Wat verwag God van jou in sy wet? – Die Westminster Geloofsbelydenis

1. Lees die aanhalings uit die Westminster Geloofsbelydenis hieronder. Wat leer jy van wat God van ons verwag in die wet? Wat beteken dit vir jou? Wat vra dit van jou?

Chapter 19

The Law of God

1. God gave Adam a law as a covenant of works. He required Adam and all his descendants to obey this law, individually, completely, perpetually, and in precise accordance with its provisions. God promised life for keeping it and threatened death for disobeying it, and he gave man the power and ability to keep it.1

1. Gn 1.26-27, 2.17, Rom 2.14-15, 10.5, 5.12,19, Gal 3.10,12, Eccl 7.29, Jb 28.28, Eph 4.24.

2. After the fall this law continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness and was given, as such, by God on Mount Sinai in the Ten Commandments, written on two tablets.2The first four commandments establish our obligations to God and the remaining six our obligations to human beings.3

2. Jas 1.25, 2.8,10-12, Rom 13.8-9, Dt 5.32, 10.4, Ex 34.1, Rom 3.19, Gal 3.12, Hos 6.7, Gn 2.16-17; compare Rom 5.12-14, 1 Cor 15.22, Lk 10.25-28, and the covenants made with Noah and Abraham; Gn 1.26, Dt 30.19, Jn 7.17, Rv 22.17, Jas 1.14.

3. Mt 22.37-40, Ex 20.3-18.

3. In addition to this law, ordinarily called the moral law, it pleased God to give the people of Israel, as a pre-Christian assembly of believers, ceremonial laws, containing many typical ordinances. Some of these ordinances pertain to worship and foreshadow Christ, his grace, actions, suffering, and the benefits to be had from believing in him.4The rest of these ordinances contain various instructions about moral duties.5All of these ceremonial laws are now nullified under the New Testament.6

4. Heb 9, 10.1, Gal 4.1-3, Col 2.17.

5. 1 Cor 5.7, 2 Cor 6.17, Jude 23; see Lv 5.1-6, 6.1-7, and similar passages, Ex 12.14.

6. Col 2.14,16-17, Dn 9.27, Eph 2.15-16, Mk 7.18-19, Gal 2.4.

4. God also gave the Israelites, as a political body, various judicial laws. These expired with the state of Israel and make no further obligation on God’s people than seems appropriate in contemporary legal codes.7

7. Ex 21, 22.1-29, Gn 49.10, 1 Pt 2.13-14, Mt 5.17,38-39, 1 Cor 9.8-10.

5. The moral law, however, does pertain to everyone, saved and unsaved, forever, not just with respect to its content but also in relationship to the authority of God, the Creator, who gave it.8In the gospel Christ does not in any way remove this obligation, but rather strengthens it.9

8. Rom 13.8-10, Eph 6.2, 1 Jn 2.3-4,7-8, Rom 3.31, 6.15, Jas 2.8,10-11, Rom 3.19.

9. Mt 5.17-19, Jas 2.8, Rom 3.31.

6. Although true believers are not justified or condemned by the law as a covenant of works,10the law is nevertheless very useful to them and to others. As a rule of life, it informs them of God’s will and of their obligation to obey it.11It also reveals to them the sinful pollution of their nature, hearts, and lives,12so that, examining themselves from its point of view, they may become more convinced of the presence of sin in them, more humiliated on account of that sin, and hate sin the more.13Thus they gain a better awareness of their need for Christ and for the perfection of his obedience.14The prohibitions against sin15in the law are also useful in restraining believers from pursuing the desires of their old nature, and the punishments for disobedience in the law show them what their sins deserve and what afflictions they may expect for them in this life, even though they have been freed from the curse threatened in the law.16The promises of the law similarly show them that God approves obedience and that blessings may be expected for obedience,17although not as their due from the law as a covenant of works.18The fact that the law encourages doing good and discourages doing evil does not mean that a person who does good and refrains from evil is under the law and not under grace.19

