Teolojia ya Kibaptisti na Mafundisho Yake Bainifu — Sehemu ya 9: Usalama wa Mwamini na KudumuBaptist Theology and Distinctive Doctrines — Unit 9: The Security of the Believer and Perseverance

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"nami nawapa uzima wa milele; wala hawatapotea kamwe, wala hakuna mtu atakayewapokonya mkononi mwangu." (Yohana 10:28, SUV)"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:28, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza swali la usalama na kufafanua usalama wa milele na kudumu kwa watakatifu.1. State the question of security and define eternal security and perseverance of the saints.

2. Kueleza mtazamo wa Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru kwa haki, pamoja na maandiko yake makuu na wasiwasi wake wa kichungaji.2. Describe the Free Will Baptist view fairly, with its main texts and its pastoral concern.

3. Kutoa hoja ya kibiblia kwa usalama wa mwamini.3. Give the biblical case for the security of the believer.

4. Kueleza jinsi Wabaptisti wanaoshikilia usalama wanavyoelewa vifungu vya maonyo, hasa Waebrania 6.4. Explain how Baptists who hold security understand the warning passages, especially Hebrews 6.

5. Kueleza jinsi usalama, kudumu na uhakika vinavyolingana, na kuvitumia katika utunzaji wa kichungaji.5. Explain how security, perseverance and assurance fit together, and apply them in pastoral care.

Sauti ya Kipindi HikiThe Voice of This Unit

Kipindi hiki kimeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Kibaptisti, kwa wanafunzi wa Kibaptisti. Ni cha kihafidhina na cha kiinjilisti. Katika Kipindi cha 8 kozi iliweka mitazamo miwili bila kuchagua. Kuhusu swali hili kozi inachukua msimamo. Inafuata kundi kubwa zaidi la Wabaptisti wa kihafidhina leo, wanaofundisha usalama wa milele wa mwamini, kama Baptist Faith and Message (Imani na Ujumbe wa Kibaptisti) (2000) inavyofanya. Tunaeleza mtazamo mwingine wa Kibaptisti kwanza na kwa haki, kama wanaoushikilia wangeueleza. Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru ni ndugu wanaoipenda Biblia na wanaohubiri injili kwa gharama kubwa. Mtazamo wao ni msimamo wa heshima wa Kibaptisti, nao unajibiwa hapa kwa heshima.This unit is written from inside the Baptist tradition, for Baptist students. It is conservative and evangelical. In Unit 8 the course set out two views without choosing. On this question the course does take a position. It follows the larger body of conservative Baptists today, who teach the eternal security of the believer, as the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) does. We state the other Baptist view first and fairly, as its holders would state it. Free Will Baptists are brothers who love the Bible and who preach the gospel at great cost. Their view is an honorable Baptist position, and it is answered here with respect.

Maandiko yanasema, "jaribuni mambo yote; lishikeni lililo jema" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21).Scripture says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

SwaliThe Question

Kama mtu ameokolewa kweli, je, anaweza kupoteza wokovu wake? Wabaptisti wametoa majibu matatu.If a person is truly saved, can he lose his salvation? Baptists have given three answers.

Kudumu kwa watakatifu (Perseverance of the saints). Hili ni fundisho la Wabaptisti wa Kipekee. Ungamo la Pili la London (1689) lina sura juu yake. Mungu huwahifadhi wote aliowaokoa, nao wataendelea katika imani hadi mwisho. Kuendelea kwao ni zawadi ya Mungu yenyewe na kunathibitisha ukweli wa imani yao.Perseverance of the saints. This is the teaching of the Particular Baptists. The Second London Confession (1689) has a chapter on it. God preserves all whom He has saved, and they will continue in faith to the end. Their continuing is itself God's gift and proves the reality of their faith.

Usalama wa milele (Eternal security). Hili ni fundisho la Wabaptisti wengi wa Kusini na Wabaptisti wengine wengi. Wakati mwingine huitwa kwa kifupi maarufu "aliyeokoka mara moja ameokoka milele." Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Kifungu cha V, kinafundisha kwamba waumini wa kweli hustahimili hadi mwisho, na kwamba wale ambao Mungu amewakubali katika Kristo hawataanguka mwishowe kutoka katika hali ya neema. Wengi wanaoshikilia mtazamo huu hawakubali fundisho la Reformed la uteule katika Kipindi cha 8. Wabaptisti Reformed na wa Jadi wanakubaliana juu ya usalama wa mwamini.Eternal security. This is the teaching of most Southern Baptists and many other Baptists. It is sometimes called by the popular shorthand "once saved, always saved." The Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Article V, teaches that true believers endure to the end, and that those whom God has accepted in Christ will not fall away finally from the state of grace. Many who hold this view do not accept the Reformed doctrine of election in Unit 8. Both Reformed and Traditional Baptists agree on the security of the believer.

