Teolojia ya Kiwesley na Fundisho la Wokovu — Sehemu ya 6: Kuzaliwa Upya: Anachotenda Mungu Ndani YetuWesleyan Theology and the Doctrine of Salvation — Unit 6: The New Birth: What God Does in Us

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Amin, amin, nakuambia, Mtu asipozaliwa mara ya pili, hawezi kuuona ufalme wa Mungu." (Yohana 3:3, SUV)"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

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

1. Kueleza tofauti kati ya kuhesabiwa haki na kuzaliwa upya katika mafundisho ya Wesley, na kwa nini vinakwenda pamoja.1. Explain the difference between justification and the new birth in Wesleyan teaching, and why they belong together.

2. Kueleza kuzaliwa upya kutoka Yohana 3 na kutoka vifungu vingine vya Maandiko.2. Describe the new birth from John 3 and from other passages of Scripture.

3. Kutaja alama za kuzaliwa upya alizofundisha John Wesley: imani, tumaini, upendo, na maisha yasiyojitoa tena kwa dhambi.3. Name the marks of the new birth that John Wesley taught: faith, hope, love, and a life that no longer yields to sin.

4. Kueleza kwa haki mtazamo wa Wareformed (Reformed) kwamba kuzaliwa upya (regeneration) hutangulia imani, na mtazamo wa kisakramenti unaounganisha kuzaliwa upya na ubatizo, na kutoa jibu la Wesley kwa kila moja.4. State fairly the Reformed view that regeneration comes before faith and the sacramental view that links new birth to baptism, and give the Wesleyan answer to each.

5. Kueleza jinsi mchungaji anavyowaita watu kwenye kuzaliwa upya bila kuchanganya na hisia, uanachama wa kanisa, au tabia nzuri.5. Describe how a pastor calls people to the new birth without confusing it with feelings, church membership, or good behavior.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Wesley kwa wanafunzi wanaoyashiriki. Ni ya kihafidhina kiteolojia. Inashikilia kwamba Biblia ni mamlaka iliyovuviwa na ya mwisho kwa imani na maisha, na kwamba Mungu ni Mungu mmoja katika nafsi tatu. Inaposema "sisi," inamaanisha makanisa ya kiinjilisti ya Wesley-Utakatifu (Wesleyan-Holiness) na ya Methodisti. Wakristo wengine, wakiwemo waumini waaminifu wa Kireformed, Kikatoliki na Kipentekoste, huona baadhi ya mambo haya kwa njia tofauti. Tunaeleza mawazo yao kwa haki, kisha tunatoa jibu letu. Maandiko yanasema, "Jaribuni mambo yote; mkamateni sana lililo jema" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21).This course is written from inside the Wesleyan tradition for students who belong to it. It is theologically conservative. It holds that the Bible is the inspired and final authority for faith and life, and that God is one God in three persons. When it says "we," it means the evangelical Wesleyan-Holiness and Methodist churches. Other Christians, including faithful Reformed, Catholic and Pentecostal believers, see some of these matters differently. We state their views fairly and then give our answer. Scripture says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Vipindi vya awali vilifundisha upatanisho kwa watu wote, neema itangulizayo, uteule wa bure na kuhesabiwa haki kwa imani. Katika kipindi hiki tunauliza ni nini kinachotokea ndani ya mtu Mungu anapomwokoa. Historia ya jinsi John Wesley alivyofikia kuhubiri kweli hizi, ikiwemo uzoefu wake wa mwaka 1738, ilisimuliwa katika Kozi ya 1, Kipindi cha 3. Hatuirudii hapa.Earlier units taught universal atonement, prevenient grace, free election and justification by faith. In this unit we ask what happens inside a person when God saves him. The history of how John Wesley came to preach these truths, including his experience in 1738, was told in Course 1, Unit 3. We do not repeat it here.

