Teolojia ya Agano, Maandiko na Maungamo ya Kireformed — Sehemu ya 4: Maagano ya Kale na Mapya: Mwendelezo na TofautiCovenant Theology, Scripture, and Reformed Confessions — Unit 4: Old and New Covenants: Continuity and Discontinuity

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Lakini sasa amepata huduma iliyo bora zaidi, kwa kadiri hiyo hiyo alivyo mpatanishi wa agano lililo bora zaidi, lililowekwa juu ya ahadi zilizo bora zaidi." (Waebrania 8:6, SUV)"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." (Hebrews 8:6, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza ni nini kinabaki vilevile na ni nini kinabadilika kati ya Agano la Kale na Agano Jipya kwa mtazamo wa Kireformed.1. Explain what stays the same and what changes between the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Reformed view.

2. Kueleza mafundisho makuu ya dispensationalism (mafundisho ya vipindi) kwa haki, kama walimu wake wenyewe wangeyaeleza.2. State the main teachings of dispensationalism fairly, in the way its own teachers would state them.

3. Kutaja vyanzo vya mafundisho ya vipindi na mjadala wa wanahistoria kuhusu mwanzo wake.3. Name the sources of dispensational teaching and the debate among historians about its beginning.

4. Kujibu mafundisho ya vipindi kutoka katika Maandiko juu ya maswali ya Israeli na kanisa, ufasiri wa ahadi, na umoja wa agano.4. Answer dispensationalism from Scripture on the questions of Israel and the church, the interpretation of the promises, and the unity of the covenant.

5. Kueleza jinsi mchungaji wa Kireformed anavyoweza kuzungumza kwa upole na waumini wa mafundisho ya vipindi na kwa heshima na Wayahudi.5. Explain how a Reformed pastor can speak with kindness to dispensational believers and with respect to the Jewish people.

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 3 tuliona agano moja la neema katika vipindi vingi vya usimamizi, kuanzia Adamu hadi agano jipya. Kipindi hiki kinauliza maswali mawili. Usimamizi wa kale na mpya unahusianaje? Na tutajibuje mfumo mkubwa na wenye ushawishi unaoitwa mafundisho ya vipindi (dispensationalism), unaoiona Biblia kwa njia tofauti?This course is written from inside the confessional Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, for students who belong to it. In Unit 3 we saw one covenant of grace in many administrations, from Adam to the new covenant. This unit asks two questions. How do the old and new administrations relate? And how shall we answer the large and influential system called dispensationalism, which sees the Bible differently?

Wengi wa wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi ni ndugu na dada zetu. Wanampenda Bwana, wanaiheshimu Biblia na wanatoa kwa ukarimu kwa ajili ya misheni. Tunapaswa kueleza mafundisho yao kama wao wangeyaeleza, kisha kutoa jibu letu. Maandiko yasema, "Jaribuni mambo yote; lishikeni lililo jema" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21). Historia ya makanisa ya Kireformed imeelezwa katika Kozi ya 1. Mtazamo wetu wa kusoma Biblia unafafanuliwa katika Kipindi cha 9.Many dispensationalists are our brothers and sisters. They love the Lord, honor the Bible and give generously to missions. We must state their teaching as they would state it, and then give our answer. Scripture says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The history of the Reformed churches is told in Course 1. Our approach to reading the Bible is developed in Unit 9.

Sehemu ya Kwanza: Mwendelezo na Tofauti katika Mtazamo wa KireformedPart One: Continuity and Discontinuity in the Reformed View

Walimu wa Kireformed husema juu ya mwendelezo na tofauti kati ya maagano ya kale na mapya. Tunashikilia yote mawili.Reformed teachers speak of both continuity and discontinuity between the old and new covenants. We hold both.

Yale Yanayobaki VilevileWhat stays the same

Mwokozi mmoja na njia moja ya wokovu. Kila muumini, kabla na baada ya Kristo, anaokolewa kwa neema kwa njia ya imani katika Mkombozi aliyeahidiwa. Ibrahimu aliamini, na ikahesabiwa kwake kuwa haki (Mwanzo 15:6; Warumi 4).One Savior and one way of salvation. Every believer, before and after Christ, is saved by grace through faith in the promised Redeemer. Abraham believed and it was counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4).

