead, let us immerse ourselves in God’s Word, studying it diligently, to find out “if these things were so.”

Remembering LJM

On Christmas day I read from a friend's Facebook post that Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc has passed away. LJM, as she is commonly known in journalism circles, is the editor-in-chief behind the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI).

I have first known about LJM from Philippine press history lessons in college. She is remembered as among the brave writers who dared to expose the lies behind the late dictator's rule. She also stood firm in the face of government corruption and political pressures from subsequent administrations, all in the name of a free press.

When no one else wanted to report about Ninoy Aquino's death and burial, they were at the forefront. LJM and other journalists turned a humble lifestyle magazine into democracy's lone defender.

When former President Erap Estrada called on the TV industry to boycott the Inquirer, she dug her heels in and continued churning stories about Erap's mansions and mistresses.

In a few months, we witnessed People Power anew. Just as she did in 1986, LJM contributed to social change through her brave stories in our generation.

I'm writing this as tribute and gratitude to one of Philippine Press's bedrocks. We enjoy press freedom and democracy today because of the contributions of people like LJM.

Though I have never met her, I am thankful for the journalism principles she espoused and developed. These have shaped my mass communication professors who,  in turn, shaped me, one way or another.

And though I have never professionally practiced journalism, I had been a part of PDI once as a college scholar and an intern. She had been my EIC for one full summer term.

I also felt indebted to LJM because of an article about her I read today. I have always wondered why PDI allowed me to pursue a different path after being their scholar for two years.

I was surprised that they never demanded the return service when I wrote them that I was no longer considering the newspaper after my graduation. They didn't even ask me to pay back even after I offered to return every peso from the scholarship.

I was even more surprised that they let me go when my simplistic reason was I felt that God was calling me to serve Him through Christian ministry. God and spirituality never sat well with many journalists in the Philippines so I thought my reason was unacceptable. But PDI respected it.

This has always been a mystery for me until I found out that LJM was spiritual herself. In a tribute article by PDI,  she was described as a woman who always went to mass daily, seeking God's peace in troubled times.

Now, I don't know how Biblical her view of God is or how much similar our faith convictions are, me being a Bible Christian. But this I know, she believed that there is a God, and I know this influenced PDI to never leave Him out of the newsroom.

I also remember that during our scholarship interview I disclosed that I was also considering going full time in Christian ministry. I didn't understand the comment of one panelist then who said something like, "Oh perhaps this one's going to be a missionary too!"

Maybe LJM's leadership made even the senior editors of Inquirer sensitive to faith issues. Another panelist even asked me to elaborate about my faith. I can't remember who he was now but I found out later that he, too, is a follower of Jesus.

These anecdotes may seem tangential, but I guess I just want to thank LJM for keeping God in the PDI newsroom. My ministry story could have gone a different path without this key element.

Of course I still believe in God's sovereignty. If He wills that I serve Him in the campus work, it will come to pass. But the road towards that reality became easier as He allowed all the pieces to fall into place-- and I believe these include LJM as PDI's EIC.

Her legacy in toppling down a dictator and unseating another corrupt president will be remembered by many. And in my own small story, I will remember LJM as among God's instruments in my journey towards serving Him full-time in the student ministry.

Saitama and some ministry reminders

Upon the recommendation of a housemate, I started watching a new anime series entitled, 'One Punch Man.' This is about a hero named Saitama who defeats his enemies with a single powerful punch.

Throughout the first season, we see him frustrated with the lack of worthy foes who can match his strength.

We also witness his journey up the ranks as he defeats one monster after another. Though undeniably the most powerful of all the heroes, he started at the bottom (Class C) for getting poor marks in the essay exams of the Hero Association.

Unlike other heroes, however, Saitama's unaffected by his rank. While others fight monsters to increase their popularity and rankings, he does  so for the sheer passion of being a hero.

He has defeated several powerful enemies, saving millions of civilians and other heroes ranked much higher than he was.

Sadly, many people branded him a cheat because they couldn't believe that a Class C hero outperformed the elite Class S.

But amid the slander emerged Saitama's most admirable quality-- selflessness. In one episode, a vicious sea monster knocked out several Class S and A heroes after rampaging in a city.

Even Saitama's own disciple, Class S cyborg Genos, nearly died at the hands of this beast. But as expected, Saitama killed the monster with one punch.

At first, the people were in awe, then disbelief, finally contempt. One survivor even bashed the other heroes for being weaklings because a mere Class C outshined them!

