Teolojia ya Kireformed na Mafundisho ya Neema — Sehemu ya 4: Uteule Usio na MashartiReformed Theology and the Doctrines of Grace — Unit 4: Unconditional Election

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"kama vile alivyotuchagua katika yeye, kabla ya kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu, tuwe watakatifu, tusio na mawaa mbele zake katika upendo." (Waefeso 1:4, SUV)"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." (Ephesians 1:4, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kufafanua uteule kama makanisa ya Matengenezo yanavyoufundisha, na kueleza "usio na masharti" linamaanisha nini.1. Define election as the Reformed churches teach it, and explain what "unconditional" means.

2. Kutoa vifungu vikuu vya Biblia kuhusu uteule na kueleza kila kimoja kinafundisha nini.2. Give the main biblical passages for election and explain what each teaches.

3. Kueleza mafundisho ya Matengenezo kuhusu uteule na kukataliwa (reprobation), na kwa nini hayo mawili hayafanani kabisa.3. Explain the Reformed teaching on election and reprobation, and why the two are not exactly alike.

4. Kueleza jinsi uteule unavyotoa faraja na uhakika na jinsi unavyohusiana na uinjilisti.4. Explain how election gives comfort and assurance and how it relates to evangelism.

5. Kueleza pingamizi nne (imani iliyoonekana mapema, kutokuwa na haki, tamaa ya Mungu kwamba wote waokolewe, na dai kwamba uteule unazuia uinjilisti) na kujibu kila moja kutoka upande wa Matengenezo.5. State four objections (foreseen faith, unfairness, God's desire that all be saved, and the claim that election hinders evangelism) and answer each from the Reformed side.

Tulipo Katika KoziWhere We Are in the Course

Kipindi cha 3 kilionyesha kwamba mtu ambaye hajaokoka amekufa katika dhambi na hawezi kuja kwa Kristo kwa nguvu zake mwenyewe. Ikiwa hilo ni kweli, swali linafuata. Kwa nini watu wengine huamini na wengine hawaamini? Makanisa ya Matengenezo yanajibu: kwa sababu Mungu, kabla ya dunia kuanza, alichagua watu kwa ajili yake katika Kristo. Huu ni uteule (election), la kwanza kati ya mafundisho ya neema kama Dort inavyoyaweka, katika sehemu yake ya kwanza ya mafundisho (tazama Kozi ya 1, kipindi kuhusu Sinodi ya Dort, kwa historia).Unit 3 showed that the unsaved person is dead in sin and cannot come to Christ by his own power. If that is true, a question follows. Why do some people believe and others do not? The Reformed churches answer: because God, before the world began, chose a people for Himself in Christ. This is election, the first of the doctrines of grace as Dort sets them out, in its first head of doctrine (see Course 1, the unit on the Synod of Dort, for the history).

Hili ni fundisho ambalo waamini wanapaswa kulipokea kwa shukrani. Paulo anaandika kulihusu kwa lugha ya sifa: "Atukuzwe Mungu, Baba wa Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo" (Waefeso 1:3). Tunaeleza mitazamo mingine kwa haki kisha tunaijibu. Tunamwomba mwanafunzi asome vifungu hivyo katika Biblia yake mwenyewe na asitegemee neno letu peke yake.This is a doctrine for believers to receive with thanks. Paul writes about it in the language of praise: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). We state other views fairly and then answer them. We ask the student to read the passages in his own Bible and not to rest on our word alone.

