Teolojia ya Agano, Maandiko na Maungamo ya Kireformed — Sehemu ya 6: Kwa Nini Maungamo? Maandiko kama Kipimo, Maungamo kama MtumishiCovenant Theology, Scripture, and Reformed Confessions — Unit 6: Why Confessions? Scripture as Norm, Confessions as Servant

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Shika kielelezo cha maneno yenye afya, ulivyoyasikia kwangu, katika imani na upendo ulio katika Kristo Yesu." (2 Timotheo 1:13, SUV)"Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:13, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza mafundisho ya Kireformed kwamba Maandiko peke yake ndiyo kipimo cha mwisho, na kuonyesha jinsi Ungamo la Westminster na Ungamo la Ubelgiji (Belgic Confession) yanavyolisema.1. Explain the Reformed teaching that Scripture alone is the final norm, and show how the Westminster Confession and the Belgic Confession state it.

2. Kutoa sababu nne kwa nini makanisa huandika maungamo, pamoja na kielelezo cha kibiblia kwa kila moja.2. Give four reasons why churches write confessions, with a biblical pattern for each.

3. Kueleza tofauti kati ya kipimo kinachopima (norming norm) na kipimo kinachopimwa (normed norm), na kwa nini ungamo ni mtumishi na si bwana.3. Explain the difference between a norming norm and a normed norm, and why a confession is a servant and not a master.

4. Kueleza pingamizi "hakuna ungamo ila Biblia" kwa haki na kuijibu kutoka upande wa Kireformed.4. State the objection "no creed but the Bible" fairly and answer it from the Reformed side.

5. Kulinganisha njia za Kanisa Katoliki la Roma, za Kireformed na za "hakuna ungamo" za kuhusisha Maandiko na mafundisho ya kanisa.5. Compare the Roman Catholic, Reformed and "no creed" ways of relating Scripture to the church's teaching.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Kireformed na Kipresbiteri, kwa ajili ya wanafunzi wanaoshiriki utamaduni huo. Ni kozi ya kihafidhina na inayofuata maungamo ya imani. Inaposema "sisi" au "makanisa yetu," inamaanisha makanisa yanayoshikilia kwamba Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililopuliziwa na lisilo na kosa, na yanayokiri imani katika imani kuu za kanisa na katika maungamo ya Kireformed.This course is written from inside the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, for students who belong to it. It is conservative and confessional. When it says "we" or "our churches," it means the churches that hold the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God and that confess the faith in the great creeds and in the Reformed confessions.

Baadhi ya wanafunzi hutoka katika makanisa yasiyo na ungamo lililoandikwa. Tunaiheshimu hoja hiyo, kwa sababu mara nyingi inatokana na upendo kwa Biblia, na tunaieleza kwa haki kabla ya kuijibu. Kozi ya 1 ilieleza jinsi maungamo yalivyozaliwa. Kipindi hiki kinauliza kwa nini kanisa linalosimama juu ya Maandiko peke yake pia huandika na kutunza maungamo.Some students come from churches with no written confession. We honor that concern, because it often comes from love for the Bible, and we state it fairly before answering. Course 1 told how the confessions were born. This unit asks why a church that stands on Scripture alone also writes and keeps confessions.

Maandiko: KipimoScripture: The Norm

Kila kanisa lazima lijibu maswali mawili. Mamlaka yetu ya mwisho ni nini? Na tunasemaje kwa pamoja yale ambayo mamlaka hiyo inafundisha? Jibu la Kireformed kwa swali la kwanza ni fupi: Mungu amesema kwa mwisho katika Maandiko Matakatifu. Swali la pili ndilo sababu ya kipindi hiki. Mamlaka inakuja kwanza na ungamo linakuja la pili.Every church must answer two questions. What is our final authority? And how do we say together what that authority teaches? The Reformed answer to the first is short: God has spoken finally in the Holy Scriptures. The second question is the reason for this unit. Authority comes first and the confession comes second.