Usalama wenye masharti (Conditional security). Hili ni fundisho la Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru. Mwamini analindwa kwa nguvu za Mungu maadamu anaendelea katika imani, lakini anaweza kumwacha Kristo na kupotea.Conditional security. This is the teaching of Free Will Baptists. A believer is kept by God's power as long as he continues in faith, but he may turn from Christ and be lost.

Mitazamo miwili ya kwanza inahusiana kwa karibu. Ungamo la New Hampshire (1833) pia lina kifungu juu ya kudumu kwa watakatifu. Mtazamo wa tatu ni tofauti.The first two views are closely related. The New Hampshire Confession (1833) also has an article on the perseverance of the saints. The third view is different.

Mtazamo wa Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru, Ukielezwa kwa HakiThe Free Will Baptist View, Stated Fairly

Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru wanashikilia wokovu kwa neema kupitia imani peke yake, kama makundi mengine yanavyofanya. Hawafundishi kwamba mwamini anaokolewa kwa matendo mema, au kwamba anapoteza wokovu kwa dhambi ya udhaifu au wakati wa shaka. Fundisho lao ni kwamba uhusiano wa mwamini na Kristo ni uhusiano hai wa imani, na kwamba imani inaweza kuachwa. Mwamini yuko salama katika Kristo, na anabaki salama maadamu anabaki katika Kristo. Wanasisitiza kwamba kulindwa kwa Mungu ni "kwa njia ya imani" (1 Petro 1:5), na kwamba imani ni kitu ambacho mtu anaendelea ndani yake.Free Will Baptists hold salvation by grace through faith alone, just as the other groups do. They do not teach that a believer is saved by good works, or that he loses salvation by a sin of weakness or a time of doubt. Their teaching is that the believer's relation to Christ is a living relation of faith, and that faith can be abandoned. The believer is secure in Christ, and he remains secure as long as he remains in Christ. They stress that God's keeping is "through faith" (1 Peter 1:5), and that faith is something a person continues in.

Wanapata uungwaji mkono katika maonyo mengi. Vifungu vyao vikuu ni hivi.They find support in many warnings. Their chief passages are these.

• Waebrania 6:4-6, inayozungumza juu ya watu waliotiwa nuru, waliouonja karama ya mbinguni, walioshiriki Roho Mtakatifu, kisha wakaanguka, hata haiwezekani kuwafanya upya tena hata wapate toba.• Hebrews 6:4-6, which speaks of people who were enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, and then fell away, so that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance.

• Waebrania 10:26-29, inayoonya juu ya hukumu kwa wale wanaoendelea kutenda dhambi kwa makusudi baada ya kupokea ujuzi wa ukweli.• Hebrews 10:26-29, which warns of judgment on those who go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth.

• Yohana 15:1-6, ambapo Yesu anasema kwamba matawi yaliyo ndani yake yasiyozaa matunda huondolewa, na kwamba mtu asipokaa ndani yake hutupwa nje kama tawi na kunyauka.• John 15:1-6, where Jesus says that branches in Him that do not bear fruit are taken away, and that if anyone does not abide in Him he is cast out as a branch and withers.

• Wakolosai 1:21-23, ambapo upatanisho ni "ikiwa mnadumu katika imani."• Colossians 1:21-23, where reconciliation is "if indeed you continue in the faith."

• 1 Timotheo 4:1, ambapo wengine wataiacha imani.• 1 Timothy 4:1, where some will depart from the faith.

• 2 Petro 2:20-22, inayozungumza juu ya wale walioepuka uchafu wa ulimwengu kwa kumjua Bwana kisha wakanaswa tena.• 2 Peter 2:20-22, which speaks of those who escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and were again entangled.

• Wagalatia 5:4, ambapo wale wanaotafuta kuhesabiwa haki kwa sheria wameanguka kutoka katika neema.• Galatians 5:4, where those who seek to be justified by law have fallen from grace.