Uteule Ni NiniWhat Election Is

Kanuni za Dort, Sehemu ya 1, kifungu cha 7, zinafafanua uteule kama kusudi la Mungu lisilobadilika, lililofanywa kabla ya kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu, ambalo kwalo kutoka katika jamii yote ya wanadamu, walioanguka kwa kosa lao wenyewe, alichagua katika Kristo kwa wokovu idadi maalum ya watu, kulingana na mapenzi mema yake ya hiari. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 3, sehemu ya 5, linafundisha kwamba Mungu aliwachagua katika Kristo kwa utukufu wa milele, kutoka kwa neema na upendo wake wa hiari tu, bila kuona mapema imani wala matendo mema, wala kitu kingine chochote ndani ya kiumbe, kama masharti au visababishi vilivyomsukuma kufanya hivyo. Ungamo la Ubelgiji, kifungu cha 16, linasema kwamba Mungu huonyesha rehema kwa wale aliowachagua katika Kristo na huwaacha wengine katika uharibifu ambao wao wenyewe wamejitumbukiza ndani yake.The Canons of Dort, Head 1, article 7, defines election as God's unchangeable purpose, made before the foundation of the world, by which out of the whole human race, fallen by their own fault, He chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of persons, according to the free good pleasure of His will. The Westminster Confession, chapter 3, section 5, teaches that God chose them in Christ to everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions or causes moving Him to it. The Belgic Confession, article 16, says that God shows mercy to those whom He has chosen in Christ and leaves the rest in the ruin into which they have plunged themselves.

Mambo matatu yanahitaji kuwa wazi.Three points need to be clear.

Uteule ni tendo la Mungu. Si chaguo la kanisa, wala la mwenye dhambi. "Si ninyi mlionichagua mimi, bali mimi nimewachagua ninyi, nikawaweka mwende mkazae matunda" (Yohana 15:16).Election is God's act. It is not the church's choice, nor the sinner's. "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit" (John 15:16).

Uteule u katika Kristo. Mungu hakutuchagua mbali na Mwokozi. Tumechaguliwa "katika yeye," na wokovu wetu unakuja kwa kuungana na Kristo.Election is in Christ. God did not choose us apart from the Savior. We are chosen "in Him," and our salvation comes through union with Christ.

Uteule ni kwa ajili ya utakatifu na imani. Paulo anasema Mungu alituchagua "tuwe watakatifu, tusio na mawaa" (Waefeso 1:4). Uteule si tiketi inayofanya maisha matakatifu yasiwe ya lazima. Ni mpango wa Mungu wa kuunda watu watakatifu.Election is unto holiness and faith. Paul says God chose us "that we should be holy and without blame" (Ephesians 1:4). Election is not a ticket that makes holy living unnecessary. It is God's plan to make a holy people.

"Usio na masharti" unamaanisha kwamba chanzo cha uteule kiko ndani ya Mungu na si ndani yetu. Hakuna kitu ndani ya mtu, iwe imani yake, matendo yake au wema wake, kinachomsukuma Mungu kumchagua. Hili halimaanishi kwamba uteule hauna kusudi, au kwamba Mungu huchagua bila hekima. Linamaanisha kwamba sababu ya Mungu iko ndani yake mwenyewe: upendo wake na shauri la mapenzi yake (Waefeso 1:5, 11)."Unconditional" means that the cause of election lies in God and not in us. Nothing in the person, whether his faith, his works or his goodness, moves God to choose him. This does not mean that election has no purpose, or that God chooses without wisdom. It means that God's reason is in Himself: His love and the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:5, 11).

Maandiko Yanasema NiniWhat Scripture Says

Fundisho hili linapatikana kote katika Biblia. Tunaangalia vifungu vikuu.The doctrine is found throughout the Bible. We look at the chief passages.

Waefeso 1:3-6. Mungu alituchagua katika Kristo kabla ya kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu, alitukusudia tuwe wana wa kuasiliwa "kwa kusudi jema la mapenzi yake," kwa sifa ya utukufu wa neema yake. Uchaguzi ni kabla ya uumbaji, kwa hiyo hauwezi kutegemea tunayoyafanya baada yake.Ephesians 1:3-6. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, predestined us to adoption as sons "according to the good pleasure of His will," to the praise of the glory of His grace. The choice is before creation, so it cannot be based on what we do after it.

