Teolojia ya Kireformed na Mafundisho ya Neema — Sehemu ya 2: Maandiko: Uvuvio, Kutokukosea na UtoshelevuReformed Theology and the Doctrines of Grace — Unit 2: Scripture: Inspiration, Inerrancy, Sufficiency

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Maandiko yote yamevuviwa na Mungu, yana faida kwa mafundisho, na kwa kuonya, na kwa kurekebisha, na kwa kuadibu katika haki; ili mtu wa Mungu awe kamili, amekamilishwa apate kutenda kila kazi njema." (2 Timotheo 3:16-17, SUV)"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza kwa nini makanisa ya Matengenezo huweka Maandiko kuwa mamlaka ya mwisho kwa mafundisho, uhubiri na maisha.1. Explain why the Reformed churches place Scripture as the final authority for doctrine, preaching and life.

2. Kufafanua uvuvio, na kueleza jinsi Mungu na waandishi wanadamu wote wawili walivyofanya kazi katika kuandika Maandiko.2. Define inspiration, and describe how God and the human authors both worked in the writing of Scripture.

3. Kufafanua kutokukosea (inerrancy) na kutokuweza kupotosha (infallibility), na kueleza kile ambacho kutokukosea kunadai na kisichodai.3. Define inerrancy and infallibility, and explain what inerrancy does and does not claim.

4. Kueleza utoshelevu wa Maandiko na kanuni ya Matengenezo kwamba Maandiko ndiyo kanuni kuu huku maungamo ya imani yakiwa kanuni ya kutumikia.4. Explain the sufficiency of Scripture and the Reformed principle that Scripture is the supreme rule while the confessions are a servant rule.

5. Kueleza pingamizi nne (makosa yanayodaiwa, uandishi wa kibinadamu, haja ya mapokeo ya kanisa, na dai kwamba Maandiko huwa Neno la Mungu tu katika tukio) na kujibu kila moja kutoka upande wa Matengenezo.5. State four objections (alleged errors, human authorship, the need for church tradition, and the claim that Scripture only becomes God's Word in an event) and answer each from the Reformed side.

Kwa Nini Kipindi Hiki Kinafuata Cha KwanzaWhy This Unit Comes Second

Katika Kipindi cha 1 tulifundisha kwamba Mungu ni mwenye enzi kuu. Mwanafunzi anaweza kuuliza kwa haki: tunajuaje hilo? Jibu ni kwamba Mungu amesema, na usemi wake umeandikwa. Kila fundisho katika kozi hii linasimama au kuanguka kwa kile Biblia inachosema. Kwa sababu hii, Ungamo la Imani la Westminster huanza na Maandiko, katika sura ya 1, kabla ya kusema kuhusu Mungu. Ungamo la Ubelgiji linasema kuhusu Mungu katika kifungu chake cha kwanza, kisha katika vifungu vya 2 hadi 7 linageukia jinsi Mungu anavyojidhihirisha na Maandiko.In Unit 1 we taught that God is sovereign. A student may fairly ask how we know that. The answer is that God has spoken, and His speech is written. Every doctrine in this course stands or falls on what the Bible says. For this reason the Westminster Confession of Faith begins with Scripture, in chapter 1, before it speaks of God. The Belgic Confession speaks of God in its first article, and then in articles 2 to 7 it turns to the way God makes Himself known and to the Scriptures.

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Matengenezo, kwa wanafunzi wanaoshikilia kwamba Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililovuviwa na lisilokosea. Wengine wanaona sehemu za fundisho hili tofauti. Tunaeleza mitazamo yao kwa haki kisha tunaijibu kutoka katika Maandiko.This course is written from inside the Reformed tradition, for students who hold the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God. Others see parts of this doctrine differently. We state their views fairly and then answer them from Scripture.

