Teolojia ya Agano, Maandiko na Maungamo ya Kireformed — Sehemu ya 3: Agano la Neema, Kuanzia Adamu hadi KristoCovenant Theology, Scripture, and Reformed Confessions — Unit 3: The Covenant of Grace from Adam to Christ

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Nami nitaweka uadui kati yako na huyo mwanamke, na kati ya uzao wako na uzao wake; huo utakuponda kichwa, nawe utamponda kisigino." (Mwanzo 3:15, SUV)"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:15, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza agano la neema ni nini na jinsi linavyotofautiana na agano la matendo.1. Define the covenant of grace and explain how it differs from the covenant of works.

2. Kufuatilia agano la neema kupitia Adamu, Nuhu, Ibrahimu, Musa, Daudi na agano jipya, ukitaja ahadi na ishara ya kila moja.2. Trace the covenant of grace through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and the new covenant, naming the promise and the sign of each.

3. Kueleza kwa nini walimu wa Kireformed wanasema agano la Musa ni sehemu ya agano la neema, na kueleza mjadala wa Kireformed unaoitwa "kuchapishwa upya" (republication).3. Explain why Reformed teachers say the Mosaic covenant belongs to the covenant of grace, and describe the Reformed discussion called "republication."

4. Kueleza nafasi ya Kristo kama Mpatanishi na ya imani kama njia ya kulipokea agano.4. Explain the place of Christ as Mediator and of faith as the way the covenant is received.

5. Kutaja pingamizi za Kibaptisti, za Kiarminiani na za mafundisho ya vipindi (dispensational), pamoja na mjadala wa wanahistoria kuhusu masharti, na kuzijibu.5. State the Baptist, Arminian and dispensational objections, and the historians' debate about conditions, and answer them.

TunaposimamaWhere We Stand

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Kireformed na Kipresbiteri unaofuata maungamo ya imani, kwa ajili ya wanafunzi wanaoshiriki utamaduni huo. Katika Kipindi cha 2 tuliona kwamba Adamu alilivunja agano la matendo na kuleta kifo juu ya wale aliowawakilisha. Kipindi hiki kinauliza Mungu alifanya nini baadaye. Jibu lake ni agano la neema, linaloanzia bustanini hadi msalabani, kisha hadi siku ya mwisho. Tunaeleza pingamizi za Wakristo wengine kwa haki na kuzijibu. Historia ya makanisa ya Kireformed imeelezwa katika Kozi ya 1. Mafundisho ya neema (uchaguzi, upatanisho na wito wenye nguvu) yamo katika Kozi ya 2. Ubatizo, unaotegemea kipindi hiki, unafundishwa katika kozi ya utawala wa kanisa wa Kipresbiteri, ibada na sakramenti, katika kipindi cha "Ubatizo wa Waumini na wa Watoto Wao."This course is written from inside the confessional Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, for students who belong to it. In Unit 2 we saw that Adam broke the covenant of works and brought death on those he represented. This unit asks what God did next. His answer is the covenant of grace, which runs from the garden to the cross and then to the last day. We state the objections of other Christians fairly and answer them. The history of the Reformed churches is told in Course 1. The doctrines of grace (election, atonement and effectual calling) are in Course 2. Baptism, which depends on this unit, is taught in the course on Presbyterian polity, worship and sacraments, in the unit "Baptism of Believers and Their Children."

Agano la Neema ni Nini?What Is the Covenant of Grace?

Baada ya anguko, Adamu na watu wake hawakuweza kulishika agano la matendo. Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, 7.3, linafundisha kwamba Mungu kwa rehema yake alifanya agano la pili, linaloitwa agano la neema. Ndani yake anawapa wenye dhambi uzima na wokovu bure kwa njia ya Yesu Kristo. Anataka imani katika Kristo ili waokolewe. Na anaahidi kuwapa Roho wake Mtakatifu wote waliowekwa tayari kwa uzima, ili awafanye wawe radhi na wenye uwezo wa kuamini.After the fall, Adam and his people could not keep the covenant of works. The Westminster Confession of Faith, 7.3, teaches that God in his mercy made a second covenant, called the covenant of grace. In it he freely offers sinners life and salvation through Jesus Christ. He requires faith in Christ so that they may be saved. And he promises to give his Holy Spirit to all who are ordained to life, to make them willing and able to believe.

