Teolojia ya Kireformed na Mafundisho ya Neema — Sehemu ya 10: Enzi Kuu ya Mungu na Wajibu wa Mwanadamu: Maombi, Uinjilisti na UhakikaReformed Theology and the Doctrines of Grace — Unit 10: Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Prayer, Evangelism and Assurance

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"utimizeni wokovu wenu wenyewe kwa kuogopa na kutetemeka; kwa kuwa Mungu ndiye atendaye kazi ndani yenu, kutaka kwenu na kutenda kwenu, apendezwe nako." (Wafilipi 2:12-13, SUV)"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza jinsi makanisa ya Matengenezo yanavyoshikilia enzi kuu ya Mungu na wajibu wa mwanadamu pamoja, bila imani ya hatima kipofu.1. Explain how the Reformed churches hold God's sovereignty and human responsibility together, without fatalism.

2. Kueleza kwa nini mafundisho ya neema huleta maombi, na kujibu pingamizi kwamba maombi hayana maana ikiwa Mungu ameagiza vitu vyote.2. Explain why the doctrines of grace lead to prayer, and answer the objection that prayer is pointless if God has decreed all things.

3. Kueleza kwa nini mafundisho ya neema yanaunga mkono uinjilisti, na kueleza kosa linaloitwa imani ya Kalvini iliyopitiliza (hyper-Calvinism).3. Explain why the doctrines of grace support evangelism, and describe the error called hyper-Calvinism.

4. Kueleza mafundisho ya Ungamo la Imani la Westminster kuhusu uhakika na misingi yake mitatu.4. Explain the teaching of the Westminster Confession on assurance and its three grounds.

5. Kutoa jibu la kichungaji kwa muumini anayetilia shaka kama amechaguliwa.5. Give a pastoral answer to a believer who doubts whether he is chosen.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Matengenezo na Kipresbiteri, kwa wanafunzi wanaoutumikia. Ni ya kihafidhina na ya kiungamo. Tunashikilia kwamba Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililoongozwa na Roho na lisilokosea, na tunaungama Ungamo la Ubelgiji, Katekisimu ya Heidelberg, Kanuni za Dort, au Viwango vya Westminster. Tunaeleza pingamizi za Wakristo wengine kwa haki kisha tunazijibu. Kipindi hiki cha mwisho kinakusanya mafundisho ya kozi hii katika kazi ya mchungaji: jinsi tunavyoomba, jinsi tunavyohubiri, na jinsi tunavyofariji. Maandiko yanasema, "Jaribuni mambo yote; mkaze lile lililo jema" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21).This course is written from inside the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, for students who belong to it. It is conservative and confessional. We hold the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God, and we confess the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, or the Westminster Standards. We state the objections of other Christians fairly and then answer them. This last unit gathers the doctrines of the course into the practice of the pastor: how we pray, how we preach, and how we comfort. Scripture says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Kweli Mbili Zinazoshikiliwa PamojaTwo Truths Held Together

Vipindi vya 1 hadi 9 vilifundisha kwamba Mungu anatawala vitu vyote, kwamba alichagua watu, na kwamba anawaokoa kwa neema peke yake. Maandiko pia yanafundisha kwamba wanadamu wanawajibika. Wameamriwa kutubu, kuamini, kuomba na kutii, na wana hatia wasipofanya hivyo. Makanisa ya Matengenezo yanafundisha kweli zote mbili na hayadhoofishi mojawapo.Units 1 to 9 taught that God rules over all things, that He chose a people, and that He saves them by grace alone. Scripture also teaches that human beings are responsible. They are commanded to repent, to believe, to pray and to obey, and they are guilty when they do not. The Reformed churches teach both truths and do not weaken either one.