Kauli mbiu ya Matengenezo ni sola Scriptura, "Maandiko peke yake." Haimaanishi kwamba kanisa halina walimu, wala kwamba historia haina thamani. Inamaanisha kwamba Maandiko peke yake ndiyo kanuni ya mwisho na ya kutosha kwa imani na maisha, na kwamba kila sauti nyingine iko chini yake.The Reformation slogan is sola Scriptura, "Scripture alone." It does not mean that the church has no teachers, or that history is worthless. It means that Scripture alone is the final and sufficient rule for faith and life, and that every other voice is under it.

Ungamo la Imani la Westminster, sura ya 1, linafundisha hili kwa uangalifu. Shauri lote la Mungu kwa utukufu wake, wokovu wetu, imani na maisha limeandikwa katika Maandiko au linaweza kupatikana kutoka kwayo kwa "matokeo mema na ya lazima" (1.6). Hakuna kitu cha kuongezwa, iwe kwa ufunuo mpya au kwa mapokeo ya wanadamu (1.6). Yale yanayohitajika kwa wokovu ni wazi vya kutosha hata waumini wa kawaida wanaweza kuyaelewa (1.7). Hakimu wa mwisho wa mabishano yote ya kidini ni Roho Mtakatifu anayesema katika Maandiko (1.10).The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 1, teaches this carefully. The whole counsel of God for His glory, our salvation, faith and life is either set down in Scripture or may be deduced from it by "good and necessary consequence" (1.6). Nothing is to be added, whether by new revelations or by the traditions of men (1.6). What is necessary for salvation is clear enough that ordinary believers can understand it (1.7). The final judge of all religious disputes is the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture (1.10).

Ungamo la Ubelgiji linasema vivyo hivyo. Kifungu cha 7 kinafundisha kwamba Maandiko yanayo kikamilifu mapenzi ya Mungu, na kwamba hakuna anayeruhusiwa kuongeza wala kuondoa. Kifungu cha 5 kinasema tunapokea vitabu vya Biblia kama vitakatifu na vya kanuni, na kwamba tunasadikishwa si hasa kwa neno la kanisa bali kwa ushuhuda wa Roho Mtakatifu mioyoni mwetu. Calvin alifundisha hayo hayo katika Institutes, Kitabu cha 1, sura ya 7 na 9, ambamo Roho na Neno vinakwenda pamoja.The Belgic Confession says the same. Article 7 teaches that Scripture fully contains the will of God, and that no one may add to it or take from it. Article 5 says that we receive the books of the Bible as holy and canonical, and that we are convinced not mainly by the church's word but by the testimony of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Calvin taught the same in the Institutes, Book 1, chapters 7 and 9, where Spirit and Word belong together.

Biblia inafundisha hili juu yake yenyewe. "Kila andiko, lenye pumzi ya Mungu, lafaa kwa mafundisho, na kwa kuonya, na kwa kurekebisha, na kwa kuadibu katika haki" (2 Timotheo 3:16). Nabii anasema, "Na waende kwa sheria na ushuhuda; wasiponena sawasawa na neno hili, hakika hawana mapambazuko" (Isaya 8:20). Wabereya wanasifiwa kwa sababu "wakilichunguza maandiko kila siku, waone kwamba mambo hayo yalivyo kweli" (Matendo 17:11). Walijaribu hata mahubiri ya mtume kwa Neno. Ikiwa mtume alijaribiwa, basi hakuna baraza, mchungaji wala ungamo lililo juu ya kujaribiwa.The Bible teaches this about itself. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). The prophet says, "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). The Bereans are praised because they "searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). They tested even an apostle's preaching by the Word. If an apostle was tested, then no council, pastor or confession stands above testing.

Biblia Yenyewe Ina MaungamoThe Bible Itself Contains Confessions

Hili ndilo jambo la kwanza la kushangaza kwa wanafunzi kutoka makanisa yasiyo na maungamo yaliyoandikwa. Biblia haitupi kitabu cha kusoma tu. Pia inaonyesha watu wa Mungu wakiungama imani kwa maumbo mafupi yanayokumbukwa kwa urahisi.Here is the first surprise for students from churches without written confessions. The Bible does not only give us a book to read. It also shows God's people confessing the faith in short, memorable forms.