Tofauti tatu na agano la matendo zinajitokeza.Three differences from the covenant of works stand out.

Kwanza, njia ya uzima. Katika agano la matendo, uzima unategemea utii wa Adamu. Katika agano la neema, uzima unategemea utii wa Kristo, anaopewa wenye dhambi kama zawadi.First, the way of life. In the covenant of works, life depends on the obedience of Adam. In the covenant of grace, life depends on the obedience of Christ, given to sinners as a gift.

Pili, Mpatanishi. Adamu alisimama peke yake kama kichwa cha watu wake. Katika agano la neema tunaye Mpatanishi: "Maana Mungu ni mmoja, naye mpatanishi kati ya Mungu na wanadamu ni mmoja, mwanadamu Kristo Yesu" (1 Timotheo 2:5). Waebrania inamwita Yesu mdhamini wa agano lililo bora zaidi (Waebrania 7:22). Mdhamini ni yule anayeahidi na kulipa kwa niaba ya mwingine.Second, the Mediator. Adam stood alone as the head of his people. In the covenant of grace we have a Mediator: "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Hebrews calls Jesus the surety of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22). A surety is one who promises and pays on behalf of another.

Tatu, jibu. Imani ndiyo njia ya kulipokea agano. Imani si malipo. Ni mkono mtupu unaopokea zawadi. Na agano linatoa hata hii, kwa kuwa "mmeokolewa kwa neema, kwa njia ya imani; wala hilo halikutokana na nafsi zenu; ni kipawa cha Mungu" (Waefeso 2:8).Third, the response. Faith is how the covenant is received. Faith is not a payment. It is the empty hand that takes the gift. And the covenant provides even this, since "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

Agano Moja, Vipindi Vingi vya UsimamiziOne Covenant, Many Administrations

Ungamo linafundisha kwamba agano hili moja la neema lilisimamiwa (administered) kwa njia tofauti wakati wa sheria na wakati wa injili (7.5, 7.6). Wakati wa sheria lilitolewa kwa ahadi, unabii, dhabihu, tohara, mwana-kondoo wa Pasaka na maagizo mengine, yote yakielekeza kwa Kristo aliyekuwa anakuja. Wakati wa injili linatolewa kwa kuhubiriwa kwa Neno na sakramenti mbili, ubatizo na Meza ya Bwana. Asili ni ile ile: Kristo, na wokovu kwa neema kwa njia ya imani ndani yake. Umbo tu ndilo hubadilika. Sasa tunapitia hatua kuu.The Confession teaches that this one covenant of grace was "administered" differently in the time of the law and in the time of the gospel (7.5, 7.6). In the time of the law it was given by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the Passover lamb and other ordinances, all pointing to the Christ who was to come. In the time of the gospel it is given by the preaching of the Word and the two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper. The substance is the same: Christ, and salvation by grace through faith in him. Only the form changes. We now walk through the main stages.