Uvuvio: Maandiko Yaliyovuviwa na MunguInspiration: God-Breathed Scripture

Paulo anaandika kwamba "Maandiko yote yamevuviwa na Mungu" (2 Timotheo 3:16). Neno la Kiyunani nyuma ya "yamevuviwa" linamaanisha "yaliyopumuliwa na Mungu." Hapa Maandiko hayaelezwi kuwa kitabu ambacho watu waliwekea pumzi kwa hisia zao za kidini, wala kitabu ambacho Mungu alikitumia baadaye. Yanatoka katika kinywa cha Mungu. Petro anasema vivyo hivyo kuhusu manabii: "Maana unabii haukuletwa wakati wowote kwa mapenzi ya mwanadamu; bali watu walinena kutoka kwa Mungu, wakiongozwa na Roho Mtakatifu" (2 Petro 1:21).Paul writes that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16). The Greek word behind "given by inspiration" means "God-breathed." Scripture is not described here as a book that people breathed into by their religious feeling, nor as a book that God later made use of. It comes from the mouth of God. Peter says the same about the prophets: "for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).

Zingatia sehemu mbili za sentensi ya Petro. Waandishi walikuwa "watu," wanadamu halisi, nao "walinena." Lakini walinena "wakiongozwa na Roho Mtakatifu." Walimu wa Matengenezo wameita hili uvuvio wa kiogani (organic inspiration). Mungu hakuweka kando haiba, msamiati na historia ya Isaya, Luka au Paulo. Aliwaandaa, alifanya kazi ndani yao, na kile walichoandika ni kweli maneno yao na kweli maneno yake. Huu ni mfano ule ule tuliouona katika Kipindi cha 1. Mungu ni chanzo cha kwanza na waandishi ni visababishi vya pili, na matokeo hayagawanywi kati yao. Ni kamili kutoka kwa Mungu na kamili kutoka kwao. Neno la zamani kwa hili ni concursus (kushirikiana).Notice the two parts of Peter's sentence. The writers were "holy men," real human beings, and they "spoke." But they spoke as they were "moved by the Holy Spirit." Reformed teachers have called this organic inspiration. God did not set aside the personality, vocabulary and history of Isaiah, Luke or Paul. He prepared them, He worked in them, and what they wrote is truly their words and truly His. This is the same pattern we saw in Unit 1. God is the first cause and the writers are secondary causes, and the result is not shared between them. It is wholly from God and wholly from them. The old word for this is concursus.

Istilahi mbili hutumiwa kueleza uvuvio unafikia wapi. Uvuvio wa maneno (verbal) unamaanisha kwamba unaenea hadi maneno na si mawazo ya jumla tu. Kamili (plenary) linamaanisha "kikamilifu": unajumuisha Maandiko yote, si sehemu zake tu. Yesu alishikilia msimamo huu. Alisema kwamba "maandiko hayawezi kutanguka" (Yohana 10:35), na katika Mathayo 5:18 alisema kwamba yodi moja wala nukta moja haitaondoka katika sheria hata yote yatimie. Paulo alimshukuru Mungu kwamba Wathesalonike walipokea mahubiri yake si kama neno la wanadamu bali kama lilivyo kweli, neno la Mungu (1 Wathesalonike 2:13).Two terms are used to describe how far inspiration reaches. Verbal inspiration means that it extends to the words and not only to the general ideas. Plenary means "full": it covers all of Scripture, not just parts of it. Jesus held this view. He said that "the Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35), and in Matthew 5:18 He said that not a letter or a stroke of the law would pass away until all is fulfilled. Paul thanked God that the Thessalonians received his preaching not as the word of men but as it truly is, the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Wanateolojia wakuu wa Princeton, Archibald Alexander Hodge na Benjamin B. Warfield, walieleza fundisho hili kwa uangalifu katika makala yao ya mwaka 1881, "Inspiration" (Uvuvio). Walifundisha kwamba Mungu aliwaongoza waandishi, ambao waliandika kwa mtindo wao wenyewe, na kwamba maneno yao ni maneno ya Mungu.The great Princeton theologians Archibald Alexander Hodge and Benjamin B. Warfield set out this doctrine carefully in their 1881 article "Inspiration." They taught that God superintended the writers, who wrote in their own style, and that their words are God's words.