Israeli waliungama, "Sikia, Ee Israeli; BWANA, Mungu wetu, BWANA ni mmoja" (Kumbukumbu la Torati 6:4). Paulo anawapa Wakorintho yale aliyopokea yeye mwenyewe: kwamba Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya dhambi zetu kama yasemavyo Maandiko, akazikwa, na akafufuka siku ya tatu (1 Wakorintho 15:3-4). Anasema kwamba "ukimkiri Yesu kwa kinywa chako kuwa ni Bwana, na kuamini moyoni mwako kwamba Mungu alimfufua katika wafu, utaokoka" (Warumi 10:9). Anamkumbusha Timotheo "maungamo mazuri" aliyoyaungama mbele ya mashahidi wengi (1 Timotheo 6:12). Yuda anawasihi wasomaji wake "mkaushindanie sana imani, waliyopewa watakatifu mara moja tu" (Yuda 3). Zingatia maneno "imani": palikuwa na mwili wa mafundisho wa kulindwa.Israel confessed, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Paul passes on to the Corinthians what he himself received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He says that "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). He reminds Timothy of the "good confession" made before many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12). Jude urges his readers "to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Notice the words "the faith": there was a body of teaching to be guarded.

Kanisa pia lilitatua maswali pamoja. Katika Matendo 15 mitume na wazee walikutana Yerusalemu kutatua mgogoro uliotishia injili, na wakatuma barua kwa makanisa: "Roho Mtakatifu ameona vema, na sisi pia" (Matendo 15:28). Barua hiyo inaonyesha kwamba kanisa linaweza kusema pamoja, kwa maandishi, kutatua maswali ya ukweli. Ungamo la imani si kitu kigeni kilichowekwa juu ya Biblia. Linaendeleza jambo ambalo watu wa Mungu hufanya katika Biblia yenyewe.The church also decided questions together. In Acts 15 the apostles and elders met at Jerusalem to settle a dispute that threatened the gospel, and they sent a letter to the churches: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us" (Acts 15:28). That letter shows that the church may speak together, in writing, to settle questions of truth. A confession of faith is not a foreign thing placed on top of the Bible. It continues something that God's people do in the Bible itself.

Imani za Kikristo za Kanisa Lote (Ecumenical Creeds)The Ecumenical Creeds

Makanisa ya Kireformed hayakuanza kazi ya kuungama. Yalipokea imani za kanisa la kwanza. Imani ya Mitume ilikua kutoka kwenye ungamo la kale la ubatizo la kanisa la Roma. Imani ya Nikea inatokana na mabaraza ya Nikea (325) na Konstantinopoli (381) na inatetea uungu kamili wa Mwana na wa Roho Mtakatifu. Tamko la Kalsedoni (Chalcedon, 451) linaungama kwamba Kristo ni nafsi moja katika asili mbili, Mungu kweli na mwanadamu kweli.The Reformed churches did not begin the work of confessing. They received the creeds of the early church. The Apostles' Creed grew from the old baptismal confession of the church at Rome. The Nicene Creed comes from the councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) and defends the full deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Definition of Chalcedon (451) confesses that Christ is one person in two natures, truly God and truly man.

Tunashikilia imani hizi si kwa sababu mabaraza hayakosei, bali kwa sababu zinaeleza kwa uaminifu yale ambayo Maandiko yanafundisha. Ungamo la Ubelgiji, katika Kifungu cha 9, linasema linakubali kwa hiari Imani ya Mitume, ya Nikea na ya Athanasio.We hold these creeds not because councils are infallible but because they faithfully state what Scripture teaches. The Belgic Confession, in Article 9, says that it willingly accepts the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian creeds.

Kwa Nini Makanisa Huandika MaungamoWhy Churches Write Confessions

Makanisa huandika maungamo kwa sababu nne angalau, kila moja ikiwa na kielelezo cha kibiblia.Churches write confessions for at least four reasons, each with a biblical pattern.