Watu wamoja wa Mungu. Watu wa Mataifa wanaoamini ni "uzao wa Ibrahimu, na warithi sawasawa na ahadi" (Wagalatia 3:29). Wanashiriki mti mmoja na Israeli (Warumi 11).One people of God. Gentiles who believe are "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). They share one tree with Israel (Romans 11).

Sheria moja ya maadili. Amri Kumi zinaonyesha tabia isiyobadilika ya Mungu. Ungamo la Westminster, sura ya 19, linafundisha kwamba sheria ya maadili inawafunga watu wote, waumini na wasioamini, milele (19.5). (Tazama Kipindi cha 5.)One moral law. The Ten Commandments express God's unchanging character. The Westminster Confession, chapter 19, teaches that the moral law binds all people, believers as well as unbelievers, forever (19.5). (See Unit 5.)

Agano moja la neema. Ungamo linasema hakuna maagano mawili ya neema yanayotofautiana katika asili, bali moja chini ya vipindi tofauti vya usimamizi (7.6).One covenant of grace. The Confession says there are not two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one under different administrations (7.6).

Yale YanayobadilikaWhat changes

Kuja kwa Kristo. Vivuli vimetimizwa. Ungamo linafundisha kwamba chini ya sheria agano lilitolewa kwa ahadi, dhabihu na sherehe zilizoelekeza kwa Kristo, na kwamba chini ya injili linatolewa kwa kuhubiriwa kwa Neno na kwa ubatizo na Meza ya Bwana, kwa nuru kamili zaidi, urahisi zaidi na nguvu zaidi ya kiroho, kwa mataifa yote (7.5, 7.6).The coming of Christ. The shadows are fulfilled. The Confession teaches that under the law the covenant was given by promises, sacrifices and ceremonies pointing to Christ, and that under the gospel it is given by the preaching of the Word and by baptism and the Lord's Supper, with fuller light, more simplicity and more spiritual power, to all nations (7.5, 7.6).

Sheria za sherehe na za kiraia. Ungamo linafundisha kwamba sheria za sherehe, dhabihu na kanuni za hekalu, zimefutwa chini ya Agano Jipya (19.3). Sheria za kimahakama za Israeli kama taifa zilikwisha pamoja na taifa hilo (19.4). Kanuni zake za haki zinabaki. Waebrania 8:13 inasema agano la kwanza linakuwa kuukuu.The ceremonial and civil laws. The Confession teaches that the ceremonial laws, the sacrifices and the temple rules, are abrogated under the New Testament (19.3). The judicial laws of Israel as a nation expired with that state (19.4). Their principles of justice remain. Hebrews 8:13 says the first covenant is becoming obsolete.

Kumiminwa kwa Roho. Siku ya Pentekoste Roho alitolewa kwa watu wote wa Mungu kwa namna ambayo haikujulikana hapo awali (Matendo 2).The outpouring of the Spirit. At Pentecost the Spirit was given to all God's people in a way unknown before (Acts 2).

Kufikia mataifa yote. Yale yaliyoahidiwa Ibrahimu, kwamba jamaa zote za dunia zitabarikiwa, sasa yanaenda hadi mwisho wa dunia (Mathayo 28:19).The reach to all nations. What was promised to Abraham, that all families of the earth would be blessed, now goes to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19).

Ishara. Ubatizo na Meza ya Bwana vinachukua mahali pa tohara na Pasaka.The signs. Baptism and the Lord's Supper take the place of circumcision and the Passover.

Mwandishi wa Waebrania anaita agano jipya bora zaidi, lenye ahadi bora zaidi, dhabihu bora zaidi na kuhani bora zaidi. Bora haimaanishi kwamba waumini wa awali waliokolewa kwa njia nyingine. Inamaanisha kwamba Mwokozi amekuja.The writer of Hebrews calls the new covenant better, with better promises, a better sacrifice and a better priest. Better does not mean that earlier believers were saved some other way. It means that the Savior has come.