Warumi 8:28-30. Paulo anaeleza mnyororo: wale ambao Mungu aliwajua tangu awali, aliwakusudia tangu awali; wale aliowakusudia tangu awali, aliwaita; wale aliowaita, aliwahesabia haki; wale aliowahesabia haki, aliwatukuza. Hakuna kiungo kinachopotea. Tutajifunza jinsi hili linavyofanya kazi katika wito wenye nguvu katika Kipindi cha 6 na katika uvumilivu katika Kipindi cha 8.Romans 8:28-30. Paul describes a chain: those whom God foreknew, He predestined; those He predestined, He called; those He called, He justified; those He justified, He glorified. No link is lost. We will study how this works in effectual calling in Unit 6 and in perseverance in Unit 8.

Warumi 9:10-16. Kabla Yakobo na Esau hawajazaliwa, "wala kutenda mema au mabaya," Mungu alisema kwamba mkubwa atamtumikia mdogo, ili kusudi la Mungu kwa kuchagua lipate kudumu, "si kwa matendo, bali kwa yeye aitaye" (Warumi 9:11). Paulo anahitimisha, "Basi, kwa hiyo hakuna kwa mtu apendaye, wala kwa mtu apigaye mbio, bali kwa Mungu mwenye kurehemu" (Warumi 9:16).Romans 9:10-16. Before Jacob and Esau were born, "nor having done any good or evil," God said that the older would serve the younger, so that the purpose of God according to election might stand, "not of works but of Him who calls" (Romans 9:11). Paul concludes, "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:16).

Matendo 13:48. Mataifa waliposikia Paulo akihubiri, "wote waliokuwa wamewekwa tayari kwa uzima wa milele wakaamini." Kuamini kwao kulifuata kuwekwa kwa Mungu, si kinyume chake.Acts 13:48. When the Gentiles heard Paul preach, "as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Their believing followed God's appointment, not the reverse.

Yohana 6:37. "Wote anipao Baba watakuja kwangu; wala yeye ajaye kwangu sitamtupa nje kamwe." Baba hutoa, Mwana hupokea, na wale waliopewa huja.John 6:37. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." The Father gives, the Son receives, and those given come.

2 Wathesalonike 2:13 na 2 Timotheo 1:9. Paulo anashukuru kwamba Mungu aliwachagua Wathesalonike tangu mwanzo kwa wokovu katika utakaso wa Roho na kuiamini kweli, na anasema Mungu alituokoa si kwa kadiri ya matendo yetu bali kwa kadiri ya makusudi yake mwenyewe na neema, tuliyopewa katika Kristo Yesu tangu zamani za milele.2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 2 Timothy 1:9. Paul gives thanks that God chose the Thessalonians from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, and he says God saved us not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

Uteule na Kukataliwa (Reprobation)Election and Reprobation

Ikiwa Mungu huchagua wengine, vipi wengine wote? Maungamo ya imani yanajibu kwa uangalifu. Kanuni za Dort, Sehemu ya 1, kifungu cha 15, zinafundisha kwamba Mungu, kwa mapenzi yake mema yenye enzi, ya haki na yasiyobadilika, ameamua kuwaacha wengine katika taabu ya pamoja ambayo wamejitumbukiza ndani yake, bila kuwapa imani ya kuokoa, bali kuwahukumu na kuwaadhibu kwa haki kwa dhambi zao. Hili huitwa kukataliwa (reprobation), au "kupitiwa."If God chooses some, what of the rest? The confessions answer with care. The Canons of Dort, Head 1, article 15, teaches that God, in His sovereign, just and unchangeable good pleasure, has decided to leave some in the common misery into which they plunged themselves, not giving them saving faith, but condemning and punishing them in justice for their sins. This is called reprobation, or "passing by."