Adamu: ahadi ya kwanzaAdam: the first promise

Mara baada ya anguko, kabla ya laana yoyote kumwangukia Adamu na Hawa wenyewe, Mungu anatoa ahadi: Uzao wa mwanamke utaponda kichwa cha nyoka (Mwanzo 3:15). Wakristo wameuita mstari huu tangazo la kwanza la injili. Mkombozi atatoka katika familia ya mwanamke mwenyewe, naye atateseka katika kufanya kazi yake ("nawe utamponda kisigino"). Kisha Mungu anawavika wale wawili wenye hatia mavazi ya ngozi (Mwanzo 3:21), ambayo walimu wa Kireformed wameyaona kama ishara kwamba dhambi hufunikwa na dhabihu, si na juhudi za mwenye dhambi mwenyewe. Mstari wa uzao ulioahidiwa kisha unapita kupitia Sethi, na sadaka ya Abeli, iliyotolewa kwa imani, inasifiwa katika Waebrania 11:4.Immediately after the fall, before any curse falls on Adam and Eve themselves, God speaks a promise: the Seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). Christians have called this verse the first announcement of the gospel. A Redeemer will come from the woman's own family, and he will suffer in doing his work ("you shall bruise His heel"). God then clothes the guilty pair with garments of skin (Genesis 3:21), which Reformed teachers have seen as a sign that sin is covered by a sacrifice and not by the sinner's own efforts. The line of the promised Seed then runs through Seth, and Abel's offering, made by faith, is commended in Hebrews 11:4.

Nuhu: neema katika hukumuNoah: grace in judgment

"Nuhu alipata neema machoni pa BWANA" (Mwanzo 6:8). Gharika iliihukumu dunia, lakini Mungu alimwokoa Nuhu na nyumba yake katika safina. Baadaye Mungu alifanya agano na Nuhu na kila kiumbe hai, akiahidi kutoharibu tena dunia kwa gharika, na akatoa upinde wa mvua kuwa ishara yake (Mwanzo 9). Agano la Nuhu ni agano la kuhifadhi kwa ajili ya uumbaji wote. Linahakikisha jukwaa ambamo agano la neema linatekelezwa, na Petro anaiona safina kama picha ya wokovu (1 Petro 3:20-21)."Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). The flood judged the world, but God saved Noah and his household in the ark. Afterward God made a covenant with Noah and with every living creature, promising never again to destroy the earth by flood, and gave the rainbow as its sign (Genesis 9). The Noahic covenant is a covenant of preservation for all creation. It secures the stage on which the covenant of grace is carried out, and Peter sees the ark as a picture of salvation (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Ibrahimu: agano la ahadiAbraham: the covenant of promise

Kwa Ibrahimu agano la neema linakuwa wazi zaidi. Mungu anaahidi uzao, nchi na baraka kwa jamaa zote za dunia (Mwanzo 12:1-3). Katika Mwanzo 15 Ibrahimu "alimsadiki BWANA; naye akamhesabia kuwa haki" (Mwanzo 15:6). Kisha Mungu anatia ahadi muhuri kwa vipande vya wanyama waliotolewa dhabihu, na yeye mwenyewe anapita kati yake wakati Ibrahimu amelala usingizi (Mwanzo 15:12-17). Walimu wa Kireformed wanaona katika hili picha ya agano linalotunzwa kwa uaminifu wa Mungu. Katika Mwanzo 17 Mungu anatoa ishara ya tohara na kusema agano ni "ili kuwa Mungu kwako, na kwa uzao wako baada yako" (17:7). Watoto wachanga walijumuishwa: kila mwanamume alipaswa kutahiriwa siku ya nane (17:12).With Abraham the covenant of grace becomes clearer. God promises a seed, a land and blessing for all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). In Genesis 15 Abraham "believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). God then seals the promise with the pieces of sacrificed animals and himself passes between them while Abraham sleeps (Genesis 15:12-17). Reformed teachers see in this a picture of a covenant kept by God's faithfulness. In Genesis 17 God gives the sign of circumcision and says the covenant is "to be God to you and your descendants after you" (17:7). Infants were included: every male was to be circumcised on the eighth day (17:12).

Paulo anasoma hadithi hii kama injili yenyewe. Anasema Maandiko "alimhubiri Ibrahimu habari njema tangu zamani" (Wagalatia 3:8). Anasema tohara ilikuwa "muhuri wa haki ile ya imani aliyokuwa nayo hali amekuwa hana tohara" (Warumi 4:11). Na anasema sheria, iliyokuja miaka 430 baadaye, haibatilishi ahadi iliyokwisha kufanywa (Wagalatia 3:17). Ibrahimu ni baba wa wote wanaoamini, Wayahudi au watu wa Mataifa (Warumi 4:11-12).Paul reads this story as the gospel itself. He says the Scripture "preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand" (Galatians 3:8). He says that circumcision was "a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised" (Romans 4:11). And he says that the law, which came 430 years later, does not cancel a promise already made (Galatians 3:17). Abraham is the father of all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile (Romans 4:11-12).

