They will not hesitate to use the most devastating weapons when they deem it necessary to promote their aim. In such a world, the people of God, the church of Christ, has a prophetic task to witness for peace Rm ; ; see Van Wyk [] b. This prophetic witness should reach the parliaments in each country and also the United Nations Organisation.
Ecumenical movements, such as the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the World Council of Churches, could play an important role in this regard. Another great task of the church today is to address the ecological crisis, which is rolling on like a non-stoppable tsunami. Man must guard the creation, not destroy it, which is precisely what is happening today. In his sensational book, Losing earth, Rich tells us about the existence of scientific evidence for global warming for decades while it was politically denied, and the eventual damage that will occur as a result of this.
Scientists tell us that by the year , and most definitely by , we may expect a total collapse of the whole world environment, caused by the water, air and environmental pollution as well as earth calefaction.
Of course the world population of 7. Countries do not succeed in finding a balance between developments on the one hand, and conservation on the other hand. This means that there is no safe place on earth and that people moving from the one country to another are misleading themselves, because their 'solution' will only be temporary. A predestined church has a predestined obligation to speak up against the exploitation of the earth which belongs to the Lord Ps , and to supply married couples with the necessary moral education for responsible family planning see Moltmann In , the Gereformeerde Kerke Suid-Afrika GKSA took an extremely important decision with regard to the problem of ecological pollution, which needs much more attention and application.
There are more problems which could be discussed, such as how to promote economic justice and what is the best political system in a multi-cultural country liberal or plural democracy , and how the church should react on these matters, but space does not allow us to touch on them. Let me just say that economic justice is a must from a Christian perspective, and that rich people can never do enough to uplift the poor and the jobless.
Maybe we should opt for a system between socialism and capitalism, namely social democracy. As far as politics are concerned, there are strong indications that, in a multi-cultural country, a plural democracy majority rule and minority representation offers a better option than a liberal democracy one man one vote; the winner takes all. Whatever may be, justice is the concept that the church of Christ should stand for, cry for and witness for.
When everyone will do what is right just , there will be peace and security on earth Is ; see Vorster Predestination is a graceful act of God in which he includes a faithful response of a person, but in such a way that Christ, the Saviour, stays at the heart of that action and in which also the renewing work of the Spirit of God plays a key role see Phlp Predestination is also focussed on the whole of creation and the renewal of the whole world, including animals.
Although it is, in the last instance an act of God, the activities of people are not excluded, but included in God's plan of the coming and fulfilment of the kingdom of God Rv , The predestined are predestined unto salvation and unto a new life of good works to the honour of God; a life where God will be everything to everyone 1 Cor - Revised Standard Version [RSV].
The author declared that no competing interests exist. I declare that I am the sole author of this research article. This article followed all ethical standards for carrying out research without direct contact with human or animal subjects. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. Data availability statement. Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the authors.
Barth, K. Bavinck, H. Berkhof, H. Berkouwer, G. Botha, J. Calvyn, J. Sizoo, Meinema, Delft. De Gruchy, J. Durand, J. Graafland, C. Jonker, W. Moltmann, J.
Neuser, W. Selderhuis ed. Nijenhuis, W. Pannenberg, W. Polman, A. Schippers, G. Meuleman, J. Kuitert reds. Berkouwer , pp. Pretorius, A. Rich, N. Ridderbos, H. Robberts, J. Schrenk, G. Friedrich eds. Bromiley, pp. Sinnema, D. Michaels College, Toronto. Tempelhoff, E. Thomas Aquinas, , Summa Theologiae: A concise translation , ed. Van de Beek, A. Scheppingsleer in christologisch perspectief , Meinema, Zoetermeer.
Van den Brink, G. Van der Belt, H. Gomarus en J. Arminius : 'n Histories-filosofiese ondersoek', Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 51 3 , Van der Walt, B. Van der Westhuizen, H. Van Genderen, J. Van Niekerk, A. Van Wyk, I. Van Wyk, J. Venema, H. Maar hoe? Vorster, J. Vosloo, R. Weber, O.
Woelderink, J. Correspondence : Jan van Wyk amiejanvw gmail. Received: 30 Oct. See Pretorius for the effect of what he experienced as Calvin's disputed doctrine on election in his youth. See Van Wyk with many source references also see Weber After completion of this article, I discover the book review of Henk van der Belt on the book of E. He finds the discussion of the Reformed understanding of election by an orthodox Catholic fascinating.
The main question discussed by Echeverria is whether or not the efficaciousness of grace ultimately depends on human consent - the traditional point of disagreement between Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Armenians, on the one hand, and the Reformed on the other hand. Echeverria finds the Reformed view problematic, because in the first place, it excludes the liberty of fallen human beings to choose between good and evil, and in the second place, it implies a double predestination which parallels election and rejection or reprobation and makes God the author of sin.
For Echeverria, sufficient grace becomes efficient not only by assent of the free will, which would be Pelagianism, but also by the foreordained circumstances which God surely foreknows that the individual will believe.
