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

Written by Chris van Wyk on . Posted in Wie is God?.

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 Direkteur van Bediening en Geestelike Vorming by Veritas College International. My passie in die lewe is om God bo alles te dien en gelowiges in geloofsvorming te begelei. I am Director of Ministry and Spiritual Formation at Veritas College International. My passion in life is to serve God above all and to lead believers in faith formation.

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Onlangse kommentaar

  • Hannes. on Hoe het “Bid die Psalms” jou gehelp?Middag Dr. Chris, Baie dankie vir ‘n insiggewende reis deur Psalms. Dit het beslis gehelp om my persoonlike gebedslewe te verbeter, en ek glo sterk dat elke gebed beslis my verhouding met die Here verdiep op ‘n manier waar ek tans baie meer pligsgetrou is teenoor my persoonlike stiltetyd en gesprekk…
  • Kobus on Hoe het “Bid die Psalms” jou gehelp?Dit was vir my 'n wonderlike ervaring, ek kyk met 'n ander insig nou na die Psalms
  • Chris van Zyl on Hoe het “Bid die Psalms” jou gehelp?Bid die Psalms het vir my baie beter insig verskaf, veral die kontektualisering en verklarings wat elke gedeelte belig het. Ek is so dankbaar dat ek kon deel in hierdie bid-gerigte ervaring. Menige dag het ek gevoel dat die Psalm van die dag spesiaal vir my bedoel was. Dankie Chris van Wyk vir hierd…
  • Chris van Wyk on Psalm 137Dit is my voorreg. Groete!
  • Doreen Snyders on Psalm 137Net om weer 'n slag dankie te sê vir al die wonderlike verklarings en verduidelikings van al die Bybelse waarhede. Ons dien 'n wonderbare en allerheilige God. Ek sien baie uit na die Matteusevangelie. Nogmaals baie dankie. Doreen Snyders
  • Chris van Wyk on Psalm 119:169-176Absoluut!
  • sparklybc467b2e69 on Psalm 119:169-176Psalm 119 is voorwaar ñ baie Geseënde Psalm
  • Chris van Wyk on Psalm 119:145-152Dis self opnuut weer ‘n vreugde vir my.
  • originalblizzard19aaa84c56 on Psalm 119:145-152Ek was altyd baie langtand om Ps 119 aan te durf, nou wens ek dat dit nie ophou nie... Ps 119 is te kort!!! PDH
  • sparklybc467b2e69 on Psalm 119:105-112Goeie middag, baie dankie vir die deel van die kosbare verhaal wat so gepas is met die Psalm
  • originalblizzard19aaa84c56 on Psalm 119:1-8Sien waarlik die nou verband tussen OT EN NT. waarlik verhelderend. אמן
  • Chris van Wyk on Psalm 118:19-29Ek gee maar net aan wat ek ontvang het. Dit bly egter 'n kosbare voorreg.
  • sparklybc467b2e69 on Psalm 118:19-29Goeie môre, baie dankie dat u met ons deel wie en waar die vertaaling van die Bybel sy oorsprong gekry het, dit is so kosbaar, baie dankie vir een en elkeen wat deel is en was om hierdie kosbare woord ook vir ons in ons Taal te kon uitlê
  • sparklybc467b2e69 on Psalm 110Baie dankie vir hierdie kosbaarhede wat u met ons deel. Ek het Openbaring 22 gelees en dit klink baie soos die tuin van Eden, hy praat van die boom van lewe. Die sondeval gemaak dat die mens gesondig het en dat hul nie meer in die tuin kon woon nie asgevolg van die sonde.
  • sparklybc467b2e69 on Psalm 109:6-19Goeie middag, ek wil ook by las dat in Psalm 139:23 bid David;"Deurgrond my, O GOD, en ken my hart, toets my en ken my gedagtes" GOD ken die mens en HY deersoek die hart en die gedagtes. Ek het self al telkens gebid, HERE vergewe hulle want hulle weet nie wat hulle doen nie en dan soos die woord sel…