Musa huko Sinai: sheria ndani ya neemaMoses at Sinai: law within grace

Huko Sinai Mungu alimpa Israeli sheria, hema la kukutania na mfumo wa dhabihu. Walimu wa Kireformed wanashikilia kwamba hili ni sehemu ya agano la neema na halirudi kwenye agano la matendo. Sababu tatu hutolewa. Kwanza, ukombozi ulitangulia sheria. Amri Kumi zinaanza, "Mimi ndimi BWANA, Mungu wako, niliyekutoa katika nchi ya Misri, katika nyumba ya utumwa" (Kutoka 20:2). Mungu aliokoa kwanza na kuamuru baadaye. Pili, dhabihu na ukuhani vilitolewa kwa sababu Israeli walikuwa watu wenye dhambi. Vilielekeza kwa Kristo, kama Waebrania 9 na 10 zinavyoeleza. Tatu, Paulo anasema sheria ilikuwa mlezi "ili kutuleta kwa Kristo, tupate kuhesabiwa haki kwa imani" (Wagalatia 3:24), wala haitoi njia ya pili ya uzima.At Sinai God gave Israel the law, the tabernacle and the sacrificial system. Reformed teachers hold that this belongs to the covenant of grace and does not return to the covenant of works. Three reasons are given. First, redemption came before law. The Ten Commandments begin, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Exodus 20:2). God saved first and commanded afterward. Second, the sacrifices and priesthood were provided because Israel was a sinful people. They pointed to Christ, as Hebrews 9 and 10 explain. Third, Paul says that the law was a tutor "to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24), and it does not offer a second way of life.

Mjadala ndani ya makanisa yetu wenyewe. Katika miongo ya hivi karibuni baadhi ya walimu wa Kipresbiteri wa kihafidhina wametumia neno kuchapishwa upya (republication). Wanashikilia kwamba Sinai kwa namna fulani "ilichapisha upya" kanuni ya matendo, kwa maana ndogo ya kielelezo, kuhusiana na maisha ya Israeli katika nchi, huku bado ikiwa sehemu ya agano la neema. Wengine wanajibu kwamba hili linafifisha mpaka kati ya sheria na neema, na kwamba agano la Musa ni usimamizi tu wa agano la neema, ambamo utii ni jibu la shukrani la watu waliokombolewa. Makundi yote mawili yanashikilia kwamba hakuna anayeokolewa kwa kushika sheria, na yote yanakataa wazo kwamba Sinai ilikuwa njia ya pili ya wokovu. Makanisa yetu yameruhusu upana fulani hapa. Tunataja mjadala huu ili usishangae unapokutana nao.A discussion within our own churches. In recent decades some conservative Presbyterian teachers have used the word republication. They hold that Sinai in some way "republished" the principle of works, in a limited, typical sense, in connection with Israel's life in the land, while still belonging to the covenant of grace. Others reply that this blurs the line between law and grace and that the Mosaic covenant is simply an administration of the covenant of grace, in which obedience is the grateful response of a redeemed people. Both groups hold that no one is saved by keeping the law, and both reject the idea that Sinai was a second way of salvation. Our churches have allowed some range here. We mention the discussion so that you will not be surprised by it.