Biblia inaziweka kando kwa kando bila kuomba radhi. Petro aliwaambia umati wa Pentekoste kwamba Yesu alitolewa "kwa kusudi la Mungu lililokwisha kujulikana, na kwa kujua kwake tangu zamani," na kwamba "mkamsulibisha na kumwua kwa mikono ya watu wasio na sheria" (Matendo 2:23). Mpango wa Mungu ulikuwa hakika, na hatia ya wasulibishaji ilikuwa ya kweli. Yusufu aliwaambia ndugu zake, "Nanyi mlifikiri kunidhuru; lakini Mungu alifikiri kwa wema" (Mwanzo 50:20). Sulemani anaandika, "Moyo wa mtu hupanga njia yake; Bali BWANA huziongoza hatua zake" (Mithali 16:9). Katika mstari wetu mkuu, Paulo anawaambia waamini watimize wokovu wao, na katika sentensi ile ile anasema kwamba Mungu ndiye atendaye kazi ndani yao.The Bible places them side by side without apology. Peter told the crowd at Pentecost that Jesus was "delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God," and that "you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death" (Acts 2:23). God's plan was sure, and the guilt of the crucifiers was real. Joseph said to his brothers, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). Solomon writes, "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). In our key verse, Paul tells the believers to work out their salvation, and in the same sentence says that it is God who works in them.

Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 3, linaeleza usawa. Mungu tangu milele aliagiza yote yanayotokea, hata hivyo yeye si mwanzilishi wa dhambi, hakuna jeuri inayofanywa kwa mapenzi ya viumbe, na uhuru au uwezekano wa visababishi vya pili haviondolewi. Sura ya 9 inafundisha kwamba mwanadamu ana mapenzi yasiyolazimishwa wala kuamuliwa na umuhimu wowote kamili wa asili. Hatudai kuona jinsi haya yanavyopatana katika akili ya Mungu. Musa anatuambia kwamba "mambo ya siri ni ya BWANA, Mungu wetu; bali yale yaliyofunuliwa ni yetu" (Kumbukumbu la Torati 29:29). Paulo analia, "Ee kina cha wingi wa hekima na maarifa ya Mungu! Jinsi zisivyochunguzika hukumu zake, wala njia zake hazitafutikani!" (Warumi 11:33). Mchungaji wa Matengenezo anaishi upande ulio wazi wa mstari huo. Anafundisha yale ambayo Mungu ameyasema, na anastarehe katika yale ambayo Mungu ameyaweka siri.The Westminster Confession, chapter 3, states the balance. God from all eternity ordained whatever comes to pass, yet He is not the author of sin, no violence is offered to the will of the creatures, and the liberty or contingency of second causes is not taken away. Chapter 9 teaches that man has a will that is neither forced nor determined by any absolute necessity of nature. We do not claim to see how these fit in God's mind. Moses tells us that "the secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us" (Deuteronomy 29:29). Paul cries, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33). A Reformed pastor lives on the revealed side of that line. He teaches what God has said, and he rests in what God has kept secret.

Si Imani ya Hatima Kipofu: Mungu Huagiza NjiaNot Fatalism: God Ordains the Means

Pingamizi la kwanza ni kwamba mafundisho yetu ni imani ya hatima kipofu: kitakachokuwa kitakuwa, kwa hiyo kwa nini kutenda? Wakristo wa dhati wa Kiarmini na wa Kiwesley mara nyingi huhisi kwamba wakati ujao ulioagizwa unaondoa maana ya chaguo za wanadamu.The first objection is that our teaching is fatalism: what will be will be, so why act? Sincere Arminian and Wesleyan Christians often feel that a decreed future empties human choices of meaning.

Jibu la Matengenezo ni kwamba imani ya hatima kipofu na mafundisho ya kibiblia hutofautiana katika hatua muhimu. Yule anayeamini hatima kipofu anaamini kwamba matukio hutokea bila Mungu aliye mtu, na kwamba tendo la mwanadamu halibadilishi chochote. Biblia inafundisha kwamba Mungu huagiza malengo na pia njia. Huagiza kwamba mavuno yaja kupitia kupanda, na kwamba wenye dhambi huokolewa kupitia kuhubiriwa kwa Neno.The Reformed answer is that fatalism and the biblical doctrine differ at a vital point. The fatalist believes that events happen with no personal God and that human action changes nothing. The Bible teaches that God ordains the ends and also the means. He ordains that the harvest comes through sowing, and that sinners are saved through the preaching of the Word.