Zingatia kwamba uteule na kukataliwa havifanani kabisa. Mungu huwachagua watu wake kwa upendo na huumba imani ndani yao. Haumbi dhambi ndani ya wengine. Waliopotea huangamia kwa sababu ya dhambi yao wenyewe, kama Kipindi cha 3 kilivyoeleza. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 3, sehemu ya 7, linasema kwamba Mungu alipenda kuwapita wengine na kuwaagiza kwa aibu na hasira kwa dhambi yao. Calvin, katika Institutes, Kitabu cha III, sura za 21 hadi 24, alifundisha wazi kwamba agizo la Mungu linajumuisha wateule na wengine, wala hakujificha kutoka upande mgumu wa fundisho hili. Walimu wa Matengenezo wa baadaye wamejadili kama agizo la Mungu la uteule linakuja kabla au baada ya agizo lake la kuruhusu anguko. Mitazamo hii miwili huitwa supralapsarian (kabla ya anguko) na infralapsarian (baada ya anguko). Maungamo ya imani hayatulazimishi kuchagua kati ya hayo, na walimu wacha Mungu wameshikilia yote mawili.Notice that election and reprobation are not exactly parallel. God chooses His people in love and creates faith in them. He does not create sin in the others. The lost perish because of their own sin, as Unit 3 explained. The Westminster Confession, chapter 3, section 7, says that God was pleased to pass by the rest and ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin. Calvin, in the Institutes, Book III, chapters 21 to 24, taught plainly that God's decree includes both the elect and the rest, and he did not hide from the hard side of the doctrine. Later Reformed teachers have debated whether God's decree of election comes before or after His decree to permit the fall. These two views are called supralapsarian and infralapsarian. The confessions do not force a choice between them, and godly teachers have held both.

Wachungaji wengi wa Matengenezo, wanapohubiri, husema kidogo kuhusu kukataliwa na mengi kuhusu uteule, kwa sababu kusudi la Maandiko katika kufundisha uteule ni faraja. Hatupaswi kamwe kulitumia fundisho hili kusema kwa ubaridi kuhusu waliopotea. Paulo mwenyewe anasema kuhusu "huzuni nyingi na maumivu yasiyokoma moyoni mwangu" kwa ajili ya watu wake mwenyewe waliopotea (Warumi 9:2).Many Reformed pastors, when they preach, say little about reprobation and much about election, because the Scripture's purpose in teaching election is comfort. We should never use the doctrine to speak coldly about the lost. Paul himself speaks of "great sorrow and continual grief" in his heart for his own people who were lost (Romans 9:2).

Faraja na UhakikaComfort and Assurance

Dort, Sehemu ya 1, vifungu vya 12 na 13, inafundisha kwamba waamini wanaweza kupata uhakika wa uteule wao, na kwamba unawapa sababu ya kujinyenyekeza na kuabudu rehema ya Mungu. Uteule hufariji kwa sababu wokovu hautegemei mioyo yetu inayobadilika. Mtu anayejua kwamba alipendwa kabla ya kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu haogopi kwamba Mungu atashangazwa na kushindwa kwake. Yule aliyemchagua atamaliza aliloanza (Wafilipi 1:6).Dort, Head 1, articles 12 and 13, teaches that believers may gain assurance of their election, and that it gives them reason to humble themselves and adore God's mercy. Election comforts because salvation does not hang on our changing hearts. A person who knows he was loved before the foundation of the world does not fear that God will be surprised by his failures. The one who chose him will finish what He began (Philippians 1:6).

Uteule pia hutunyenyekeza. Hatuna cha kujivunia, na tunampa Bwana utukufu wote. Hutufanya tuwe wavumilivu kwa wengine, kwa kuwa neema ile ile iliyotuokoa inaweza kuwaokoa wao. Na hutupa ujasiri katika utumishi, kwa sababu makusudi ya Mungu hayawezi kushindwa.Election also humbles us. We have nothing to boast about, and we give all glory to the Lord. It makes us patient with others, since the same grace that saved us can save them. And it gives courage in service, because God's purposes cannot fail.