Kumkiri Kristo mbele ya ulimwengu. Paulo anaunganisha kuamini moyoni na kuungama kwa kinywa (Warumi 10:9-10). Petro anawaambia waumini wawe tayari kumjibu kila mtu anayeuliza sababu ya tumaini lao (1 Petro 3:15). Ungamo ni jibu la hadharani la kanisa kwa swali, "Mnaamini nini?"To confess Christ before the world. Paul links believing in the heart with confessing with the mouth (Romans 10:9-10). Peter tells believers to be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15). A confession is the church's public answer to the question, "What do you believe?"

Kulinda kweli dhidi ya uongo. Mzee wa kanisa lazima awe "akilishika neno la imani sawasawa na mafundisho, apate kuweza kuonya kwa mafundisho yenye uzima, na kuwakemea wale wanaopinga" (Tito 1:9). Arius alipofundisha kwamba Mwana ni kiumbe, kanisa halingeweza kujibu kwa kurudia tu "Biblia inasema," kwa kuwa Arius naye alinukuu Biblia. Kanisa lilihitaji kusema kwa maneno wazi Biblia ilimaanisha nini. Ungamo huchora mstari pale ambapo uongo fulani umeuvuka.To guard the truth against error. An elder must be "holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict" (Titus 1:9). When Arius taught that the Son was a creature, the church could not answer only by repeating "the Bible says," for Arius also quoted the Bible. The church needed to say in plain words what the Bible meant. A confession draws the line where a particular error has crossed it.

Kufundisha na kuunganisha. Paulo anaandika juu ya "Bwana mmoja, imani moja, ubatizo mmoja" (Waefeso 4:5) na hataki waumini "wapeperushwe huko na huko na kila upepo wa elimu" (Waefeso 4:14). Ungamo linayapa makutaniko na watoto wao mwili wa pamoja wa mafundisho. Katekisimu za Heidelberg na Westminster zilitungwa kwa kusudi hili.To teach and to unite. Paul writes of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5) and does not want believers "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14). A confession gives congregations and their children a shared body of teaching. The Heidelberg and Westminster catechisms were made for this purpose.

Kulinda huduma na kuwalinda watu. "Na mambo yale uliyoyasikia kwangu mbele ya mashahidi wengi, mambo hayo uwakabidhi watu waaminifu watakaoweza kuwafundisha na wengine" (2 Timotheo 2:2). Kanisa linalowatawaza wachungaji lazima lijue watafundisha nini. Ungamo linalinda kutaniko dhidi ya mchungaji anayefundisha anachopenda, na linamlinda mchungaji mwaminifu dhidi ya shutuma ya kuleta mambo mapya.To guard the ministry and protect the people. "The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). A church that ordains ministers must know what they will teach. The confession protects the congregation from a pastor who teaches whatever he pleases, and it protects a faithful pastor from the charge of novelty.

Kisha kuna jambo la kweli la kusema. Kila kanisa lina ungamo. Baadhi huliandika na baadhi hawaliandiki. Kanisa lisilo na imani iliyoandikwa bado lina isiyoandikwa, inayoshikiliwa katika tabia za wahubiri wake na nyimbo zake. Ungamo lisiloandikwa haliwezi kuchunguzwa na watu. Lililoandikwa linaweza kupimwa kwa Maandiko na yeyote anayeweza kusoma.An honest remark follows. Every church has a confession. Some write it down and some do not. A church with no written creed still has an unwritten one, held in the habits of its preachers and its songs. An unwritten creed cannot be examined by the people. A written one can be tested against Scripture by anyone who can read it.