Safari ya Paulo katika Matendo 27 inaonyesha hili. Mungu aliahidi kupitia malaika kwamba hakuna uhai wowote ndani ya merikebu ambao ungepotea (Matendo 27:22-24). Hata hivyo mabaharia walipojaribu kukimbia, Paulo alimwambia akida, "Watu hawa wasipokaa katika jahazi, ninyi hamwezi kuokoka" (Matendo 27:31). Ahadi ilikuwa hakika, na njia zilihitajika. Mabaharia walibaki, na wote waliokolewa. Agizo la Mungu haliondoi wajibu wetu. Ndilo sababu wajibu wetu hauwi bure.Paul's voyage in Acts 27 shows this. God promised through an angel that no life on the ship would be lost (Acts 27:22-24). Yet when the sailors tried to escape, Paul told the centurion, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved" (Acts 27:31). The promise was sure, and the means were needed. The sailors stayed, and all were saved. God's decree does not remove our duty. It is the reason our duty is not in vain.

MaombiPrayer

Kama Mungu ameagiza vitu vyote, kwa nini kuomba? Marafiki wa Kiarmini mara nyingi huhisi kwamba maombi yanahitaji wakati ujao ulio wazi. Likielezwa kwa nguvu zake zote: kama mpango wa Mungu umewekwa, maombi hayawezi kuubadilisha, na kuomba kunaonekana kuwa bure.If God has decreed all things, why pray? Arminian friends often feel that prayer needs an open future. Stated at full strength: if God's plan is fixed, prayer cannot change it, and asking seems pointless.

Jibu letu linaanza na amri ya Biblia yenyewe. Yesu aliwafundisha wanafunzi wake waombe, "Ufalme wako uje. Mapenzi yako yafanyike" (Mathayo 6:10). Hakuwafundisha kuomba hivi kwa sababu ufalme haukuwa na uhakika, bali kwa sababu Mungu ameweka maombi kuwa njia ambayo kwayo ufalme wake unakuja. Paulo, aliyefundisha uteule wa mabaki ya Israeli, pia aliandika kwamba haja ya moyo wake na kumwomba kwake Mungu kwa ajili ya Israeli ni kwamba waokolewe (Warumi 10:1). Hakuona uteule kama sababu ya kuacha kuomba.Our answer begins with the Bible's own command. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done" (Matthew 6:10). He did not teach them to pray in this way because the kingdom was uncertain, but because God has appointed prayer as the means by which His kingdom comes. Paul, who taught the election of Israel's remnant, also wrote that his heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel was that they might be saved (Romans 10:1). He did not see election as a reason to stop praying.

Mambo kadhaa yanafuata.Several things follow.

Kwanza, maombi ni njia ambayo Mungu ameiagiza. Mungu anayeagiza mwisho huagiza maombi yanayoongoza kwake. Watu wa Mungu wanapoomba, mara nyingi hutoa kwa sababu waliomba. Katekisimu ya Heidelberg, katika Siku ya Bwana ya 45, inafundisha kwamba maombi ni sehemu kuu ya shukrani ambayo Mungu anaitaka, na kwamba Mungu anatoa neema yake na Roho wake kwa wale tu wanaomwomba daima na kumshukuru.First, prayer is a means God ordained. The God who ordains the end ordains the prayers that lead to it. When God's people ask, He often gives because they asked. The Heidelberg Catechism, in Lord's Day 45, teaches that prayer is the chief part of the thankfulness God requires, and that God gives His grace and Spirit only to those who ask Him continually and thank Him.

Pili, maombi ni imani ya mtoto kwa Baba. Hayamjulishi Mungu, kana kwamba anahitaji kujifunza jambo. Yanaleta mioyo yetu katika mwafaka na yale aliyoyaahidi. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 21, linafundisha kwamba maombi ni sehemu ya ibada ambayo Mungu anaitaka.Second, prayer is the child's trust in the Father. It does not inform God, as though He needed to learn something. It brings our hearts into line with what He has promised. The Westminster Confession, chapter 21, teaches that prayer is a part of the worship God requires.