Kwa Nini Kuzaliwa Upya ni MuhimuWhy the New Birth Matters

Watu wengi hufikiri kwamba kuwa Mkristo kunamaanisha kushikilia mawazo sahihi, kuwa mwanachama wa kanisa, au kuishi maisha ya heshima. Biblia inasema jambo la ndani zaidi. Yesu hakusema kwamba mtu anapaswa kujiboresha. Alisema kwamba mtu lazima azaliwe mara ya pili.Many people think that being a Christian means holding correct ideas, belonging to a church, or living a decent life. The Bible says something deeper. Jesus did not say that a person should improve himself. He said that a person must be born again.

John Wesley alihubiri ukweli huu katika huduma yake yote ndefu. Aliandika mahubiri yaitwayo "Kuzaliwa Upya" (The New Birth) na mengine yanayohusiana nayo kwa karibu, kama "Alama za Kuzaliwa Upya" (The Marks of the New Birth) na "Haki Kuu ya Wale Waliozaliwa na Mungu" (The Great Privilege of Those That Are Born of God). Wesley alikuwa mhudumu aliyewekwa wakfu wa Kanisa la Uingereza, na wasikilizaji wake wengi walikuwa wamebatizwa na kuhudhuria kanisa maisha yao yote. Hata hivyo wengi wao hawakujua lolote kuhusu moyo uliobadilika. Aliwaita kwenye kumgeukia Mungu kwa kweli, kwa ndani. Wito huo bado ni muhimu popote ambapo watu wana dini bila uzima.John Wesley preached this truth throughout his long ministry. He wrote a sermon called "The New Birth" and others closely related to it, such as "The Marks of the New Birth" and "The Great Privilege of Those That Are Born of God." Wesley was an ordained minister of the Church of England, and many of his hearers had been baptized and had attended church all their lives. Yet many of them knew nothing of a changed heart. He called them to a real, inward turning to God. That call still matters wherever people have religion without life.

Nikodemo na Mafundisho ya YesuNicodemus and the Teaching of Jesus

Mafundisho yanayojulikana zaidi kuhusu kuzaliwa upya yanapatikana katika Yohana 3. Nikodemo alikuwa Mfarisayo, mwalimu wa Israeli, na mtu mwenye sifa nzuri. Alimjia Yesu usiku. Yesu hakusifu elimu yake. Alimwambia, "Mtu asipozaliwa mara ya pili, hawezi kuuona ufalme wa Mungu" (Yohana 3:3).The best-known teaching about the new birth comes in John 3. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher of Israel, and a man of high reputation. He came to Jesus by night. Jesus did not praise his learning. He told him, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

Nikodemo aliuliza jinsi mtu mzima angeweza kuingia tumboni mwa mama yake mara ya pili. Yesu alieleza kwamba alikuwa akizungumza juu ya kuzaliwa "kwa maji na Roho" (Yohana 3:5), na kwamba "kilichozaliwa na Roho ni roho" (Yohana 3:6). Kisha alitumia picha ya upepo. Hatuwezi kuuona upepo, lakini tunaona unachofanya. Ndivyo ilivyo kwa kila mtu aliyezaliwa kwa Roho (Yohana 3:8).Nicodemus asked how a grown man could enter his mother's womb a second time. Jesus explained that He was speaking of a birth "of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5), and that "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). Then He used the picture of the wind. We cannot see the wind, but we see what it does. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (John 3:8).

Mafunzo matatu yanatoka katika kifungu hiki. Kwanza, kuzaliwa upya ni lazima. Yesu alisema "asipo." Si nyongeza kwa Wakristo maalum. Pili, ni kazi ya Roho Mtakatifu. Hakuna anayejizaa mwenyewe. Tatu, ni mabadiliko ya kweli. Nikodemo alikuwa tayari mwenye maadili na mcha Mungu, lakini bado alihitaji kitu ambacho hakuwa nacho.Three lessons come from this passage. First, the new birth is necessary. Jesus said "unless." It is not an extra for special Christians. Second, it is a work of the Holy Spirit. No one gives birth to himself. Third, it is a real change. Nicodemus was already moral and religious, yet he still needed something he did not have.