Kutokukosea na Kutokuweza KupotoshaInerrancy and Infallibility

Ikiwa Maandiko yamevuviwa na Mungu, hayawezi kufundisha kosa, kwa sababu Mungu hasemi uongo (Tito 1:2) wala hakosei. Hiki ndicho tunachomaanisha kwa kutokukosea (inerrancy): Biblia, katika maandishi yake ya asili, haina kosa katika yote inayoyathibitisha. Kutokuweza kupotosha (infallibility) ni neno linalohusiana kwa karibu, likimaanisha kwamba Maandiko hayawezi kutupotosha katika yale yanayofundisha. Wengine hutumia "kutokuweza kupotosha" kwa mambo ya imani na maisha na "kutokukosea" kwa kila kitu ambacho Biblia inakithibitisha, ikiwemo historia. Makanisa yanayoshikilia kutokukosea yanasema mambo hayo mawili hayawezi kutenganishwa, kwa sababu mafundisho ya Biblia kuhusu wokovu yameunganishwa na historia yake. Mwaka 1978 wasomi na wachungaji wa kiinjili walitoa Taarifa ya Chicago kuhusu Kutokukosea kwa Biblia ili kusema hili wazi.If Scripture is God-breathed, it cannot teach error, because God does not lie (Titus 1:2) and does not make mistakes. This is what we mean by inerrancy: the Bible, in its original writings, is without error in all that it affirms. Infallibility is a closely related word, meaning that Scripture cannot lead us astray in what it teaches. Some use "infallible" for matters of faith and life and "inerrant" for everything the Bible affirms, including history. The churches that hold to inerrancy say the two cannot be separated, because the Bible's teaching about salvation is bound up with its history. In 1978 evangelical scholars and pastors issued the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy to say this clearly.

Kutokukosea mara nyingi hueleweka vibaya, kwa hiyo ni muhimu kusema kile ambacho hakudai.Inerrancy is often misunderstood, so it is useful to say what it does not claim.

Kunahusu maandishi ya asili. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 1, sehemu ya 8, linasema kwamba Agano la Kale kwa Kiebrania na Agano Jipya kwa Kiyunani yalivuviwa moja kwa moja na Mungu na, kwa uangalizi na majaliwa yake, yamehifadhiwa safi katika vizazi vyote. Hatusemi kwamba kila nakala au tafsiri ni kamilifu. Wanakili walifanya makosa madogo, na hati za maandishi zinaonyesha tofauti za maneno. Wanafunzi wa maandishi wameweza kuyapanga haya kwa uhakika mkubwa, na hakuna fundisho la imani linalotegemea usomaji usio na uhakika.It applies to the original writings. The Westminster Confession, chapter 1, section 8, says that the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek were immediately inspired by God and, by His care and providence, kept pure in all ages. We do not say that every copy or translation is perfect. Copyists made small slips, and the manuscripts show differences in wording. Students of the text have been able to sort these out with great confidence, and no doctrine of the faith depends on an uncertain reading.

Hakudai usahihi wa kisasa. Biblia inasema kwa lugha ya kawaida. Inasema kwamba jua huchomoza, kama sisi tunavyosema. Inaweza kukadiria idadi, kuripoti hotuba kwa muhtasari, au kupanga matukio kwa mada badala ya tarehe. Hizi ni njia za kawaida za kusema, si makosa. Usemi hauna kosa unapokuwa wa kweli katika maana aliyokusudia mwandishi.It does not demand modern precision. The Bible speaks in ordinary language. It says that the sun rises, as we do. It may round numbers, report a speech in summary, or arrange events by theme instead of by date. These are normal ways of speaking, not mistakes. A statement is inerrant when it is true in the sense the author intended.

Unaheshimu aina ya uandishi. Ushairi, mfano, historia, sheria na unabii kila kimoja kina namna yake. Kusoma Zaburi kana kwamba ni mkataba wa kisheria, au Ufunuo kana kwamba ni ripoti ya habari, ni ufasiri mbaya, si utetezi wa kutokukosea.It respects the kind of writing. Poetry, parable, history, law and prophecy each have their own manner. Reading Psalms as if they were a legal contract, or Revelation as if it were a news report, is poor interpretation, not a defense of inerrancy.