Desiring to protect the other heroes from shame and feigning recognition, Saitama pretended that the monster became weak after fighting all the other heroes earlier.

He even acted arrogant just to divert the people's criticisms from the defeated heroes to himself. Saitama fueled the rumors that he cheated his way in the rankings by taking credit of other heroes' work.

Genos understood his master's motivation. He didn't care about his reputation. What's important is that the other heroes don't lose the people's trust.

Saitama didn't care about greatness as long as he can faithfully fulfill his duties at all costs.

This quality reminds me vividly of John 3:30. When Jesus' ministry began overshadowing John the Baptist's, the prophet only had one answer: "Jesus must become greater, I must become less."

As a minister, I always battle the temptation of fame and honor whenever great feats are accomplished in God's ministries.

I constantly remind myself that all glory and honor belong to God so I must always ask the Spirit to check my heart's motivations in all I do. False humility has no room in God's ministry, because everything is dependent on His grace.

The temptation of pride also rears its ugly head whenever my heart quietly demands recognition in the work I do, forgetting that I must please God not men.

Pride causes me to feel this entitlement when the fact is I should be doing my share of God's ministry out of love for Him. If I only run after the praises of men I am no different from the hypocritical religious leaders during Jesus' time.

They pray loudly and ensure that their good deeds are seen by everyone to gain people's admiration. In condemnation, Jesus said that the only reward they receive is the hollow praise of man. They do not have the affirmation of God.

The Lord reminded me that He alone is my audience as I dispense my calling as a Christian worker among students. False humility and pride do not sit well with God's grace.

Instead, all of my days, I should strive to please and serve my only Master, Lord and Savior-- Jesus Christ! How I long to hear Him say one day, "Well done my good and faithful servant..."

PS. I find it interesting that God reminded me these things using an anime! Truly, if we're sensitive to God's Spirit, we'll find Him speaking to us even in unconventional ways.

Ang Kahulugan ng Pasko sa Pangalan ni Hesus

Ano nga ba ang Pasko? Bakit natin ito ipinagdiriwang? Napanood ko sa isang balita na ang diwa raw ng Pasko ay ang pagbibigayan ng regalo.

Ang ilan naman ay naniniwalang mga reunion o pagsasalo-salo ng mag-anak ang tunay na kahulugan ng Pasko. Madalas din nating makita sa mga patalasatas na mga kainan, pamamasyal at party ang sentro ng selebrasyon.

At habang ako’y lumalaki ay tradisyunal ng sagot ang kapayapaan, pagpapatawaran, pagmamahalan bilang tunay na mensahe ng ika-25 ng Disyembre.

Pero kung nais talaga nating maintindihan ang mensahe ng Pasko, mabuting bumalik tayo sa simula, sa orihinal na kuwento. At ito’y mababasa natin sa Bibliya, ang Salita ng Diyos.

Ang Pasko sa Biblya 

Mayroong dalawang tala ng unang kapaskuhan sa Bibliya. Mababasa natin ito sa aklat ng Matthew chapters 1 at 2, at sa Luke chapter 2. Upang mas maintindihan natin ang kahulugan ng kapanganakan ni Hesus ay bibigyang pokus natin ang Matthew 1:18-25.

At habang binabasa ito, nais kong ibalin natin ang atensyon sa mga pangalang ibinigay kay Hesus. Nakakatuwang malaman na kahit sa pamamagitan lamang ng mga pangalang ito’y maiintindihan na natin ang tunay na diwa ng kapaskuhan.

Para sa mga walang Bibliya, heto ang Matthew 1:18-25 na halaw sa salin ng Bagong Magandang Balita Bibliya:

18 Ito ang naganap nang ipanganak si Jesu-Cristo. Si Maria na kanyang ina at si Jose ay nakatakda nang magpakasal. Ngunit bago sila makasal, nalaman ni Maria na siya'y nagdadalang-tao sa pamamagitan ng kapangyarihan ng Espiritu Santo. 19 Subalit dahil isang taong matuwid si Jose na kanyang mapapangasawa, at ayaw nitong malagay sa lubos na kahihiyan si Maria, binalak niyang hiwalayan si Maria nang palihim.

20 Ngunit habang pinag-iisipan ito ni Jose, nagpakita sa kanya sa panaginip ang isang anghel ng Panginoon. Sinabi nito sa kanya, "Jose, anak ni David, huwag kang matakot na pakasalan si Maria, sapagkat ang sanggol na dinadala niya ay mula sa Espiritu Santo. 21 Magsisilang siya ng isang batang lalaki at Jesus ang ipapangalan mo sa sanggol sapagkat ililigtas niya ang kanyang bayan sa kanilang mga kasalanan."

