Faetem Corruption Witim Sword Bilong Spirit

“Werem niufala fasin wea god wakem fitim will bilong hem long trufala raeteous fasin and loyal fasin.”​—Ephesians 4:24.

LONG taem hem strong tumas, Gavman bilong Rome rul long nambawan wei wea world no lukim bifor. From law system bilong Rome waka gud tumas, hem stap yet distaem olsem faondeson bilong legal system bilong staka kantri. Bat, nomata Rome kamap gud tumas olsem, bigfala army bilong hem kanduit winim wanfala enemy wea haed: corruption. Gogo, corruption nao kwiktaem finisim Rome.

Aposol Paul hem wanfala wea safa from corruption bilong olketa bigman bilong Rome. Felix, datfala governor bilong Rome wea kwestinim hem, luk olsem hem luksavve Paul hem no guilty. Bat Felix, wanfala long olketa worse wan saed long corruption long taem bilong hem, hem delayim kot case bilong Paul from hem hope Paul bae givim hem selen for kamap free.—Acts 24:22-26.

Winim wei for bribem Felix, Paul tok stret long hem abaotem “raeteous fasin and fasin for kontrolem seleva.” Felix no changem wei bilong hem, and Paul go ahed for stap long prison winim wei for trae winim system bilong law witim bribe. Hem preachim wanfala message bilong truth and honest fasin, and hem followim long living. Hem raet olsem long olketa Jew Christian: “Mifala savve mifala garem wanfala honest conscience, from mifala want for duim evri samting long honest wei.”—Hebrews 13:18.

Wei olsem hem barava difren from fasin bilong pipol long datfala taem. Brata bilong Felix, Pallas, hem wanfala barava rich man bilong taem bifor, and big haf long riches bilong hem—wea kasem $220 million [S.I.]—hem kasem from wei for bribe and raverave. Bat riches bilong hem samting nating nomoa taem iumi markem witim staka billion dollar wea samfala raverave ruler bilong mek-20 century haedem insaed olketa secret bank account. Hem klia, olketa wea krangge nomoa bae biliv hao olketa gavman distaem winim faet againstim corruption.

From corruption stap strong for longtaem nao, waswe, iumi mas feel hem wei bilong man nao? Or wei stap for finisim corruption?

Hao Nao for Daonem Corruption?

Hem klia hao first samting for duim for daonem corruption hem for luksavve corruption hem spoelem man and hem rong, bikos hem helpem wicked pipol wea spoelem nara pipol. Staka luksavve nao long diswan. James Foley, U.S. deputy secretary bilong state, hem sei: “Iumi evriwan luksavve long problem wea kamaot from bribe hem big tumas. Bribe hem spoelem gudfala wei for lukaftarem pipol, hem spoelem selen and wei for grow bilong kantri, hem spoelem wei for duim bisnis, and hem panisim pipol raonem world.” Staka bae agree witim hem. Long December 17, 1997, 34 bigfala kantri saenem wanfala “agreement saed long wei for bribe” wea olketa wakem for “barava strongim datfala faet againstim corruption evriwea long world.” Disfala agreement “tambuim wei for offerim, promisim or givim bribe long wanfala bigman long gavman bilong difren kantri for kasem or keepim bisnis kontrak.”

Bat bribe for winim bisnis kontrak long difren kantri hem smol part nomoa bilong corruption. For finisim evribit corruption bae needim mek-tu step wea moa hard: for changem heart or, winim diswan, for changem staka heart. Pipol evriwea mas lane for heitim bribe and corruption. Disfala wei nomoa bae finisim wei for no honest for kasem samting. Dastawe, Newsweek magasin sei samfala feel olketa gavman shud “encouragem feeling for want for kamap gudfala kantri man.” Transparency International, wanfala grup wea faet againstim corruption hem encouragem tu olketa wea saportim hem for “nilam wanfala ‘seed bilong faithful fasin’” long ples for waka.

Disfala faet againstim corruption hem fasin wea law seleva or “datfala sword” bilong panis saed long law kanduit finisim. (Romans 13:4, 5) Seed bilong gudfala fasin and faithful fasin mas grow insaed heart bilong pipol. Best wei for kasem diswan hem for iusim wanem aposol Paul storyim olsem “sword bilong spirit,” Word bilong God, Bible.—Ephesians 6:17.

