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Die vreemdheid van God

Die vreemdheid van God

Ek het onlangs die volgende in ‘n Bybelstudiegids gelees:

Ons hoef nie diep in die boek Psalms te delf om te ontdek dat die Psalms in ‘n onvolmaakte wêreld uitgedruk word, een van sonde, boosheid, lyding en dood nie. Die stabiele skepping wat deur die Soewereine Here en Sy regverdige wette bestuur word, word voortdurend deur die bose bedreig. Namate sonde die wêreld al hoe meer verontreinig, het die aarde toenemend “‘n vreemde land” vir God se volk geword. Hierdie werklikheid skep ‘n probleem vir die psalmis: Hoe leef ‘n mens ‘n lewe van geloof in ‘n vreemde land? (klem myne).[1]

Deur watter wetslens verstaan jy “regverdige wette”? Dink jy aan wette soos dié wat sondige mense opmaak, reëls wat deur eksterne strawwe opgelê en toegepas word? Of dink jy aan die wette wat net die Skepper kan vasstel – die wette waarop die werklikheid gebou is – soos swaartekrag, fisika, gesondheidswette en die morele wette, en waardeur alle dinge bymekaar gehou word?

Herken jy die vreemdheid wat sonde, met sy vrees- en oorlewingsdryfvere, oor die wêreld gebring het? Of sien jy sonde, Satan se metodes, Satan se struktuur – die handelswyse van hierdie sondige wêreld met sy mag oor ander en die gebruik van dwang om sy maniere af te dwing – as normaal en dink jy dit is God se werkswyse van waarheid, liefde en vryheid wat vreemd is?

Toe die apostel Paulus die evangelie bekendgestel het, het die onbekeerde mense gedink dat hy iets heel vreemds doen:

“Wat probeer hierdie babbelaar sê?” Ander het opgemerk: “Dit lyk asof hy vreemde gode voorstaan.” Hulle het dit gesê omdat Paulus die goeie nuus oor Jesus en die opstanding verkondig het. Toe het hulle hom geneem en hom na ‘n vergadering van die Areopagus gebring, waar hulle vir hom gesê het: Mag ons weet wat hierdie nuwe leer is wat jy voorhou? Jy bring ‘n paar vreemde idees na ons ore, en ons wil weet wat dit beteken” (Handelinge 17:18-20 NIV 84, beklemtoning myne).

Waarom is die waarheid wat Paulus in Athene voorgehou het, deur die mense daar as vreemd beskou? Omdat hulle valse gode met wêreldse metodes aanvaar het en Paulus die waarheid oor die Skepper aangebied het!

Wat van vandag? As ons die waarheid oor God as Skepper voorstel, dat Sy wette ontwerpwette is, die protokolle waarop die werklikheid gebou is om te bestaan en op te werk, dat God se wette nie die tipe wette is wat sondige mense opmaak nie, nie reëls wat wetlike toesig en eksterne toepassing vereis nie, kla mense dat ons siening vreemd is, dat dit nie vir hulle sin maak nie? Hoekom is dit vir so baie mense vreemd? Omdat die werkswyse van die koninkryke van hierdie wêreld, die “oppergesag van die reg”, van mag en gesag oor ander om oortreding te dwing en te forseer, om oortredings te straf, as reg aanvaar is; omdat die mens se wet die waarheid oor God se wet en regering in die Christendom vervang het en die manier waarop ons God se karakter verstaan, verdorwe het. Dus, wanneer ons die waarheid aanbied dat God die Skepper is en dat Sy wette ontwerpwette is, nie opgelegde reëls nie, en dat die dood uit sonde kom, uit die oortreding van God se ontwerpwette, en nie van God af kom as ‘n marteling op die wetteloses nie (Romeine 6:23; Jakobus 1:15; Galasiërs 6:8), is die waarheid nie bekend nie; dit lyk vreemd. En wat doen mense dikwels met vreemde of onbekende idees? Hulle voel bedreig, bied weerstand of veg daarteen.

