Ia Tau o le Alii e Mitamita Ai

A Samoan Sunday sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:18–31 about the cross, God’s grace, salvation, humility, and boasting in the Lord.

“He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 1:31 (World English Bible)

Lauga Aso Sa

Tusi Faitau: 1 Korinito 1:18–31
Matua: 1 Korinito 1:31
Autu: Ia Tau o le Alii e Mitamita Ai

This page preserves the Samoan sermon as the main work and adds an English editorial overview, Scripture references, and contextual media for readers who are more comfortable in English.

English editorial overview

The sermon begins with a warning against forgetting where blessing comes from. Drawing on the memory of Israel entering the promised land, it calls people to gratitude and humility rather than self-congratulation. The central claim is simple: God is the source, the one who makes growth possible, and the one who brings good purposes to completion. Human beings therefore should not say, “Without me this would not have happened,” but should recognise the presence and grace of God.

From there, the sermon turns to Paul’s message to the church at Corinth. Corinth is presented as a diverse place where people brought different customs, beliefs, and ways of thinking. Into that setting Paul preached the risen Christ. The sermon highlights why the cross could appear shameful or foolish in human eyes, yet in Christian faith it becomes the place where God’s grace, salvation, and new life are revealed.

The message of 1 Corinthians 1 is then applied to the contrast between human wisdom and the wisdom of God. What people may dismiss as weakness becomes, through Christ, a testimony to the power of God. The cross is no longer treated merely as a sign of death, but as part of the story of Christ’s victory and the hope of salvation.

The sermon repeatedly calls believers to remain steady in faith. False teaching, fear, or human judgement should not displace confidence in the risen Christ. The believer’s hope is not grounded in personal status, achievement, or intelligence, but in what God has done through Jesus Christ.

The closing application returns to the theme of boasting. Salvation has been prepared by God; believers receive it through faithful trust. Whatever good things, opportunities, or blessings come into life should not become reasons for pride in self. To boast in the Lord is presented as the opposite of arrogance: it leads to humility, service, dependence on God, and a willingness for one’s work to benefit others according to God’s will.

O le Atua o le Pogai

Fai mai upu o loo tusia i le Teuteronome, upu mo le fanauga a Isaraelu: a outou taunuu i le nuu ua folafolaina, aua nei galo ia te outou le faafetai i le Atua.

Ae fai mai le Pese a le Faisalamo: a uma se galuega sa fai, ia faapea ane le tagata, o i tatou o ni auauna le aoga.

Aisea ua faapea ai ia upu? Ia tata‘i pea le manatu ma le lagona a le tagata: ana le seanoa le Alofa Tunoa o le Atua, e le taunuu. Ana leai le aoao taitaiina e le Atua o le faamoemoe lelei sa feagai ai, e le tino mai ma fua i se fua lelei.

O le naunautaiga: o le Atua le pogai, o le Atua na mafua ai, o le Atua e faatupuina ma faaatoatoaina. O le Atua foi ua faataunuuina.

O le a lona uiga? Aua le manatu le tagata o ia lava. Aua le faapea le tagata, ana leai o ia e le taunuu. Leai. Ae ia faapea: o le faatasi mai o le Atua ua mafai ai.

Ona moni ai lea o le autu: Ia tau lava o le Alii e mitamita ai.

Korinito ma le Talaiga a Paulo

Le aai o Korinito ua fai ma ogatotonu o fefaatauaiga o oloa o le atu-Asia. O le nuu ua lolofi iai tagata mai i lea mea ma lea mea o le lalolagi, tagata eseese, ua tofu lava ma tu ma aga ua masani iai, faatasi ai ma o latou talitonuga.

Le galuega talai la a Paulo, e le asa lava ma e taufaaleaga i lana talaiga, le talaiga i le Keriso Toetu.

Le ala foi lea e tusi atu ai: tusi au-alofa, tusi faamalosiau, tusi faamanatu, tusi e tau faamalamalamaina ai se mataupu, e pei o le mataupu i le Satauro.

Site plan of Ancient Corinth showing the Temple of Apollo, agora, bema and other major locations — Site plan of Ancient Corinth, Greece.

