Teolojia ya Kiwesley na Fundisho la Wokovu — Sehemu ya 4: Uteule na Neema ya Bure: Swali la Wakalvini LajibiwaWesleyan Theology and the Doctrine of Salvation — Unit 4: Election and Free Grace: The Calvinist Question Answered

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Hili ni jema, nalo lakubalika mbele za Mungu Mwokozi wetu; ambaye anataka watu wote waokolewe, wafikilie ujuzi wa kweli." (1 Timotheo 2:3-4, SUV)"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza fundisho la Wareformed (Reformed) la uteule usio na masharti (unconditional election) na maandiko yake makuu, kama wanaolishikilia wanavyoliweka.1. State the Reformed doctrine of unconditional election and its main Scripture texts, as its holders would state it.

2. Kueleza kwa nini Wesley aliita mtazamo wa Wesley "neema ya bure" (free grace), na alichokiona kuwa kosa katika kuwaacha wengine bila masharti (unconditional reprobation).2. Explain why Wesley called the Wesleyan view "free grace," and what he found wrong with unconditional reprobation.

3. Kueleza fundisho la Wesley la uteule wenye masharti (conditional election), pamoja na uteule "ndani ya Kristo" na uteule kuhusiana na kujua kwa Mungu tangu awali.3. Explain the Wesleyan doctrine of conditional election, including election "in Christ" and election in relation to God's foreknowledge.

4. Kutoa usomaji wa Wesley wa Warumi 9, Waefeso 1, Yohana 6 na Matendo 13:48.4. Give the Wesleyan reading of Romans 9, Ephesians 1, John 6 and Acts 13:48.

5. Kuzungumza na rafiki Mkalvini kwa uaminifu, uthabiti na upendo.5. Speak with a Calvinist friend with honesty, firmness and love.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Wesley, kwa wanafunzi wa Wesley. Ni ya kihafidhina na ya kiinjilisti. Inaposema "sisi," inamaanisha makanisa yanayofuata mafundisho ya John Wesley. Kipindi hiki kinashughulikia mzozo wa zamani zaidi ndani ya Ukristo wa kiinjilisti. Ndugu zetu na dada zetu wengi Wareformed wanampenda Kristo, wanahubiri msalaba na wametoa maisha yao kwa ajili ya injili. Tunaeleza mtazamo wao kama wao wanavyoueleza, kisha tunatoa jibu letu. Kozi ya 1, Kipindi cha 5 ilisimulia hadithi ya Wesley na Whitefield. Hapa tunasoma fundisho lenyewe.This course is written from inside the Wesleyan tradition, for Wesleyan students. It is conservative and evangelical. When it says "we," it means the churches that follow John Wesley's teaching. This unit deals with the oldest quarrel inside evangelical Christianity. Many of our Reformed brothers and sisters love Christ, preach the cross and have given their lives for the gospel. We state their view as they would, then give our answer. Course 1, Unit 5 told the story of Wesley and Whitefield. Here we study the doctrine.

SwaliThe Question

Waefeso 1:4-5 inasema kwamba Mungu "alituchagua katika yeye, kabla ya kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu," na "akatangulia kutuchagua kwa kutufanya wanawe." Paulo anaandika katika Warumi 9 kuhusu uchaguzi wa Mungu wa Yakobo na si Esau. Maneno haya yamo katika Biblia. Kila Mkristo lazima ayachukulie kwa uzito.Ephesians 1:4-5 says that God "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world," and "predestined us to adoption as sons." Paul writes in Romans 9 about God's choice of Jacob and not Esau. These words are in the Bible. Every Christian must take them seriously.

Swali si kama Mungu huchagua. Biblia inasema kwamba huchagua. Swali ni jinsi gani. Je, Mungu huchagua watu mmoja mmoja kabla ya wakati, bila kujali chochote anachoona ndani yao, ili wengine hakika wataamini na wengine hakika hawataamini? Au Mungu huchagua ndani ya Kristo, na huchagua wale wanaoamini? Mtazamo wa kwanza unaitwa uteule usio na masharti (unconditional election). Wa pili ni uteule wenye masharti (conditional election), na ndio fundisho la Wesley.The question is not whether God elects. The Bible says that He does. The question is how. Does God choose individuals before time, apart from anything He sees in them, so that some will certainly believe and the rest will certainly not? Or does God choose in Christ, and choose those who believe? The first view is called unconditional election. The second is conditional election, and it is the Wesleyan teaching.