Dit is wat die Bybel hardnekkigheid noem, ‘n onwilligheid om die verstand oop te maak om nuwe bewyse, die opkomende lig, akkurater idees, die uitbreidende en ontvouende waarheid te oorweeg. Om hardnekkig te wees beteken om harte te hê wat bestand is teen die waarheid, vasgevang is in dogma, ortodoksie en tradisie, en nie bereid is om te leer nie; dit is ontkenning en vyandigheid teenoor nuwe bewyse. Dit is die teenoorgestelde van Bybelse gehoorsaamheid – wat nie oor reëlhouding gaan nie; die Griekse woord wat as “gehoorsaamheid” vertaal word, beteken letterlik ‘n nederige gewilligheid om te luister en te leer, om gretig met die waarheid onderrig te word met ‘n gewillige begeerte om die ontvouende waarheid te volg deur dit op ‘n mens se lewe toe te pas.

Maar wanneer ‘n mens die opgelegde wetsleuen aanvaar, word gehoorsaamheid reëlhandhawing en geregtigheid word verkeerd voorgestel as ‘n hardnekkige weerstand teen die bevordering van die waarheid – die blindes wat vasklou aan die tradisies van vorige geslagte.

Binne die Sewendedag Adventiste-tradisie het hierdie weerstand teen die waarheid gemanifesteer as ‘n oproep om “by die ou landmerke te staan”, wat die ontvouende hemelse lig uitsluit. Oorweeg hierdie historiese aanhaling van een van die stigters van die Adventiste Kerk na die berugte 1888 Algemene Konferensie in Minneapolis, waar die amptelike leierskap die ontvouende waarheid oor God se ontwerpwet verwerp het en Romanisme gekies het – die leuen dat God se wet opgelê word, dieselfde tipe wet waardeur heidense Rome beheer word:

In Minneapolis het God kosbare juwele van waarheid aan Sy mense in nuwe raamwerke gegee. Hierdie lig uit die hemel is deur sommige verwerp met al die hardkoppigheid wat die Jode openbaar het deur Christus te verwerp, en daar was baie gepraat oor om te bly by die ou landmerke. Maar daar was bewyse dat hulle nie geweet het wat die ou landmerke was nie. Daar was bewyse en daar was redenasies uit die woord wat dit tot die gewete aanbeveel het; maar die verstande van mense was weerstandig, verseël teen die toegang van lig, omdat hulle besluit het dat dit ‘n gevaarlike fout was om die “ou landmerke” te verwyder terwyl dit nie ‘n baken van die ou landmerke geskuif het nie, maar dat hulle idees oor wat die ou landmerke uitmaak verdraai was (E. G. White, Counsels to Writers, bl. 30, beklemtoning myne).

Die werklikheid is dat ons in ‘n wêreld leef wat vyandelike gebied is. Jesus het gesê Sy koninkryk is nie van hierdie wêreld nie (Joh 18:36). Al die koninkryke van hierdie wêreld is Satan s’n, want hulle werk almal volgens opgemaakte reëls met geregtelike toesig en opgelegde strawwe – die wette wat skepsele maak.

Jesus het gesê Sy koninkryk funksioneer nie soos hierdie aardse regerings nie. God se regering is nie van hierdie wêreld nie, want God se regering werk volgens vaste wette, wette waarop die werklikheid staan:

Dit is wat die HERE sê: “As Ek my verbond nie met dag en nag en die vaste wette van hemel en aarde gesluit het nie, dan sal Ek die nageslag van Jakob en my kneg Dawid verwerp en nie een van sy seuns kies om oor die nageslag van Abraham, Isak en Jakob te heers nie” (Jeremia 33:25, 26 NIV84, beklemtoning myne).

En God se vaste wette is ‘n uitdrukking van Sy karakter van liefde; Jesus het dus geleer:

“Jesus sê vir hom: Jy moet die Here jou God liefhê met jou hele hart en met jou hele siel en met jou hele verstand. Dit is die eerste en groot gebod. En die tweede is daarmee gelyk: Jy moet jou naaste liefhê soos jouself. Aan hierdie twee gebooie hang die hele wet en die profete.” (Matthéüs 22:37-40 AFR’23).

