Wat is die mens? – Die getuienis van die belydenisskrifte

1. Lees die aanhalings uit die belydenisskrifte hieronder. Wat leer jy van die mens se wese en werke? Hoe laat dit jou voel? Wat vra dit van jou?

Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis 14

DIE SKEPPING VAN DIE MENS, DIE SONDEVAL EN DIE GEVOLGE DAARVAN

Ons glo dat God die mens uit die stof van die aarde geskep het; Hy het hom volgens sy beeld en gelykenis gemaak en gevorm, dit wil sê goed, regverdig en heilig sodat hy met sy wil in alles met die wil van God kon ooreenstem. Maar toe hy in aansien was, het hy dit nie verstaan nie en sy uitnemendheid nie besef nie. Hy het homself egter, deur na die woord van die duiwel te luister, willens en wetens aan die sonde en daarmee aan die dood en die vervloeking onderwerp. Hy het immers die gebod van die lewe wat hy ontvang het, oortree en homself deur die sonde losgeskeur van God, wat sy ware lewe was; so het hy sy hele natuur verderf en daarmee die liggaamlike en geestelike dood verdien. Hy het deur dat hy in al sy doen en late goddeloos, verkeerd en verdorwe geword het, al sy voortreflike gawes wat hy van God ontvang het, verloor en hy het niks anders daarvan oorgehou nie as slegs klein oorblyfsels, wat egter genoegsaam is om hom alle verontskuldiging te ontneem. Al die lig wat in ons is, het immers in duisternis verander, soos die Skrif ons leer: En die lig skyn in die duisternis, en die duisternis het dit nie oorweldig nie’ (Joh. 1:5), waar die heilige Johannes die mense duisternis noem. Daarom verwerp ons alles wat in stryd hiermee oor die vrye wil van die mens geleer word, aangesien die mens niks anders as `n slaaf van die sonde is nie en: `’n Mens kan niks aanneem as dit hom nie uit die hemel gegee is nie’ (Joh 3:27). Want wie is daar wat daarop sal roem dat hy uit homself iets goeds kan doen, terwyl Christus sê: `Niemand kan na My kom as die Vader wat My gestuur het, hom nie trek nie’ (Joh. 6:44)?

Wie sal op sy eie wil roem as hy verstaan dat ‘…wat die vlees bedink, vyandskap teen God is’ (Rom. 8:7)?

Wie sal op sy eie kennis roem as die natuurlike mens die dinge van die Gees van God nie aanneem nie (1 Kor. 2:14)?

Kortom: Wie sal ook maar op ‘n enkele gedagte roem as hy verstaan dat ons uit onsself nie bekwaam is om iets as uit onsself te bedink nie maar dat ons bekwaamheid uit God is (2 Kor. 3:5)? Daarom is dit reg dat wat die apostel sê, onwrikbaar bly, want dit is God wat in julle werk. Hy maak julle gewillig en bekwaam om sy heilige plan uit te voer (Filp. 2:13).

Want daar is geen verstand en geen wil in ooreenstemming met die verstand en die wil van God as Christus dit nie in die mens tot stand gebring het nie. Dit leer Hy ons as Hy sê: ‘Sonder My kan julle niks doen nie’ (Joh. 15:5).

1 Pet. 2:9; Pred. 12:7; Ps. 8:5; 49:21; Jes. 59:2; Gen 3:17, 19; Pred. 7:30,. Rom. 5:12; Joh. 8:7; Ef. 4:24; Rom. 12:2; 3:10; 8:6; Hand. 14:17, Rom. 1:20-21; Hand. 17:27; Ef. 4:18; 5:8; Joh. 1:5; Ps. 37:9; Jes. 26:12; Ps. 94:11; Rom. 8:3; 1 Kon. 20:9; Ps. 28:8; Jes. 45:25; Joh. 3:27; 6:44 (1 Kor. 2:14); 2 Kor. 3:5; Filp. 2:13.

Heidelbergse Kategismus 6

Het God die mens dan so sondig en verkeerd geskep?

Antwoord: Nee, God het die mens goed (a) en na sy ewebeeld geskep (b). Dit beteken: in ware geregtigheid en heiligheid, sodat hy God sy Skepper reg kon ken, Hom van harte kon liefhê en saam Hom in die ewige saligheid kon lewe om Hom te loof en te prys (c).

a) Gen 1:31. (b) Gen I:26, 27. (c) Ef 4:24; Kol 3 2 Kor 3:18.