Daudi: mfalmeDavid: the king

Mungu alimwahidi Daudi kwamba nyumba yake na kiti chake cha enzi vitadumu milele (2 Samweli 7:12-16; Zaburi 89). Ahadi ilifikia utimilifu wake katika Yesu, Mwana wa Daudi, ambaye Mungu anampa "kiti cha enzi cha Daudi, baba yake" (Luka 1:32-33). Manabii pia walitazama zaidi ya kushindwa kwa wafalme wa Israeli hadi Mfalme ajaye (Isaya 9:6-7).God promised David that his house and throne would last forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89). The promise reached its fulfillment in Jesus, the Son of David, to whom God gives "the throne of His father David" (Luke 1:32-33). The prophets also looked beyond the failures of Israel's kings to a coming King (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Manabii na agano jipyaThe prophets and the new covenant

Israeli walilivunja agano tena na tena, na taifa likaenda uhamishoni. Hata hivyo manabii walitangaza siku iliyo bora. Kupitia Yeremia, Mungu aliahidi agano jipya, ambamo angeandika sheria yake mioyoni mwa watu wake na kusamehe dhambi zao (Yeremia 31:31-34). Kupitia Ezekieli aliahidi kutoa moyo mpya na kuweka Roho wake ndani yao (Ezekieli 36:26-27). Usiku ule aliosalitiwa, Yesu alitwaa kikombe akasema, "Kikombe hiki ni agano jipya katika damu yangu, linalomwagika kwa ajili yenu" (Luka 22:20). Kitabu cha Waebrania, sura ya 8 hadi 10, kinaeleza kwamba dhabihu ya Kristo inatimiza yale ambayo vivuli vya kale vilielekeza. Agano jipya ni agano la neema katika usimamizi wake kamili zaidi. Ni bora zaidi, si kwa sababu waumini wa awali waliokolewa kwa njia tofauti, bali kwa sababu Mwokozi amekuja.Israel broke the covenant again and again, and the nation went into exile. Yet the prophets announced a better day. Through Jeremiah, God promised a new covenant, in which he would write his law on the hearts of his people and forgive their sins (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Through Ezekiel he promised to give a new heart and put his Spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:26-27). On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:20). The book of Hebrews, chapters 8 to 10, explains that Christ's sacrifice fulfills what the old shadows pointed to. The new covenant is the covenant of grace in its fullest administration. It is better, not because the earlier believers were saved differently, but because the Savior has come.

Waumini wa Agano la KaleOld Testament Believers

Swali la kawaida ni jinsi watu walivyookolewa kabla ya Kristo. Jibu la Kireformed ni kwamba waliokolewa kwa neema kwa njia ya imani katika Mkombozi aliyeahidiwa. Waebrania 11 inataja Abeli, Henoko, Nuhu, Ibrahimu, Musa na wengine wengi kama watu wa imani walioziona ahadi "kwa mbali" na kuzikaribisha (Waebrania 11:13). Yesu alisema kwamba Ibrahimu "aliiona" siku yake akafurahi (Yohana 8:56). Daudi anaeleza baraka ya yule ambaye Mungu anamsamehe (Zaburi 32; Warumi 4:6-8). Hawakuwa na nuru kamili ya Agano Jipya, lakini walikuwa na Mwokozi yule yule.A common question is how people were saved before Christ. The Reformed answer is that they were saved by grace through faith in the promised Redeemer. Hebrews 11 lists Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses and many others as people of faith who saw the promises "afar off" and welcomed them (Hebrews 11:13). Jesus said that Abraham "saw" his day and was glad (John 8:56). David describes the blessing of the one whom God forgives (Psalm 32; Romans 4:6-8). They did not have the full light of the New Testament, but they had the same Savior.

Pingamizi na Majibu YetuObjections and Our Answers

Pingamizi la 1 (Kibaptisti): Agano jipya limefanywa na waliozaliwa upya tu, kwa hiyo agano la neema haliwezi kuwajumuisha watoto wachanga.Objection 1 (Baptist): The new covenant is made only with the regenerate, so the covenant of grace cannot include infants.