Fundisho la Wareformed Lililoelezwa kwa HakiThe Reformed Doctrine Stated Fairly

Walimu wa Kireformed, wanaomfuata John Calvin na Sinodi ya Dort (1618-1619), wanashikilia yafuatayo.Reformed teachers, who follow John Calvin and the Synod of Dort (1618-1619), hold the following.

Mungu alichagua watu mmoja mmoja kabla ya uumbaji. Kabla ya ulimwengu kuanza, Mungu alichagua kwa hiari idadi fulani ya wenye dhambi kwa ajili ya wokovu. Uchaguzi wake haukutegemea chochote alichokiona ndani yao, ikiwemo imani yao ya baadaye. Imani ni matokeo ya uteule, si sababu yake.God chose individuals before creation. Before the world began, God freely chose a particular number of sinners for salvation. His choice did not depend on anything He saw in them, including their future faith. Faith is the result of election, not its cause.

Hili hulinda neema. Ikiwa sehemu yoyote ya wokovu ingetegemea uchaguzi wa mwenye dhambi, wanasema, mwenye dhambi angekuwa na kitu cha kujisifia. Uteule wa Mungu peke yake hutoa utukufu wote kwa Mungu.This protects grace. If any part of salvation depended on the sinner's choice, they say, the sinner would have something to boast about. Election by God alone gives all glory to God.

Wasiochaguliwa wameachwa. Calvin, katika Institutes yake, alifundisha kwamba Mungu aliamua ni nani ataokolewa na ni nani atapotea. Walimu wengine wa Kireformed wa baadaye huzungumza kwa upole zaidi na kusema kwamba Mungu "huwapita" wengine. Walimu wote wa Kireformed wanashikilia kwamba uchaguzi wa Mungu wa wateule hautegemei matendo yao au jibu lao lililoonekana mapema.Those not chosen are passed over. Calvin, in his Institutes, taught that God decided both who would be saved and who would be lost. Some later Reformed teachers speak more gently and say that God "passes over" the rest. All Reformed teachers hold that God's choice of the elect is not based on their works or on their foreseen response.

Hili hutoa faraja. Kwa kuwa Mungu aliwachagua, wateule hawawezi hatimaye kupotea. Wokovu wao hautegemei kushikilia kwao dhaifu kwa Mungu, bali kushikilia kwa nguvu kwa Mungu kwao.This gives comfort. Since God chose them, the elect cannot finally be lost. Their salvation does not depend on their weak hold of God, but on God's strong hold of them.

Maandiko yao makuu ni haya.Their main texts are these.

• Waefeso 1:4-5: Mungu alituchagua "kabla ya kuwekwa misingi ya ulimwengu."• Ephesians 1:4-5: God chose us "before the foundation of the world."

• Warumi 8:29-30: wale ambao Mungu aliwajua tangu zamani aliwachagua tangu zamani, akawaita, akawahesabia haki na kuwatukuza.• Romans 8:29-30: those whom God foreknew He predestined, called, justified and glorified.

• Warumi 9:10-24: Mungu alimpenda Yakobo na si Esau kabla hawajazaliwa, na huwarehemu amtakaye. Paulo anazungumza juu ya mfinyanzi anayetengeneza vyombo kwa heshima na kwa aibu.• Romans 9:10-24: God loved Jacob and not Esau before they were born, and He has mercy on whom He wills. Paul speaks of the potter who makes vessels for honor and for dishonor.

• Yohana 6:37, 44: "Wote anipao Baba watakuja kwangu."• John 6:37, 44: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me."

• Matendo 13:48: "wote waliokuwa wamewekewa tangu zamani wapate uzima wa milele, wakaamini."• Acts 13:48: "as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

• 2 Wathesalonike 2:13: Mungu "amewachagua tangu mwanzo mpate wokovu."• 2 Thessalonians 2:13: God "from the beginning chose you for salvation."