Orodha ya Vitabu vya Biblia (Canon)The Canon

Tunajuaje ni vitabu gani vinastahili kuwa katika Maandiko? Wengine wamesema uamuzi wa kanisa ndio uliopa vitabu mamlaka yake. Jibu la Matengenezo, lililotolewa katika Ungamo la Ubelgiji, vifungu vya 4 hadi 6, na Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 1, ni kwamba kanisa lilipokea vitabu hivyo kwa sababu ni Neno la Mungu, si kwamba kanisa lilivifanya hivyo. Kondoo humjua sauti ya mchungaji wao (Yohana 10:27). Ungamo la Ubelgiji linaorodhesha vitabu sitini na sita vya Agano la Kale na Agano Jipya na linasema kwamba vitabu tunavyoviita vya Apokrifa vinaweza kusomwa kwa mafundisho kadiri vinavyopatana na vitabu vya kanoni, lakini havina nguvu ya kuthibitisha jambo lolote la imani. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 1, sehemu ya 3, linaenda mbali zaidi na kusema kwamba Apokrifa, kwa kuwa hazikuvuviwa, hazina mamlaka yoyote katika kanisa.How do we know which books belong in Scripture? Some have said the church's decision gave the books their authority. The Reformed answer, given in the Belgic Confession, articles 4 to 6, and the Westminster Confession, chapter 1, is that the church received the books because they are the Word of God, not that the church made them so. Sheep know their shepherd's voice (John 10:27). The Belgic Confession lists the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments and says the books we call apocryphal may be read for instruction so far as they agree with the canonical books, but they have no power to confirm any point of faith. The Westminster Confession, chapter 1, section 3, goes further and says the Apocrypha, not being inspired, have no authority in the church.

Mamlaka na Ushuhuda wa RohoAuthority and the Witness of the Spirit

Kwa nini tunaiamini Biblia? Maungamo ya imani yanatoa majibu mawili yanayofanya kazi pamoja. Kwanza, tabia ya Biblia yenyewe: mafundisho yake ya mbinguni, umoja wa sehemu zake, na zaidi ya yote ujumbe wake wa wokovu. Pili, na la msingi zaidi, kazi ya ndani ya Roho Mtakatifu. Calvin alifundisha hili katika Institutes, Kitabu cha I, sura ya 7. Ungamo la Ubelgiji, kifungu cha 5, linasema kwamba tunapokea vitabu hivi kuwa vitakatifu na vya kanoni, si kwa sababu tu kanisa linavipokea, bali hasa kwa sababu Roho Mtakatifu anashuhudia mioyoni mwetu kwamba vinatoka kwa Mungu. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 1, sehemu ya 5, linasema vivyo hivyo. Ushuhuda huu haupei ufunuo mpya. Unafungua macho yetu kuona kile kilichomo tayari katika maandishi. Kama Paulo asemavyo, mtu wa tabia ya asili hapokei yaliyo ya Roho wa Mungu, "wala hawezi kuyajua, kwa sababu yanapambanuliwa kwa jinsi ya roho" (1 Wakorintho 2:14). Tutaona sababu katika Kipindi cha 3.Why do we believe the Bible? The confessions give two answers that work together. First, the Bible's own character: its heavenly teaching, the unity of its parts, and above all its message of salvation. Second, and more basic, the inward work of the Holy Spirit. Calvin taught this in the Institutes, Book I, chapter 7. The Belgic Confession, article 5, says we receive these books as holy and canonical, not so much because the church receives them, but especially because the Holy Spirit witnesses in our hearts that they are from God. The Westminster Confession, chapter 1, section 5, says the same. This witness does not give new revelation. It opens our eyes to see what is already in the text. As Paul says, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, "nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). We will see why in Unit 3.

Utoshelevu na Kanuni ya Maandiko PekeeSufficiency and the Principle of Scripture Alone

Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 1, sehemu ya 6, linafundisha kwamba shauri lote la Mungu kuhusu mambo yote yanayohitajika kwa utukufu wake, wokovu wa mwanadamu, imani na maisha limeandikwa katika Maandiko au linaweza kupatikana kutoka kwayo kwa matokeo mazuri na ya lazima. Hakuna kinachopaswa kuongezwa, iwe kwa ufunuo mpya wa Roho au kwa mapokeo ya wanadamu. Huu ndio utoshelevu (sufficiency) wa Maandiko. Paulo anasema Maandiko hufanya "mtu wa Mungu" awe "kamili, amekamilishwa apate kutenda kila kazi njema" (2 Timotheo 3:17). Mtunga zaburi anasema, "Neno lako ni taa ya miguu yangu, na mwanga wa njia yangu" (Zaburi 119:105).The Westminster Confession, chapter 1, section 6, teaches that the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His glory, man's salvation, faith and life is either set down in Scripture or may be deduced from it by good and necessary consequence. Nothing is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or by traditions of men. This is the sufficiency of Scripture. Paul says the Scriptures make "the man of God" "complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). The psalmist says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105).

