Magyar Egyház, 1954 (33. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
1954-06-01 / 6-7. szám
10 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ ENGLISH SECTION INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE It can be said with a certainty, that among many reasons, the various explanations of the contents of the Bible are responsible for the existence of many a sect of the Christian Faith. Of the several Bible explanations and interpretations which is the correct? To this question the forefathers of our Reformed Christian faith gave this answer: “only that interpretation of the Bible can be regarded as correct which is in harmony with the rule of faith and that of love, and which is for the glory of God and for the salvation of man.’’ (II. Helvetic Confession). This statement means that that kind of Bible interpretation which does not strengthen our faith in God and does not increase the love in our hearts toward God and our fellowmen, is a false interpretation of the Bible. Also, false and corrupt is the interpretation of the Bible which, instead of mangifying the glory and majesty of God, tries to establish and defend the dictatorical authority of men (priest, bishops and popes) in spiritual matters and over the Church of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, that also is a false interpretation of the Bible which does n o t serve the interest of our salvation, in other words, which does not make it clear that we are totally corrupt and sinful and our only hope is in Jesus Christ, who is our only Savior. Bible interpretation is a science. The knowledge of the Hebrew and Greek languages are necessary, the historical times and circumstances in which the different parts of the Bible were written must be known and considered, also it must be known how the seemingly contradictory passages fit into the “whole” meaning of the Bible. Therefore, we say that the interpretation of the Bible is a task, not just for anyone, but for the ministers who are properly trained and qualified. In our Reformed Christian church it was always required of the pastors to be thoroughly educated and scientfically equipped to explain and interpret the Bible. However, all this does not mean that the diligent and frequent reading of the Bible by the people would be a dangerous thing. Not at all. God gave his Word to every one to be a precious spiritual nourishment for the human soul. A man who reads the Bible with a penitent, open and prayerful heart will always be blessed by God with guidance, consolation and peace of mind. Let every faithful Reformed Christian read the Bible as the message of our heavenly Father, but let the interpretation of the Bible be done by those ministers who are called by God and properly trained to help the people to understand the truths of the Word of God. Stephen Kovács THE WORLD FEDERATION OF THE FREE HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHRISTIANS ELECTED OFFICERS: The Rev. Stephen Szabó, Cleveland, O. . President The Rt. Rev. Zoltán Beky, Trenton, N. J.. Vice-Pres. The Rev. Andrew Harsanyi, Ellicottville, N. Y. Sec’y The Rev. John Botty, Youngstown, O. Treasurer Joseph Fodor, Lawyer _______________ Attorney The World Federation of the Free Hungarian Reformed Christians assembled for its initial meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, sends its greeting with Christian love to our brethren of the Reformed Faith all over the world. Wholeheartedly, we express our gratitude to God, Who made it possible for us, on the basis of the resolution, establishing the World Federation of Free Hungarian Reformed Christians, at Detroit, Mich, a year ago, to continue towards the goal of holding this present meeting. In the Constitution of the World Federation of the Free Hungarian Reformed Christians, based on the historical Calvinistic Reformation, as churches, church organizations, and fellowships, we have resolved to be united for the purpose of the preservation of Christian Fellowship and for the purpose of discharging our missionary duty. We know that our Hungarian Reformed people, scattered all over the world at the present time, if they do not return to their homeland, will melt into the society of their new homeland in the next succeeding generations, both in language and way of life. We do not desire to prevent this, but we want them to conscientiously take with them into that new society, into which they will be amalgamated, all the traits, love of freedom, seeking after righteousness, loyalty to convictions, patience and enthusiasm for ideals, which we do not deny that others have in the same measure, but the beautiful blending of the above qualities are so characteristically a part of our Hungarian people, in order that each succeeding generation will continue to profess and preserve this sacred tradition, sealed with the blood and the struggle of our one thousand year old history. We also know, that our Hungarian Reformed brethren, scattered all over the world, are uniting with some local church in full membership. We do not want to prevent that, but we do desire that our brethren remain in the pure faith, based on the Word of God, which grew out of the blessed foundation of the Calvinistic Reformation, which continues to