Sehemu ya Pili: Mafundisho ya Vipindi Yakieleweka kwa HakiPart Two: Dispensationalism Stated Fairly

YalikotokaWhere it came from

Mafundisho ya vipindi kama mfumo yaliundwa katika karne ya kumi na tisa na John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), kiongozi miongoni mwa Ndugu wa Plymouth (Plymouth Brethren) katika visiwa vya Uingereza. Yalipelekwa Amerika Kaskazini na kuenea sana kupitia Scofield Reference Bible (1909). Walimu kama Lewis Sperry Chafer, aliyesaidia kuanzisha Dallas Theological Seminary mwaka 1924, walilipa mfumo huu umbo lake kamili zaidi. Waandishi wa baadaye waliurekebisha. Charles Ryrie, katika karne ya ishirini, alitaja alama tatu alizoziona kuwa muhimu: tofauti kati ya Israeli na kanisa, usomaji halisi usioyumba, na utukufu wa Mungu kama kusudi la Mungu. Katika miaka ya 1990, "wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi yanayoendelea" (progressive dispensationalists) kama Craig Blaising na Darrell Bock walibadilisha mambo kadhaa ya awali. Kwa hiyo mafundisho ya vipindi si mfumo mmoja. Mafundisho ya vipindi ya kawaida ya awali (classical, Darby, Scofield, Chafer) ndiyo makali zaidi katika kutenganisha Israeli na kanisa, mafundisho ya vipindi yaliyorekebishwa (revised, Ryrie) yanayaeleza upya kwa alama zake tatu, na mafundisho ya vipindi yanayoendelea (progressive, Blaising, Bock) yanaona mwendelezo zaidi kati ya Israeli na kanisa. Tunaposema hapa chini "wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi" kwa ujumla, tunamaanisha yale yanayoshirikiwa na mifumo hii, na tunaonyesha tofauti inapohusika. Tunaeleza kwanza umbo la awali.Dispensationalism as a system was shaped in the nineteenth century by John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), a leader among the Plymouth Brethren in the British Isles. It was carried to North America and spread widely through the Scofield Reference Bible (1909). Teachers such as Lewis Sperry Chafer, who helped found Dallas Theological Seminary in 1924, gave the system its fuller form. Later writers revised it. Charles Ryrie, in the twentieth century, named three marks he considered essential: the distinction between Israel and the church, a consistently literal reading, and the glory of God as God's purpose. In the 1990s, "progressive dispensationalists" such as Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock changed several earlier points. Dispensationalism is therefore not one system. Classical dispensationalism (Darby, Scofield, Chafer) is the sharpest on the separation of Israel and the church, revised dispensationalism (Ryrie) restates it with its three marks, and progressive dispensationalism (Blaising, Bock) sees more continuity between Israel and the church. Where we speak below of "dispensationalists" in general, we mean what these forms share, and we note differences where they matter. We state the classical form first.

Yale Ambayo Wafuasi wa Mafundisho ya Vipindi WanafundishaWhat dispensationalists teach

1. Tofauti kati ya Israeli na kanisa. Huu ndio moyo wa mfumo. Wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi wanashikilia kwamba Mungu ana makusudi mawili: kusudi la duniani kwa Israeli kama taifa na kusudi la mbinguni kwa kanisa. Kanisa ni mwili mpya ulioanza Pentekoste, na si mwendelezo wa Israeli. Katika maumbo ya awali na yaliyorekebishwa, wakati wa sasa wa kanisa ni "kituo cha kati" (parenthesis), mapumziko katika shughuli za Mungu na Israeli. Baada ya kanisa kuchukuliwa juu, Mungu atageukia Israeli tena.1. A distinction between Israel and the church. This is the heart of the system. Dispensationalists hold that God has two purposes: an earthly purpose for national Israel and a heavenly purpose for the church. The church is a new body that began at Pentecost, and it is not the continuation of Israel. In classical and revised forms, the present church age is a "parenthesis," a pause in God's dealing with Israel. After the church is taken up, God will turn again to Israel.

2. Ufasiri halisi usioyumba. Wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi wanashikilia kwamba ahadi za Agano la Kale kwa Israeli zinapaswa kueleweka kwa maana yake wazi. Mungu anapoahidi nchi, kiti cha enzi na ufalme kwa Israeli, hivi vitatimizwa kwa Israeli kama taifa duniani, na si "kufanywa vya kiroho" kuwa kanisa au mbingu.2. Consistently literal interpretation. Dispensationalists hold that the Old Testament promises to Israel should be understood in their plain sense. When God promises land, a throne and a kingdom to Israel, these will be fulfilled to Israel as a nation on the earth, and not "spiritualized" into the church or heaven.