Kipimo na MtumishiNorm and Servant

Ikiwa Maandiko ndiyo mamlaka ya mwisho, ungamo lina hadhi gani? Walimu wa zamani wa Kireformed hujibu kwa misemo miwili ya Kilatini. Maandiko ni norma normans non normata: kipimo kinachopima (norming norm), ambacho chenyewe hakipimwi na kitu kingine. Ungamo ni norma normata: kipimo kinachopimwa (normed norm). Lina mamlaka ya kweli katika kanisa, kwa sababu kanisa limelipokea kama mafundisho yake ya hadharani, lakini mamlaka yake yamekopwa kutoka kwa Maandiko na kupimwa kwa Maandiko. Wapresbiteri huita maungamo "viwango vya chini" (subordinate standards). Neno "chini" ni muhimu kama neno "viwango."If Scripture is the final authority, what is the standing of a confession? Older Reformed teachers answer with two Latin phrases. Scripture is the norma normans non normata: the norming norm, which is not itself normed by anything else. A confession is the norma normata: a normed norm. It has real authority in the church, because the church has adopted it as its public teaching, but its authority is borrowed from Scripture and measured by Scripture. Presbyterians call confessions "subordinate standards." The word "subordinate" matters as much as the word "standards."

Maungamo yetu yanasema hivi juu yake yenyewe. Ungamo la Westminster, sura ya 31, linafundisha kwamba sinodi na mabaraza husaidia kutatua mabishano na kupanga kanisa, na kwamba maamuzi yao, yanapokubaliana na Neno, hupokelewa kwa heshima, lakini si kama kanuni ya imani au ya mwenendo. Linaongeza kwamba sinodi na mabaraza yote tangu nyakati za mitume "yanaweza kukosea, na mengi yamekosea" (31.4). Calvin alifundisha vivyo hivyo katika Institutes, Kitabu cha 4, sura ya 9: anaheshimu mabaraza ya kweli lakini kamwe hayaweki juu ya Neno. Sura ya 20 ya Ungamo inaongeza kwamba Mungu peke yake ndiye Bwana wa dhamiri.Our confessions say this about themselves. The Westminster Confession, chapter 31, teaches that synods and councils help to settle controversies and order the church, and that their decisions, when they agree with the Word, are received with reverence, but not as the rule of faith or practice. It adds that all synods and councils since the apostles' times "may err, and many have erred" (31.4). Calvin taught the same in the Institutes, Book 4, chapter 9: he honors true councils but never puts them above the Word. Chapter 20 of the Confession adds that God alone is Lord of the conscience.

Ndiyo sababu ungamo linaweza kurekebishwa. Kanisa likigundua kwamba kauli haikubaliani na Maandiko, lazima lirekebishe ungamo, kwa utaratibu wake halali, na si Biblia. Kauli mbiu kutoka historia ya baadaye ya Kireformed ya Kiholanzi inasema kanisa lililofanyiwa matengenezo lazima liendelee kufanyiwa matengenezo. Ikieleweka vizuri, hii inamaanisha kwamba kanisa lazima lirudishwe daima kwa Neno. Haimaanishi kwamba mafundisho yaendelee kubadilika kwa kila kizazi, ingawa wengine wameitumia hivyo.This is why a confession can be revised. If a church finds that a statement does not agree with Scripture, it must correct the confession, by its own lawful process, and not the Bible. A slogan from later Dutch Reformed history says that the reformed church must always be reforming. Rightly understood, this means that the church must always be brought back to the Word. It does not mean that doctrine should keep changing with each generation, though some have used it that way.

Mtumishi mzuri hubeba ujumbe wa bwana wake kwa usahihi, hubaki chini ya mamlaka ya bwana wake, na hurekebishwa akibadilisha ujumbe. Ungamo linalitumikia Neno kwa kulifupisha, kulitetea na kulifundisha. Si Biblia ya pili.A good servant carries the master's message accurately, stays under the master's authority, and is corrected if he changes the message. A confession serves the Word by summarizing it, defending it and teaching it. It is not a second Bible.

Pingamizi na Majibu YetuObjections and Our Answers

Pingamizi la 1: "Hakuna ungamo ila Biblia."Objection 1: "No creed but the Bible."

Wakristo wengi waaminifu, katika makanisa ya Kibaptisti, ya Kipentekoste, ya Kurejesha (Restorationist) na huru, wanasema kwamba ungamo huongeza hati ya binadamu kwa Neno la Mungu. Wanakumbuka onyo la Yesu, "Nao wanisujudia bure, wakifundisha mafundisho yaliyo maagizo ya wanadamu" (Mathayo 15:9). Wanaogopa kwamba ungamo litachukuliwa kuwa sawa na Maandiko, kama ilivyowahi kutokea wakati mwingine.Many sincere Christians, in Baptist, Pentecostal, Restorationist and independent churches, say that a creed adds a human document to God's Word. They remember the warning of Jesus, "in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9). They fear that a confession will be treated as equal to Scripture, as has sometimes happened.