Mtu anawezaje kujua kwamba ni mteule? Jibu la Matengenezo ni kwamba hatupandi mbinguni kusoma agizo. Kumbukumbu la Torati 29:29 linafundisha kwamba mambo ya siri ni ya Bwana. Badala yake, tunamwangalia Kristo. Calvin alisema kwamba Kristo ndiye kioo ambacho kwacho tunapaswa kuona uteule wetu (Institutes, Kitabu cha III, sura ya 24, sehemu ya 5). Tukitubu na kumwamini, tuna ushahidi unaojalisha. Petro anatuambia tujitahidi "kuufanya imara wito wenu na uteule wenu" (2 Petro 1:10), kwa kukua katika fadhila za Kikristo. Paulo anasema kwamba Roho hushuhudia pamoja na roho zetu ya kuwa sisi tu watoto wa Mungu (Warumi 8:16).How can a person know that he is elect? The Reformed answer is that we do not climb into heaven to read the decree. Deuteronomy 29:29 teaches that secret things belong to the Lord. Instead, we look at Christ. Calvin said that Christ is the mirror in which we are to see our election (Institutes, Book III, chapter 24, section 5). If we repent and believe in Him, we have the evidence that matters. Peter tells us to be diligent to "make your call and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10), by growing in the Christian virtues. Paul says that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16).

Swali la Wanahistoria: Calvin na Wafuasi wa CalvinA Historians' Question: Calvin and the Calvinists

Wanahistoria wameuliza kama wafuasi wa Calvin walishikilia mafundisho yake kuhusu uteuzi wa kimbele au walibadilisha. Baadhi ya waandishi wa karne ya ishirini walisema kwamba wanafunzi na warithi wa Calvin, hasa Theodore Beza na wasomi wa Kiprotestanti wa karne ya kumi na saba, waligeuza fundisho la kichungaji kuwa mfumo wa kimantiki. Wengine, wakiwemo Richard Muller, wamejibu kwamba waandishi wa baadaye walitumia mbinu makini za wakati wao kueleza fundisho lile lile, kukiwa na tofauti za mtindo na mpangilio lakini si za maudhui. Calvin mwenyewe katika Institutes aliweka uteuzi wa kimbele ndani ya fundisho lake la wokovu, na aliusema kwa joto la kichungaji.Historians have asked whether Calvin's followers kept his teaching on predestination or changed it. Some twentieth-century writers argued that Calvin's pupils and successors, especially Theodore Beza and the Protestant scholastics of the seventeenth century, turned a pastoral doctrine into a logical system. Others, including Richard Muller, have replied that the later writers used the careful methods of their day to state the same doctrine, with differences of style and arrangement but not of substance. Calvin himself in the Institutes placed predestination within his doctrine of salvation, and spoke of it with pastoral warmth.

Tunashikilia kwamba maungamo ya baadaye, kama Dort na Westminster, ni waaminifu kwa Calvin katika mambo makuu, na kwamba bora kati yao huhifadhi wasiwasi wa kichungaji. Mchungaji hapaswi kutumia madai ya zamani kumkataa Calvin, au kuhalalisha mtindo baridi katika kufundisha fundisho hili.We hold that the later confessions, such as Dort and Westminster, are faithful to Calvin on the main points, and that the best of them keep the pastoral concern. A pastor should not use the old claims to dismiss Calvin, or to excuse a cold manner in teaching the doctrine.

Pingamizi na MajibuObjections and Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Mungu huwachagua wale anaowaona mapema kwamba wataamini. Huu ni mtazamo wa Jacobus Arminius na Wapinga-Maandamano, na wa wainjilisti wengi. Wanaelekeza kwenye Warumi 8:29, "aliowajua tangu awali," na 1 Petro 1:2, "wateule kama alivyojua Mungu Baba tangu zamani." Uteule, wanasema, unategemea ujuzi wa Mungu wa mapema wa nani ataamini. Baadhi ya Waarmini wanafundisha kwamba uteule hasa ni wa kanisa kama kikundi, ambamo watu binafsi huingia kwa imani.Objection 1: God elects those whom He foresees will believe. This is the view of Jacobus Arminius and the Remonstrants, and of many evangelicals. They point to Romans 8:29, "whom He foreknew," and to 1 Peter 1:2, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God." Election, they say, is based on God's foreknowledge of who will believe. Some Arminians teach that election is mainly of the church as a group, into which individuals enter by faith.