Utoshelevu haumaanishi kwamba Biblia inatuambia kila kitu, kama vile jinsi ya kutengeneza gari. Unamaanisha kwamba inatupa yote tunayohitaji kumjua Mungu, kuokolewa, na kuishi kumpendeza. Haumaanishi kwamba tunawapuuza walimu wa kanisa. Makanisa ya Matengenezo yanathamini imani za kanisa na maungamo, lakini yanayashikilia kama kiwango cha chini ya Maandiko. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 31, sehemu ya 3, linasema wazi kwamba sinodi zote na mabaraza yote tangu wakati wa mitume yanaweza kukosea na hayapaswi kuwa kanuni ya imani. Maandiko ni kanuni itawalayo; ungamo ni kanuni inayotawaliwa. Kozi ya 3 itashughulikia hili katika kipindi "Kwa Nini Maungamo?"Sufficiency does not mean that the Bible tells us everything, such as how to repair a car. It means that it gives all we need to know God, be saved, and live to please Him. It does not mean that we ignore the church's teachers. The Reformed churches value the creeds and confessions, but they hold them as a subordinate standard. The Westminster Confession, chapter 31, section 3, says plainly that all synods and councils since the apostles' time may err and are not to be the rule of faith. Scripture is the rule that rules; the confession is a rule that is ruled. Course 3 will treat this in the unit "Why Confessions?"

Sura hiyo hiyo, sehemu ya 7, inafundisha uwazi (clarity) wa Maandiko: si kila kitu ndani yake ni wazi kwa kiwango sawa, lakini yale tunayopaswa kujua kwa wokovu ni wazi vya kutosha hata wasiosoma na wasomi wanaweza kuyaelewa. Na sehemu ya 9 inafundisha kanuni kwamba Maandiko hufasiri Maandiko. Kifungu kinapokuwa hakieleweki, tunageukia vilivyo wazi zaidi.The same chapter, section 7, teaches the clarity of Scripture: not everything in it is equally plain, but what we must know for salvation is clear enough that the unlearned as well as the learned can understand it. And section 9 teaches the rule that Scripture interprets Scripture. When a passage is unclear, we turn to the clearer ones.

Mjadala wa Wanahistoria: Je, Kutokukosea Kulibuniwa Princeton?A Historians' Debate: Was Inerrancy a Princeton Invention?

Baadhi ya wanahistoria wanasema kwamba kutokukosea lilikuwa wazo la karne ya kumi na tisa. Taarifa inayojulikana zaidi ya mtazamo huu ni The Authority and Interpretation of the Bible (Mamlaka na Ufasiri wa Biblia) (1979) cha Jack Rogers na Donald McKim. Walisema kwamba utamaduni wa zamani wa Matengenezo, tangu Augustino hadi Calvin, ulithibitisha mamlaka ya Maandiko kwa wokovu na ukweli wake, lakini haukusisitiza kutokuwa na kosa katika mambo yote. Walishikilia kwamba Hodge na Warfield wa Princeton, wakiathiriwa na fikra za kisayansi na kifalsafa za wakati wao, walilifanya fundisho kuwa gumu kuwa kitu kipya.Some historians argue that inerrancy was a nineteenth-century idea. The best-known statement of this view is The Authority and Interpretation of the Bible (1979) by Jack Rogers and Donald McKim. They argued that the older Reformed tradition, from Augustine through Calvin, affirmed Scripture's authority for salvation and its truth, but did not insist on freedom from error in all matters. They held that Princeton's Hodge and Warfield, influenced by the scientific and philosophical thinking of their day, hardened the doctrine into something new.

