Calvin Synod Herald, 1998 (98. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1998-03-01 / 2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 7 -AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA Sermons in a Nutshell by Rt. Rev. Louis Medgyesi Our Deputy Bishop 2 Cor. 5:16-21 -“Beyond Reformation; Transformation”. w. 17 & 18, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”. ISSUE: Reformation is a faith response to right wrongs within the believer and the church; while transformation is a divine enabling that continues to seek renewal and guidance from God’s Holy Spirit. The Reformers of the early 16th century sought to effect change from within the church by correcting false notions and practices on meriting salvation, the primacy of the pope, the payment for sins with indulgences, autocratic church councils, prohibition to read the Bible in the vernacular, etc... The Reformers also held to the view that as new creatures in Jesus Christ an inner change and transformation has taken place in the believer. Therefore, Christians have a responsibility to bear witness to others about the reconciling love of Jesus and to be ambassadors and promoters of reconciliation between people and God. “When the love of God in Christ unveils the heart, we find layer upon layer of moral disorder. In succession these are: 1. Indifference - no personal encounter with God; easy drift to evil without even knowing why; 2. Resentment of God - all misfortune, sorrows, injustice, lack of success are blamed on Him; 3. Enmity toward God - the rule of self-will, self-pity, self-indulgence; and 4. Bondage to guilt - leading to moral failure and unworthiness.” (Interpreters v. 10 p. 340 ff.) Remember that as ambassadors of reconciliation God may use us to bring people to repentance, the need for reformation, and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by the renewing of their heart, soul and mind. □□□ Mark 10:35-45 - “The Principle of Service", vv. 43-45, “But whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life for a ransom of many.” ISSUE: There is no pecking order of importance in the Christian commu-HUMAN CLONING Continued from page 3 The most fundamental issue is whether these methods of artificial conception should be permitted. Many religious leaders say they undermine traditional beliefs about love, marriage and family. On the other extreme are those who believe that human reproduction, in any shape or form, is a very private matter. Ira Glasser of the American Civil Liberties Union, for instance, contends that people have moral and legal rights to make procreative decisions free from state interference. □□Q Less than a week after a Dr. Seed announced he would clone a child, 19 European nations signed a treaty that said cloning people violated human dignity and was a misuse of science. QQQ EDITOR’S NOTE: Being an old-fashioned Hungarian Calvinist, I was indeed shocked. Are we really in a race to catch up with God? Even the “mere" ethicists bitterly disagree. More so our “Household of Faith”! It shocks the doctrine of God's sovereignty, the most Calvinistic of all dogmas. ÜOU nity, but true equality is based on loving and selfless service. Even among the disciples, this issue of primality raised its ugly head and continues to do so in the hearts and minds of confessing Christians. The request of James and John to be seated at the right and left hands of Christ amounts to an unacceptable prayer. We cannot demand anything from God. When we do pray, we must be able to define what we truly want from a position of trusting faith and the knowledge of the cost of discipleship. We need to have an attitude of humility, deference to God’s will, and a sense of responsibility toward the interest and benefit of others. Our attitude for service must be based upon Jesus’ call for discipleship in Matt. 16:24, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Paradoxically, Jesus turned the world upside down. He scorns the worldly system of government that lords it over the people instead of serving their needs. Like the little boy in the “Emperor’s New Clothes”, who sees through the sham of pretention and ostentation, Jesus sees through the thin veneer of human pride and prejudice, and declares it to be insufficient and out of tune with divinely ordained leadership. True Christian leadership is based on service and not on vainglory. Remember to get out of passive selfcenterdness and put on the new self that is active in the service of the Lord. Please Remember to Renew Your Subscription to The Calvin Synod Herald!