Jibu letu. Tunachukulia wasiwasi huu kwa uzito. Wanataka kulinda haki ya Mungu na uhalisi wa uchaguzi wa mwanadamu. Lakini Maandiko hutumia "kujua tangu awali" kwa watu na si kwa mambo ya ukweli tu. Mungu anasema kwa Israeli, "Ninyi tu nimewajua miongoni mwa jamaa zote za nchi" (Amosi 3:2). Kujua tangu awali kwa maana hii ni kuweka upendo juu ya mtu mapema. Zaidi ya hayo, imani yenyewe ni zawadi (Waefeso 2:8; Wafilipi 1:29), na Biblia inasema kwamba walioamini ndio waliokuwa wamewekwa tayari kwa uzima wa milele (Matendo 13:48). Kama Mungu alituchagua kwa sababu ya imani yetu, basi imani ingekuwa chanzo cha uteule na msingi wa kujisifu. Kuhusu uteule wa kikundi peke yake, Waefeso 1:4 inasema "alituchagua," na Warumi 9 inasema kuhusu Yakobo na Esau kama watu.Our answer. We take the concern seriously. They wish to protect God's justice and the reality of human choice. But Scripture uses "foreknow" of persons and not only of facts. God says to Israel, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2). To foreknow in this sense is to set love on someone beforehand. Further, faith itself is a gift (Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 1:29), and the Bible says that those who believed were those who were appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:48). If God chose us because of our faith, then faith would be the cause of election and a ground for boasting. As to election of the group alone, Ephesians 1:4 says "chose us," and Romans 9 speaks of Jacob and Esau as persons.

Pingamizi la 2: Uteule usio na masharti si wa haki. Wasomaji wa Paulo wenyewe waliuliza, "Je! Kuna udhalimu kwa Mungu?" (Warumi 9:14). Wakosoaji wanasema kwamba kuwachagua wengine na kuwapita wengine ni kwa kiholela.Objection 2: Unconditional election is unfair. Paul's own readers asked, "Is there unrighteousness with God?" (Romans 9:14). Critics say that choosing some and passing by others is arbitrary.

Jibu letu. Jibu la Paulo ni, "Hasha!" Mungu alimwambia Musa, "Nitamrehemu yule ninayemrehemu" (Warumi 9:15). Ufunguo ni kwamba hakuna anayestahili rehema. Wote wana hatia ndani ya Adamu na kwa dhambi zao wenyewe. Kama Mungu hawaokoi yeyote, yeye ni mwenye haki. Akiwaokoa wengine, yeye ni mwenye rehema. Haki haikanwi kwa mtu yeyote, na rehema inatolewa kwa wengine. Hakimu anayewasamehe baadhi ya wakosaji hawadhulumu wengine. Uteule pia si wa kiholela, kwa kuwa unatokana na shauri lenye hekima la mapenzi yake, ingawa hatuwezi kuona sababu zake zote.Our answer. Paul's answer is, "Certainly not!" God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy" (Romans 9:15). The key is that no one deserves mercy. All are guilty in Adam and by their own sin. If God saves none, He is just. If He saves some, He is merciful. Justice is not denied to anyone, and mercy is given to some. A judge who pardons some guilty men does not wrong the rest. Election is not arbitrary, either, since it comes from the wise counsel of His will, though we cannot see all His reasons.

Pingamizi la 3: Mungu anataka kila mtu aokolewe. Mkosoaji ananukuu 1 Timotheo 2:4, "ambaye anataka watu wote waokolewe, tena wapate kujua yaliyo kweli," na 2 Petro 3:9, kwamba Bwana ni "asiyependa mtu yeyote apotee, bali wote wafikilie toba."Objection 3: God wants everyone to be saved. The critic cites 1 Timothy 2:4, "who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth," and 2 Peter 3:9, that the Lord is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