Haya ni maandiko mazito, na lazima yajibiwe kutoka katika Biblia, si kuwekwa kando.These are serious texts, and they must be answered from the Bible, not set aside.

Kile Wesley Alichokiona Kuwa KosaWhat Wesley Found Wrong

Mwaka 1739 John Wesley alihubiri mahubiri yaitwayo "Neema ya Bure" (Free Grace) huko Bristol na baadaye akayachapisha. Hakuwa mtu wa haraka. Alimstaajabia Whitefield na Wakalvini wengine. Lakini alifikia kuamini kwamba uteule usio na masharti, ukifuatwa hadi mwisho wake, unasema mambo kuhusu Mungu ambayo Biblia haisemi. Hoja yake ilikuwa na sehemu kadhaa.In 1739 John Wesley preached a sermon called "Free Grace" at Bristol and later printed it. He was not a hasty man. He admired Whitefield and other Calvinists. But he came to believe that unconditional election, taken to its end, said things about God that the Bible does not say. His argument had several parts.

Hufanya mahubiri ya injili kuwa bure kwa wengine. Ikiwa Mungu ameamua kwamba watu fulani hawawezi kuokolewa, basi kuwapa Kristo ni bure. Mhubiri anasema "kila mtu" lakini fundisho linasema "hawa tu."It makes the preaching of the gospel useless for some. If God has decided that certain people cannot be saved, then offering them Christ is empty. The preacher says "whoever" but the doctrine says "only these."

Hudhoofisha wito wa utakatifu. Wesley alihoji kwamba ikiwa hali yetu ya mwisho imewekwa tangu milele, basi maonyo, thawabu na jitihada hupoteza nguvu zake.It weakens the call to holiness. Wesley argued that if our final state is fixed from eternity, then warnings, rewards and effort lose their force.

Huharibu tabia ya Mungu. Maandiko yanasema kwamba "Mungu ni upendo" (1 Yohana 4:8), kwamba "anataka watu wote waokolewe" (mstari wetu mkuu), na kwamba hapendezwi na "kufa kwake mtu mbaya" (Ezekieli 33:11). Kusema kwamba Mungu aliamua kuangamizwa kwa watu wengi tangu milele, Wesley alihoji, kunamfanya awe mdogo wa upendo na mdogo wa haki kuliko Biblia inavyomwonyesha.It damages the character of God. Scripture says that "God is love" (1 John 4:8), that He "desires all men to be saved" (our key verse), and that He has "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). To say that God decreed the damnation of most people from eternity, Wesley argued, makes Him less loving and less just than the Bible shows Him to be.

Jina la Wesley la fundisho la Wesley lilikuwa neema ya bure (free grace). Alimaanisha kwamba neema ni bure kwa maana mbili. Ni bure kutokana na stahili yoyote ndani yetu, kwa kuwa hakuna anayeipata kwa kustahili. Pia ni bure kwa wote, kwa kuwa Mungu huitoa kwa kila mtu. Tunashikilia maana zote mbili.Wesley's name for the Wesleyan doctrine was free grace. He meant that grace is free in two senses. It is free from any merit in us, since no one earns it. It is also free for all, since God offers it to everyone. We keep both senses.

Fundisho la Wesley: Uteule Ndani ya KristoThe Wesleyan Doctrine: Election in Christ

Tunafundisha nini kuhusu maandiko mengi ya uteule? Tunafundisha mambo manne.What do we teach about the many texts on election? We teach four things.

1. Uteule uko ndani ya Kristo1. Election is in Christ

Waefeso 1:4 haisemi kwamba Mungu alituchagua mbali na Kristo. Inasema kwamba alituchagua "katika yeye." Biblia inamwita Yesu Mteule wa Mungu (Isaya 42:1; Luka 23:35). Wazo la Paulo ni kwamba Baba alichagua watu ndani ya Mwanawe. Wale walio ndani ya Kristo hushiriki katika uteule wake. Tunaingia ndani ya Kristo kwa imani (Wagalatia 3:26-27). Kwa hiyo uteule kwanza ni kuhusu Kristo, kisha kuhusu watu walioungana naye.Ephesians 1:4 does not say that God chose us apart from Christ. It says that He chose us "in Him." The Bible calls Jesus God's Chosen One (Isaiah 42:1; Luke 23:35). Paul's idea is that the Father chose a people in His Son. Those who are in Christ share in His election. We enter Christ by faith (Galatians 3:26-27). Election is therefore first about Christ, and then about a people who are joined to Him.