Kuhesabiwa Haki na Kuzaliwa UpyaJustification and the New Birth

Wesley alifundisha kwamba mambo mawili makubwa hutokea mwenye dhambi anapookolewa, naye alijitahidi kuyatenganisha katika mawazo. Katika Kipindi cha 5 tulisoma kuhesabiwa haki. Kuhesabiwa haki ni kile Mungu anachofanya kwa ajili yetu. Anasamehe dhambi yetu na kutupokea kama watoto wake kwa sababu ya kifo cha Kristo. Hubadilisha uhusiano wetu na Mungu. Tulikuwa na hatia, na sasa tumesamehewa.Wesley taught that two great things happen when a sinner is saved, and he took care to separate them in thought. In Unit 5 we studied justification. Justification is what God does for us. He pardons our sin and receives us as His children because of the death of Christ. It changes our relationship to God. We were guilty, and now we are forgiven.

Kuzaliwa upya ni kile Mungu anachofanya ndani yetu. Anatupa uzima mpya wa kiroho. Hubadilisha asili yetu na tamaa zetu. Tulikuwa wafu kuelekea Mungu, na sasa tuko hai.The new birth is what God does in us. He gives us new spiritual life. It changes our nature and our desires. We were dead toward God, and now we are alive.

Haya si matukio mawili tofauti katika wakati. Katika uzoefu wa kawaida hutokea pamoja, wakati mtu anapoamini kwa kweli. Lakini yana maana tofauti, na mchungaji lazima asiyachanganye. Mtu aliyesamehewa lakini hakubadilika bado angekuwa katika maisha yake ya zamani. Mtu aliyebadilika lakini hakusamehewa bado angekuwa chini ya hukumu. Mungu hutoa yote mawili.These are not two separate events in time. In ordinary experience they happen together, at the moment a person truly believes. But they are different in meaning, and a pastor must not mix them. A man who is forgiven but not changed would still be in his old life. A man who is changed but not forgiven would still be under judgment. God gives both.

Maandiko yanazungumza juu ya zawadi zote mbili pamoja. "Bali wote waliompokea aliwapa uwezo wa kuwa watoto wa Mungu, ndio wale waliaminio jina lake" (Yohana 1:12). Paulo anasema, "Basi, mtu akiwa ndani ya Kristo amekuwa kiumbe kipya; ya kale yamepita; tazama! yamekuwa mapya" (2 Wakorintho 5:17). Imani humleta mtu ndani ya Kristo, na ndani ya Kristo yeye amesamehewa na ametengenezwa upya.Scripture speaks of both gifts together. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). Paul says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Faith brings a person into Christ, and in Christ he is both forgiven and made new.

Kuzaliwa Upya katika Sehemu Nyingine za MaandikoThe New Birth in Other Parts of Scripture

Yesu si mwalimu pekee wa ukweli huu. Manabii waliuahidi muda mrefu kabla. Mungu alisema kupitia Ezekieli kwamba angewapa watu wake moyo mpya na kuweka roho mpya ndani yao (Ezekieli 36:26). Paulo alimwandikia Tito kwamba Mungu alituokoa "kwa kuoshwa kuzaliwa kwa pili, na kufanywa upya na Roho Mtakatifu" (Tito 3:5). Petro aliandika kwamba waumini wamezaliwa mara ya pili, "si kwa mbegu iharibikayo, bali kwa isiyoharibika, kwa neno la Mungu lenye uzima, lidumulo hata milele" (1 Petro 1:23). Yohana aliandika kwamba "killa mtu aaminiye ya kuwa Yesu ndiye Kristo amezaliwa na Mungu" (1 Yohana 5:1), na kwamba "killa kilichozaliwa na Mungu huushinda ulimwengu" (1 Yohana 5:4).Jesus is not the only teacher of this truth. The prophets promised it long before. God said through Ezekiel that He would give His people a new heart and put a new spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:26). Paul wrote to Titus that God saved us "through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). Peter wrote that believers are "having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23). John wrote that "whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5:1), and that "whatever is born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:4).