Ndugu zetu Wabaptisti, wakiwemo Wabaptisti wa Kireformed wanaoshikilia mafundisho ya neema na maagano ya ukombozi, ya matendo na ya neema, wanaelekeza kwenye Yeremia 31:34: "wote watanijua, tangu aliye mdogo wao hata aliye mkubwa wao." Wanafundisha kwamba agano la kale lilijumuisha wazao wa kimwili, wakati agano jipya linajumuisha wale tu wanaoamini kweli. Kwa hiyo ishara ya agano, ubatizo, inapaswa kutolewa kwa wale tu wanaokiri imani.Our Baptist brothers, among them Reformed Baptists who hold the doctrines of grace and the covenants of redemption, works and grace, point to Jeremiah 31:34: "they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them." They teach that the old covenant included physical descendants, while the new covenant includes only those who truly believe. Therefore the sign of the covenant, baptism, should be given only to those who profess faith.

Jibu letu. Tunakubali kwamba agano jipya ni bora zaidi na kwamba baraka zake ni za kweli na za kiroho. Lakini tunashikilia kwamba agano la neema limekuwa na upande wa nje daima, ambamo ishara hutolewa kwa waumini na kwa watoto wao, na upande wa ndani, ambamo wateule tu hupokea faida zake kamili za wokovu. Paulo anaonyesha hili kwa mzeituni katika Warumi 11: matawi mengine yamekatwa kwa sababu ya kutoamini, ingawa hapo awali yalikuwa katika mti. Maneno ya Petro siku ya Pentekoste, "ahadi ni kwa ajili yenu, na kwa ajili ya watoto wenu" (Matendo 2:39), yanarudia Mwanzo 17:7. Na Paulo anaunganisha tohara na ubatizo katika Wakolosai 2:11-12. Kwa mjadala kamili wa ubatizo, tazama kozi ya utawala wa kanisa wa Kipresbiteri, ibada na sakramenti. Hapa tunasema tu kwamba hatuifanyi ahadi kwa watoto wa waumini kuwa ndogo kuliko ilivyokuwa chini ya Ibrahimu.Our answer. We agree that the new covenant is better and that its blessings are real and spiritual. But we hold that the covenant of grace has always had an outward side, in which the sign is given to believers and to their children, and an inward side, in which only the elect receive its full saving benefits. Paul shows this with the olive tree in Romans 11: some branches are broken off for unbelief, though they were once in the tree. Peter's words at Pentecost, "the promise is to you and to your children" (Acts 2:39), echo Genesis 17:7. And Paul links circumcision and baptism in Colossians 2:11-12. For the full discussion of baptism, see the course on Presbyterian polity, worship and sacraments. Here we say only that we do not make the promise to the children of believers smaller than it was under Abraham.

Pingamizi la 2 (Kiarminiani na wengine): Ikiwa agano lina sharti, basi wokovu unatutegemea sisi.Objection 2 (Arminian and others): If the covenant has a condition, then salvation depends on us.

Jibu letu. Agano la neema linahitaji imani, lakini imani ni zawadi ya Mungu. Ungamo (7.3) linasema Mungu anaahidi Roho wake ili kuwafanya wateule wawe radhi na wenye uwezo wa kuamini. Sharti linaweza kuwa njia na si sababu. Mkono ulio wazi wa ombaomba ni sharti la kupokea mkate, lakini haukununua mkate. Waefeso 2:8 inasema wazi kwamba imani si ya nafsi zetu. Kristo alitimiza kazi ya agano, na yeye hutoa faida zake.Our answer. The covenant of grace requires faith, but faith is the gift of God. The Confession (7.3) says God promises his Spirit to make the elect willing and able to believe. A condition may be a means and not a cause. A beggar's open hand is a condition for receiving bread, but it did not buy the bread. Ephesians 2:8 says plainly that faith is not of ourselves. Christ fulfilled the covenant's work, and he gives its benefits.

Pingamizi la 3 (la mafundisho ya vipindi, dispensational): Mungu ameshughulika na wanadamu kwa maagano tofauti, kwa njia tofauti za wokovu na watu tofauti.Objection 3 (dispensational): God has dealt with human beings by different covenants, with different ways of salvation and different peoples.