Wasiwasi wao wa kichungaji ni mzito. Wanaogopa kwamba kufundisha usalama usio na masharti kunaweza kuwafanya watu wazembe watulie juu ya uamuzi wa zamani huku wakiishi katika dhambi. Wanasema maonyo ya Maandiko yangekuwa matupu kama hayangeweza kutimizwa. Wale wanaoanguka, wanafundisha, wanaweza kurudi kwa toba, kwa maana Mungu ni mwenye rehema, na mlango uko wazi.Their pastoral concern is serious. They fear that to teach unconditional security may lead careless persons to rest in an old decision while living in sin. They say the warnings of Scripture would be empty if they could not be carried out. Those who fall away, they teach, can return by repentance, for God is merciful, and the door is open.

Hoja ya Usalama wa MwaminiThe Case for the Security of the Believer

Tunashikilia kwamba Maandiko yanafundisha kwamba wale ambao Mungu amewaokoa kweli wanalindwa naye na wataokolewa milele. Tunatoa sababu.We hold that Scripture teaches that those whom God has truly saved are kept by Him and will be saved forever. We give reasons.

1. Ahadi za Mungu na nguvu za Mungu1. God's promises and God's power

Yesu alisema juu ya kondoo wake, "hawatapotea kamwe," na kwamba hakuna awezaye kuwapokonya mkononi mwake wala mkononi mwa Baba (Yohana 10:27-30). Alisema kwamba hatampoteza hata mmoja wa wote ambao Baba amempa, bali atawafufua siku ya mwisho (Yohana 6:37-40). Paulo anauliza ni nani atakayewashtaki wateule wa Mungu, kisha anatangaza kwamba hakuna kitu katika uumbaji kitakachoweza kututenga na upendo wa Mungu ulio katika Kristo (Warumi 8:33-39). Paulo "ana hakika ya neno hili kwamba yeye aliyeanza kazi njema ndani yenu ataimaliza hata siku ya Yesu Kristo" (Wafilipi 1:6). Petro anasema waumini "wanalindwa kwa nguvu za Mungu, kwa njia ya imani, hata mpate wokovu" (1 Petro 1:5), naye Yuda anamaliza kwa kumsifu yeye awezaye kutulinda tusijikwae (Yuda 24). Bwana aliyeanza kazi atamaliza.Jesus said of His sheep, "they shall never perish," and that no one can snatch them out of His hand or the Father's hand (John 10:27-30). He said that He will lose none of all that the Father has given Him, but raise them up at the last day (John 6:37-40). Paul asks who can bring a charge against God's elect, and then declares that nothing in creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:33-39). Paul is "confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Peter says believers are "kept by the power of God through faith for salvation" (1 Peter 1:5), and Jude closes by praising Him who is able to keep us from stumbling (Jude 24). The Lord who began the work will finish it.

2. Asili ya wokovu2. The nature of salvation

Biblia inaita uzima mpya uzima wa milele. Ukiweza kuisha, si wa milele. Kuzaliwa upya kunatoka katika mbegu isiyoharibika (1 Petro 1:23). Kuhesabiwa haki ni hukumu, na Paulo anasema hakuna hukumu ya adhabu kwa wale walio katika Kristo Yesu (Warumi 8:1). Kufanywa wana hakuishi mtoto anapokosea. Roho ni muhuri na dhamana ya urithi wetu hadi ukombozi wa milki ya Mungu mwenyewe (Waefeso 1:13-14; 4:30). Kristo anaishi siku zote ili kutuombea (Waebrania 7:25), na maombi yake hayashindwi.The Bible calls the new life eternal life. If it can end, it is not eternal. The new birth comes from imperishable seed (1 Peter 1:23). Justification is a verdict, and Paul says there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Adoption does not end when a child misbehaves. The Spirit is the seal and the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of God's own possession (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30). Christ lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25), and His prayer does not fail.

3. Wokovu ni kwa neema, si kwa uwezo wetu wa kushikilia3. Salvation is by grace, not by our ability to hold on

Kama tumeokolewa kwa neema kupitia imani (Waefeso 2:8-9), hatuwezi kulindwa kwa nguvu zetu wenyewe. Paulo anawauliza Wagalatia kama, wakiwa wameanza katika Roho, sasa wanakamilishwa kwa mwili (Wagalatia 3:3). Kusema kwamba Mungu anatuokoa lakini uvumilivu wetu wenyewe unatulinda kungekaribia kufanya mwisho wa wokovu kuwa kazi. Tunalindwa kwa neema ileile iliyotuokoa.If we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), we cannot be kept by our own strength. Paul asks the Galatians whether, having begun in the Spirit, they are now made perfect by the flesh (Galatians 3:3). To say that God saves us but our own endurance keeps us would come close to making the end of salvation a work. We are kept by the same grace that saved us.