John Woodbridge alijibu katika Biblical Authority (Mamlaka ya Biblia) (1982) kwamba waandishi wa zamani walikuwa thabiti zaidi kuliko maelezo hayo yanavyoruhusu. Tunaona jibu hilo lina nguvu kwa sababu ambazo mchungaji yeyote anaweza kuzihakiki. Ungamo la Ubelgiji na Ungamo la Westminster huita Maandiko Neno la Mungu, na walimu wa zamani hawakuona njia yoyote ya Neno la Mungu kuwa na kosa. Calvin anafundisha kweli kwamba Mungu hujishusha kwa udhaifu wetu, akisema kwa njia tunazoweza kuzielewa, na huu ni ufahamu wenye msaada. Lakini kujishusha kunamaanisha kwamba Mungu anasema kwa lugha ya kibinadamu, si kwamba anasema kwa uongo. Princeton ilitetea kile ambacho vizazi vya awali vilikichukulia kuwa kweli.John Woodbridge answered in Biblical Authority (1982) that the older writers were more consistent than that account allows. We find the answer persuasive for reasons that any pastor can check. The Belgic Confession and the Westminster Confession call Scripture the Word of God, and the older teachers saw no way for God's Word to contain error. Calvin does teach that God accommodates Himself to our weakness, speaking in ways we can grasp, and this is a helpful insight. But accommodation means that God speaks in human language, not that He speaks falsely. Princeton defended what earlier generations had assumed.

Pingamizi na MajibuObjections and Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Biblia ina makosa na migongano. Wakosoaji wanaonyesha tofauti kati ya masimulizi ya Injili, namba zisizolingana, na vifungu vigumu. Wasomi wengine, wakifuata mbinu za uhakiki wa juu (higher criticism), wanashikilia kwamba vitabu vilikua kutoka katika mapokeo ya wanadamu na vina makosa.Objection 1: The Bible has errors and contradictions. Critics point to differences between Gospel accounts, to numbers that do not match, and to difficult passages. Some scholars, following the methods of higher criticism, hold that the books grew out of human traditions and contain mistakes.

Jibu letu. Tunachukulia ugumu huo kwa uzito na hatujifichi kutoka kwao. Lakini migongano mingi inayoonekana hutoweka tunapouliza mwandishi alikusudia kusema nini. Masimulizi mawili ya tukio moja yanaweza kutofautiana kwa sababu kila mwandishi alichagua maelezo tofauti, na tofauti si sawa na mgongano. Pale fumbo halisi linapobaki, tunakumbuka kwamba tunazo nakala na si maandishi ya asili, na kwamba ujuzi wetu wa desturi na lugha za kale una mipaka. Muhimu zaidi, tunamwamini Yesu. Alichukulia Maandiko kuwa neno la Mungu lisiloweza kutanguka. Mwanafunzi anayemwamini Kristo hataacha mtazamo wake kuhusu Biblia kwa sababu ya fumbo ambalo halijatatuliwa.Our answer. We take the difficulties seriously and do not hide from them. But many apparent contradictions disappear when we ask what the author meant to say. Two accounts of one event may differ because each writer chose different details, and different is not the same as contradictory. Where a real puzzle remains, we recall that we have the copies and not the originals, and that our knowledge of ancient customs and languages is limited. More basic, we trust Jesus. He treated Scripture as the word of God that cannot be broken. A student who trusts Christ will not abandon His view of the Bible because of an unsolved puzzle.

Pingamizi la 2: Kwa kuwa wanadamu waliiandika, lazima haijakamilika. Wanadamu hukosea, kwa hiyo maandishi ya wanadamu yana makosa.Objection 2: Because humans wrote it, it must be imperfect. Human beings are fallible, so human writings contain error.

Jibu letu. Hili linadhania kwamba Mungu hawezi kutumia wanadamu bila kasoro zao kuingia katika matokeo. Lakini Maandiko yanasema Roho Mtakatifu aliwaongoza waandishi (2 Petro 1:21), na Bwana aliyemfanya Musa kinywa chake anaweza kutawala kile anachoandika (Kutoka 4:11). Tunaamini kwamba Mungu yule yule anayetawala vitu vyote kwa majaliwa pia alitawala uandishi wa Neno lake.Our answer. This assumes that God cannot use human beings without their flaws entering the result. But Scripture says the Holy Spirit "moved" the writers (2 Peter 1:21), and the Lord who made Moses' mouth can govern what he writes (Exodus 4:11). We believe the same God who rules all things by providence also governed the writing of His Word.