Jibu letu. Hili linashughulikiwa katika kipindi kijacho. Kwa ufupi, tunasema kwamba Maandiko yanaonyesha njia moja ya wokovu (Matendo 4:12; Waebrania 11) na watu wamoja wa Mungu, na kwamba maagano ni hatua katika hadithi moja.Our answer. This is taken up in the next unit. Briefly, we say that Scripture shows one way of salvation (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 11) and one people of God, and that the covenants are stages in one story.

Pingamizi la 4: Agano la kale lilikuwa agano la sheria na ghadhabu, na agano jipya la upendo. Mungu alibadilisha tabia yake.Objection 4: The old covenant was a covenant of law and wrath, and the new covenant one of love. God changed his character.

Jibu letu. Mungu alijieleza kwa Musa kama "BWANA, BWANA, Mungu mwenye rehema na neema, si mwepesi wa hasira, mwingi wa fadhili na kweli" (Kutoka 34:6). Agano la Kale limejaa rehema, na Agano Jipya linasema kwa uzito juu ya hukumu. Mabadiliko ni katika ufunuo wa Kristo, si katika tabia ya Mungu.Our answer. God described himself to Moses as "merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth" (Exodus 34:6). The Old Testament is full of mercy, and the New Testament speaks seriously of judgment. The change is in the revelation of Christ, and not in the character of God.

Mjadala Miongoni mwa WanahistoriaA debate among historians

Baadhi ya wanahistoria wanasema kulikuwa na misisitizo miwili miongoni mwa Wakireformed wa mwanzo. Utamaduni wa Zurich, ulioundwa na Bullinger, ulisema juu ya agano la pande mbili ambamo Mungu anaahidi na watu pia wana wajibu. Utamaduni wa Geneva, ulioundwa na Calvin, ulisisitiza agano kama ahadi huru ya Mungu. Kwa mtazamo huu, maungamo ya baadaye ya Kireformed yaliunganisha au yalipambana na misisitizo yote miwili. Jibu letu ni kwamba Maandiko yenyewe yanashikilia yote mawili. Mungu huchukua hatua ya kwanza, hutoa Mpatanishi na Roho, na watu wa agano bado wanaitwa kwa imani na utii. Ungamo la Westminster linayashikilia pamoja: imani inahitajika (7.3), na Mungu huwawezesha watu wake kuamini. Misisitizo hii miwili haihitaji kupingwa dhidi ya kila mmoja.Some historians argue that there were two emphases among the early Reformed. The Zurich tradition, shaped by Bullinger, spoke of a mutual covenant in which God promises and the people have duties as well. The Genevan tradition, shaped by Calvin, stressed the covenant as God's free promise. On this reading, the later Reformed confessions combined or struggled with both emphases. Our answer is that Scripture itself holds both. God takes the initiative, gives the Mediator and the Spirit, and the covenant people are still called to faith and obedience. The Westminster Confession holds them together: faith is required (7.3), and God makes his people able to believe. The two emphases need not be set against each other.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Muumini mpya katika kanisa lako alikulia katika dini kali yenye hofu. Anasema, "Ninaposoma Agano la Kale naona Mungu mwenye hasira. Katika Agano Jipya Mungu alibadilika akawa mwema. Ninamwogopa yule Mungu wa kwanza." Anakuuliza kama anaweza kumwamini Mungu.A new believer in your church grew up in a strict, fearful religion. He says, "I read the Old Testament and see an angry God. In the New Testament God changed and became kind. I am afraid of the first God." He asks you if he can trust God.

