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WIE HET WIE GESKEP? DEEL 1

WIE HET WIE GESKEP? DEEL 1

Oor die verloop van die volgende drie weke gaan jy heerlik bederf word – ‘n driedelige reeks wat die oorsprong ondersoek van die mees algemene siening van God wat binne die Christendom en die wêreld geleer word. En ek is veral opgewonde, want ek hou daarvan om nuwe dinge te leer, nuwe insigte te kry en meer legkaartstukke bymekaar te sit; en hierdie reeks, geskryf deur ‘n genooide blogger, Dominic Rusu, doen presies dit. Ek hoop jy geniet dit ook. – Tim Jennings

‘N VERKENNING VAN DIE OORSPRONG VAN ONS GUNSTELING GOD

Deel 1 van 3: Inleiding

deur Dominic Rusu

Het God die mensdom geskep – of het ons God geskep?

Dom vraag, reg? Maar in alle erns, die antwoord hang af van jou beskouing van God. En my antwoord op hierdie vraag is ja. Albei het gebeur.

Ek glo beslis dat God die Skepper, Ontwerper van ons materiële bestaan, die mensdom geskep het. Maar ek stel ook voor dat die god van wet en orde – wat nou stewig gevestig is in die hoofstroomteologieë van Judaïsme, Christendom en Islam – deur die mensdom geskep is en ontwikkel het as gevolg van die druk van hierdie sondige bestaanstoestand. Hierdie oorweldigende kollektiewe menslike begeerte na ‘n goddelike wetgewer en skeidsregter van finale geregtigheid het ontstaan as direkte gevolg van die sondeval van die mens en die gevolglike toestand van sonde.

Daar is twee teenstrydige weergawes van goddelikheid:

  1. Die God van die ontwerpwet – die Skepper van die kosmos
  2. Die god van die opgelegde wet – ‘n kosmiese weergawe van ‘n Romeinse keiser

Ontwerpreg is hoe die werklikheid werk. Ons staar natuurlike gevolge in die gesig as ons nie in ‘n toestand van versoeningseenheid met God is nie. In hierdie werklikheid is regverdigmaking en geregtigheid albei woorde wat ons belyning met God se ontwerp vir die mensdom beskryf.

Ontwerpwet is gemoeid met die innerlike toestand van die hart – soos Jesus gesê het, “die koninkryk van God is binne-in julle” (Lukas 17:21) – die morele toestand van die karakter, die enigste ding wat ons saam met ons na die hiernamaals sal neem. Dit is waarom God in die Nuwe Verbond sy wet op ons harte en gedagtes skryf (Hebreërs 8:10). In die debat oor die vraag of moraliteit absoluut of relatief is, openbaar die ontwerpwet dat moraliteit absoluut en onveranderlik is, omdat die Skeppergod nie verander nie, altyd konsekwent is, en dit is sy natuur wat dien as die basis waarop lewe gebou is om te funksioneer.

Opgelegde wet is heeltemal anders. Geheel en al gestruktureer op die veranderende aard van menslike begeerte en behoefte, en verkeerdelik toegeskryf aan die Skepper, is opgelegde wet nie gemoeid met die toestand van ons karakter nie. Dit is slegs gemoeid met die beheer van gedrag. Daar word algemeen geglo dat eksterne afgedwingde wetgewing ontwikkel het vir die algemene welsyn, vir die welstand van die gemeenskap in hierdie gebroke wêreld. As sodanig gaan opgelegde wetgewing alles oor die moraliteit van dade, ons gedrag, en nie oor individuele welstand of karakter nie.

Moraliteit van dade is gemoeid met hoe ons optrede die samelewing as geheel beïnvloed, ongeag of ‘n misdaad ‘n individu of die gemeenskap teiken. Die dryfveer van opgelegde wetgewing is om samewerking te verhoog en die chaos te verminder wat inherent voortspruit uit ‘n sondige toestand. Gevolge vir die oortreding van menslike opgelegde wette is ewe chaoties omdat mense en hul wette arbitrêr is. Daarom is die strawwe wat deur die samelewing opgelê word niks soos die natuurlike gevolge van die oortreding van ontwerpwetgewing nie, en sulke strawwe gaan ook nie oor die herstel van ‘n individu se karakter tot eenheid met die staat nie.

Boonop verander die moraliteit van dade in die menslike reg voortdurend, onderhewig aan die vooroordele, klem en uitdagings van ‘n bepaalde menslike kultuur. Wat immoreel en krimineel is in een samelewing of tydperk van die geskiedenis, kan op ‘n ander plek en tyd moreel en wettig word, ongeag die impak daarvan op die karakter. Dink byvoorbeeld aan hoe alkohol, tabak, “onwettige” dwelms, genadedood en aborsie moreel en wettig is in een samelewing of tydperk van die geskiedenis, maar immoreel en onwettig op ‘n ander plek of tyd.

HOE EN HOEKOM?