Jibu letu. Tunashiriki hofu hiyo na tunakubali kwamba hakuna hati ya binadamu inayopaswa kuwekwa kando ya Maandiko. Ndiyo sababu maungamo yetu yanajiita ya chini. Lakini kauli mbiu hiyo haiepuki tatizo. "Hakuna ungamo ila Biblia" yenyewe ni kauli ya imani, na makundi yenye mafundisho tofauti kabisa kila moja husema, "Tunaamini Biblia." Swali si kama Biblia ndiyo mamlaka yetu, kwa kuwa wote wanakubaliana hilo. Swali ni tunaelewa inasema nini. Ungamo ni jibu la uaminifu kwa swali hilo, lililoandikwa wazi ili liweze kurekebishwa kutoka Maandiko. Yesu alilaani mapokeo yanayobatilisha Neno. Hakulaani mafundisho yanayolieleza kwa uaminifu, na Paulo alimwambia Timotheo ashike "kielelezo cha maneno yenye afya," kielelezo cha mafundisho kinachoweza kutambuliwa na kupitishwa.Our answer. We share the fear and agree that no human document may be placed beside Scripture. This is why our confessions call themselves subordinate. But the slogan does not avoid the problem. "No creed but the Bible" is itself a statement of belief, and groups with very different teachings each say, "We believe the Bible." The question is not whether the Bible is our authority, since all agree on that. The question is what we understand it to say. A confession is an honest answer to that question, written openly so that it can be corrected from Scripture. Jesus condemned traditions that cancel the Word. He did not condemn teaching that faithfully explains it, and Paul told Timothy to keep a "pattern of sound words," a pattern of teaching that can be recognized and handed on.

Pingamizi la 2: Mtazamo wa Kanisa Katoliki la Roma.Objection 2: The Roman Catholic view.

Roma inafundisha kwamba Neno la Mungu linakuja kupitia Maandiko na mapokeo pamoja, na kwamba ofisi ya kufundisha ya kanisa inavifasiri vyote viwili kwa mamlaka ya mwisho. Baraza la Trento lilisema hili mwaka 1546. Kwa mtazamo huu, tunakosea kuweka Maandiko juu ya sauti ya kanisa.Rome teaches that God's Word comes through Scripture and tradition together, and that the church's teaching office interprets both with final authority. The Council of Trent said this in 1546. On this view we are wrong to set Scripture above the church's voice.

Jibu letu. Tunakubali kwamba kanisa ni mwalimu, na tunaziheshimu imani za mwanzo. Lakini tunakana kwamba sauti ya kanisa ni chanzo cha pili cha ufunuo katika kiwango kimoja na Maandiko. Yesu aliwakemea viongozi walioweka mapokeo ya wanadamu juu ya amri ya Mungu (Mathayo 15:3-6). Kanisa ni "nguzo na msingi wa kweli" (1 Timotheo 3:15) kwa kuwa linashikilia na kutangaza kweli, lakini kweli imetolewa katika Neno la kitume, na kanisa liko chini yake. Kanisa lisiloweza kupimwa kwa Neno haliwezi kurekebisha makosa yake yenyewe.Our answer. We agree that the church is a teacher, and we honor the early creeds. But we deny that the church's voice is a second source of revelation on the same level as Scripture. Jesus rebuked leaders who set human tradition over God's commandment (Matthew 15:3-6). The church is "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15) as it upholds and declares the truth, but the truth is given in the apostolic Word, and the church stands under it. A church that cannot be tested by the Word cannot correct its own errors.

Pingamizi la 3: Maungamo ni ya zamani na yamefungwa na wakati wake.Objection 3: Confessions are old and tied to their time.