Mchungaji mwenye hekima kwanza anasikiliza, wala hana haraka ya kusahihisha. Kisha anamwongoza mtu huyo kupitia hadithi katika masomo matatu mafupi kwa majuma kadhaa. Kwanza, Mwanzo 3:15 na 3:21: maneno ya kwanza ya Mungu baada ya anguko ni ahadi, naye anawavika wale wawili wenye hatia. Pili, Kutoka 20:2 na Kutoka 34:6: Mungu aliwaokoa Israeli kabla ya kutoa sheria, na anajieleza kuwa mwenye rehema. Tatu, Luka 22:20: kikombe cha agano jipya ni rehema ile ile, iliyotimizwa. Anamwambia mtu huyo, "Mungu hajabadilika. Ahadi yake ni ile ile tangu bustanini hadi msalabani, na leo ni yako." Anamtia moyo aombe kwa ahadi ya Yeremia 31:33, "nami nitakuwa Mungu wao," kama sentensi ambayo anaweza kumwambia Bwana tena.A wise pastor first listens, and does not hurry to correct. Then he leads the man through the story in three short readings over several weeks. First, Genesis 3:15 and 3:21: God's first words after the fall are a promise, and he clothes the guilty pair. Second, Exodus 20:2 and Exodus 34:6: God rescued Israel before he gave the law, and he describes himself as merciful. Third, Luke 22:20: the cup of the new covenant is the same mercy, fulfilled. He tells the man, "God has not changed. His promise is the same from the garden to the cross, and today it is yours." He encourages him to pray with the promise of Jeremiah 31:33, "I will be their God," as a sentence he can say back to the Lord.

MuhtasariSummary

Agano la neema ni agano ambalo Mungu alifanya na wenye dhambi baada ya anguko, ambamo anatoa uzima bure kwa njia ya Yesu Kristo, anahitaji imani, na kuwapa wateule Roho ili waamini. Mpatanishi wake ni Kristo, ambaye pia ni mdhamini wake. Ni agano moja chini ya vipindi tofauti vya usimamizi: ahadi ya kwanza kwa Adamu, agano la kuhifadhi na Nuhu, agano la ahadi na Ibrahimu lenye tohara kama ishara yake, agano la Sinai lenye sheria na dhabihu zake, agano na Daudi na agano jipya katika damu ya Kristo. Waumini wa Agano la Kale waliokolewa kwa neema kwa njia ya imani katika Mkombozi ajaye. Pingamizi za Kibaptisti, za Kiarminiani na za mafundisho ya vipindi zinajibiwa kutoka katika Maandiko, na tofauti ya wanahistoria kati ya misisitizo ya Zurich na Geneva haitutaki tuchague kati ya hatua ya Mungu na wajibu wetu.The covenant of grace is the covenant God made with sinners after the fall, in which he freely offers life through Jesus Christ, requires faith, and gives the Spirit to the elect so that they believe. Its Mediator is Christ, who is also its surety. It is one covenant under different administrations: the first promise to Adam, the covenant of preservation with Noah, the covenant of promise with Abraham with circumcision as its sign, the covenant at Sinai with its law and sacrifices, the covenant with David and the new covenant in Christ's blood. Old Testament believers were saved by grace through faith in the coming Redeemer. Baptist, Arminian and dispensational objections are answered from Scripture, and the historians' contrast between the Zurich and Geneva emphases does not require us to choose between God's initiative and our duty.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Ungamo la Imani la Westminster (The Westminster Confession of Faith), sura ya 7 na 8 (1646).• The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapters 7 and 8 (1646).

• Katekisimu Kubwa ya Westminster (The Westminster Larger Catechism), Maswali ya 30 hadi 36 (1647).• The Westminster Larger Catechism, Questions 30 to 36 (1647).

• Katekisimu ya Heidelberg (The Heidelberg Catechism) (1563), Maswali ya 18 hadi 19 juu ya Mpatanishi na injili.• The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Questions 18 to 19 on the Mediator and the gospel.

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo), Kitabu cha 2, sura ya 6 na 7 (tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845).• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, chapters 6 and 7 (Beveridge translation, 1845).

• Herman Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants between God and Man (Mpango wa Maagano kati ya Mungu na Mwanadamu) (1677).• Herman Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants between God and Man (1677).

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Teolojia ya Kimfumo) (1872-73), juu ya agano la neema.• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73), on the covenant of grace.

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