Pingamizi la 3: Maandiko pekee hayatoshi; tunahitaji mapokeo ya kanisa. Kanisa Katoliki la Roma linafundisha kwamba Maandiko na mapokeo matakatifu pamoja huunda amana moja ya imani, na kwamba mamlaka ya kufundisha ya kanisa hufasiri yote mawili.Objection 3: Scripture alone is not enough; we need church tradition. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Scripture and sacred tradition together form one deposit of the faith, and that the church's teaching office interprets both.

Jibu letu. Tunathamini mafundisho ya kanisa la kwanza na tunajifunza kutoka kwayo. Lakini Bwana Yesu aliwakemea wale walioacha amri ya Mungu kwa ajili ya mapokeo yao (Marko 7:8-9). Waberoya wanasifiwa kwa sababu walichunguza Maandiko kila siku wapate kujua kama mafundisho ya Paulo ni kweli (Matendo 17:11). Ikiwa mapokeo ni chanzo cha pili cha fundisho, ni nani anayeyajaribu? Maandiko pekee yanaweza kufanya hili. Utoshelevu wa Maandiko si kukataa kanisa. Ni kukataa kuruhusu sauti yoyote ya kibinadamu kusimama kando ya Mungu.Our answer. We value the early church's teaching and learn from it. But the Lord Jesus rebuked those who set aside the commandment of God for their tradition (Mark 7:8-9). The Bereans are praised because they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether Paul's teaching was so (Acts 17:11). If tradition is a second source of doctrine, who tests it? Only Scripture can do this. The sufficiency of Scripture is not a rejection of the church. It is the refusal to let any human voice stand beside God's.

Pingamizi la 4: Maandiko ni ushahidi wa Neno la Mungu na huwa Neno wakati Mungu anaposema kupitia hayo. Huu ni mtazamo unaohusishwa na mwanateolojia wa Uswisi wa karne ya ishirini, Karl Barth, ambaye alipenda Maandiko na alifanya kazi kubwa kulirudisha kanisa kwayo. Kwa mtazamo wake, Biblia ni ushuhuda wa kibinadamu kuhusu Kristo, na inakuwa Neno la Mungu katika tukio la mkutano, lakini yenyewe si mfululizo wa kauli za Mungu.Objection 4: Scripture is a witness to the Word of God and becomes the Word when God speaks through it. This is the view associated with the twentieth-century Swiss theologian Karl Barth, who loved Scripture and worked hard to bring the church back to it. In his view the Bible is human testimony to Christ, and it becomes God's Word in the event of encounter, but it is not in itself a series of divine statements.

Jibu letu. Tunaheshimu msisitizo wa Barth juu ya Kristo, lakini hatuwezi kukubali maelezo haya. Yesu na mitume walichukulia kilichoandikwa kuwa Mungu anasema: "Imeandikwa" ilimaliza kila swali. Paulo anaita Maandiko yaliyoandikwa yenyewe "yamevuviwa na Mungu." Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 1, sehemu ya 10, linaita Roho Mtakatifu anayesema ndani ya Maandiko hakimu mkuu wa mabishano yote. Ikiwa Biblia ni Neno la Mungu tu wakati wa kusikia, basi kanisa halina kiwango thabiti cha kujaribu madai kuhusu kile Mungu anachosema.Our answer. We honor Barth's focus on Christ, but we cannot accept this account. Jesus and the apostles treated what is written as God speaking: "It is written" settled every question. Paul calls the written Scriptures themselves "God-breathed." The Westminster Confession, chapter 1, section 10, calls the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture the supreme judge of all controversies. If the Bible is God's Word only in the moment of hearing, then the church has no fixed standard by which to test claims about what God is saying.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Kijana kutoka kanisani kwako anarudi kutoka mwaka wake wa kwanza chuo kikuu. Profesa aliambia darasa lake kwamba Biblia imejaa migongano na ilihaririwa na mikono mingi kwa karne nyingi. Anakuambia, "Sijui nini cha kuamini sasa."A young man from your church returns from his first year at a university. A professor told his class that the Bible is full of contradictions and was edited by many hands over centuries. He says to you, "I don't know what to believe now."

Kwanza, mshukuru kwa kukuambia. Wanafunzi wengi hubeba mashaka kama haya kimya.First, thank him for telling you. Many students carry such doubts in silence.