Tatu, fundisho la enzi kuu linapa maombi ujasiri wake. Kama Mungu asingeweza kutekeleza mpango wake, hakungekuwa na sababu ya kuomba chochote. Tunaweza kuomba kwa ujasiri kwa ajili ya wokovu wa waliopotea, kwa sababu Mungu anayesikia anaweza kufungua mioyo, kama alivyofungua wa Lidia. Mtu anayekana uwezo wa Mungu wa kuokoa ana sababu ndogo ya kuomba kuliko yule anayeuamini.Third, the doctrine of sovereignty gives prayer its confidence. If God were unable to carry out His plan, there would be no reason to ask for anything. We can pray boldly for the salvation of the lost, because the God who hears is able to open hearts, as He opened Lydia's. A person who denies God's power to save has less reason to pray than one who believes it.

Wakristo wengine wa dhati wanafundisha kwamba Mungu hajui wakati ujao kwa kila undani, hivyo kwamba maombi yanaweza kuunda kile ambacho bado hajakijua. Tunajibu kwamba Biblia inamwonyesha Mungu akitangaza mwisho tangu mwanzo (Isaya 46:10), na maombi yanahitaji Mungu aliye na uwezo, si yule ambaye bado anasubiri kujua.Some sincere Christians teach that God does not know the future in every detail, so that prayer may shape what He does not yet know. We answer that the Bible shows God declaring the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and prayer needs the God who is able, not one who is still waiting to find out.

UinjilistiEvangelism

Pingamizi la pili la vitendo ni dai kwamba mafundisho ya Matengenezo yanaua uinjilisti: kama Mungu ameshachagua, kwa nini kuhubiri? Waamini wengi wa dhati wa Kiarmini na wa Kiwesley, wanaowaka kwa haki kwa upendo kwa waliopotea, hutoa shtaka hili. Pia ni kweli kwamba baadhi ya wale waliotumia jina la Kikalvini wameacha bidii yao ipoe. Tunalichukulia shtaka hilo kwa uzito.The second practical objection is the claim that Reformed teaching kills evangelism: if God has already chosen, why preach? Many sincere Arminian and Wesleyan believers, who rightly burn with love for the lost, make this charge. It is also true that some who have used the Calvinist name have let their zeal grow cold. We take the charge seriously.

Jibu linaanza tena na amri. Kristo aliliagiza kanisa liwafanye mataifa yote kuwa wanafunzi (Mathayo 28:19-20). Paulo aliuliza, "Tena watasikiaje pasipo mhubiri?" (Warumi 10:14). Uteule haufuti amri hii. Unahakikisha matokeo yake. Yesu alimwambia Paulo huko Korintho katika maono kwamba alikuwa na watu wengi katika mji ule (Matendo 18:9-10), na Paulo alibaki kuhubiri. Ahadi ya Bwana ilikuwa moyo kwake wa kubaki na kusema.The answer begins again with the command. Christ commissioned the church to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul asked, "How shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). Election does not cancel this command. It guarantees its result. Jesus told Paul in Corinth in a vision that He had many people in that city (Acts 18:9-10), and Paul stayed to preach. The Lord's promise was the encouragement for him to stay and speak.

Kanuni za Dort, katika Sehemu ya Pili, zinafundisha kwamba ahadi ya injili, pamoja na amri ya kutubu na kuamini, inapaswa kutangazwa na kutolewa kwa mataifa yote na watu wote bila ubaguzi. Mwaliko ni wa dhati, kama Kipindi cha 5 kilivyoeleza. Wachungaji wa Matengenezo huhubiri kwa kila mtu, huita kila mtu, na hubembeleza kila mtu.The Canons of Dort, in the Second Head, teach that the promise of the gospel, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared to all nations and persons without distinction. The offer is sincere, as Unit 5 explained. Reformed pastors preach to everyone, call everyone, and plead with everyone.