Bible Barava Againstim Corruption

Why nao Paul les for acceptim corruption? Bikos hem laek for duim will bilong God, “wea no favorim eniwan and no acceptim bribe.” (Deuteronomy 10:17) And tu, Paul rememberim datfala rul insaed Law Bilong Moses: “Iu mas no teksaed or acceptim wanfala bribe, from datfala bribe mekem man wea wise for kamap blind and hem tanem toktok bilong raeteous man.” (Deuteronomy 16:19) King David tu minim hao Jehovah heitim corruption, and hem ask for God no joinim hem witim olketa sinner, “wea raet hand bilong olketa fulap witim wei for bribe.”—Psalm 26:10.

Olketa wea worshipim God long honest wei garem samfala nara reason tu for rejectim corruption. Solomon hem raet: “Thru long justice wanfala king mekem kantri stap strong, bat man wea greedy for kasem bribe hem brekem daon.” (Proverbs 29:4, New International Version) Justice—especially taem bigman and evriwan nao duim—mekem kantri stap strong, bat corruption mekem kantri poor. Hem interesting hao Newsweek hem sei: “Insaed wanfala system wea evriwan want for profit from corruption and olketa savve hao for kasem, kantri savve brekdaon nomoa.”

Nomata sapos kantri no brekdaon evribit, pipol wea lovem justice feel kros taem corruption big tumas and no kasem panis. (Psalm 73:3, 13) Creator bilong iumi, dat wan wea givim iumi feeling for wantem justice, hem tu no hapi. Long bifor, Jehovah duim samting for finisim corruption wea pipol no shame for duim. Olsem example, hem talem stret long pipol long Jerusalem why hem bae givim olketa long enemy bilong olketa.

Thru long profet bilong hem Micah, God hem sei: “Herem, plis, diswan, iufala olketa hed bilong haos bilong Jacob and iufala olketa komanda bilong haos bilong Israel, olketa wea heitim justice and olketa wea mekem evri samting wea stret for kamap kruked. Olketa hed bilong hem judge for bribe nomoa, and olketa priest bilong hem teach for selen, and olketa profet bilong hem duim divination for selen nomoa . . . Dastawe bikos long iufala pipol, olketa bae digim Zion olsem land nating, and Jerusalem seleva bae kamap hip rabis nomoa.” Corruption barava spoelem living long Israel, long sem wei wea hem spoelem Rome planti handred year bihaen. Olsem God warnim, klosap wan handred year bihaen Micah raetem toktok hia, Jerusalem hem distroe and stap emti.—Micah 3:9, 11, 12.

Bat, no eni man or kantri need for raverave. God encouragem wicked pipol for lusim wei bilong living bilong olketa and for changem wei bilong tingting bilong olketa. (Isaiah 55:7) Hem wantem iumi wanwan for changem greedy fasin witim fasin for no selfish and changem corruption witim raeteous fasin. Jehovah remindim iumi olsem: “Man wea ravem poor wan hem daonem Creator bilong hem, bat wan wea kaen long olketa poor wan hem givim glory long Hem.”—Proverbs 14:31.

Winim Corruption Witim Bible Truth

Wanem nao savve muvim man for change olsem? Sem paoa wea muvim Paul for rejectim laef olsem wanfala Pharisee and kamap strongfala follower bilong Jesus Christ. Hem raet: “Word bilong God hem laef and garem paoa.” (Hebrews 4:12) Distaem, Bible truth still mekem honest fasin kamap, nomata midolwan olketa pipol wea barava raverave. Tingim wanfala example.

No longtaem bihaen hem finis from army, Alexander, wea kam from Eastern Europe, joinim wanfala gang wea savve kasem selen thru long raf fasin, fasin for bae-force, and bribe.a Hem sei: “Waka bilong mi hem for forcem olketa rich bisnisman for peim selen for kasem protection. Taem mi kasem trust bilong wanfala bisnisman, olketa nara member bilong grup bilong mifala bae mekem hem fraet witim raf fasin. Then mi offer for deal witim disfala problem—for bigfala selen. Olketa ‘customer’ bilong mi thankiu long mi for wei wea mi helpem olketa witim problem bilong olketa, bat really, mi nao kosim. Hem maet here krangge bat diswan nao part long waka bilong mi wea mi laekem.

“Mi laekem tumas tu selen and diskaen living. Mi draevem wanfala expensive car, stap insaed naesfala haos, and mi garem selen for peim eniting mi laekem. Pipol fraetem mi, wea mekem mi feel strong. Mi feel olsem no eniwan fitim mi and mi winim law. Eni problem witim olketa police mifala stretem stret thru long olketa lawyer wea savve tumas long olketa difren wei for missim law, or witim wanfala bribe.