Jinsi Wabaptisti Wanaoshikilia Usalama Wanavyosoma MaonyoHow Baptists Who Hold Security Read the Warnings

Maonyo katika Maandiko ni ya kweli na mazito, na Mbaptisti anayeamini usalama hayaweki kando. Kuna njia kadhaa zilizokubaliwa za kuyasoma, na Wabaptisti hutofautiana juu ya ipi ya kuchagua katika kila kifungu.The warnings in Scripture are real and serious, and the Baptist who believes in security does not set them aside. There are several accepted ways of reading them, and Baptists differ on which to choose in each passage.

Maonyo yanaeleza wale ambao hawajazaliwa upya kweli. Biblia inajua wengi walioonekana kumfuata Kristo lakini hawakuwa wake. Yuda alikuwa ameondoka chumba cha juu kabla Yesu hajazungumza juu ya mzabibu katika Yohana 15 (Yohana 13:30). Simoni mchawi "aliamini" na akabatizwa, hata hivyo Petro alisema moyo wake haukuwa sawa (Matendo 8:13-23). Yohana anaandika, "Walitoka kwetu, lakini hawakuwa wa kwetu" (1 Yohana 2:19), na anasema kwamba kama wangekuwa wa kwetu wangedumu. Kudumu ni uthibitisho wa ukweli, si bei yake. Kwa usomaji huu, matawi katika Yohana 15 yanayoondolewa ni matawi ambayo hayakuwa na uzima kamwe. Katika 2 Petro 2:22 methali ya mbwa na nguruwe inaonyesha kwamba asili haikuwa imebadilika.The warnings describe those who are not truly regenerate. The Bible knows many who seemed to follow Christ but were not His. Judas had left the upper room before Jesus spoke of the vine in John 15 (John 13:30). Simon the magician "believed" and was baptized, yet Peter said his heart was not right (Acts 8:13-23). John writes, "They went out from us, but they were not of us" (1 John 2:19), and says that if they had been of us they would have continued. Persevering is the proof of reality, not the price of it. On this reading, the branches in John 15 that are taken away are branches that never bore life. In 2 Peter 2:22 the proverb of the dog and the sow suggests that the nature had not changed.

Maonyo ni njia ambayo Mungu hutumia kuwalinda watu wake. Mungu huwalinda waumini kwa kufanya kazi kupitia imani yao na kupitia maonyo ya Maandiko. Baba anayemwonya mtoto wake aepuke mwamba wa kuanguka hatarajii mtoto aanguke. Maonyo si ishara kwamba mtoto anaweza kupotea, bali ni njia ambayo baba humlinda. Waebrania 6:9 inaeleza hili: mwandishi ana hakika ya mambo mazuri zaidi kwa wasomaji wake, "mambo yaliyo ya wokovu."The warnings are the means God uses to keep His people. God keeps believers by working through their faith and through the warnings of Scripture. A father who warns his child away from a cliff does not expect the child to fall. The warnings are not a sign that the child may be lost, but the way the father keeps him. Hebrews 6:9 expresses this: the writer is persuaded of better things for his readers, "things that accompany salvation."

Maonyo mengine yanahusu kupoteza thawabu au adabu kali badala ya kupoteza wokovu. Paulo anasema kwamba kazi ya mtu inaweza kuteketezwa na "yeye mwenyewe ataokolewa, lakini kama kwa moto" (1 Wakorintho 3:15), na kwamba mshiriki anayetenda dhambi anaweza kutolewa kwa Shetani "roho iokolewe katika siku ya Bwana Yesu" (1 Wakorintho 5:5). Mungu huwaadibisha watoto wake, kama wana (Waebrania 12:5-11), na baadhi ya watu huko Korintho waliugua au kufa kwa kutumia vibaya Meza (1 Wakorintho 11:30-32).Some warnings concern loss of reward or severe discipline rather than loss of salvation. Paul says that a man's work may be burned up and "he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15), and that a sinning member may be delivered to Satan "that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 5:5). God disciplines His children, as sons (Hebrews 12:5-11), and some at Corinth became sick or died for abusing the Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30-32).