Miongozo mitatu inatusaidia katika kuhubiri.Three guides help us in preaching.

Kwanza, hatuambii kusanyiko kwamba "Mungu amewachagua." Hatujui Mungu amemchagua nani. Tunasema kwamba Kristo anawaita wenye dhambi wote waje, kwamba wote wanaokuja watapokelewa, na kwamba yeyote anayekataa anakataa kwa kosa lake mwenyewe.First, we do not tell a congregation that "God has chosen you." We do not know whom God has chosen. We say that Christ calls every sinner to come, that all who come will be received, and that whoever refuses refuses by his own fault.

Pili, tunamtegemea Mungu na si mbinu zetu. Paulo alipanda na Apolo akatia maji, "bali Mungu ndiye aliyekuza" (1 Wakorintho 3:6). Hili linaondoa kiburi na kukata tamaa vyote. Mhubiri asiye na matokeo si mshindwa, na mhubiri mwenye matokeo mengi hachukui sifa.Second, we depend on God and not on our methods. Paul planted and Apollos watered, "but God gave the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6). This takes away both pride and despair. The preacher who has no results is not a failure, and the preacher who has many does not take the credit.

Tatu, tunahubiri kwa dharura. Mafundisho ya neema si kisingizio cha uvivu. Kozi ya 1, Kipindi cha 9 na Kozi ya 5, Kipindi cha 7 vinaeleza misheni za Matengenezo. Mchungaji anayependa uteule anatamani kuona wateule wakikusanywa.Third, we preach with urgency. The doctrines of grace are not an excuse for slowness. Course 1, Unit 9 and Course 5, Unit 7 describe the Reformed missions. A pastor who loves election longs to see the elect gathered in.

Kosa la imani ya Kalvini iliyopitiliza (hyper-Calvinism)The error of hyper-Calvinism

Baadhi ya wale waliodai mafundisho ya Matengenezo wamevuka Biblia. Kosa hili huitwa imani ya Kalvini iliyopitiliza. Linafundisha kwamba injili haipaswi kutolewa bure kwa wote, kwamba wenye dhambi hawapaswi kuamriwa kutubu na kuamini, au kwamba ni wale tu wanaojihisi tayari kuwa wateule ndio wanaoweza kualikwa. Makanisa ya Matengenezo yanakataa hili. Linapingana na Kanuni za Dort, zinazoamuru kutangazwa kwa injili bila ubaguzi, na mazoea ya Kristo na mitume. Charles Spurgeon, Mbaptisti wa Matengenezo, anakumbukwa kama mpinzani wa kosa hilo.Some who have claimed Reformed teaching have gone beyond the Bible. This error is called hyper-Calvinism. It teaches that the gospel should not be offered freely to all, that sinners should not be commanded to repent and believe, or that only those who already feel themselves to be elect may be invited. Reformed churches reject this. It contradicts the Canons of Dort, which command the indiscriminate announcement of the gospel, and the practice of Christ and the apostles. Charles Spurgeon, a Reformed Baptist, is remembered as an opponent of that error.

Uhakika wa WokovuAssurance of Salvation

Je, muumini anaweza kujua kwamba ameokoka? Pengine hili ndilo swali muhimu zaidi kwa Wakristo wa kawaida, na utamaduni wa Matengenezo unatoa jibu la uangalifu.Can a believer know he is saved? This is perhaps the most important question for ordinary Christians, and the Reformed tradition gives a careful answer.

Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 18, linafundisha kwamba wanafiki na watu wasiozaliwa upya wanaweza kujidanganya kwa matumaini ya uongo, lakini wale wanaoamini kweli, wanaompenda Kristo na wanaoenenda kwa dhamiri njema wanaweza kuhakikishwa kwa hakika kwamba wako katika hali ya neema, na wanaweza kufurahia katika tumaini la utukufu wa Mungu. Linataja misingi ya uhakika, nasi tunaweza kuiorodhesha mitatu.The Westminster Confession, chapter 18, teaches that hypocrites and unregenerate men may deceive themselves with false hopes, but that those who truly believe, love Christ and walk in good conscience may be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. It names the grounds of assurance, and we can list them as three.