“Nomata olsem, hem hard tumas for lukim loyal fasin midolwan pipol wea living bilong olketa depend long corruption. Wanfala long gang bilong mifala gogo no laekem mi, and gogo olketa les long mi. Seknomoa, mi lusim expensive car bilong mi, selen bilong mi, girlfren bilong mi wea laekem expensive samting. Olketa killim mi nogud tu. Disfala change mekem mi for tinghevi abaotem purpose bilong laef.

“Tu-thri month bifor, mami bilong mi hem kamap wanfala Jehovah’s Witness, and mi start for readim olketa buk bilong olketa. Toktok bilong Proverbs 4:14, 15 barava mekem mi tingting: ‘No go insaed long road bilong olketa wicked wan, and no wakabaot insaed road bilong olketa nogud man. Stap klia long hem, no wakabaot long hem, tanawe from hem, and go pasim.’ Olketa verse olsem mekem mi sure hao pipol wea garem criminal living no garem really future. Mi start for prea long Jehovah and for askem hem for gaedem mi long stretfala wei. Mi studyim Bible witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness, and gogo, mi dedicatem laef bilong mi long God. Start from datfala taem mi followim honest living.

“Hem tru, honest living hem minim smol selen for mi. Bat distaem mi feel mi garem future, hao laef bilong mi barava garem mining. Mi luksavve hao living bilong mi bifor, witim evri riches bilong hem, hem olsem haos wea olketa wakem from card for plei wea weit nomoa for brekdaon. Bifor, conscience bilong mi no feelim eniting. Distaem, from mi studyim Bible, hem pokem mi enitaem mi kasem test for no honest—nomata long olketa smol samting. Mi trae for live followim Psalm 37:3, wea sei: ‘Trust long Jehovah and duim gud samting; stap long earth, and duim samting witim faithful fasin.’”

“Man wea Heitim Bribe Bae Laef”

Olsem Alexander faendaot, Bible truth savve muvim man for winim corruption. Hem change for fitim wanem aposol Paul talem long leta bilong hem long olketa long Ephesus: “Lusim oldfala fasin wea followim wei bilong iufala bifor and wea kamap nogud fitim olketa giaman samting wea hem wantem; . . . paoa wea muvim mind bilong iufala shud kamap niu, and werem niufala fasin wea God wakem fitim will bilong Hem long trufala raeteous fasin and loyal fasin. So, from iufala lusim laea fasin, iufala wanwan shud talem trufala toktok long neiba bilong hem, bikos iumi evriwan member bilong evriwan. Letem man wea steal no steal moa, bat letem hem duim hard waka, iusim hand bilong hem for duim gudfala waka, mekem hem maet garem samting for givim long samwan wea garem need.” (Ephesians 4:22-25, 28) Future bilong man hem depend long diskaen wei for change.

Sapos hem go ahed nomoa, greedy fasin and corruption savve spoelem earth, long sem wei wea hem spoelem datfala maeti Rul Bilong Rome. Bat, iumi hapi hao wan wea Creatim olketa man hem no plan for leavim problem for kamap stret seleva. Hem disaed finis “for finisim olketa wea spoelem earth.” (Revelation 11:18) And Jehovah promisim pipol wea hope for wanfala world wea free from corruption hao klosap nao, “niu heven and niu earth . . . wea raeteous fasin bae stap,” bae kamap.—2 Peter 3:13.

Hem tru, maet hem no isi for garem honest living distaem. Nomata olsem, Jehovah promisim iumi hao “wanfala greedy man bringim trabol long famili bilong hem, bat man wea heitim bribe bae laef.”b (Proverbs 15:27, NIV) Taem iumi rejectim corruption, iumi showimaot honest fasin bilong iumi taem iumi prea olsem long God: “Letem kingdom bilong iu kam. Letem will bilong iu kamap long earth, olsem hem stap long heven.”—Matthew 6:10.

Taem iumi weit for Kingdom duim samting, iumi wanwan savve ‘plantim seed long wei wea raeteous’ thru long wei for rejectim wei for saportim or duim corruption. (Hosea 10:12) Sapos iumi duim olsem, laef bilong iumi tu bae givim witness abaotem paoa bilong Word Bilong God. Sword bilong spirit savve winim corruption.

[Olketa Footnote]

[Piksa long page 7]

Witim help from Bible, iumi savve mekem grow datfala “niufala fasin” and lusim corruption