3. Utukufu wa Mungu kama kusudi la Mungu. Wokovu ni njia moja katika kusudi kubwa zaidi la utukufu wa Mungu. Tunashiriki jambo hili kwa furaha.3. The glory of God as God's purpose. Salvation is one means in a larger purpose of God's glory. We gladly share this point.

4. Vipindi (dispensations). Biblia imegawanywa katika vipindi ambamo Mungu humjaribu mwanadamu chini ya mipango tofauti. Scofield Reference Bible iliorodhesha saba: kutokuwa na hatia, dhamiri, serikali ya wanadamu, ahadi, sheria, neema na ufalme.4. Dispensations. The Bible is divided into periods in which God tests humanity under different arrangements. The Scofield Reference Bible listed seven: innocence, conscience, human government, promise, law, grace and kingdom.

5. Maagano. Wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi wanatofautisha maagano ya kibiblia, kama yale na Ibrahimu, Daudi na agano la nchi, na maagano ya kitheolojia ya matendo na neema, ambayo hawayaoni yametajwa katika Biblia. Wanashikilia kwamba maagano ya Ibrahimu, Daudi na nchi ni ahadi zisizo na masharti kwa Israeli kama taifa, zitakazotimizwa kihalisi. Agano la Musa ni agano la muda na lenye masharti. Agano jipya la Yeremia 31 limefanywa "na nyumba ya Israeli," na kanisa linashiriki baraka zake za kiroho.5. The covenants. Dispensationalists distinguish the biblical covenants, such as those with Abraham, David and the land covenant, from the theological covenants of works and grace, which they do not find named in the Bible. They hold that the Abrahamic, Davidic and land covenants are unconditional promises to national Israel, to be fulfilled literally. The Mosaic covenant is a temporary, conditional covenant. The new covenant of Jeremiah 31 is made "with the house of Israel," and the church shares in its spiritual blessings.

Yale Ambayo Wafuasi wa Mafundisho ya Vipindi HawafundishiWhat dispensationalists do not teach

Haki inatutaka tusahihishe kosa la kawaida. Wafuasi makini wa mafundisho ya vipindi hawafundishi kwamba watu wa Agano la Kale waliokolewa kwa kushika sheria. Wanafundisha, kama sisi, kwamba wokovu katika kila kizazi ni kwa neema kwa njia ya imani, kwa msingi wa kazi ya Kristo. Baadhi ya kauli za zamani zilitamkwa kwa uzembe, lakini waandishi wa kisasa wa mafundisho ya vipindi wanalieleza jambo hili wazi. Mafundisho ya vipindi pia mara nyingi huunganishwa na premillennialism (imani kwamba Kristo atarudi kabla ya utawala wa miaka elfu), lakini mambo hayo mawili si kitu kimoja. Baadhi ya wafuasi wa premillennialism, tunaowaita wa kihistoria (historic premillennialists), si wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi. Maungamo yetu hayafungi mtazamo mmoja wa milenia. Hatubishani hapa kwa au dhidi ya mtazamo wowote wa milenia. Tofauti yetu ni juu ya muundo wa maagano na uhusiano wa Israeli na kanisa.Fairness requires us to correct a common mistake. Careful dispensationalists do not teach that Old Testament people were saved by keeping the law. They teach, as we do, that salvation in every age is by grace through faith, based on the work of Christ. Some older statements were loosely worded, but modern dispensational writers state the point plainly. Dispensationalism is also often joined to premillennialism, but the two are not the same thing. Some premillennialists, whom we call historic premillennialists, are not dispensationalists. Our confessions do not bind a single view of the millennium. We do not argue here for or against any millennial view. Our disagreement is about the structure of the covenants and the relation of Israel and the church.