Pili, uliza ni migongano ipi aliyoitaja profesa. Mara nyingi dai ni la jumla. Andika vifungu mahususi na ahidi kuvisoma pamoja.Second, ask which contradictions the professor named. Often the claim is general. Write down the specific passages and promise to study them together.

Tatu, mwonyeshe jinsi ya kusoma: uliza mwandishi alikusudia nini, na linganisha Maandiko na Maandiko. Pitia mfano mmoja polepole.Third, show him how to read: ask what the author intended, and compare Scripture with Scripture. Work through one example slowly.

Nne, mrudishe kwa Kristo, aliyeamini Maandiko. Fungua pamoja naye Yohana 10:35 na 2 Timotheo 3:16-17. Fanya iwe wazi kwamba imani katika Biblia si ya upofu. Inategemea ushuhuda wa Roho na uaminifu wa Bwana Yesu.Fourth, lead him back to Christ, who trusted the Scriptures. Open John 10:35 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 with him. Make clear that faith in the Bible is not blind. It rests on the witness of the Spirit and on the trustworthiness of the Lord Jesus.

Tano, mkaribishe alete maswali zaidi. Imani inayoruhusiwa kuuliza itakua.Fifth, invite him to bring more questions. A faith that is allowed to ask will grow.

MuhtasariSummary

Makanisa ya Matengenezo huanza na Maandiko kuwa mamlaka ya mwisho. Maandiko yamevuviwa na Mungu. Mungu na waandishi wanadamu wote wawili walifanya kazi, kwa hiyo maneno ni kweli ya waandishi na kweli ya Mungu. Huu ni uvuvio wa maneno na kamili. Kutokukosea kunamaanisha kwamba maandishi ya asili hayana kosa katika yote yanayoyathibitisha, yakieleweka kulingana na aina ya uandishi wake. Kanisa linatambua kanoni na haliiumbi, na ushuhuda wa Roho Mtakatifu moyoni unatuhakikishia asili ya kimungu ya Maandiko. Maandiko yanatosha kwa imani na maisha, na maungamo ni kiwango cha kutumikia chini yake. Wanahistoria wanajadili kama kutokukosea kulibuniwa Princeton, lakini maungamo na walimu wa zamani wanasema Maandiko ni Neno la Mungu lisilo na kosa. Tulijibu pingamizi nne: makosa yanayodaiwa, uandishi wa kibinadamu, haja ya mapokeo, na mtazamo kwamba Maandiko huwa Neno la Mungu tu katika tukio.The Reformed churches begin with Scripture as the final authority. Scripture is God-breathed. God and the human writers both worked, so the words are truly the writers' and truly God's. This is verbal and plenary inspiration. Inerrancy means that the original writings are without error in all they affirm, understood according to their kind of writing. The church recognizes the canon and does not create it, and the Holy Spirit's witness in the heart assures us of Scripture's divine origin. Scripture is sufficient for faith and life, and confessions are a servant standard under it. Historians debate whether inerrancy was invented at Princeton, but the confessions and older teachers speak of Scripture as the Word of God without error. We answered four objections: alleged errors, human authorship, the need for tradition, and the view that Scripture only becomes God's Word in an event.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Ungamo la Ubelgiji (1561), vifungu vya 2 hadi 7.• Belgic Confession (1561), articles 2 to 7.

• Ungamo la Imani la Westminster (1646-47), sura ya 1; sura ya 31, sehemu ya 3.• Westminster Confession of Faith (1646-47), chapter 1; chapter 31, section 3.

• Ungamo la Pili la Helvetia (1566), sura ya 1, "Of the Holy Scripture" (Kuhusu Maandiko Matakatifu).• Second Helvetic Confession (1566), chapter 1, "Of the Holy Scripture."

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo), Kitabu cha I, sura za 6 hadi 9 (tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845).• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, chapters 6 to 9 (Beveridge translation, 1845).

• Archibald Alexander Hodge na Benjamin B. Warfield, "Inspiration" (Uvuvio) (1881).• Archibald Alexander Hodge and Benjamin B. Warfield, "Inspiration" (1881).

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Teolojia ya Kimfumo) (1872-73), juzuu kuhusu teolojia ya Mungu na Maandiko.• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73), the volume on theology proper and Scripture.

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