2. Uteule una kusudi2. Election is for a purpose

Kusudi la kuchagua ni lipi? Waefeso 1:4 inasema kwamba Mungu alituchagua "tuwe watakatifu, tusio na mawaa mbele zake katika upendo." Warumi 8:29 inasema kwamba alitangulia kutuchagua "wapate kufananishwa na mfano wa Mwana wake." Kusudi la kuchaguliwa tangu awali (predestination) ni utakatifu. Mpango wa Mungu tangu mwanzo ulikuwa kuwa na watu watakatifu wanaobeba mfano wa Kristo. Hili linapatana na ujumbe mzima wa Wesley, ambao tutausoma zaidi katika Kozi ya 3.What is the purpose of the choosing? Ephesians 1:4 says that God chose us "that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." Romans 8:29 says that He predestined us "to be conformed to the image of His Son." The purpose of predestination is holiness. God's plan from the beginning was to have a holy people who bear the likeness of Christ. This fits the whole Wesleyan message, which we will study further in Course 3.

3. Uteule ni kulingana na kujua kwa Mungu tangu awali3. Election is according to foreknowledge

Warumi 8:29 inasema, "Maana wale aliowajua tangu zamani, aliwachagua tangu zamani." Petro anawaandikia wale walio "wateule kama alivyojua Mungu Baba tangu zamani" (1 Petro 1:2). Wafuasi wa Wesley husoma mistari hii kumaanisha kwamba Mungu huchagua wale ambao alijua tangu awali kwamba wangeamini. Marafiki zetu Wareformed hujibu kwamba "kujua tangu awali" katika Maandiko humaanisha kujua katika uhusiano, kama katika "Ni ninyi tu niliowajua miongoni mwa jamaa zote za dunia" (Amosi 3:2), na kwa hiyo humaanisha "kuweka upendo juu yake."Romans 8:29 says, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined." Peter writes to those who are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Peter 1:2). Wesleyans read these verses to mean that God chooses those whom He foreknew would believe. Our Reformed friends reply that "foreknew" in Scripture means to know in a relationship, as in "You only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2), and so means "to set love upon."

Hili ndilo jibu letu. Neno katika Warumi 8:29 ni neno kuhusu kujua mbele. Katika 1 Petro 1:2 uteule ni "kama alivyojua Mungu Baba tangu zamani." Ikiwa Mungu angechagua bila kujali jibu lolote, mstari huo usingehitaji kutaja kujua tangu awali hata kidogo. Wesley pia alifundisha kwamba Mungu anaishi nje ya wakati. Kwake, mambo yote ni ya sasa, na kwa hiyo kujua kwake hakusababishi kile anachokijua. Mtu anayetazama meli ikisafiri hafanyi meli isafiri. Mungu anajua kwamba mtu ataamini, lakini mtu huyo anaamini kwa hiari.Here is our answer. The word in Romans 8:29 is a word about knowing ahead. In 1 Peter 1:2 election is "according to foreknowledge." If God had chosen without regard to any response, the verse would not need to mention foreknowledge at all. Wesley also taught that God lives outside of time. To Him, all things are present, and so His knowing does not cause what He knows. A man who watches a ship sail does not make it sail. God knows that a person will believe, but that person believes freely.