Sehemu ya Tatu: Jibu LetuPart Three: Our Answer

1. Kanisa na Israeli ni watu wamoja, si wawili1. The church and Israel are one people, not two

Agano Jipya linasema juu ya kanisa kwa lugha ya Israeli. Petro anawaambia waumini, wengi wao watu wa Mataifa, kwamba ni "mzao mteule, ukuhani wa kifalme, taifa takatifu, watu wa milki ya Mungu" (1 Petro 2:9), maneno yaliyochukuliwa kutoka maelezo ya Mungu kuhusu Israeli huko Sinai (Kutoka 19:5-6). Paulo anasema kwamba "si wote walio wa Israeli ndio Israeli" (Warumi 9:6), na kwamba Myahudi ni yule aliye Myahudi ndani (Warumi 2:28-29). Anasema kwamba walio wa imani ndio wana wa Ibrahimu (Wagalatia 3:7), na kwamba tukiwa wa Kristo, sisi ni uzao wa Ibrahimu (3:29). Katika Waefeso 2:11-22, watu wa Mataifa ambao walikuwa "wageni waliotengwa na jumuiya ya Israeli" wanafanywa raia wenzao, na Kristo ameyafanya makundi mawili kuwa "mtu mmoja mpya" (2:14-16). Watu wamoja wenye Mwokozi mmoja wanaendana na mafundisho haya vizuri zaidi kuliko watu wawili wenye hatima mbili.The New Testament speaks of the church in the language of Israel. Peter tells believers, many of them Gentiles, that they are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people" (1 Peter 2:9), words taken from God's description of Israel at Sinai (Exodus 19:5-6). Paul says that "they are not all Israel who are of Israel" (Romans 9:6), and that a person is a Jew who is one inwardly (Romans 2:28-29). He says that those who are of faith are sons of Abraham (Galatians 3:7), and that if we are Christ's, we are Abraham's seed (3:29). In Ephesians 2:11-22, Gentiles who were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel" are made fellow citizens, and Christ has made the two groups "one new man" (2:14-16). A single people with a single Savior fits this teaching better than two peoples with two destinies.

2. Agano jipya limefanywa na kanisa2. The new covenant is made with the church

Waebrania 8 inanukuu Yeremia 31 yote na kuitumia kwa kazi ya Kristo kwa watu wake sasa. Yesu alisema katika Karamu ya Mwisho, "Kikombe hiki ni agano jipya katika damu yangu" (Luka 22:20), kwa wanafunzi waliokuwa waumini Wayahudi na washiriki wa kwanza wa kanisa. Paulo anajiita mhudumu wa agano jipya (2 Wakorintho 3:6). Ahadi kwa "nyumba ya Israeli" inatimizwa katika Israeli wa Mungu, ambamo Wayahudi na watu wa Mataifa wanaoamini wanaunganishwa.Hebrews 8 quotes Jeremiah 31 in full and applies it to Christ's work for his people now. Jesus said at the Last Supper, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood" (Luke 22:20), to disciples who were Jewish believers and the first members of the church. Paul calls himself a minister of the new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6). The promise to the "house of Israel" is fulfilled in the Israel of God, in which believing Jews and Gentiles are united.

3. Ahadi zinatimizwa katika Kristo3. The promises are fulfilled in Christ

Walimu wa Kireformed pia husoma Biblia kwa maana yake ya wazi, ya kisarufi na ya kihistoria. Tofauti ni jinsi Agano Jipya lenyewe linavyolisoma Agano la Kale. Paulo anaandika, "Maana ahadi za Mungu, ziwe nyingi kama zilivyo, ndani yake zote ni Ndiyo" (2 Wakorintho 1:20). Mitume wanazikuta ahadi za Agano la Kale zimetimizwa katika Kristo na watu wake. Tunachukua mifano mitatu.Reformed teachers also read the Bible by its plain, grammatical and historical sense. The difference is how the New Testament itself reads the Old. Paul writes, "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). The apostles find the promises of the Old Testament fulfilled in Christ and his people. We take three examples.

• Kiti cha enzi cha Daudi. Petro anasema siku ya Pentekoste kwamba Mungu alimwinua Kristo kuketi juu ya kiti cha enzi cha Daudi, na kwamba sasa ametukuzwa mkono wa kuume wa Mungu (Matendo 2:29-36). Mfalme wa Daudi anatawala sasa, ingawa mataifa bado hayajapiga magoti mbele yake.• The throne of David. Peter says at Pentecost that God raised up Christ to sit on David's throne, and that he is now exalted at God's right hand (Acts 2:29-36). The Davidic king reigns now, though the nations have not yet bowed to him.

• Nchi. Paulo anasema Ibrahimu aliahidiwa kuwa "mrithi wa ulimwengu" (Warumi 4:13). Waebrania inasema Ibrahimu na mababu walitafuta nchi iliyo bora, ya mbinguni, na mji ambao mjenzi wake ni Mungu (Waebrania 11:8-16). Nchi ilikuwa picha ya pumziko la mwisho.• The land. Paul says Abraham was promised to be "heir of the world" (Romans 4:13). Hebrews says Abraham and the patriarchs looked for a better, heavenly country and a city whose builder is God (Hebrews 11:8-16). The land was a picture of the final rest.