Ahadi za injili. Msingi ni ukweli wa kimungu wa ahadi za wokovu. "Amwaminiye hahukumiwi," Yesu anasema (Yohana 3:18). Muumini hutazama kwanza Kristo na ahadi, si yeye mwenyewe.The promises of the gospel. The foundation is the divine truth of the promises of salvation. "He who believes in Him is not condemned," Jesus says (John 3:18). A believer looks first to Christ and the promise, not to himself.

Ushahidi wa neema katika maisha. Waamini huona ndani yao ishara za uzima mpya: upendo kwa Kristo, upendo kwa waamini wengine, toba, chuki dhidi ya dhambi na hamu ya kutii. Yohana anaandika waraka wake wa kwanza ili waamini wajue kwamba wana uzima wa milele (1 Yohana 5:13). Ishara hizi si msingi wa kukubaliwa kwetu, ambao ni Kristo peke yake, lakini ni ushahidi kwamba kuzaliwa upya kumetokea.The evidence of grace in the life. Believers see in themselves the signs of new life: love for Christ, love for other believers, repentance, a hatred of sin and a desire to obey. John writes his first letter that believers may know that they have eternal life (1 John 5:13). These signs are not the ground of our acceptance, which is Christ alone, but they are evidence that the new birth has taken place.

Ushuhuda wa Roho. Paulo anaandika, "Roho mwenyewe hushuhudia pamoja na roho zetu ya kuwa sisi tu watoto wa Mungu" (Warumi 8:16). Roho humhakikishia muumini, kupitia Neno, kwamba yeye ni wa Baba.The witness of the Spirit. Paul writes, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). The Spirit assures the believer, through the Word, that he belongs to the Father.

Ungamo linaongeza mambo matatu zaidi ya utunzaji wa kichungaji. Kwanza, uhakika huu si wa kiini cha imani. Muumini wa kweli anaweza kungoja kwa muda mrefu kabla ya kuupata, na anaweza kupambana na mashaka. Pili, anaweza, bila ufunuo wowote maalum, kuupata kwa kutumia ipasavyo njia za kawaida. Tatu, ni wajibu wa kila mtu kujitahidi kufanya wito wake na uteule wake kuwa imara (2 Petro 1:10). Hapa pia fundisho halileti uzembe. Mtu hukua katika uhakika anapokua katika utii, maombi na matumizi ya Neno na sakramenti.The confession adds three further points of pastoral care. First, this assurance is not of the essence of faith. A true believer may wait long before he has it, and may struggle with doubts. Second, he is able, without any special revelation, to attain it in the right use of ordinary means. Third, it is the duty of everyone to give diligence to make his calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Here again the doctrine does not lead to carelessness. A person grows in assurance as he grows in obedience, prayer and use of the Word and sacraments.

Pingamizi kuhusu uhakikaObjections on assurance

Pingamizi la Kikatoliki la Roma. Katika Baraza la Trent, kanisa la Roma lilikataa wazo kwamba waamini wanaweza kuwa na uhakika wa kuhesabiwa kwao haki, na likaonya kwamba linaweza kuzaa kiburi. Tunajibu kwamba Maandiko yanasema kuhusu "utimilifu wa imani" (Waebrania 10:22), na kwamba uhakika unaotegemea ahadi ya Kristo, na si stahili zetu wenyewe, huzaa unyenyekevu na si kiburi.The Roman Catholic objection. At the Council of Trent, the Roman church rejected the idea that believers can have certainty of their justification, and warned that it could produce pride. We answer that Scripture speaks of the "full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22), and that an assurance resting on Christ's promise, and not on our own merits, produces humility and not pride.

