Magyar Egyház, 1957 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1957-10-01 / 10. szám

14

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

for worship, too tight-fisted to support the work of the churches, and to unconcerned to labor for its sucess. They like the idea of the Church invisible because it has no bell to call anyone to worship from a sound Sunday sleep, it doesn’t take any money to heat or paint, and it has no membership list to increase by their labors.

But Calvin does not stop. He says such people have no place in the Reformed churches, because the Church is also the visible Church of believers, and is recognized by the preaching and hearing of the Word, and participation in the Sacraments. In this Church, therefore, there is no place for the so-called “nature lover” who says he can worship as well as anybody in the great outdoors. And there is no place in its membership for the one who says he can worship as well at home as in the church. Church membership, and worship, Calvin said, was a sign that a person had accepted God’s grace bestowed upon him, and therefore also accepted his Christian responsibilities.

The Reformer went one step farther, asserting that the Church invisible, the Church visible, was also the Church personal. It is concerned w'th the personal life, character, and discipline of every member. And because it is primarily concerned that men should be holy so that they may see the Lord, it must speak out in all matters that endanger their spiritual lives. It may be a community matter, such as war, corruption, or moral degeneration. It may be a personal failing, such as envy, anger, or drunkenness. Or it may be on the sphere of a churchman’s responsibility, such as failure to commune, support or attend church. These are all the Church’s concern, because these things hinder and endanger the soul’s search for God. From this concern of the Church personal stems its authority to influence community life, to affect changes in personal living, and to discipline — even to excommunication from the Sacrament of grace — neglectful members.

The Reformed churchman does not avoid his church, but is appreciative of it, because it is interested in his personal life, it provides an opportunity to put into practice his desire to praise God with his fellow Christians, and because it unites him in the Church invisible with the fellowship of Christians of every church around the world and the saints of every age from the beginning of the Church. The Reformed churchman worships frequently and regularly. He does not profess allegiance to the Church and then run away, never to enter its sacred halls again. He does not accept its blessings, and reject its obligation. The Reformed Christian returns often to give thanks to God for His Church, the Sacraments of salvation, the gift of God’s Son, and his eternal redemption.

It is only when Americans come to a full awareness of this that this will be a Christian nation. For it is not a question of whether God is for America, but whether America is for God.

THE GOSPEL OF GOD

In order to be forgiven by God and to obtain a blessed eternal life from Him, one is required to admit his damnable sinfulness, and to strive most honestly to give up his sins and fulfil the laws of God, that is, one must be converted. Also, it is necessary that man realize his inability to become so good and perfect that God in return will give him salvation as a reward. God is willing to forgive our sins and receive us into heaven but not because of our goodness and perfectness but because of the sacrifice of His Son for our sins. So we have to put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as One with whose help we can be forgiven and received into heaven.

Our true faith in Jesus, and its fruits, repentance and conversion, is awakened in us by the Holy Spirit by making us conscious of the Ten Commandments and the Gospel of God. In our previous articles we tried to understand how our conscious knowledge of the Ten Commandments leads us toward true faith in Jesus Christ and toward true repentance and sincere conversion. Now we would like to know what is to be understood by the “Gospel of God” and how does our conscious knowledge of the Gospel help us to believe in Jesus.

Gospel means “good news”. This good news is that God, right after Adam and Eve became sinners and brought upon themselves and their descendants death and damnation, revealed that in due time Someone will be born as the “seed of Eve”, to conquer Satan and liberate mankind from sin, death and damnation, and restore the original innocent blessed state of man in heaven. Thus said the Lord to the deceiving Satan: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). This promised Savior, of course, was Jesus Christ who arrived indeed “in the fulness of time.”

Between the first promise of God and the actual arrival of Jesus Christ thousands of years passed away. But God, from His paternal love, did not let mankind forget about His promise and during those many years He kept the hope of mankind alive in the certain coming of the promised Savior. First, He revealed His saving graces to the Patriarchs, the ancient fathers of mankind. Then, He chose the Jewish people and ordered for them animal sacrifices that the innocent death of the animals for the sins of the Jews symbolize the great self-sacrifice of His Holy Son on the cross for the sins of mankind. Also, the prophets under the inspiration of God foretold the coming of Jesus Christ. The ancient prophet, Isaiah wrote: “For to us a Child is born...” (Is. 9:6.)

So, the Gospel is the good news that God is not only righteous but also a merciful Father who loves us and wants to save us. His Son Jesus told us in the most beautiful way the “Gospel News”. He said: God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16.)

In our next article we will see how the conscious knowledge of the Gospel strengthens our faith in Jesus and how it leads US toward repentance and conversion.

Stephen Kovács