• Hekalu na dhabihu. Mfumo wa Agano la Kale uliashiria Kristo, na Waebrania inafundisha kwamba dhabihu yake moja imekamilisha yale ambayo vilichorwa (Waebrania 10:1-14).• The temple and sacrifices. The Old Testament system pointed to Christ, and Hebrews teaches that his one sacrifice has finished what they pictured (Hebrews 10:1-14).

Kwa walimu wa Kireformed, njia ya mitume ya kusoma ndiyo mwongozo bora wa maana ya "halisi," kwa kuwa walipuliziwa. Tutarudi kwa hili katika Kipindi cha 9.For Reformed teachers, the apostles' way of reading is the best guide to what "literal" must mean, since they were inspired. We will return to this in Unit 9.

4. Kanisa halikuwa jambo la kushangaza4. The church was not a surprise

Umbo la awali la mafundisho ya vipindi linashikilia kwamba kanisa lilifichwa kwa manabii wa Agano la Kale kama "siri." Paulo anasema juu ya siri katika Waefeso 3:3-6, kwamba watu wa Mataifa ni warithi pamoja, wa mwili mmoja na washiriki wa ahadi katika Kristo. Lakini anasema ilikuwa "haikujulikana" kwa vizazi vya zamani "kama vile sasa ilivyofunuliwa." Kwa hiyo kweli imefunuliwa kikamilifu zaidi, si kwamba haikujulikana kabisa hapo awali. Manabii walikuwa wamesema juu ya watu wa Mataifa kuja kwa Bwana (Isaya 49:6). Katika baraza la Yerusalemu Yakobo alinukuu Amosi 9 kuonyesha kwamba wito wa watu wa Mataifa ulikuwa yale manabii waliyotabiri (Matendo 15:14-17). Siri ilikuwa namna, si ukweli wenyewe: Wayahudi na watu wa Mataifa walio sawa katika mwili mmoja.The classical form of dispensationalism holds that the church was hidden from the Old Testament prophets as a "mystery." Paul does speak of a mystery in Ephesians 3:3-6, that Gentiles are fellow heirs, of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ. But he says it was "not made known" to earlier generations "as it has now been revealed." So the truth is more fully revealed, not wholly unknown before. The prophets had spoken of the Gentiles coming to the Lord (Isaiah 49:6). At the Jerusalem council James quoted Amos 9 to show that the calling of the Gentiles was what the prophets had foretold (Acts 15:14-17). The mystery was the manner, not the fact: Jews and Gentiles equal in one body.

5. Ahadi kwa Ibrahimu hazina masharti kwa njia ambayo wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi wanasema5. The promises to Abraham are not unconditional in the way dispensationalists say

Agano la Ibrahimu linategemea uaminifu wa Mungu, na tunakubali kwamba Mungu hutunza neno lake. Lakini agano pia lilihitaji utii wa Ibrahimu (Mwanzo 17:1; 22:16-18), na Maandiko yanasema kwamba Israeli wangeweza kupoteza baraka za nchi kwa sababu ya kutokuwa waaminifu. Ahadi ya nchi ilitimizwa siku za Yoshua (Yoshua 21:43-45), na baadaye Israeli walipelekwa uhamishoni kwa sababu ya dhambi. Muhimu zaidi, ahadi inatimizwa katika Uzao, Kristo (Wagalatia 3:16).The Abrahamic covenant rests on God's faithfulness, and we agree that God keeps his word. But the covenant also called for Abraham's obedience (Genesis 17:1; 22:16-18), and Scripture says that Israel could lose the blessings of the land through unfaithfulness. The land promise was fulfilled in the days of Joshua (Joshua 21:43-45), and Israel was later exiled for sin. More important, the promise is realized in the Seed, Christ (Galatians 3:16).