10. Rom 6.14, Gal 2.16, 3.13, 4.4-5, Acts 13.39, Rom 8.1.

11. Rom 7.12,22,25, Ps 119.4-6, 1 Cor 7.19, Gal 5.14,16,18-23.

12. Rom 7.7, 3.20.

13. Jas 1.23-25, Rom 7.9,14,24.

14. Gal 3.24, Rom 7.24-25, 8.3-4.

15. Jas 2.11, Ps 119.101,104,128.

16. Ezr 9.13-14, Ps 89.30-34.

17. Lv 26.1-14, 2 Cor 6.16, Eph 6.2-3, Ps 37.11, Mt 5.5, Ps 19.11.

18. Gal 2.16, Lk 17.10.

19. Rom 6.12,14, 1 Pt 3.8-12, Ps 34.12-16, Heb 12.28-29.

7. None of these uses of the law is contrary to the grace of the gospel. They rather beautifully comply with it,20because the Spirit of Christ subdues and enables the will of man to do voluntarily and cheerfully what the will of God, revealed in the law, requires to be done.21

20. Gal 3.21, Ti 2.11-14;

21. Ez 36.27, Heb 8.10, Jer 31.33, Gal 3.13.

2. Loof die Here in gebed vir die spesifieke wysheid en insig wat die geloofsbelydenis jou gee oor wat God van jou in sy wet verwag.

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Wie is God?


Chris van Wyk

Ek is gemeenteleraar by Somerstrand gemeente, Port Elizabeth. My passie in die lewe is om God bo alles te dien en gelowiges in geloofsvorming te begelei. I am pastor at Summerstrand congregation, Port Elizabeth. My passion in life is to serve God above all and to lead believers in faith formation.

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  • Chris van Wyk on Numeri 36Ja, alles het eintlik met alles te make in die Skrif. Dit onderstreep die waarde van elke enkele deel daarvan vir alle tye.
  • Chris van Wyk on Numeri 36My voorreg!
  • Ansie Lessing on Numeri 36Dankie. Ek mis die stukkies vir niks nie. Groete, Ansie
  • Chris van Zyl on Numeri 36Baie dankie vir jou bydraes, Chris, en betekenisse wat vir my soveel beter insig verskaf het. Die kruisverwysings tussen OT en NT het my laat besef dat die OT se verhale konteks verskaf vir die Jesus se oorwinning in die NT. Baie dankie, ek sien uit na Deut.
  • Chris van Wyk on JeremiaHi Petro, my bydraes oor Jeremia is net op die Internet by hierdie skakel beskikbaar.
  • Petro on JeremiaMiddag Waar kan ek net die boek Jeremia aflaai Dankie
  • Chris van Wyk on Jesaja 21-23 – God se oordeel bereik alle nasiesDie boodskap van die drie hoofstukke is dat God se oordeel werklik is en dat sy waarskuwings nie in die wind geslaan moet word nie. Dit geld ook sy volk om hulle te bekeer van hulle verkeerde weë. Hulle status as God se uitverkore volk moet nie ligtelik opgeneem word nie. Groter kennis van die waarh…
  • Marizanne Louw on Jesaja 21-23 – God se oordeel bereik alle nasiesHi ek is besig met bybelstudie..en ek kry va oggend Jesaja 21..maar ek kry nie n vers op toepassing van my nie..ek kan nie opsevasie maak nie..ook nie hoe dit op toepassing van my is nie. Kan u dalk dit vir my uiteensit?/verduidelik asb??
  • Chris van Wyk on LukasHi Susanna, Lukas skryf daarvan in Lukas 24:50-53 JESUS SE HEMELVAART (Mark 16:15,19; Hand 1:4-11) 50Daarna het Jesus hulle uit die stad gelei, tot by Betanië. Hy het sy hande opgehef en hulle geseën. 51Terwyl Hy hulle seën, het Hy van hulle af weggegaan, en is in die hemel opgeneem. 52Hulle het Hom…
  • Susanna Ellis on LukasWaar in Lukas en in Markus verskyn die woord Hemelvaart in die verse.
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  • Jerimy on Numeri 13Baie dankie vir die Skrif en bemoeding dat ons nie 45 jaar moet wag soos Kaleb om genoeg geloof bymerkaar te skraap en sdan nie eers ons erf porsie in besit wil neem nie.Is dit nie moontlik dat Noag se seuns se vroue die Nefilîm gene gedra het nie,daarom die melding van reuse na die vloed ?
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  • Rudi van Tonder on Openbaring 7 – God beskerm en versorg die kerk as geloofsgemeenskapDan is in 1 Kronieke 2 vers 1?
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