Wakosoaji, hasa katika makanisa ya kiliberali zaidi, wanasema kwamba maungamo yanaonyesha siasa na falsafa za karne ya kumi na sita na kumi na saba, na kwamba kila kizazi kinapaswa kuandika imani yake.Critics, especially in more liberal churches, say that the confessions reflect the politics and philosophy of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and that each age should write its own faith.

Jibu letu. Maungamo yaliandikwa katika nyakati maalum, na baadhi ya sura, kama zile juu ya serikali ya kiraia, zinaonyesha hali ambazo zimebadilika. Kanisa lenye hekima linakubali hili na kurekebisha pale Maandiko yanapohitaji. Lakini kuwa la zamani si sawa na kuwa na makosa. Ukweli wa Utatu, wa asili mbili za Kristo na wa wokovu kwa neema haufanywi kuwa wa uongo na umri. Kauli mpya nayo imefungwa na wakati wake, ingawa hatuwezi kuliona hilo waziwazi.Our answer. The confessions were written in particular times, and some chapters, such as those on civil government, reflect conditions that have changed. A wise church admits this and revises where Scripture requires. But old is not the same as wrong. The truth of the Trinity, of Christ's two natures and of salvation by grace is not made false by age. A new statement is also tied to its own time, though we cannot see that as clearly.

Pingamizi la 4: Je, kufuata maungamo kulisaliti Wanamatengenezo?Objection 4: Did confessionalism betray the Reformers?

Wanahistoria wamebishana juu ya hili. Baadhi ya waandishi wa karne ya ishirini walisema kwamba mafundisho ya Calvin yaliyokuwa rahisi kubadilika na ya kibiblia yaligeuzwa na wafuasi wake kuwa mfumo mgumu. Wanahistoria wengine, kama Richard Muller, wamejadili kutoka kwenye vyanzo kwamba walimu wa baadaye wa Kireformed waliendeleza mawazo ya Calvin kwa mwendelezo, wakiongeza usahihi kwa ajili ya kufundisha na mabishano.Historians have argued over this. Some twentieth-century writers said that Calvin's flexible, biblical teaching was hardened by his followers into a rigid system. Other historians, such as Richard Muller, have argued from the sources that the later Reformed teachers developed Calvin's thought with continuity, adding precision for teaching and debate.

Jibu letu. Waandishi wa baadaye walitumia mbinu ya kitaalamu zaidi kuliko Calvin, lakini usahihi hauhitaji kuwa baridi. Katekisimu ya Heidelberg, itakayosomwa katika kipindi kijacho, ni ya joto na sahihi pamoja. Muhimu zaidi si kama walimu wa baadaye walimnakili Calvin bali kama maungamo yanakubaliana na Maandiko. Tunaamini kwamba yanakubaliana.Our answer. Later writers used a more technical method than Calvin, but precision need not be cold. The Heidelberg Catechism, studied in the next unit, is warm and exact together. What matters most is not whether later teachers copied Calvin but whether the confessions agree with Scripture. We believe that they do.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Wanandoa vijana wanajiunga na kanisa. Walikulia katika kanisa la Biblia lisilo na ungamo lililoandikwa. Baada ya darasa la uanachama mume anamwambia mchungaji, "Nina furaha kuamini Biblia, lakini sitaki kutia sahihi hati iliyotungwa na wanadamu. Kwa nini mnahitaji moja?"A young couple joins the church. They grew up in a Bible church with no written confession. After the membership class the husband says to the pastor, "I am happy to believe the Bible, but I don't want to sign a man-made document. Why do you need one?"

Mchungaji hakasiriki. Kwanza, anamshukuru mtu huyo kwa upendo wake kwa Biblia na kusema hii ndiyo sababu hasa kanisa lina ungamo.The pastor does not become defensive. First, he thanks the man for his love for the Bible and says this is the very reason the church has a confession.

Pili, anauliza kanisa lake la zamani lilichaguaje cha kuamini kuhusu ubatizo na Utatu. Mtu huyo anatambua kwamba kanisa lake lilikuwa na mafundisho wazi, yaliyofundishwa na mchungaji na kamwe hayakuandikwa.Second, he asks how the man's old church decided what to believe about baptism and the Trinity. The man realizes that his church had clear teachings, taught by the pastor and never written down.