6. Neno kuhusu "kubadilisha"6. A word about "replacement"

Wafuasi wa mafundisho ya vipindi mara nyingi hushutumu kwamba teolojia ya agano inafundisha "kubadilisha" (replacement), kwamba kanisa limechukua nafasi ya Israeli, na kwamba Mungu amemaliza na Wayahudi. Tunakanusha hili. Paulo anauliza, "Je! Mungu amewatupa watu wake?" na kujibu, "Hasha!" (Warumi 11:1). Anafundisha kwamba Israeli bado ni "wapendwa kwa ajili ya baba zao" (11:28) na kwamba karama na wito wa Mungu havina majuto (11:29). Picha ni mzeituni: matawi yasiyoamini yamekatwa, watu wa Mataifa wanaoamini wameunganishwa, na Wayahudi wanaoamini wanaunganishwa tena katika mti wao wenyewe (11:17-24). Kanisa ni mti ule ule, na watu wa Mataifa ni wageni wanaoshiriki shina lake.Dispensationalists often charge that covenant theology teaches "replacement," that the church has replaced Israel, and that God is finished with the Jewish people. We deny this. Paul asks, "Has God cast away His people?" and answers, "Certainly not!" (Romans 11:1). He teaches that Israel is still "beloved for the sake of the fathers" (11:28) and that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (11:29). The picture is the olive tree: unbelieving branches are broken off, believing Gentiles are grafted in, and Jews who believe are grafted back into their own tree (11:17-24). The church is the same tree, and Gentiles are guests who share its root.

Walimu wa Kireformed wametofautiana juu ya Warumi 11:26, "Israeli wote wataokolewa." Calvin alichukua kumaanisha watu wote wa Mungu, Wayahudi na watu wa Mataifa pamoja. Wapuritani wengi na walimu wa baadaye kama Charles Hodge walitarajia kugeuka kwa wingi kwa watu wa Kiyahudi kwa Kristo kabla ya mwisho. Maungamo yetu yanaacha nafasi kwa yote mawili. Sisi sote tunashiriki imani tatu. Tunakataa kila aina ya dharau kwa watu wa Kiyahudi, ikiwemo historia ya aibu ya kanisa ya mateso. Tunahimiza injili kwa Wayahudi kama kwa kila mtu (Warumi 1:16). Na tunashikilia kwamba ahadi za Mungu hazishindwi.Reformed teachers have differed on Romans 11:26, "all Israel will be saved." Calvin took it to mean the whole people of God, Jews and Gentiles together. Many Puritans and later teachers such as Charles Hodge expected a large-scale turning of the Jewish people to Christ before the end. Our confessions leave room for both. All of us share three convictions. We repudiate every kind of contempt for the Jewish people, the church's shameful history of persecution included. We urge the gospel to Jews as to everyone (Romans 1:16). And we hold that God's promises do not fail.

Mjadala Miongoni mwa WanahistoriaA debate among historians

Wanahistoria hawakubaliani kuhusu mwanzo wa mafundisho ya vipindi. Wakosoaji wanaelekeza miaka ya 1830 na Darby, na kusema mfumo ulikuwa mpya. Watetezi wanapata mbegu za awali, katika baadhi ya waandishi wa karne ya kumi na saba na wa kanisa la kwanza, na kusema mfumo unarudia tu kweli za kale. Kama tulivyosema katika Kipindi cha 1, umri wa fundisho hauthibitishi kuwa sahihi wala makosa. Kipimo ni Maandiko.Historians disagree about the beginning of dispensationalism. Critics point to the 1830s and Darby, and say the system was new. Defenders find earlier seeds, in some seventeenth-century and early church writers, and say that the system only restates old truths. As we said in Unit 1, the age of a doctrine does not prove it right or wrong. The test is Scripture.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mshiriki mwaminifu wa kanisa lako, mwanamke aliyemjia Bwana kupitia kanisa jirani, anakuonyesha Biblia yake ya kujifunzia. Rafiki amemwambia kwamba Mahubiri ya Mlimani ni kwa ajili ya kipindi kingine, kwamba kanisa ni "Mpango B" (Plan B), na kwamba lazima achague kati ya Israeli na kanisa. Anauliza, "Mchungaji, je, kanisa ni la daraja la pili tu? Na je, Agano la Kale si langu?"A faithful member of your church, a woman who came to the Lord through a neighboring church, shows you her study Bible. A friend has told her that the Sermon on the Mount is for another age, that the church is "Plan B," and that she must choose between Israel and the church. She asks, "Pastor, is the church only second best? And is my Old Testament not for me?"