Kutoka katika vifungu hivi tunajifunza kwamba Mungu hulitumia Neno lake na kwamba Roho Mtakatifu ndiye Mwandishi wa uzima mpya. Pia tunajifunza kwamba matokeo yake ni maisha yanayoweza kuonekana.From these passages we learn that God uses His Word and that the Holy Spirit is the Author of the new life. We also learn that the result is a life that can be seen.

Alama za Kuzaliwa UpyaThe Marks of the New Birth

Tunajuaje kama mtu amezaliwa upya? Wesley alijibu kutoka katika Waraka wa Kwanza wa Yohana. Alifundisha kwamba kuzaliwa upya kuna alama, na alizitaja katika mahubiri yake juu ya mada hiyo. Tunaweza kuzikusanya chini ya vichwa vinne.How do we know whether a person has been born again? Wesley answered from the First Letter of John. He taught that the new birth has marks, and he named them in his sermon on that subject. We can gather them under four headings.

Imani. Mtu aliyezaliwa na Mungu anamwamini Yesu Kristo, si tu kwamba aliishi na kufa, bali kwamba ni Mwokozi wake mwenyewe na Bwana. Huu ni kutegemea kwa moyo, si kukubaliana tu kwa akili.Faith. A person born of God believes in Jesus Christ, not only that He lived and died, but that He is his own Saviour and Lord. This is a trusting of the heart, not only an agreement of the mind.

Tumaini. Mtu aliyezaliwa upya ana tumaini hai. Anatazamia kuwa pamoja na Kristo na ana uhakika thabiti katika rehema ya Mungu. Tumaini hili linaunganishwa na ushuhuda wa Roho (Kipindi cha 7).Hope. The born-again person has a living hope. He looks forward to being with Christ and has a settled confidence in God's mercy. This hope is tied to the witness of the Spirit (Unit 7).

Upendo. Upendo kwa Mungu na upendo kwa jirani ndizo alama zilizo wazi zaidi. "Sisi tunajua ya kuwa tumehama tumetoka katika mauti tumeingia katika uzima, kwa sababu tunawapenda ndugu" (1 Yohana 3:14). Mtu anayesema kwamba amezaliwa upya lakini anamchukia ndugu yake hajaelewa kilichompata.Love. Love for God and love for neighbor are the plainest marks. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). A person who says that he has been born again but hates his brother has not understood what has happened to him.

Maisha yasiyojitoa kwa dhambi. Yohana anaandika kwamba "killa mtu aliyezaliwa na Mungu hatendi dhambi; kwa maana mbegu yake ikaa ndani yake; wala hawezi kutenda dhambi, kwa sababu amezaliwa na Mungu" (1 Yohana 3:9). Lazima tuelewe mstari huu kwa uangalifu, na sehemu inayofuata inaueleza.A life that does not yield to sin. John writes that "whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9). We must understand this verse carefully, and the next section explains it.

Alama hizi si ngazi ambayo kwayo tunapata kuzaliwa upya kwa kustahili. Ni tunda lake.These marks are not a ladder by which we earn the new birth. They are its fruit.

Je, Kuzaliwa Upya Kunamaanisha Hatutendi Dhambi Tena?Does the New Birth Mean We No Longer Sin?

Wasomaji wengine wanasumbuliwa na 1 Yohana 3:9. Waraka huo huo unasema, "Tukisema kwamba hatuna dhambi, twajidanganya wenyewe, wala kweli haimo ndani yetu" (1 Yohana 1:8). Yote mawili yanawezaje kuwa kweli?Some readers are troubled by 1 John 3:9. The same letter says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). How can both be true?