Jibu letu. Mistari hii lazima ichukuliwe kwa uzito, na tunaishughulikia kwa upana zaidi katika Kipindi cha 5 na Kipindi cha 9. Hapa tunasema mambo matatu. Kwanza, Neno la Mungu linafunua aina mbili za mapenzi: anachoamuru na kupendezwa nacho, na anachokiagiza kitokee. Mungu hapendezwi na kufa kwake mtu mwovu (Ezekieli 33:11), na pia anaagiza vitu vyote. Pili, katika 1 Timotheo 2:1-4 Paulo ametoka tu kuhimiza maombi kwa ajili ya watu wa kila aina, wakiwemo wafalme, na "watu wote" wanaweza kumaanisha watu wa kila aina. Tatu, 2 Petro 3:9 limeandikiwa "sisi," waamini wapendwa, na linasema kwamba Bwana ana subira kwao hadi watu wake wote watakapofikia toba. Hata hivyo injili inatolewa bure kwa kila mtu, na mwaliko ni wa dhati.Our answer. These verses must be taken seriously, and we address them more fully in Unit 5 and Unit 9. Here we say three things. First, God's Word reveals two kinds of will: what He commands and delights in, and what He has decreed will come to pass. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), and He also ordains all things. Second, in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul has just urged prayer for all kinds of people, including kings, and "all men" can mean all sorts of people. Third, 2 Peter 3:9 is addressed to "us," the beloved believers, and says that the Lord is patient with them until all His people come to repentance. The gospel is nevertheless offered freely to every person, and the invitation is sincere.

Pingamizi la 4: Uteule hufanya uinjilisti usiwe na maana na uhakika usiwezekane. Ikiwa Mungu ameshachagua, kwa nini kuhubiri? Na ikiwa hatuwezi kujua, tunawezaje kuwa na uhakika?Objection 4: Election makes evangelism pointless and assurance impossible. If God has already chosen, why preach? And if we cannot know, how can we be sure?

Jibu letu. Mitume waliamini uteule na walihubiri kwa shauku. Paulo anasema, "Kwa hiyo nastahimili mambo yote kwa ajili yao wateule, ili wao nao wapate wokovu ulio katika Kristo Yesu, pamoja na utukufu wa milele" (2 Timotheo 2:10). Uteule ulimpa tumaini kwamba kazi yake haitakuwa bure. Hatujui wateule ni nani, kwa hiyo tunahubiri kwa wote, na Mungu hutumia kuhubiri kama njia ya kuwakusanya (Warumi 10:14-17). Kuhusu uhakika, tunamwangalia Kristo, si agizo la siri, na tunda la imani huthibitisha msimamo wetu.Our answer. The apostles believed election and preached with passion. Paul says, "Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Timothy 2:10). Election gave him hope that his work would not be in vain. We do not know who the elect are, so we preach to all, and God uses preaching as the means to gather them (Romans 10:14-17). As for assurance, we look to Christ, not to the secret decree, and the fruit of faith confirms our standing.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mwamini katika kanisa lako, aliyegeuka hivi karibuni kutoka katika dini ya jina tu, anakuja kwako akiwa na wasiwasi. Amesikia neno "uteule" na anasema, "Mchungaji, nitajuaje kwamba Mungu alinichagua? Je, kama sipo miongoni mwa wateule?"A believer in your church, a recent convert from a nominal religious background, comes to you troubled. He has heard the word "election" and says, "Pastor, how do I know God chose me? What if I am not among the chosen?"

Kwanza, usishtuke kwa swali hilo. Mtu anayeogopa kwamba hakuchaguliwa mara nyingi huonyesha kwamba anamjali Mungu, ambalo si kile ambacho moyo usiojali hufanya.First, do not be alarmed by the question. A man who fears he is not chosen often shows that he cares about God, which is not what an unconcerned heart does.

Pili, mwambie asitafute orodha iliyofichwa. Mgeuze kwa Kristo. Uliza, "Je, unatubu dhambi yako? Je, unamtegemea Kristo peke yake kwa wokovu?" Mwonyeshe Yohana 6:37: yule ajaye hatatupwa nje.Second, tell him not to search for a hidden list. Turn him to Christ. Ask, "Do you repent of your sin? Do you trust Christ alone for salvation?" Show him John 6:37: the one who comes will not be cast out.