However, this sympathetic approach leaves a Reformed Christian with the uneasy feeling that salvation is unattainable, because it ultimately depends on human consent. In his book, Geloof sonder sekerhede, Van Niekerk tries to re-evaluate the discussion between Erasmus and Luther.
According to Pannenberg, Luther argues that we are to seek God's eternal election in Jesus Christ and not behind him in a hidden decree of God Pannenberg It seems that Natie van Wyk is not comfortable with my portrayal of the relation between faith and works.
His criticism is against the danger of equating faith and morality - a remark which deserves careful consideration. Vosloo refers to the fact that Heiko Oberman has argued that the puzzling doctrine of predestination was born out of Calvin's experience of exile; it is the mighty bulwark of the Christian faithful against the fear that they will be unable to hold out against the pressure of persecution. The Warfield lecture of Smit of was not yet published when this article was written, and therefore I have to rely on a summary of it by Henco van der Westhuizen which appeared in the Kerkbode.
Already in , Van Wyk asked for a new confession. This source was mainly used on the basis of information found at Bennie van der Walt. See Schrenk : Only rarely does the divine choice refer to individuals. The thought of national election finds clear formulation in Deuteronomy and is based on God's love and grace Schrenk Election means election for a mission: The elect people is to bear witness to the nations that God is God Is ; ; Schrenk According to Pannenberg , Schleiermacher was the first to break with the individualism in the doctrine of election traced back to Augustine, with his view of the church as the primary object of election and of individuals as its secondarily objects.
For a short summary of the recent discussions, see Tempelhoff : ' Volgens wetenskaplikes is die klimaatskrisis die grootste uitdaging waarmee die mens nog te doen gehad het. I had the privilege in supplying important material to the Synod for the final decision. All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.
Services on Demand Article. I suppose he could have worked out his divine purpose without us. He could publish the gospel in the clouds using his holy finger in skywriting.
He could preach the gospel himself, in his own voice, shouting it from heaven. But that is not his choice. It is a marvelous privilege to be used by God in the plan of redemption.
Paul appeals to an Old Testament passage when he speaks of the beauty of the feet of those who bring good tidings and publish peace. Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem! In the ancient world, news of battles and other crucial events was carried by runners. The modern marathon race is named after the Battle of Marathon because of the endurance of the messenger who carried the news of the outcome home to his people. Lookouts were posted to watch for the approaching messengers.
Their eyes were sharp and trained to the subtle nuances of the strides of the approaching runners. Those bearing bad news approached with heavy feet.
Those runners bearing good news approached swiftly, with feet sprinting through the dust. Their strides revealed their excitement. For the watchmen the sight of a runner approaching rapidly in the distance with his feet skimming over the mountain was a gorgeous vision to behold.
We have a meaningful role to play in evangelism. We preach and we proclaim the gospel. That is our duty and our privilege. But it is God who brings the increase. He does not need us to accomplish his purpose, but he is pleased to use us in the task.
We must never underestimate the importance of our role in evangelism. Neither must we overestimate it. We preach. We bear witness. Let's begin with witnessing. Even if we mistakenly believe that our witnessing is an utter waste of time because of the doctrine of election, there would still be more than ample reason for continuing to witness. The greatest and most compelling reason is that, in some of His last words on earth, Christ commanded His closest eleven followers to spread the gospel through the process of witnessing Matthew They were to make other people students of the gospel and teach them obedience to His commands.
Jesus assured them He would always be with them as they witnessed. While some argue that the command was to the disciples and not directly to us, the principle behind this command if not the command itself logically extends to us who are beneficiaries of the witness of those eleven faithful men.
We must not forget the crucial biblical principle that every command God has ever given to man including the Great Commission is for the benefit of man. While obedience glorifies God, He is perfectly capable of glorifying Himself Isaiah Obeying His commands enhances, improves and benefits us and those around us.
Therefore, when we witness, both we and others are blessed. If our witness is received, we are both blessed immeasurably and eternally. Through the practice of witnessing, God has given us the unspeakable privilege of participating with Him in the salvation of His elect! If you have ever had a person come to faith in Christ as a result of your witness, then you have tasted this blessing first hand.
Even if they do not respond, you are much better off for having been a faithful witness for your Lord. From the standpoint of human nature, I believe we cannot keep ourselves from witnessing if we have truly experienced the regenerating love of God.
If we love Him and others the two greatest commandments , that love will overflow in our daily lives. It is human nature that we excitedly rush to share with others the good things that have happened to us, especially if they may also benefit from the news. Truly regenerate people cannot keep it to themselves — they will inevitably tell others! That is what Christian witnessing is all about; one beggar telling another where he found food! Romans reminds us of the very practical reasons behind the admonition to witness while warning us that not all who hear the gospel will believe.
The one who brings good news is beautiful to the one who receives it! Faith comes by hearing Romans Since we as His witnesses cannot know who is among His elect and who is not, we simply use the opportunities God provides us to share the gospel. We sow the seeds and He produces the increase Matthew
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