Jibu la Wesley, ambalo wafuasi wa Wesley kwa ujumla wamelifuata, ni hili. Kitenzi ambacho Yohana anatumia katika sura ya 3 kinaeleza tabia ya kuendelea. Muumini aliyezaliwa upya haendelei kutenda dhambi kama njia thabiti ya maisha. Hamtumikii dhambi kwa hiari. Dhambi haimtawali kama ilivyokuwa zamani. Huu ni uhuru wa kweli. Lakini muumini bado anaweza kujikwaa, na mielekeo ya dhambi hubaki moyoni. Wesley alishughulikia hili katika mahubiri yake "Juu ya Dhambi katika Waumini" (On Sin in Believers) na "Toba ya Waumini" (The Repentance of Believers). Dhambi inabaki, lakini haitawali tena.Wesley's answer, which Wesleyans have generally followed, is this. The verb John uses in chapter 3 describes a continuing habit. The born-again believer does not go on sinning as a settled way of life. He does not willingly serve sin. Sin does not rule him as it once did. This is a real freedom. But the believer can still stumble, and sinful tendencies remain in the heart. Wesley dealt with this in his sermons "On Sin in Believers" and "The Repentance of Believers." Sin remains, but it no longer reigns.

Katika Kipindi cha 8 tunaweka kuzaliwa upya ndani ya njia pana ya wokovu, na katika Kozi ya 3 tunasoma jinsi Mungu anavyoendelea kusafisha moyo. Kuzaliwa upya ni mwanzo wa utakatifu, si mwisho wake. Mtoto mchanga yuko hai kikamilifu lakini hajakua bado.In Unit 8 we place the new birth within the larger way of salvation, and in Course 3 we study how God goes on to cleanse the heart. New birth is the beginning of holiness, not the end of it. A newborn child is fully alive but not yet grown.

Pingamizi la 1: Kuzaliwa Upya Hutangulia ImaniObjection 1: Regeneration Comes Before Faith

Ndugu zetu Wareformed wanashikilia mpangilio tofauti. Katika mtazamo wa Wareformed, ambao Wabaptisti wengi na wengine wanaushiriki, wanadamu walioanguka wamekufa kiroho na hawawezi kuitikia Mungu. Wanafundisha kwamba Mungu lazima kwanza atoe uzima mpya, unaoitwa kuzaliwa upya (regeneration), na kwamba imani kisha ni matokeo. Wanataja Waefeso 2:1-5, ambapo Paulo anasema kwamba tulikuwa "wafu kwa sababu ya makosa na dhambi" na kwamba Mungu "alituhuisha pamoja na Kristo." Pia wanataja Yohana 1:13, ambayo inasema kwamba wale wanaompokea Kristo "hawakuzaliwa kwa damu, wala kwa mapenzi ya mwili, wala kwa mapenzi ya mtu, bali kwa Mungu." Kwa usomaji huu, mtu hawezi kuchagua kuzaliwa upya zaidi ya vile mtoto mchanga anavyoweza kuchagua kuzaliwa.Our Reformed brothers hold a different order. In the Reformed view, which many Baptists and others share, fallen human beings are spiritually dead and unable to respond to God. They teach that God must first give new life, called regeneration, and that faith is then the result. They cite Ephesians 2:1-5, where Paul says that we were "dead in trespasses and sins" and that God "made us alive together with Christ." They also cite John 1:13, which says that those who receive Christ were "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." On this reading, a person cannot choose to be born again any more than a baby can choose to be born.

Jibu letu. Tunakubali kwamba hakuna awezaye kujiokoa. Tunakubali kwamba kuzaliwa upya ni kazi ya Mungu kabisa. Hatufundishi kwamba mtu yeyote huzaliwa upya kwa mapenzi au jitihada zake mwenyewe. Swali ni jinsi gani Mungu huwaleta watu kufikia hapo. Jibu letu ni neema itangulizayo, tuliyoisoma katika Kipindi cha 3. Neema ya Mungu humtangulia mwenye dhambi, huamsha dhamiri yake, na kumpa uwezo wa kuitikia. Kwa hiyo imani si kazi inayopata wokovu kwa kustahili. Ni mkono wazi unaopokea zawadi. Paulo aliandika, "Maana mmeokolewa kwa neema, kwa njia ya imani; wala hii haikutokana na nafsi zenu; ni kipawa cha Mungu" (Waefeso 2:8).Our answer. We agree that no one can save himself. We agree that new birth is entirely a work of God. We do not teach that anyone is born again by his own will or effort. The question is how God brings people to that point. Our answer is prevenient grace, which we studied in Unit 3. God's grace goes before the sinner, awakens his conscience, and gives him the ability to respond. Faith is therefore not a work that earns salvation. It is the open hand that receives a gift. Paul wrote, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