Vifungu vingine havihusu kupoteza neema kabisa. Wagalatia 5:4 inawahutubia wale wanaorudi kwenye sheria kama njia ya kuhesabiwa haki. Wameiacha nyanja ya neema kama msingi wa kutumaini kwao. Paulo bado anawahutubia kama ndugu na anatumaini warudi.Some passages are not about loss of grace at all. Galatians 5:4 addresses those who return to the law as a way of justification. They have left the sphere of grace as their ground of confidence. Paul still addresses them as brothers and hopes for their return.

Waebrania 6 ni kifungu kigumu kuliko vyote kati ya hivi. Wabaptisti wanaoamini usalama wameeleza kwa njia tofauti: kama maelezo ya watu wanaodai imani lakini hawajazaliwa upya, kama onyo juu ya hatari ya dhahania, au kama onyo juu ya upumbavu wa kurudi nyuma kutoka kwa Kristo hadi dhabihu za agano la kale. Tunapaswa kukubali kwamba ni kigumu, na kuwaheshimu wale walioshindana nacho. Hakiwezi kuzidi ahadi za wazi za Mchungaji Mwema.Hebrews 6 is the hardest of these passages. Baptists who believe in security have explained it in different ways: as a description of professing but unregenerate persons, as a warning about a hypothetical danger, or as a warning about the folly of turning back from Christ to the old covenant sacrifices. We should admit that it is hard, and honor those who have wrestled with it. It does not outweigh the plain promises of the Good Shepherd.

Usalama, Kudumu na UhakikaSecurity, Perseverance and Assurance

Maneno haya matatu yanahusiana lakini si sawa.These three words are related but not the same.

Usalama ni upande wa Mungu: anawalinda walio wake.Security is God's side: He keeps those who are His.

Kudumu ni upande wa mwamini: anaendelea katika imani na katika utii. Kudumu si ukamilifu. Waumini wanaweza kuanguka katika dhambi nzito, kama Daudi na Petro walivyofanya. Lakini hawabaki huko. Daudi alitubu (Zaburi 51), na Bwana alimrejesha Petro (Yohana 21:15-19). Mungu huwaadibisha na kuwarudisha walio wake.Perseverance is the believer's side: he continues in faith and in obedience. Perseverance is not perfection. Believers can fall into serious sin, as David and Peter did. But they do not remain there. David repented (Psalm 51), and the Lord restored Peter (John 21:15-19). God disciplines and brings back His own.

Uhakika ni imani ya mwamini kwamba ameokoka. Yohana aliandika barua yake ya kwanza "mpate kujua kwamba mna uzima wa milele" (1 Yohana 5:13). Petro anatuhimiza tujitahidi kuufanya mwito wetu na uteule wetu kuwa thabiti (2 Petro 1:10). Uhakika unategemea kwanza ahadi ya Mungu katika Kristo, kisha ushahidi wa maisha yaliyobadilika, upendo kwa ndugu, na ushuhuda wa Roho (Warumi 8:16; 1 Yohana 3:14).Assurance is the believer's confidence that he is saved. John wrote his first letter "that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Peter urges us to be diligent to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Assurance rests first on God's promise in Christ, and then on the evidence of a changed life, love for the brothers, and the witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:14).

Pingamizi na MajibuObjections and Answers

Pingamizi la 1 (Hiari Huru): Fundisho la usalama huongoza kwenye maisha ya uzembe. Mtu angeweza kusema, "Nimeokoka," na kuishi katika dhambi.Objection 1 (Free Will): The doctrine of security leads to careless living. A man could say, "I am saved," and live in sin.

Jibu letu. Paulo analikabili hili moja kwa moja katika Warumi 6:1-2: tudumu katika dhambi ili neema izidi? Hasha! Neema hutufundisha kuukana ubaya (Tito 2:11-12). Mtu anayeishi katika dhambi isiyokoma, isiyotubiwa, bila huzuni hana msingi wa kusema ameokoka, bila kujali uamuzi alioufanya zamani. Hatufundishi "aliyeomba mara moja ameokoka milele." Tunafundisha kwamba mara mtu anapozaliwa upya kweli, Mungu humlinda, na kwamba kuzaliwa upya hujionyesha kwa matunda. Biblia ileile inayoahidi usalama inaamuru kujichunguza (2 Wakorintho 13:5).Our answer. Paul meets this directly in Romans 6:1-2: shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness (Titus 2:11-12). A person who lives in unbroken, unrepentant sin without sorrow has no ground to say he is saved, whatever decision he made long ago. We do not teach "once prayed, always saved." We teach that once a person is truly born again, God keeps him, and that the new birth shows itself in fruit. The same Bible that promises security commands self-examination (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Pingamizi la 2 (Hiari Huru): Kama Mungu humlinda mwamini kwa vyovyote vile, mapenzi ya mwamini yanashindwa, na uhuru wake unaondolewa.Objection 2 (Free Will): If God keeps the believer no matter what, the believer's will is overridden, and his freedom is taken away.