Mchungaji mwenye hekima huanza na yale wanayoshiriki. Anamshukuru rafiki kwa upendo wake kwa Biblia. Anamhakikishia mwanamke kwamba wokovu ni kwa neema kwa njia ya imani katika Kristo, jambo ambalo makanisa yote mawili yanafundisha. Kisha anafungua pamoja naye Waefeso 2:11-22 na Warumi 11:11-24 na kumwonyesha kwamba kanisa ni mzeituni mmoja wenye shina la Israeli, na si "Mpango B." Anasoma Waebrania 8 kuonyesha kwamba agano jipya ni lake sasa, na 2 Wakorintho 1:20 kuonyesha kwamba ahadi ni "Ndiyo" ndani ya Kristo. Anamwomba asibishane, bali ahifadhi upendo wa rafiki yake, awaombee Wayahudi, na akumbuke kwamba maelezo madogo ya nyakati za mwisho hayawagawi wale wanaomwamini Mwokozi mmoja.A wise pastor begins with what they share. He thanks the friend for her love for the Bible. He assures the woman that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, which both churches teach. Then he opens Ephesians 2:11-22 and Romans 11:11-24 with her and shows that the church is the one olive tree with Israel's root, and not "Plan B." He reads Hebrews 8 to show that the new covenant is hers now, and 2 Corinthians 1:20 to show that the promises are "Yes" in Christ. He asks her not to quarrel but to keep her friend's love, to pray for the Jewish people, and to remember that the details of the end times do not divide those who trust the same Savior.

MuhtasariSummary

Mafundisho ya Kireformed yanashikilia mwendelezo (Mwokozi mmoja, njia moja, watu wamoja, sheria moja ya maadili, agano moja la neema) na tofauti (kuja kwa Kristo, mwisho wa sheria za sherehe na za kiraia, kumiminwa kwa Roho, kufikia mataifa yote, ishara mpya). Mafundisho ya vipindi, yaliyoundwa na Darby na kuenezwa na Biblia ya Scofield na Dallas Seminary, yanafundisha tofauti kati ya Israeli na kanisa, usomaji halisi usioyumba wa ahadi za Agano la Kale, vipindi mfululizo na maagano yasiyo na masharti kwa Israeli kama taifa. Hayafundishi wokovu kwa matendo. Tunajibu kwamba Agano Jipya linasema juu ya watu wamoja, kwamba agano jipya limefanywa na kanisa, kwamba mitume wanasoma ahadi kama zilizotimizwa katika Kristo, kwamba kanisa lilitabiriwa na manabii, na kwamba hatuchukui nafasi ya Israeli bali tunashiriki mti wake. Wanahistoria wanajadili mwanzo wa mfumo huu, lakini Maandiko ndiyo kipimo.Reformed teaching holds continuity (one Savior, one way, one people, one moral law, one covenant of grace) and discontinuity (the coming of Christ, the end of ceremonial and civil laws, the Spirit's outpouring, the reach to all nations, new signs). Dispensationalism, shaped by Darby and spread by the Scofield Bible and Dallas Seminary, teaches a distinction between Israel and the church, a consistently literal reading of Old Testament promises, successive dispensations and unconditional covenants to national Israel. It does not teach salvation by works. We answer that the New Testament speaks of one people, that the new covenant is made with the church, that the apostles read the promises as fulfilled in Christ, that the church was foretold by the prophets, and that we do not replace Israel but share its tree. Historians debate the system's beginning, but Scripture is the test.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Ungamo la Imani la Westminster (The Westminster Confession of Faith), sura ya 7 na 19 (1646).• The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapters 7 and 19 (1646).

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo), Kitabu cha 2, sura ya 10 na 11 (tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845).• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, chapters 10 and 11 (Beveridge translation, 1845).

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Teolojia ya Kimfumo) (1872-73), juu ya maagano na mustakabali wa Israeli.• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73), on the covenants and the future of Israel.

• 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).

• Scofield Reference Bible (Biblia ya Marejeo ya Scofield) (1909), chanzo cha msingi cha mafundisho ya vipindi ya awali.• The Scofield Reference Bible (1909), a primary source for classical dispensationalism.

• Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism (Mafundisho ya Vipindi), kwa maelezo ya mafundisho ya vipindi kwa maneno ya mwandishi mwenyewe.• Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism, for a dispensational statement in the author's own words.

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