22 Nangyari nga ang lahat ng ito upang matupad ang sinabi ng Panginoon sa pamamagitan ng propeta,

23 "Tingnan ninyo; 'Maglilihi ang isang birhen at magsisilang ng isang sanggol na lalaki, at tatawagin itong Emmanuel.' " (Ang kahulugan nito'y "Kasama natin ang Diyos").

24 Nang magising si Jose, sinunod nga niya ang utos ng anghel ng Panginoon at pinakasalan niya si Maria. 25 Ngunit hindi niya sinipingan si Maria hanggang magsilang ito ng isang anak na lalaki. At Jesus nga ang ipinangalan ni Jose sa sanggol.

Bakit mga pangalan?

Bakit ang mga pangalan ni Hesus ang ating bibigyang pokus? Ito ay dahil may kahulugan ang bawat pangalan. Halimbawa, ang pangalan ko’y Frederick Paulo. Ang Frederick ay nangangahulugang mapayapang pinuno habang ang Paulo naman ay maliit.

Ganoon din sa panahon nina Maria at higit pa! Ito ay dahil naniniwala ang mga Judio na ang pangalan ng isang tao’y nagpapakita ng kaniyang katangian, maging ng kaniyang kapalaran.

Isang halimbawa si Jacob na ang pangala’y nangangahulugang nakahawak sa sakong o kaya’y manlilinlang. Para sa mga pamilyar sa kaniyang kuwento sa Lumang Tipan, alam nating noong ipinanganak si Jacob ay hawak hawak niya ang sakong ng kaniyang kuyang si Esau. Maliban dito’y makailang beses ding nilinlang ni Jacob si Esau na nagbunsod ng hidwaan sa pagitan ng magkapatid.

Isa pang halimbawa ang pangalan mismo ng Diyos sa Bibliya. Sa Exodus 3, tinaong ni Moses ang Diyos kung anong pangalan Niya nang sa gayo’y  maniniwala ang mga Israelita na isinugo nga siya ng kanilang Diyos. Mababasa natin sa Exodus 3:14 ang pangalang Yahweh o kapag isinali’y, Ako ay si Ako nga.

Ganito ang pangalang ibinigay ng Diyos dahil walang isang salita ang kayang sumakop sa kabuuan ng Kaniyang katangian at pagka-Diyos! Mapagmahal ang Diyos, mahabagin, makatarungan, kagalang-galang, makapangyarihan, banal, alam Niya ang lahat, manlilikha, hukom at marami pa.

Ganito ang ibinigay Niyang pangalan dahil para Niyang sinasabing, “Ang pangalan Ko ay kung ano ang katangian Ko. Ang pangalan Ko ay kung sino Ako.

Nakita natin mula sa dalawang halimbawang ito ang kahalagahan ng pangalan para sa mga Judio. Sa pagdako natin sa mga pangalang ibinigay kay Hesus ay makikita rin nating nakahabi ang kabuuang plano ng Diyos sa likod ng kuwento ng Pasko.

Ang Pasko at ang mga Pangalan ni Hesus

May tatlong pangalan o titulong ibinigay kay Hesus sa kabanatang ating binasa. Sa verse 18, tinawag siyang Cristo, sa verse 21 ay Hesus at Emmanuel naman sa verse 23. Ating himayin ang tatlong pangalang ito upang maintindihan ang tunay na diwa ng kapaskuhan.

Hindi apilyedo ni Hesus ang Cristo. Bagkus, isa itong titulo na puwede nating ihambing sa Dr., Engr. o Atty. sa kasalukuyan. Galing ito sa salitang Greek na Cristos at salin ng Hebrew na Mesias na parehong nangangahulugang  “Ang Napili” o “Ang Nahirang.” Sa madaling sabi, ang ibig sabihin ng Cristo ay  “Napili o Nahirang ng Diyos.”

Ang Jesus o Hesus naman ay salin mula sa Hebrew na “Yeshua” o “Joshua.” Nangangahulugan itong “Nagliligtas ang Panginoon.” Ito nga ang ipinangalan sa anak ni Maria kasi ayon sa anghel ng Panginoon ay “ililigtas niya ang kaniyang bayan sa kanilang mga kasalanan.”

Kung ating susuriin, makikita na natin dito pa lang ang pagka-Diyos ni Hesus dahil sabi ng pangalan Niya’y, Siya ang Panginoong nagliligtas mula sa mga kasalanan.