Jibu letu. Mungu hawaburuzi waumini kinyume na mapenzi yao. Anafanya kazi ndani yao "kutaka na kutenda, kwa kusudi lake jema" (Wafilipi 2:13), ili waendelee kwa hiari. Mtu anayelindwa na upendo wa Kristo hataki kuuacha. Kile Mungu anacholinda ni mapenzi yaliyofanywa upya.Our answer. God does not drag believers against their will. He works in them "both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13), so that they continue willingly. A man who is kept by the love of Christ does not want to leave it. What God keeps is a renewed will.

Pingamizi la 3 (Hiari Huru): Usomaji wenu wa maonyo unayafanya yasiwe ya kweli.Objection 3 (Free Will): Your reading of the warnings makes them unreal.

Jibu letu. Si yasiyo ya kweli. Ni njia ambayo kwayo Mungu huwaweka watu wake macho, yanafichua wa uongo, na yanamwita kila mtu anayekiri Kristo ajichunguze imani yake. Onyo linaweza kuwa la kweli na pia kuwa njia ya uhifadhi ambao Mungu anauahidi.Our answer. They are not unreal. They are the means by which God keeps His people awake, they expose the false, and they call everyone who professes Christ to examine his faith. A warning can be real and also be the means of the very preservation that God promises.

Pingamizi la 4 (Reformed au wakosoaji wengine): Baadhi ya watu wanaoonekana kuwa waumini wanaanguka kabisa. Hii inaonyesha kwamba usalama ni wa uongo.Objection 4 (Reformed or other critics): Some people who seem to be believers fall away completely. This shows that security is false.

Jibu letu. Mtu anapoanguka kabisa na milele, tunahitimisha kwa 1 Yohana 2:19 kwamba imani yake haikuwa ya kuokoa, ingawa hakuna anayeweza kuuona moyo. Mungu pekee anajua. Hadi mwisho, tunamwita yule aliyetangatanga atubu, kwa sababu hatujui kama ni mtoto aliyepotea au mmoja ambaye hakumjua Baba kamwe.Our answer. When someone falls away completely and permanently, we conclude with 1 John 2:19 that his faith was not saving, though no one can see the heart. Only God knows. Until the end, we call the wanderer to repent, because we do not know whether he is a straying child or one who never knew the Father.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mama anamjia mchungaji wake akilia. Mwanawe alikiri imani na akabatizwa akiwa na miaka kumi na miwili. Sasa akiwa na miaka ishirini na mitano anaishi mbali na nyumbani, anadhihaki imani, na anaishi waziwazi katika dhambi. Anauliza: "Je, mwanangu amepotea? Je, yote yalikuwa ya uongo?"A mother comes to her pastor in tears. Her son made a profession of faith and was baptized at twelve. Now at twenty-five he lives far from home, mocks the faith, and lives openly in sin. She asks: "Is my son lost? Was it all false?"

Kwanza, mchungaji anasikiliza na hakimbilii kutoa hukumu. Hawezi kuuona moyo wa kijana huyo, na yeye pia hawezi.First, the pastor listens and does not hurry to give a verdict. He cannot see the young man's heart, and neither can she.

Pili, hatoi faraja ya uongo. Hasemi, "Ameokoka kwa sababu aliomba sala." Anasema kwamba Biblia inafundisha kwamba waumini wa kweli wanalindwa na Mungu, na kwamba maisha ya kuendelea kuasi ni sababu ya kuwa na wasiwasi mzito.Second, he does not offer false comfort. He does not say, "He is saved because he prayed a prayer." He says that the Bible teaches that true believers are kept by God, and that a life of continued rebellion is a reason for serious concern.