Biblia pia huwazungumzia watu kama wale wanaoweza kujibu. Yesu alisema, "Tazama, nasimama mlangoni, nabisha; mtu akisikia sauti yangu, na kufungua mlango, ndipo nitaingia kwake, nami nitakula pamoja naye, naye pamoja nami" (Ufunuo 3:20). Yohana 1:12 inasema kwamba wale "waliompokea" walipewa uwezo wa kuwa watoto wa Mungu. Maandiko huwaamuru watu wote kila mahali watubu na kuamini, na amri ina maana tu ikiwa Mungu amempa mtu uwezo wa kutii. Kwa hiyo tunafundisha kwamba imani huja kwanza katika mpangilio wa uzoefu, na kwamba kuzaliwa upya hufuata katika wakati huo huo Mungu anapomkubali muumini. Katika mitazamo yote miwili, utukufu wote ni wa Mungu.The Bible also speaks to people as those who can answer. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). John 1:12 says that those who "received" Him were given the right to become children of God. Scripture commands all people everywhere to repent and believe, and a command makes sense only if God has given the power to obey. So we teach that faith comes first in the order of experience, and that new birth follows in the same moment God receives the believer. In both views, all the glory belongs to God.

Pingamizi la 2: Kuzaliwa Upya Hutolewa katika UbatizoObjection 2: The New Birth Is Given in Baptism

Pingamizi la pili linatoka kwa makanisa ya zamani. Wakatoliki wa Roma, Waorthodoksi, na Waanglikana na Walutheri wengi hufundisha kwamba Mungu hutoa kuzaliwa upya kupitia ubatizo. Wanataja Yohana 3:5, "kwa maji na Roho," na Tito 3:5, "kuoshwa kuzaliwa kwa pili." Wesley alikuwa kasisi wa Kianglikana, na Kanisa la Uingereza lilifundisha kwamba ubatizo ni ishara na njia ya kuzaliwa upya. Wanahistoria wanajadili jinsi Wesley alivyoelewa hili. Wengine wanasisitiza kwamba alishika mafundisho ya Kianglikana kuhusu ubatizo wa watoto wachanga. Wengine wanasisitiza kwamba alihubiri kuzaliwa upya kama jambo ambalo kila mwenye dhambi lazima alipate katika kumgeukia Kristo kwa ufahamu.A second objection comes from the older churches. Roman Catholics, Orthodox, and many Anglicans and Lutherans teach that God gives new birth through baptism. They point to John 3:5, "born of water and the Spirit," and to Titus 3:5, "the washing of regeneration." Wesley was an Anglican priest, and the Church of England taught that baptism is a sign and means of regeneration. Historians debate how Wesley understood this. Some stress that he kept the Anglican teaching on infant baptism. Others stress that he preached the new birth as something every sinner must experience in a conscious turning to Christ.