Tatu, eleza kwamba matunda huthibitisha. Someni pamoja 2 Petro 1:5-11 na umwonyeshe kwamba kukua katika utauwa ndivyo tunavyofanya wito wetu kuwa imara.Third, explain that fruit confirms. Read 2 Peter 1:5-11 with him and show him that growth in godliness is how we make our calling sure.

Nne, mfundishe kustarehe katika upendo wenye enzi kuu wa Mungu, na asiwe na wasiwasi. Someni pamoja Warumi 8:31-39.Fourth, teach him to rest in the sovereign love of God, and not to worry. Read Romans 8:31-39 with him.

Tano, ombeni pamoja na ahidi kuendelea kutembea naye.Fifth, pray with him and promise to keep walking with him.

MuhtasariSummary

Uteule ni chaguo la milele, la hiari na lisilobadilika la Mungu, katika Kristo, la watu kwa wokovu, bila kuzingatia imani au matendo yaliyoonekana mapema. "Usio na masharti" unamaanisha kwamba chanzo kiko ndani ya Mungu na si ndani yetu. Maandiko yanafundisha hili katika Waefeso 1, Warumi 8 na 9, Yohana 6, Matendo 13 na kwingineko. Uteule ni kwa ajili ya imani na utakatifu. Kukataliwa ni Mungu kuwapita wengine, ambao huangamia kwa dhambi zao wenyewe, kwa hiyo hayo mawili hayafanani kabisa. Fundisho hili linatoa faraja, unyenyekevu na ujasiri, na tunapata uhakika kwa kumwangalia Kristo. Wanahistoria wanajadili kama Wakalvini wa baadaye walibadilisha mafundisho ya Calvin, lakini maungamo ni waaminifu kwake katika mambo makuu. Tulijibu pingamizi nne: imani iliyoonekana mapema, kutokuwa na haki, tamaa ya Mungu kwamba wote waokolewe, na dai kwamba uteule unazuia uinjilisti.Election is God's eternal, free and unchangeable choice, in Christ, of a people for salvation, without regard to any foreseen faith or works. "Unconditional" means that the cause lies in God and not in us. Scripture teaches it in Ephesians 1, Romans 8 and 9, John 6, Acts 13 and elsewhere. Election is unto faith and holiness. Reprobation is God's passing by the rest, who perish for their own sins, so the two are not exactly alike. The doctrine gives comfort, humility and courage, and we find assurance by looking to Christ. Historians debate whether later Calvinists changed Calvin's teaching, but the confessions are faithful to him on the main points. We answered four objections: foreseen faith, unfairness, God's desire that all be saved, and the claim that election hinders evangelism.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Kanuni za Dort (1619), Sehemu ya 1, pamoja na Kukataliwa kwa Makosa yake.• Canons of Dort (1619), Head 1, with its Rejection of Errors.

• Ungamo la Imani la Westminster (1646-47), sura ya 3; Katekisimu Kubwa, maswali ya 12 na 13.• Westminster Confession of Faith (1646-47), chapter 3; Larger Catechism, questions 12 and 13.

• Ungamo la Ubelgiji (1561), kifungu cha 16.• Belgic Confession (1561), article 16.

• Ungamo la Pili la Helvetia (1566), sura ya 10, "Of the Predestination of God and the Election of the Saints" (Kuhusu Uteuzi wa Kimbele wa Mungu na Uteule wa Watakatifu).• Second Helvetic Confession (1566), chapter 10, "Of the Predestination of God and the Election of the Saints."

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo), Kitabu cha III, sura za 21 hadi 24 (tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845).• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, chapters 21 to 24 (Beveridge translation, 1845).

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Teolojia ya Kimfumo) (1872-73), juzuu kuhusu soteriolojia.• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73), the volume on soteriology.

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