Tatu, anafungua pamoja naye 2 Timotheo 1:13 na 2:2.Third, he opens 2 Timothy 1:13 and 2:2 with him.

Nne, anaeleza kwamba ungamo liko chini ya Biblia, anamwalika mtu huyo ajaribu kila kauli kwa Maandiko, na kuahidi kwamba wazee wa kanisa watasikiliza akipata kosa. Mtu huyo haombwi kumwamini mchungaji. Anaalikwa kuchunguza Maandiko kama Wabereya.Fourth, he explains that the confession stands under the Bible, invites the man to test every statement against Scripture, and promises that the elders will listen if he finds an error. The man is not asked to trust the pastor. He is invited to search the Scriptures as the Bereans did.

MuhtasariSummary

Maandiko peke yake ndiyo kipimo cha mwisho cha imani na maisha, kama Ungamo la Westminster (sura ya 1) na Ungamo la Ubelgiji (Vifungu vya 5 na 7) vinavyofundisha. Biblia yenyewe ina maungamo ya imani, kanisa la kwanza liliandika imani, na makanisa ya Kireformed yaliyapokea. Makanisa huandika maungamo ili kumkiri Kristo mbele ya ulimwengu, kulinda kweli dhidi ya uongo, kufundisha na kuunganisha watu, na kulinda huduma. Maandiko ni kipimo kinachopima. Ungamo ni kipimo kinachopimwa, mtumishi chini ya Neno, na mabaraza na maungamo yanaweza kukosea, kama Ungamo la Westminster lenyewe linavyosema. "Hakuna ungamo ila Biblia" inaonyesha upendo kwa Neno, lakini kauli mbiu hiyo yenyewe ni kauli ya imani. Mtazamo wa Roma unafanya sauti ya kanisa kuwa mamlaka ya pili, jambo tunalolikataa. Maungamo ya zamani yanaweza kurekebishwa chini ya Maandiko, na mjadala wa wanahistoria juu ya Calvin na wafuasi wake haubadilishi swali kuu: je, maungamo yanakubaliana na Biblia? Tunaamini kwamba yanakubaliana.Scripture alone is the final norm for faith and life, as the Westminster Confession (chapter 1) and the Belgic Confession (Articles 5 and 7) teach. The Bible itself contains confessions of faith, the early church wrote creeds, and the Reformed churches received them. Churches write confessions to confess Christ before the world, to guard the truth against error, to teach and unite the people, and to guard the ministry. Scripture is the norming norm. A confession is a normed norm, a servant under the Word, and councils and confessions may err, as the Westminster Confession itself says. "No creed but the Bible" shows love for the Word, but the slogan is itself a statement of belief. The Roman view makes the church's voice a second authority, which we reject. Old confessions are revisable under Scripture, and historians' debate over Calvin and his followers does not change the main question: do the confessions agree with the Bible? We believe that they do.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo) (tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845), Kitabu cha 1, sura ya 7-9; Kitabu cha 4, sura ya 9 (juu ya mabaraza).• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Beveridge translation, 1845), Book 1, chapters 7-9; Book 4, chapter 9 (on councils).

• Ungamo la Imani la Westminster (The Westminster Confession of Faith) (1646), sura ya 1, 20 na 31.• The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), chapters 1, 20 and 31.

• Ungamo la Ubelgiji (The Belgic Confession) (1561), Vifungu vya 2-7 na 9.• The Belgic Confession (1561), Articles 2-7 and 9.

• Ungamo la Pili la Helvetia (The Second Helvetic Confession) (1566), sura ya 1, juu ya Maandiko Matakatifu.• The Second Helvetic Confession (1566), chapter 1, on Holy Scripture.

• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (Teolojia ya Kimfumo) (1872-73), buku la 1, juu ya kanuni ya imani.• Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (1872-73), volume 1, on the rule of faith.

• B. B. Warfield, makala juu ya mamlaka na uvuvio wa Maandiko.• B. B. Warfield, essays on the authority and inspiration of Scripture.

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