4. Uteule ni wa pamoja (corporate)4. Election is corporate

Maandiko mengi ya uteule yanazungumza juu ya watu, si orodha ya watu tofauti. Waefeso 1 hutumia "sisi" na "tuliyo" kwa kanisa. Israeli ilikuwa taifa teule, lakini si kila Mwisraeli aliokolewa. Paulo anasema katika Warumi 11 kwamba matawi yalivunjwa "kwa sababu ya kutokuamini," na kwamba Mataifa wanasimama "kwa imani." Anawaonya waogope, na kudumu katika wema wa Mungu, la sivyo nao watakatiliwa mbali (Warumi 11:20-22). Ikiwa uteule ungekuwa uamuzi usiovunjika kuhusu kila mtu, onyo kama hilo lingekuwa la ajabu. Watu mmoja mmoja huingia katika watu teule kwa imani na hubaki ndani kwa imani.Many of the election texts speak of a people, not of a list of separate persons. Ephesians 1 uses "us" and "we" for the church. Israel was a chosen people, but not every Israelite was saved. Paul says in Romans 11 that branches were broken off "because of unbelief," and that Gentiles stand "by faith." He warns them to fear, and to continue in God's goodness, or they also will be cut off (Romans 11:20-22). If election were an unbreakable decision about each person, such a warning would be strange. Individuals enter the chosen people by faith and remain in it by faith.

Kusoma Maandiko MagumuReading the Hard Texts

Warumi 9. Sura hii inazungumza juu ya uhuru wa Mungu. Bwana yuko huru kuchagua amtakaye kutimiza makusudi yake. Lakini tazama mambo matatu. Kwanza, kifungu cha Yakobo na Esau kinarudi nyuma hadi maneno yaliyosemwa kwa Rebeka, "mkubwa atamtumikia mdogo" (Mwanzo 25:23), na Malaki 1:2-3, vyote viwili vinazungumza juu ya mataifa, si wokovu wa mtu mmoja mmoja. Pili, mfinyanzi katika Yeremia 18:1-10, ambaye Paulo anamtaja, anasema kwamba taifa likitubu, Mungu atabadilisha mpango wake. Tatu, Paulo anamaliza hoja kwa kusema kwamba Israeli haikufikia haki "kwa sababu hawakuitafuta kwa imani" (Warumi 9:32). Sababu ya kushindwa kwao ilikuwa kutokuamini. Rehema ya Mungu ni ya bure, lakini amesema kwamba atawapa wote wanaoamini (Warumi 10:11-13).Romans 9. The chapter does speak of God's freedom. The Lord is free to choose whom He will to carry His purposes. But note three things. First, the Jacob and Esau passage points back to the words spoken to Rebekah, "the older shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23), and Malachi 1:2-3, which both speak of nations, not of individual salvation. Second, the potter in Jeremiah 18:1-10, to whom Paul alludes, says that if a nation repents, God will change His plan. Third, Paul closes the argument by saying that Israel did not attain righteousness "because they did not seek it by faith" (Romans 9:32). The reason for their failure was unbelief. God's mercy is free, but He has said that He will give it to all who believe (Romans 10:11-13).

Farao. Mungu aliufanya moyo wa Farao kuwa mgumu (Kutoka 9:12). Lakini Kutoka 8:15 inasema kwamba Farao alifanya moyo wake kuwa mgumu kwanza. Farao alikuwa mfalme aliyemkataa Mungu tena na tena, kisha Mungu akamthibitisha katika uchaguzi wake.Pharaoh. God hardened Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 9:12). But Exodus 8:15 says that Pharaoh "hardened his heart" first. Pharaoh was a king who refused God again and again, and then God confirmed him in his choice.

Yohana 6:37, 44. Wote ambao Baba humpa watakuja kwa Yesu, na hakuna awezaye kuja asipovutwa na Baba. Tunakubali. Lakini Yesu pia anasema kwamba atawavuta "watu wote" (Yohana 12:32), na katika sura hiyo hiyo anasema kwamba yeye "aniaminiye ana uzima wa milele" (Yohana 6:47). Baba hutoa na kuvuta, na mtu huja. Kipindi cha 3 kilieleza jinsi neema itangulizayo inavyofanya hili liwezekane.John 6:37, 44. All whom the Father gives will come to Jesus, and no one can come unless the Father draws him. We agree. But Jesus also says that He will draw "all peoples" (John 12:32), and in the same chapter says that the one "who believes in Me has everlasting life" (John 6:47). The Father gives and draws, and the person comes. Unit 3 explained how prevenient grace makes this possible.