Map: Tomisti, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Le Satauro ma le Alofa Tunoa

Le Satauro e mataga i le vaaiga o tagata Iutaia, faapea tagata Eleni. Peitai, faamanino e Paulo: o le Satauro o loo faailoa manino mai ai le silisiliese o le Atua.

Le Satauro sa lilo i tagata lona uiga moni, ae o iina na faailoa ai le Alofa Tunoa, le Faaolataga, ma le Ola Fou mo le lalolagi atoa. Le finagalo lea a le Atua sa lilo i manatu a le tagata; sa pogisa ai foi lo latou vaai.

Faamanatu e Paulo i le au-faatuatua: a maua le Atua e ala ia Keriso Iesu, ua maua faatasi ai ma manuia e tele. Aua o le poto ma faamanuiaga e afua mai le Atua, e mai le Atua mo le tagata.

Aua o le poto a le tagata e alualu gata, ae o le finagalo o le Atua e faamalosia o latou tagata.

Le Satauro e valea i le manatu o le tagata, ae o le Satauro na fai lea ma molimau i le Toetu Manumalo o Keriso Iesu. Le Satauro ua le toe fai ma faailo o le oti, ae o le Faaolataga. Le vavega ua faia e le Atua ua le mafai lava ona faamatalatalaina e le iloa o le tagata.

BibleProject — overview of 1 Corinthians

Context video: BibleProject’s overview of 1 Corinthians, explaining the letter’s structure and central themes.

Tumau i le Faatuatua

Le feau manino lea a Paulo: tumau i le Faatuatua. E saunia lava e le Atua le ala e manumalo ai.

E pei ona vaai maulalo i le Satauro, ae na toilalo ai lo latou iloa. O a la aoaoga taufaasese ma tulaga o loo faamatau atu, mausali pea i le Keriso Toetu.

Aua o Ia ua Manumalo, ua latou manumalo faatasi uma ai. Le Faaolataga, ia latou mitamita ai, e pei o upu a le matua.

Uso ma Tuagane ia Keriso, ua uma ona Ia saunia le Faaolataga, le avanoa tatou te saofaga ai i le Ola e Faavavau. Pau o lea, ia tatou Faatuatua iai ma le Faamaoni.

E pei na iai le faamanatu a Paulo: a maua Iesu, ua atoatoa foi isi tulaga o loo tausailia.

O le taua o le feau: se mea itiiti ma le tauoloa, ae na avea ma moemoe fou, afua mai ai le Ola.

O i tonu le Ekalesia. Ua faailoa manino mai le Alofa Tunoa o le Atua; e le tuulafoai mai. Le Alofa lena ia tatou mitamita ai.

O a la manuia ua tatou maua, o a tulaga lelei e tulai mai? O le faamanatu: aua tatou te manatu ifo o i tatou lava le pogai, ae ia lagona i le taele o le loto: o le Atua lava.

Le au-faatuatua, o le tagata e mitamita i le Alii e loto maulalo lava, e tolotolo lava, e faamoemoe i le Atua.

Aisea? E iai le taimi, le ituaso, e lafotuina ai mea maualuluga, ae faaeaina o tatou tagata. La outou auaunaga, a le manuia ai outou ae mo isi ma le finagalo o le Atua.

Amene.

Scripture connections and editorial notes

1 Corinthians 1:18–31 is the sermon’s main reading. Verse 31 gives its central theme: boasting in the Lord rather than in oneself.
Deuteronomy 8 closely matches the opening reminder not to forget God after receiving blessing and prosperity.
The sermon refers to the saying about being “unworthy servants” as coming from the Psalms. The wording closely parallels Luke 17:10. The original sermon wording has been preserved above rather than silently changed.
In the World English Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:31 points back to Jeremiah 9:24.

Editorial note

The Samoan sermon text was supplied for publication and remains the main work on this page. O le Upu has made light web-formatting, punctuation, and spelling-consistency edits for readability, while preserving the sermon’s argument, theology, and voice. The English overview, Scripture cross-references, contextual media, image captions, and source notes were added editorially by O le Upu.

Sources and further reading