Jibu letu. Tunaheshimu ubatizo kama njia ya neema na kama amri takatifu ya Kristo. Kozi ya 4, Kipindi cha 7 inasoma ubatizo na pingamizi za Wabaptisti kwa ubatizo wa watoto wachanga. Kwa sasa tunasema mambo matatu. Kwanza, Maandiko hayafundishi kamwe kwamba tendo la nje peke yake huokoa. Petro aliandika kwamba ubatizo hutuokoa kama "kuomba dhamiri safi kwa Mungu" (1 Petro 3:21), ambalo linazungumza juu ya imani na si maji peke yake. Pili, Wesley mwenyewe aliwaonya wasikilizaji wake kwamba mtu aliyebatizwa akiwa mtoto, lakini sasa anaishi katika dhambi, bado alihitaji kuzaliwa upya. Tatu, hatuwezi kusema kwamba kila mtu aliyebatizwa ana alama za kuzaliwa upya. Wengi hawana. Kwa hiyo mchungaji lazima awaite waliobatizwa na wasiobatizwa kwa pamoja kwenye toba na imani hai, huku akifundisha kwamba ubatizo ni zawadi na ahadi ya Mungu.Our answer. We honor baptism as a means of grace and as a holy command of Christ. Course 4, Unit 7 studies baptism and the Baptist objections to infant baptism. For now we say three things. First, Scripture never teaches that the outward act alone saves. Peter wrote that baptism saves us as "the answer of a good conscience toward God" (1 Peter 3:21), which speaks of faith and not of water alone. Second, Wesley himself warned his hearers that a person who had been baptized as a child, but now lived in sin, still needed to be born again. Third, we cannot say that every baptized person has the marks of new birth. Many do not. A pastor must therefore call baptized and unbaptized people alike to repentance and living faith, while teaching that baptism is a gift and a promise of God.

Pingamizi la 3: Kuzaliwa Upya ni Hisia TuObjection 3: The New Birth Is Only Emotion

Pingamizi la tatu husikika kutoka pande kadhaa, na wakati mwingine kutoka kwa waangalizi waaminifu wa makanisa yetu wenyewe. Wanasema kwamba kuzungumza juu ya kuzaliwa upya husababisha msisimko wa kihisia, shinikizo madhabahuni, na wazo kwamba mtu ameokolewa ikiwa anahisi jambo sahihi.A third objection is heard from several sides, and sometimes from honest observers of our own churches. They say that talk of new birth leads to emotional excitement, to pressure at the altar, and to the idea that a person is saved if he feels the right thing.

Jibu letu. Onyo hilo ni la haki, na tunalikubali. Hisia zinaweza kuwa za kweli, lakini si msingi. Kuzaliwa upya hujulikana kwa tunda lake: imani, tumaini, upendo na maisha yaliyobadilika. Mtu aliyekuwa na hisia kali usiku mmoja lakini haonyeshi lolote kati ya haya hajaonyeshwa kuwa amezaliwa upya. Wesley pia alifundisha kwamba wakati wa kuzaliwa upya, ingawa ni wa kweli, si mara zote kitu ambacho mtu anaweza kukitaja. Wengine wanaweza kutaja saa. Wengine, waliolelewa katika nyumba za Kikristo, wanajua tu kwamba sasa wanampenda Mungu na wanamwamini Kristo. Kinachojalisha ni ukweli, si tarehe.Our answer. The warning is fair, and we accept it. Feelings can be real, but they are not the foundation. The new birth is known by its fruit: faith, hope, love and a changed life. A person who had a strong feeling one night but shows none of these has not been shown to be born again. Wesley also taught that the moment of new birth, though real, is not always something a person can name. Some people can tell the hour. Others, raised in Christian homes, simply know that they now love God and trust Christ. What matters is the reality, not the date.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji katika mji mdogo anatembelewa na mwanamke mzee ambaye amehudhuria kanisa lake kwa miaka arobaini. Alibatizwa akiwa mtoto mchanga na amehudumu katika kila kamati. Baada ya mahubiri juu ya Yohana 3 anasema kimya kimya, "Mchungaji, sijui kama nilizaliwa upya kweli. Je, hii inamaanisha miaka hii yote ilipotea bure?"A pastor in a small town receives a visit from an older woman who has attended his church for forty years. She was baptized as a baby and has served on every committee. After a sermon on John 3 she says quietly, "Pastor, I do not know whether I was ever really born again. Does that mean all these years were wasted?"