Matendo 13:48. "Wote waliokuwa wamewekewa tangu zamani wapate uzima wa milele, wakaamini." Neno la Kigiriki la "waliowekewa" linaweza pia kumaanisha "waliowekwa" au "waliotayarishwa." Muktadha unasaidia. Paulo amewaambia Wayahudi waliokataa ujumbe kwamba "mnajiona wenyewe kuwa hamstahili uzima wa milele" (Matendo 13:46). Mataifa walioamini wanaonyeshwa kwa kulinganishwa nao. Walikuwa wamejiweka katika njia ya uzima wa milele. Mstari huu si lazima umaanishe kwamba Mungu aliamua kwa siri jibu la kila mtu.Acts 13:48. "As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." The Greek word for "appointed" can also mean "set" or "disposed." The context is helpful. Paul has just told the Jews who rejected the message that they "judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life" (Acts 13:46). The Gentiles who believed are shown in contrast to them. They had placed themselves in the way of eternal life. The verse need not mean that God secretly decided each person's response.

Pingamizi na MajibuObjections and Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Mtazamo wenu unafanya wokovu kutegemea mwanadamu, na hivyo mwanadamu anaweza kujisifu.Objection 1: Your view makes salvation depend on man, and so man can boast.

Hili ndilo shtaka la kawaida zaidi la Wareformed. Ikiwa imani ya mwenye dhambi huamua wokovu wake, basi amefanya kitu ambacho wengine hawakufanya.This is the most common Reformed charge. If a sinner's faith decides his salvation, then he has done something that the others did not.

Jibu letu. Paulo anajibu: "Basi, kujisifu kuko wapi? Kumeondolewa. Kwa sheria ipi? Ya matendo? La; bali kwa sheria ya imani" (Warumi 3:27). Imani si tendo. Ni mkono mtupu unaopokea. Mwombaji anayekubali mkate hana cha kujisifia. Tunashikilia kwamba hata uwezo wa kuamini ni zawadi ya neema itangulizayo (Kipindi cha 3). Utukufu wote huenda kwa Mungu, ambaye alitoa Mwokozi, alimwita mwenye dhambi na kumwezesha kuitikia.Our answer. Paul answers it: "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith" (Romans 3:27). Faith is not a work. It is the empty hand that receives. A beggar who accepts bread has nothing to boast about. We hold that even the ability to believe is the gift of prevenient grace (Unit 3). All the glory goes to God, who provided the Savior, called the sinner and enabled him to answer.

Pingamizi la 2: Mungu ni mkuu, na mtazamo wenu unamfanya angoje mwanadamu.Objection 2: God is sovereign, and your view makes Him wait on man.

Walimu wa Kireformed husema kwamba Mungu ambaye mpango wake unategemea maamuzi ya wanadamu si Mungu kweli.Reformed teachers say that a God whose plan depends on human decisions is not truly God.

Jibu letu. Tunaamini kwamba Mungu ni mkuu. Swali ni jinsi anavyotumia nguvu zake. Mungu mkuu anaweza kuamua kuumba viumbe wanaoweza kumpenda kwa hiari. Huo ni uchaguzi wa kifalme, si kupoteza udhibiti. Mfalme anayewaruhusu raia wake kujibu mwaliko wake si mfalme mdogo. Biblia inawaita wote "njoni" (Isaya 55:1; Ufunuo 22:17), na inasema kwamba Mungu angeikusanya Yerusalemu lakini haikutaka (Mathayo 23:37).Our answer. We believe that God is sovereign. The question is how He uses His power. A sovereign God may decide to make creatures who can love Him freely. That is a sovereign choice, not a loss of control. A king who allows his subjects to answer his invitation is no less a king. The Bible calls everyone to "come" (Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:17), and it says that God would gather Jerusalem but she was not willing (Matthew 23:37).

Pingamizi la 3: Ikiwa Mungu anajua nani ataamini, matokeo yamewekwa, na uhuru wenu ni udanganyifu.Objection 3: If God knows who will believe, the outcome is fixed, and your freedom is an illusion.