Mtazamo wa Kiwesley. John Wesley alifundisha uhakika wa msamaha wa sasa kupitia ushuhuda wa Roho kama fursa ya kila muumini. Katika hili mapokeo ya Kiwesley yanashiriki nasi mengi, nasi tunafurahia hilo. Lakini walimu wa Kiarmini na wa Kiwesley pia wanafundisha kwamba muumini anaweza kupoteza wokovu wake, kwa hiyo uhakika wao unahusu msimamo wa sasa. Tunajibu kwamba uhakika wetu unafikia hadi mwisho kwa sababu Baba ni mwaminifu kutuhifadhi, kama Kipindi cha 8 kilivyoeleza.The Wesleyan view. John Wesley taught the assurance of present pardon through the witness of the Spirit as the privilege of every believer. In this the Wesleyan tradition shares much with us, and we rejoice in it. But Arminian and Wesleyan teachers also teach that a believer may lose his salvation, so their assurance concerns present standing. We answer that our assurance reaches to the end because the Father is faithful to keep us, as Unit 8 explained.

Wasiwasi kuhusu uteule. Muumini mwenye wasiwasi anauliza, "Nitajuaje kwamba nimo miongoni mwa wateule?" Kanuni za Dort zinafundisha katika Sehemu ya Kwanza kwamba wateule, kwa wakati wake na kwa viwango tofauti, hupata uhakika wa uteule wao wa milele, si kwa kuchunguza mashauri yaliyofichika ya Mungu, bali kwa kuona ndani yao matunda hakika ya uteule, kama imani ya kweli katika Kristo, hofu ya kitoto, huzuni ya kimungu kwa dhambi, na njaa na kiu ya haki. Hatuambiwi kuchungulia ndani ya agizo. Tunaambiwa kumtazama Kristo na matunda anayoyazaa.The worry about election. A troubled believer asks, "How do I know I am among the elect?" The Canons of Dort teach in the First Head that the elect, in due time and in different measures, attain assurance of their eternal election, not by searching the hidden counsels of God, but by observing in themselves the sure fruits of election, such as true faith in Christ, filial fear, godly sorrow for sin, and hunger and thirst after righteousness. We are not told to look into the decree. We are told to look at Christ and at the fruits He produces.

Maelezo ya Uaminifu Kuhusu Mijadala ya WanahistoriaAn Honest Note on Historians' Debates

Wanahistoria wamejadili kama Calvin na waandishi wa Matengenezo wa baadaye walitofautiana kuhusu uhakika. Wengine wamesema kwamba Calvin alichukulia uhakika kama sehemu ya asili ya imani yenyewe, huku Wapuritani wa baadaye na wanateolojia wa Westminster wakiufanya zawadi tofauti ya baadaye, jambo lililosababisha kujichunguza kwa wasiwasi. Wanahistoria wengine wanajibu kwamba tofauti ni ya msisitizo na mazingira ya kichungaji, na kwamba Calvin pia alisema kuhusu mapambano ya waamini. Maungamo yetu ni wazi kuhusu jambo la kichungaji: uhakika ni fursa ya kutafutwa, na muumini dhaifu anapaswa kutiwa moyo, si kuhukumiwa.Historians have discussed whether Calvin and the later Reformed writers differed about assurance. Some have said that Calvin treated assurance as belonging to the very nature of faith, while the later Puritans and the Westminster divines made it a separate and later gift, which led to anxious self-examination. Other historians reply that the difference is one of emphasis and pastoral setting, and that Calvin also spoke of the struggles of believers. Our confessions are clear on the pastoral point: assurance is a privilege to be sought, and the weak believer is to be encouraged, not condemned.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mwanamke kijana katika kanisa lako, mshirika mwaminifu kwa miaka mitano, anakuja kwako akilia. Anasema, "Nilisoma kuhusu uteule, na sasa siwezi kulala. Je, kama sikuchaguliwa? Sihisi kwamba kweli naamini."A young woman in your church, a faithful member for five years, comes to you in tears. She says, "I read about election, and now I cannot sleep. What if I am not chosen? I do not feel that I truly believe."

Kwanza, hubishani kuhusu agizo. Unampeleka kwa Kristo. Unauliza kama anamtegemea leo kama tumaini lake pekee, na unafungua naye Yohana 6:37: yeyote anayekuja kwake hatamtupa nje kamwe.First, you do not argue about the decree. You take her to Christ. You ask whether she trusts Him as her only hope today, and you open John 6:37 with her: whoever comes to Him He will never cast out.