Panghuli ang pangalang Emmanuel na galing sa isang propesiya sa Isaiah 7:14. Ayon sa propetang Isaiah, “Dahil dito si Yahweh mismo ang magbibigay sa inyo ng palatandaan: Maglilihi ang isang dalaga at magsisilang ng isang sanggol na lalaki at tatawagin sa pangalang Emmanuel.”

Ibig sabihin ng Emmanual ay “kasama natin ang Diyos.” Malinaw na malinaw mula sa ikatlong pangalan ang pagka-Diyos ni Hesus dahil sinambit ng Biblya na sa Kaniyang pagdating, makakasama natin ang Diyos.

Ito ang tatlong pangalang nakasulat sa Matthew 1:18-25. Kung hiwa-hiwalay, hindi natin makikita ang mensahe ng Pasko. Pero kung pinagsama-sama natin sila, madaling maiintindihan ang dahilan ng pagparito sa mundo ni Hesu-Cristo.

Paghahabi-habi at pagintindi

Ito nga ang ating gagawin ngayon—ipaghahabi natin ang mga pangalan ni Hesus sa pagnanais maintindihan ang Kapaskuhan.

Ang Pasko ay isang kagila-gilalas na pangyayari sa kasaysayan, na kung saa’y ang Diyos ay nag-Emmanuel, o pumarito sa lupa upang manahan kasama natin. At habang Siya’y naririto’s niyakap Niya rin ang pagiging tao habang nananatiling buong Diyos. Kaya nga ang Pasko ay kuwento rin ng Incarnation, o ng pagiging tao ng Diyos.

Hindi lang dito nagtatapos ang kuwento. May dahilan ang Diyos kung bakit Siya pumunta sa lupa upang mamuhay kasama ng sangkatauhan. Ang dahilan Niya ay para i-Jesus tayong lahat!

Ano nga ang Hesus? "Nagliligtas ang Panginoon." Pumarito ang Diyos at niyakap ang pagkatao upang iligtas tayo mula sa ating mga kasalanan. Kaya ang Pasko ay kuwento rin ng kaligtasan mula sa kadiliman, dahil pumarito na sa mundo sa isang sanggol ang Panginoon na nagliligtas.

Napakahalagang buong Diyos at buong tao ang Tagapagligtas upang magsilbi siyang tulay sa pagitan ng Langit at Lupa, para mailapit niya ang tao sa Diyos at ang Diyos sa tao.

Paano tinupad ng Diyos ang pagpunta sa lupa at ang pagliligtas sa sangkatauhan? Ginawa niya ito sa pamamagitan ng pag-Crist sa paghirang sa Kaniyang nag-iisang Anak, pagpili sa Diyos Anak upang isakatuparan ang kaligtasan ng lahat ng maniniwala o magpapasakop sa Kaniya.

Sa makatuwid, ang Pasko ay higit sa mga regalo, pagdiriwang, kasiyahan o pagbibigayan. Tama nga na ito ay tungkol sa pagmamahalan at pagpapatawaran pero higit sa pagitan ng mga tao. Ito ay tungkol sa pagmamahal ng Diyos at pagpapatawad Niya sa mga kasalanan ng mga naniniwala kay Hesus bilang  Tagapagligtas!
Ang Pasko ay kuwento ng kagandahan loob ng Diyos, ng grasya Niya na kahit tayo’y karapat dapat na mamatay dahil sa ating mga kasalanan ay ibinigay Niya ang Kaniyang Anak bilang regalo upang maligtas ang lahat ng mananampalataya.

Ngayong Pasko, dalangin kong magkaroon tayo ng panahong mag-reflect tungkol sa ating kalagayang espiritwal. Magbigay oras tayo upang pag-isipan kung tunay nga ba tayong naniniwala kay Hesus. Hindi lang ito impormasyon na naririnig natin mula sa ibang tao, napapanood o nababasa, pero paniniwala na mula sa puso—pagtitiwala na Siya lang ang tunay na makapagliligtas sa atin mula sa kasalanan.

Nawa ngayong Pasko’y tumawag tayo sa Diyos at humingi ng grasya upang maging ganap ang relasyon natin sa Kaniya! At kung tiyak naman ang ating kaligtasan, maging panahon nawa ang Kapaskuhan upang magpasalamat sa Diyos para sa lahat ng Kaniyang kabutihan at walang sawang paggabay sa ating buhay!

Maligayang Pasko sa ating lahat!