Westminster Geloofsbelydenis 4.2

After God had made all the other creatures, he created man, male and female,⁴with reasoning, immortal souls.⁵He endowed them with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness in his own image⁶and wrote his law in their hearts.⁷God also gave them the ability to obey his law and the potential to disobey it; i.e., he gave them freedom of their own will, which could change.⁸In addition to this law written in their hearts, they were commanded not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.⁹As long as they obeyed God’s law and kept this commandment, they were happy in fellowship with God¹⁰and had dominion over the other creatures.¹¹

4. Gn 1.27.

5. Gn 2.7, Eccl 12.7, Lk 23.43, Mt 10.28, Ps 8.5-6, Gn 2.19-20.

6. Gn 1.26, Col 3.10, Eph 4.24.

7. Rom 2.14-15.

8. Eccl 7.29, Gn 3.6,17, 2.16-17, Col 3.10, Eph 4.24.

9. Gn 2.16-17.

10. Gn 2.17, 3.8-11, 23.

11. Gn 1.26,28, Ps 8.6-8, Gn 1.29-30.

Westminster Geloofsbelydenis 24

Marriage and Divorce

Marriage is a union between one man and one woman, designed of God to last so long as they both shall live.¹

1. Gn 2.23-24, 1 Cor 7.2,39, Mt 19.4-6, Eph 5.28,31,33, 1 Cor 13.8,13, Mt 5.31-32, Mk 10.5-9, Rom 7.2-3.

Marriage is designed for the mutual help of husband and wife;²for the safeguarding, undergirding, and development of their moral and spiritual character;³for the propagation of children and the rearing of them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.⁴

2. Gn 2.18,24.

3. Gn 1.27-28, Eph 5.22-23, Col 3.18-19, Gn 2.18-25, 1 Cor 7.3-5, 9, 36.

4. Gn 1.27-28, 9.1, Mal 2.15, Mt 18.5-6,10,14, 19.14, Eph 6.1-4, Col 3.20-21, Mk 10.13-16, Lk 18.15-17.

All persons who are able with judgment to give their consent may marry,⁵except within the limits of blood relationship forbidden by Scripture,⁶and such marriages are valid before God in the eyes of the church.⁷But no marriage can be fully and securely Christian in spirit or in purpose unless both partners are committed to a common Christian faith and to a deeply shared intention of building a Christian home. Evangelical Christians should seek as partners in marriage only persons who hold in common a sound basis of evangelical faith.8

5. Gn 1.27-28.

6. Mk 6.18, 1 Cor 5.1, Lv 18.6-18.

7. Mk 1.30, Jn 2.1-2, 1 Tm 5.14, Heb 13.4, 1 Cor 7.7,36, 9.5, 1 Tm 4.3.

8. 1 Cor 7, esp. v. 39, 2 Cor 6.14-15.

Marriage for the Christian has religious as well as civil significance.⁹The distinctive contribution of the church in performing the marriage ceremony is to affirm the divine institution of marriage;¹⁰to invoke God’s blessing upon those who enter into the marital relationship in accordance with his word;¹¹to hear the vows of those who desire to be married; and to assure the married partners of God’s grace within their new relationship.¹²

9. Prv 18.22, Mt 19.6, Eph 5.29-30, 32, Mk 10.9, 11-12.

10. Gn 1.27-28.

11. Mk 10.9.

12. Eph 5.22-23.

It is the divine intention that persons entering the marriage covenant become inseparably united, thus allowing for no dissolution save that caused by the death of either husband or wife.¹³However, the weaknesses of one or both partners may lead to gross and persistent denial of the marriage vows; yet only in cases of extreme, unrepented-of, and irremediable unfaithfulness (physical or spiritual) should separation or divorce be considered. Such separation or divorce is accepted as permissible only because of the failure of one or both of the partners, and does not lessen in any way the divine intention for indissoluble union.¹⁴

13. Gn 2.23-24, Mt 5.31-32, Mk 10.5-9, Rom 7.2-3, 1 Cor 7.2, 10-11,39, Eph 5.28,31,33, Mt 19.4-9, 1 Cor 13.4-13.

14. Mk 10.4-9, 1 Cor 7.12-13, 15, Mt 19.7-9.

The remarriage of divorced persons may be sanctioned by the church in keeping with the redemptive gospel of Christ, when sufficient penitence for sin and failure is evident, and a firm purpose of and endeavor after Christian marriage is manifested.¹⁵

15. 2 Sm 12.13, Neh 9.17, Ps 32.5, 130.4, Mt 12.31a, 21.31-32, Jn 8.3,11, Rom 3.23, Gal 6.1, 1 Tm 2.4, Heb 7.25, 1 Jn 1.9, 2.1-2, Lk 7.36-50, 15.11-32, Jn 3.16-17, Rom 10.9-10.

Divorced persons should give prayerful thought to discover if God’s vocation for them is to remain unmarried, since one failure in this realm raises serious questions as to the rightness and wisdom of undertaking another union.¹⁶

16. Mt 5.31-32, 1 Cor 7.10-11, 20, 32-35, Mk 10.11, Lk 16.18.

2. Loof die Here in gebed vir die spesifieke wysheid en insig wat die inhoud van hierdie geloofsbelydenisse jou gee.