Pili, unamsaidia kuangalia matunda unayoweza kuyaona ndani yake: huzuni yake kwa dhambi, njaa yake ya Neno, upendo wake kwa ndugu. Haya ndiyo Kanuni zinayoyaelekeza.Second, you help her look at the fruits you can see in her: her sorrow for sin, her hunger for the Word, her love for the brothers. These are what the Canons point to.

Tatu, unamkumbusha kwamba uhakika unaweza kukua, na kwamba baadhi ya waamini hungoja kwa muda mrefu. Anapaswa kutumia njia: Neno, maombi, Meza ya Bwana na ushirika.Third, you remind her that assurance can grow, and that some believers wait long. She is to use the means: the Word, prayer, the Lord's Supper and fellowship.

Nne, unaomba naye na kupanga kumwona tena.Fourth, you pray with her and arrange to see her again.

MuhtasariSummary

Makanisa ya Matengenezo yanashikilia enzi kuu ya Mungu na wajibu wa mwanadamu pamoja, kama Maandiko yanavyofanya, na yanatofautisha mafundisho yao na imani ya hatima kipofu kwa sababu Mungu huagiza njia pamoja na malengo. Maombi ni njia ambayo Mungu huiagiza, na enzi kuu inapa maombi ujasiri wake. Uinjilisti umeamriwa, mwaliko ni huru na wa dhati, na uteule huhakikisha matokeo; imani ya Kalvini iliyopitiliza, inayozuia mwaliko huru, inakataliwa. Uhakika unategemea ahadi za injili, ushahidi wa neema katika maisha na ushuhuda wa Roho. Si wa kiini cha imani, lakini unaweza kupatikana na ni wajibu wa kila muumini kuutafuta. Muumini mwenye wasiwasi anaelekezwa kwa Kristo na kwa matunda ya uteule, si kwa agizo lililofichika. Wakristo wa Kiarmini, wa Kiwesley na wa Kikatoliki wa Roma huinua pingamizi hapa, nasi tunazijibu kwa heshima na kwa Maandiko.The Reformed churches hold God's sovereignty and human responsibility together, as Scripture does, and they distinguish their teaching from fatalism because God ordains the means as well as the ends. Prayer is a means that God ordains, and sovereignty gives prayer its confidence. Evangelism is commanded, the offer is free and sincere, and election guarantees the result; hyper-Calvinism, which withholds the free offer, is rejected. Assurance rests on the promises of the gospel, the evidence of grace in the life and the witness of the Spirit. It is not of the essence of faith, but it is attainable and is the duty of every believer to seek. The troubled believer is directed to Christ and to the fruits of election, not to the hidden decree. Arminian, Wesleyan and Roman Catholic Christians raise objections here, and we answer them with respect and with Scripture.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Ungamo la Imani la Westminster (1646-47), sura za 3, 9, 18 na 21.• Westminster Confession of Faith (1646-47), chapters 3, 9, 18 and 21.

• Katekisimu ya Heidelberg (1563), Siku ya Bwana ya 45 kuhusu maombi.• Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Lord's Day 45 on prayer.

• Kanuni za Dort (1619), Sehemu ya Kwanza, vifungu kuhusu uhakika wa uteule; Sehemu ya Pili kuhusu kuhubiri injili.• Canons of Dort (1619), First Head, articles on assurance of election; Second Head on the preaching of the gospel.

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo) (tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845), Kitabu cha III, sura ya 20 kuhusu maombi.• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Beveridge translation, 1845), Book III, chapter 20 on prayer.

• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (Mchungaji wa Matengenezo) (1656), kwa kazi ya mchungaji miongoni mwa watu wake.• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (1656), for the pastor's work among his people.

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Teolojia ya Kimfumo) (1872-73), sehemu kuhusu majaliwa na kuhusu uhakika.• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73), the sections on providence and on assurance.

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