Tatu, anampa tumaini katika tabia ya Mungu. Mchungaji Mwema humtafuta kondoo anayetangatanga (Luka 15:4-7). Anamkumbusha kwamba Mungu huwaadibisha watoto wake mwenyewe na kwamba mwana mpotevu alirudi nyumbani. Mungu anaweza na hufanya kuwarudisha walio wake.Third, he gives her hope in God's character. The Good Shepherd seeks the wandering sheep (Luke 15:4-7). He reminds her that God disciplines His own children and that the prodigal son came home. God can and does bring back His own.

Nne, anamwelekeza kwenye hatua: maombi, mawasiliano ya uaminifu na ya upendo na mwanawe, na mwaliko wazi kwake atubu na kumtumaini Kristo, bila kujali uamuzi wake wa zamani. Anaomba kanisa liombe pamoja naye.Fourth, he points her to action: prayer, a faithful and loving contact with her son, and a clear invitation to him to repent and trust Christ, whatever his past decision. He asks the church to pray with her.

Tano, anafundisha kanisa kwamba ndiyo maana tunahubiri injili nzima, pamoja na ahadi na maonyo.Fifth, he teaches the church that this is why we preach the whole gospel, with both the promises and the warnings.

MuhtasariSummary

Wabaptisti wanatoa majibu matatu kwa swali kama mwamini anaweza kupotea: kudumu kwa watakatifu (Wabaptisti wa Kipekee), usalama wa milele (Wabaptisti wengi wa Kusini na wengine), na usalama wenye masharti (Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru). Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru wanashikilia wokovu kwa neema kupitia imani lakini wanafundisha kwamba mwamini anaweza kuanguka kwa kuacha imani, nao wanataja Waebrania 6, Waebrania 10, Yohana 15, Wakolosai 1 na maonyo mengine. Kozi hii inafuata kundi kubwa zaidi la Wabaptisti wa kihafidhina na inafundisha usalama, kwa sababu tatu: ahadi na nguvu za Mungu (Yohana 10:28; Warumi 8:38-39; Wafilipi 1:6), asili ya uzima wa milele, na ukweli kwamba wokovu ni kwa neema. Maonyo yanajibiwa kwa njia nne: yanaeleza wasiozaliwa upya, ni njia ya uhifadhi, mengine yanahusu thawabu au adabu, na mengine hayahusu kupoteza neema. Usalama ni kulindwa kwa Mungu, kudumu ni kuendelea kwa mwamini, na uhakika ni imani yake. Usalama si ruhusa ya kutenda dhambi, na mchungaji hufundisha ahadi na onyo pamoja.Baptists give three answers to the question of whether a believer can be lost: perseverance of the saints (Particular Baptists), eternal security (most Southern Baptists and others), and conditional security (Free Will Baptists). Free Will Baptists hold salvation by grace through faith but teach that a believer may fall away by abandoning faith, and they cite Hebrews 6, Hebrews 10, John 15, Colossians 1 and other warnings. This course follows the larger body of conservative Baptists and teaches security, for three reasons: the promises and power of God (John 10:28; Romans 8:38-39; Philippians 1:6), the nature of eternal life, and the fact that salvation is by grace. The warnings are answered in four ways: they describe the unregenerate, they are the means of preservation, some concern reward or discipline, and some do not concern loss of grace. Security is God's keeping, perseverance is the believer's continuing, and assurance is his confidence. Security is no license for sin, and the pastor teaches both promise and warning.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• The Second London Confession (1689) (Ungamo la Pili la London), sura juu ya kudumu kwa watakatifu.• The Second London Confession (1689), chapter on the perseverance of the saints.

• The New Hampshire Confession (1833) (Ungamo la New Hampshire), kifungu juu ya kudumu kwa watakatifu.• The New Hampshire Confession (1833), the article on the perseverance of the saints.

• The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) (Imani na Ujumbe wa Kibaptisti), Kifungu cha V.• The Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Article V.

• The Free Will Baptist Treatise (Risala ya Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru), kwa mtazamo wa Wabaptisti wa Hiari Huru.• The Free Will Baptist Treatise, for the Free Will Baptist view.

• John L. Dagg, Manual of Theology (1857) (Mwongozo wa Teolojia).• John L. Dagg, Manual of Theology (1857).

• Garrett, Baptist Theology (2009) (Teolojia ya Kibaptisti).• Garrett, Baptist Theology (2009).

• Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message (1971) (Imani na Ujumbe wa Kibaptisti).• Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message (1971).

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