As die bron van lewe, het God die werklikheid gebou om te werk op nimmerveranderende wette waarop ons wese gevestig is. Die oortreding van hierdie wette van lewe en gesondheid veroorsaak direkte skade aan die een wat dit oortree en sal tot die dood lei – tensy dit genees word deur ons Skepper en Verlosser, Jesus Christus. Dus, in God se koninkryk, hoef Hy nooit Sy krag te gebruik om die dood te veroorsaak nie; trouens, die Bybel leer dat dit Satan is wat die mag van die dood het en dat Christus gekom het om hom en sy mag van die dood te vernietig (Hebreërs 2:14). In God se regering vergewe Hy vryelik, terwyl die geregtigheid van die wêreld straf vereis:

“Laat die goddelose sy weg verlaat en die onregverdige sy gedagtes; en laat hy hom tot die HERE bekeer, en Hy sal hom genadig wees; en aan onse God, want Hy sal menigvuldig vergewe. Want my gedagtes is nie julle gedagtes nie, en julle weë is nie my weë nie, spreek die HERE. Want soos die hemel hoër is as die aarde, so is my weë hoër as julle weë en my gedagtes as julle gedagtes.” (Jesaja 55:7-9 AFR’23, beklemtoning myne).

God vergewe vryelik, maar dit is ‘n vreemde lering vir diegene wat glo dat God se wet soos menslike wet funksioneer, want dit is sekerlik net reg dat sonde gestraf moet word, dat iemand moet betaal, dat daar geen geregtigheid is sonder dat ‘n straf opgelê word nie. Om vryelik te vergewe maak net nie sin vir diegene wat glo dat God se regering soos menslike regerings funksioneer nie.

Maar wanneer ons terugkeer na die aanbidding van God as Skepper en verstaan dat Sy wette ontwerpwette is, dan besef ons dat God se vergifnis nie die skade van sonde omkeer nie; om die skade van sonde om te keer, vereis goddelike ingryping in die hart en verstand van die sondaar om hulle in geregtigheid te herskep, en dit vereis dat hulle God vertrou en hulle hart vir Hom oopmaak om die nuwe hart en regte gees te ontvang wat vir hulle bewerk is deur ons plaasvervangende Verlosser Jesus Christus (2 Korinthiërs 5:21).

God vergewe almal vryelik, maar slegs diegene wat God vertrou en Sy inwonende Gees ontvang, word wedergebore, genees, vernuwe, herskep en ontvang die denke van Christus; die lewende wet van God is in hulle hart en verstand geskryf; hulle word vriende van God; vrees, selfsug en wantroue word uit hul wese verwyder; en hulle word versoen, herstel tot eenheid (versoening) met God. Almal wat die waarheid verwerp, wat aan die leuens vasklou en God wantrou, sal sterf aan hulle sondesiekte, maar God is steeds vergewensgesind teenoor hulle, want dit is wie Hy is. Net soos ‘n dokter wat sy pasiënt vergewe wat gelieg het en nie die medisyne geneem het nie, maar ten spyte van die dokter se vergifnis, sterf die pasiënt steeds.

Maar God se vrye kwytskelding is vreemd en maak nie sin vir diegene wat glo dat God se wet funksioneer soos menslike wet en opgemaakte reëls nie, omdat ons wette eksterne toepassing vereis.

Ek nooi jou uit om die waarheid omtrent God se koninkryk, Sy ontwerpwette, te erken en soos die getroues van God deur die hele menslike geskiedenis te wees wat verstaan het dat hierdie aarde, met sy opgelegde wette en regerings, ‘n vreemde plek is. Sluit aan by die gelowiges van God wat …

… erken dat hulle vreemdelinge en bywoners op aarde was. Mense wat sulke dinge sê, wys dat hulle op soek is na ‘n land van hul eie. As hulle gedink het aan die land wat hulle verlaat het, sou hulle die geleentheid gehad het om terug te keer. Hulle het eerder na ‘n beter land verlang – ‘n hemelse land. Daarom is God nie skaam om hulle God genoem te word nie, want Hy het ‘n stad vir hulle voorberei (Hebreërs 11:13-16 NIV84 beklemtoning myne).

Ja, ons verlang na ‘n beter land as die koninkryke van hierdie wêreld, ‘n hemelse een wat deur ons God van liefde regeer word, wie se wette Sy ontwerpprotokolle van liefde is!

 

[1] Sewendedag Adventiste Volwasse Bybelstudiegids, 1ste Q 2024, Psalms, bl. 36.

 

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