Jibu letu. Kujua si kusababisha. Ujuzi wa Mungu haumlazimishi mtu yeyote. Mtu anayeamini hufanya hivyo kwa sababu anachagua, na Mungu, anayeona mambo yote, anajua uchaguzi huo. Tunashikilia kwamba Mungu anajua yote na kwamba watu huchagua kwa hiari, kwa sababu Biblia inafundisha yote mawili.Our answer. To know is not to cause. God's knowledge does not force anyone. A person who believes does so because he chooses to, and God, who sees all things, knows that choice. We hold both that God knows all and that persons choose freely, because the Bible teaches both.

Pingamizi la 4: Mtazamo wenu unamwacha mwamini bila faraja.Objection 4: Your view leaves the believer without comfort.

Walimu wa Kireformed husema kwamba uteule usio na masharti tu ndio hutoa uhakika.Reformed teachers say that only unconditional election gives assurance.

Jibu letu. Faraja yetu inategemea ahadi ya Kristo, ushuhuda wa Roho (Kipindi cha 7) na wito wa kudumu katika wema wake (Kipindi cha 9). Tunalo tumaini thabiti, na ni tumaini kwa watu wanaoendelea kuamini. Tutasoma swali la kuanguka katika Kipindi cha 9, ambapo pia tutaeleza kwa haki mtazamo wa Wareformed wa usalama wa milele.Our answer. Our comfort rests on Christ's promise, the witness of the Spirit (Unit 7) and the call to continue in His goodness (Unit 9). We have a firm hope, and it is a hope for persons who keep trusting. We will study the question of falling away in Unit 9, where we will also state the Reformed view of eternal security fairly.

Ndugu katika KristoBrothers in Christ

Wesley hakulifanya swali hili kuwa kipimo cha ushirika. Alitofautiana na Whitefield, lakini baada ya muda wakawa marafiki tena. Katika mahubiri juu ya roho ya kikatoliki (catholic spirit), alifundisha kwamba Wakristo wanaweza kutofautiana katika maoni na bado wakapendana. Tunashika roho hiyo. Mkalvini anayemwamini Kristo ni ndugu yetu. Tunashikilia mtazamo wetu kwa sababu tunaamini ndivyo Maandiko yanavyofundisha, na tunausema kwa upendo.Wesley did not make this question a test of fellowship. He differed from Whitefield, yet in time they were again friends. In a sermon on the catholic spirit, he taught that Christians may differ in opinions and still love each other. We keep that spirit. A Calvinist who trusts Christ is our brother. We hold our view because we believe it is what Scripture teaches, and we speak it with love.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Tomas ni kiongozi wa kawaida (walei) katika kanisa dogo la Wesley. Kazini ana rafiki, Andres, ambaye ni muumini wa Kireformed na ambaye mara nyingi husema, "Ninyi Wamethodisti mnampa mwanadamu sifa kwa wokovu wake mwenyewe." Tomas anaona aibu na hana uhakika. Anamwomba mchungaji wake jinsi ya kujibu.Tomas is a lay leader in a small Wesleyan church. At work he has a friend, Andres, who is a Reformed believer and who often says, "You Methodists give man the credit for his own salvation." Tomas feels embarrassed and unsure. He asks his pastor how to answer.

Mchungaji anatoa mpango. Kwanza, sikiliza. Tafuta Andres anaamini nini na kwa nini, na ueleze mtazamo wake kwake kwa haki. Pili, kubaliana pale unapoweza: wokovu ni kwa neema peke yake, na Mungu anastahili utukufu wote. Tatu, shiriki maandiko: 1 Timotheo 2:3-4, Ezekieli 33:11 na Yohana 3:16, na ueleze uteule ndani ya Kristo kutoka Waefeso 1:4. Nne, jibu shtaka la kujisifu kwa Warumi 3:27 na picha ya mkono mtupu wa mwombaji. Tano, sema kwa upendo na bila hasira. Mchungaji anamkumbusha Tomas kwamba Andres ni ndugu, na kwamba lengo si kushinda mjadala bali kuwa mwaminifu na mwenye fadhili.The pastor offers a plan. First, listen. Find out what Andres believes and why, and state his view back to him fairly. Second, agree where you can: salvation is by grace alone, and God deserves all the glory. Third, share the texts: 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Ezekiel 33:11 and John 3:16, and explain election in Christ from Ephesians 1:4. Fourth, answer the charge of boasting with Romans 3:27 and the picture of the beggar's empty hand. Fifth, speak with love and without anger. The pastor reminds Tomas that Andres is a brother, and that the goal is not to win an argument but to be faithful and kind.