Kwanza, mchungaji anamshukuru kwa uaminifu wake. Pili, anamwomba aseme kwa maneno yake mwenyewe anaamini nini kuhusu Yesu Kristo na amefanya nini na dhambi zake. Tatu, anafungua Biblia pamoja naye kwenye Yohana 1:12 na 3:16 na kueleza kwamba mlango uko wazi sasa. Hamwahidi hisia fulani. Anamwambia kwamba imani ni kumtegemea Kristo na kwamba Roho Mtakatifu hutoa uhakika, ambao atamfundisha kuuhusu baadaye. Anaomba naye na kupanga kukutana tena. Hasemi kwamba miaka yake arobaini ilipotea, kwa kuwa Mungu anaweza kuwa alikuwa akimvuta muda wote kwa neema itangulizayo. Anamwambia kwamba kinachojalisha sasa ni imani hai kwa Kristo.First, the pastor thanks her for her honesty. Second, he asks her to say in her own words what she believes about Jesus Christ and what she has done with her sins. Third, he opens the Bible with her to John 1:12 and 3:16 and explains that the door is open now. He does not promise her a particular feeling. He tells her that faith is trust in Christ and that the Holy Spirit gives the assurance, which he will teach her about next. He prays with her and arranges to meet again. He does not say that her forty years were wasted, since God may have been drawing her all along by prevenient grace. He does tell her that what matters now is a living faith in Christ.

MuhtasariSummary

Kuzaliwa upya ni kile Mungu anachofanya ndani yetu tunapoamini. Kuhesabiwa haki hubadilisha msimamo wetu mbele za Mungu, na kuzaliwa upya hubadilisha asili yetu. Yote mawili huja pamoja mwenye dhambi anapomwamini Kristo. Yohana 3 inafundisha kwamba kuzaliwa upya ni lazima na ni kazi ya Roho Mtakatifu. Wesley alifundisha alama za kuzaliwa upya kuwa imani, tumaini, upendo na maisha yasiyojitoa kwa dhambi, naye alieleza kwamba dhambi inaweza kubaki ndani ya muumini lakini haitawali. Wareformed huweka kuzaliwa upya kabla ya imani, nasi tunajibu kwamba neema itangulizayo hufanya imani iwezekane. Makanisa ya kisakramenti huunganisha kuzaliwa upya na ubatizo, nasi tunajibu kwamba ubatizo ni njia ya neema lakini kila mtu lazima awe na imani hai. Shtaka la kuwa hisia tu linajibiwa na tunda la maisha yaliyobadilika.The new birth is what God does in us when we believe. Justification changes our standing before God, and the new birth changes our nature. Both come together when a sinner trusts in Christ. John 3 teaches that the new birth is necessary and is the work of the Holy Spirit. Wesley taught the marks of the new birth as faith, hope, love and a life that does not yield to sin, and he explained that sin may remain in the believer but does not rule. The Reformed place regeneration before faith, and we answer that prevenient grace makes faith possible. The sacramental churches link the new birth to baptism, and we answer that baptism is a means of grace but that every person must have a living faith. The charge of emotionalism is answered by the fruit of a changed life.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Wesley, mahubiri "The New Birth" (Kuzaliwa Upya), "The Marks of the New Birth" (Alama za Kuzaliwa Upya), na "The Great Privilege of Those That Are Born of God" (Haki Kuu ya Wale Waliozaliwa na Mungu), vyanzo vya msingi.• John Wesley, sermons "The New Birth," "The Marks of the New Birth," and "The Great Privilege of Those That Are Born of God," primary sources.

• John Wesley, mahubiri "On Sin in Believers" (Juu ya Dhambi katika Waumini) na "The Repentance of Believers" (Toba ya Waumini), vyanzo vya msingi.• John Wesley, sermons "On Sin in Believers" and "The Repentance of Believers," primary sources.

• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (Maelezo ya Ufafanuzi juu ya Agano Jipya), juu ya Yohana 3 na 1 Yohana 3, chanzo cha msingi.• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on John 3 and 1 John 3, a primary source.

• Kozi ya 2, Kipindi cha 5 (kuhesabiwa haki) na Kipindi cha 3 (neema itangulizayo); Kozi ya 1, Kipindi cha 3 (Aldersgate).• Course 2, Unit 5 (justification) and Unit 3 (prevenient grace); Course 1, Unit 3 (Aldersgate).

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