In hierdie driedelige reeks sal ek die saak bou dat die grootste misleiding wat Satan bereik het, was om die mensdom te oortuig om op hul opgelegde wette staat te maak om hul doelwitte te bereik. Hy het dit gedoen deur die mensdom te kry om ‘n god-prototipe aan te hang wat gebaseer is op die menslike begeerte om sy vrese te ontsnap en te oorleef: ‘n goddelike koning, heerser, vors, monarg en wetgewer – ‘n kosmiese keiserlike diktator wat orde uit chaos kan bring deur die oppergesag van die reg. Na die sondeval het ons sondige bestaanstoestand die opkoms van die goddelike god-koning onvermydelik gemaak.

In deel 2, Sonde “Skep” die Oppergesag van die Reg, sal ek die vervalsing van die mens se siening van God as Satan se eindspel beskryf. Om mense deur hul ellende, vrees en selfsug te manipuleer, is bloot ‘n middel om hierdie doel te bereik; dit is nie Satan se uiteindelike doel nie. Ons dink te veel van onsself wanneer ons glo dat Satan se doelwit is om ons ellendig te laat voel. Die uiteindelike aanval is op die ware God. Sy vyand gebruik ons vrees vir nie-bestaan en die chaos wat sonde veroorsaak om ons te dryf na skepping van die valse god van wet en orde wat die Skeppergod in ons harte en gedagtes vervang.

Ek sal ook demonstreer hoe die toestand van sonde, wat deur Satan se versoeking van Adam en Eva in ons wêreld ingebring is, ná die sondeval die magtigste skeppingskrag op hierdie aarde geword het. Die mensdom is so gedompel in hierdie skeppingskrag dat ons, sonder ‘n lewende verbintenis met God, geen ander keuse gehad het as om ‘n god na ons beeld te skep nie.

Ons sal die oorsprong en verfyning van wet en orde in menslike samelewings naspeur. Vir die wêreldse verstand lyk dit asof die oppergesag van die reg briljant gewerk het vir die mens se oorlewing en vooruitgang in hierdie sondige bestaan. Dit is die rede waarom baie sukkel om selfs die misleiding van die valse god van wet en orde te sien. Ons word in wet en orde gebore net soos ons in sonde gebore is. Hierdie kritieke kulturele samestelling vir oorlewing is dus die kern van byna alle menslike interaksie.

In deel 3, Christus ontbloot die Valse God van Wet en Orde, sal ek beskryf hoe gevalle mense dit wat op hierdie sondige aarde werk (oppergesag van die reg) geneem het en dit op God geprojekteer het en die Skepper se ontwerpwet koninkryk met ‘n goddelike diktatorskap vervang het. Ek sal die saak maak dat dit nie ‘n menslike sameswering was nie, maar die onvermydelike gevolg van vrees en selfsug wat liefde in die hart vervang het. Dit was presies Satan se plan nog voor die sondeval. En die “vordering” wat die Christelike kerk deur die Hervorming gemaak het, het hierdie korrupsie van die beeld van God heeltemal geïgnoreer.

Ons sal ook die betekenis van Christus se lewe ondersoek en demonstreer hoe hierdie openbaring bedoel was om ‘n helder lig te werp op die korrupsie wat binne die Joodse teologie plaasgevind het en te waarsku oor wat sou kom met die vorming van die Roomse kerk.

Die Goeie Nuus van die lewe van Christus is die duidelikste siening van die ware karakter van God en sy gebruik van mag – hoe Hy regeer. Maar selfs die openbaring van sy lewe is binne ‘n paar honderd jaar deur die kerk vervals. Die waarheid is dus weer bedek met die god-koning-beeldspraak. Alhoewel Christus se lewe inderdaad die goeie nuus is, is dit oor baie ander redes as wat die hoofstroom Christelike teologie leer. Die regstransaksie-siening van verlossing pas by die god-koning-motief, maar dit is verkeerd, en het verwoestende ewige gevolge.

Die goeie nuus wat Christus gebring het, is die korrekte siening oor God, die Skepper wat minder besorg is oor die gemeenskaplike welsyn van ons gebroke samelewings en die mededinging tussen kulture, stamme en nasies, en hoofsaaklik gemoeid is met die genesing van elkeen van ons individuele karakters.

Hierdie waarheid is nie nuttig vir aardse gesag en mag nie. Die ware karakter van God is dus gerieflikheidshalwe opsy gesit en vervang met ‘n god-koning-beeld – ‘n kosmiese krygsheer, ‘n goddelike stamleier, ‘n “welwillende maar regverdige” heerser. Hierdie god, in sy vele vorme oor kulture heen, sou gebruik word om menslike gedrag te beheer met die doel om in ‘n gebroke wêreld te oorleef en om te verseker dat “geregtigheid” geskied – hier op aarde en vir ewig. Gegewe ons sonde-geteisterde intellek en emosies, is dit presies wat ons dink ons nodig het, wat ons wil hê en wat ons geskep het.

Sedert my tyd as ‘n lid van die Come and Reason Ministries-klas, het ek die kontras tussen die twee weergawes van God duidelik verstaan. Maar ek is voortdurend agtervolg deur die vraag hoe dit alles gebeur het.

Ek het nou my antwoord en in hierdie driedelige reeks sal ek my gevolgtrekkings met jou deel, met die doel om bloot te lê presies hoe ons die oppergesag van die reg na ons beeld geskep het.

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