Tomas anafanya mazungumzo kadhaa ya kirafiki na Andres. Hawafikii makubaliano, lakini kila mmoja anajifunza kitu kutoka kwa mwingine, na wanaomba pamoja.Tomas has several friendly talks with Andres. They do not come to agreement, but each learns something from the other, and they pray together.

MuhtasariSummary

Wareformed hufundisha uteule usio na masharti: Mungu alichagua watu fulani kabla ya uumbaji, bila kujali imani iliyoonekana mapema, na akawapita wengine. Maandiko yao yanajumuisha Waefeso 1:4-5, Warumi 8:29-30, Warumi 9, Yohana 6:37 na Matendo 13:48. Wesley alipinga katika mahubiri yake "Neema ya Bure" (1739) kwamba fundisho hili hufanya mahubiri kuwa matupu kwa wengine, hudhoofisha wito wa utakatifu na huharibu tabia ya Mungu anayetaka wote waokolewe. Wafuasi wa Wesley hufundisha uteule wenye masharti: Mungu huchagua ndani ya Kristo, kwa ajili ya utakatifu, kulingana na kujua tangu awali, na kama watu ambao mmoja mmoja huingia kwa imani. Tunasoma Warumi 9, Farao, Yohana 6 na Matendo 13:48 kwa mwanga huu. Tunajibu mashtaka ya kujisifu, ya Mungu dhaifu, na ya matokeo yaliyowekwa, na tunashikilia mtazamo wetu kwa roho ya kikatoliki (catholic spirit) kwa ndugu zetu Wareformed.The Reformed teach unconditional election: God chose particular individuals before creation, apart from foreseen faith, and passed over the rest. Their texts include Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:29-30, Romans 9, John 6:37 and Acts 13:48. Wesley objected in his sermon "Free Grace" (1739) that this doctrine makes preaching empty for some, weakens the call to holiness and damages the character of a God who desires all to be saved. Wesleyans teach conditional election: God elects in Christ, for holiness, according to foreknowledge, and as a people into which individuals enter by faith. We read Romans 9, Pharaoh, John 6 and Acts 13:48 in this light. We answer the charges of boasting, of a weak God, and of a fixed outcome, and we hold our view in a catholic spirit toward our Reformed brothers.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Wesley, "Free Grace" (Mahubiri ya 110) (Neema ya Bure), katika Mahubiri ya Kawaida (Standard Sermons).• John Wesley, "Free Grace" (Sermon 110), in the Standard Sermons.

• John Wesley, "On Predestination" (Mahubiri ya 58) (Juu ya Kuchaguliwa Tangu Awali).• John Wesley, "On Predestination" (Sermon 58).

• John Wesley, Predestination Calmly Considered (1752) (Kuzingatia Uchaguzi wa Tangu Awali kwa Utulivu).• John Wesley, Predestination Calmly Considered (1752).

• John Wesley, mahubiri juu ya roho ya kikatoliki (catholic spirit), katika Mahubiri ya Kawaida.• John Wesley, sermon on the catholic spirit, in the Standard Sermons.

• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (Maelezo ya Ufafanuzi juu ya Agano Jipya), juu ya Warumi 8 na 9 na Waefeso 1.• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Romans 8 and 9 and Ephesians 1.

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo), Kitabu cha 3, kwa fundisho la Wareformed kwa maneno yake yenyewe.• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, for the Reformed doctrine in its own words.

• Kanuni za Sinodi ya Dort (1618-1619) (The Canons of the Synod of Dort).• The Canons of the Synod of Dort (1618-1619).

• Sehemu za Kiarminiani za kozi ya Teolojia ya Mfumo ya CTS (CTSST).• The Arminian sections of the CTS Systematic Theology course (CTSST).

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