Magyar Egyház, 1957 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1957-03-01 / 3. szám
12 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ other answer to the question of why Prof. Hromadka wrote this particular article. And I must say that I regret very much being rather harsh sometimes in this answer, but it is always necessary to tell—without any diplomacy—that which I think to be the truth. I still hope that Prof. Hromadka will some time change his mind. PAP RESIGNS In other developments in Hungary, it has been reported that Professor László Pap resigned about two weeks ago as dean of the faculty of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Budapest. He continues on the faculty. Elected by fellow professors to succeed him as dean is Professor Czeglédy. It is understood that Reformed Bishop Ladislaus Ravasz again has withdrawn from ecclesiastical affairs and is living at his home in the country as he did before the revolution. He had been acting as Bishop in Budapest for a time following changes in the leadership of the church. E.P.S., Geneva Scriptures For Hungarian Refugees In a small barracks room every morning and afternoon at Camp Kilmer, N.J., a group of Hungarian refugees sits intently following a young American soldier’s instructions. “A room, a room,” he says. And the class echoes back, “A room, a room.” In learning to communicate freely with their future American neighbors, these new arrivals are being aided by a booklet in beginning English written, printed and distributed through the cooperation of two committees of the National Council of Churches. The soldier is one of two newly inducted men — teachers in private life — who are helping these classes learn English. The new booklet was prepared by Mrs. Elizabeth G. Mitchell, a former missionary to Japan, whom the Council’s Committee on World Literacy and Christian Literature engaged to write it and to instruct the civilian teaching staff at the Kilmer reception center. On the inside cover, a message in Hungarian greets the new students and explains how to use the simple picture-lessons inside. “These wonderful people have impressed me by their eagerness to learn,” Mrs. Mitchell said. “It is really exciting to work with them.” lessons are not intended to be more than an introduction to the language, she explained, but at the end of the short course a student should know about 200 useful English words and phrases and some 25 items of grammar — “a good start.” To enable Americans who have no experience in teaching to help newly arrived Hungarians in their communities speak English, Mrs. Mitchell has also prepared an instruction sheet, “How to Help Others Learn English.” The lesson books are being distributed to communities receiving Hungarian families by Church World Service. FAITH “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved” . . . that is, God will forgive your sins, resurrect you from the dead and give you an eternal life in heaven. Since true faith in Jesus Christ is the only condition and assurance of our salvation, therefore, let us try to understand in this article how we can possess true faith in Jesus Christ and how we can be sure that our faith is true and genuine. We sinful earthly men cannot create our faith. It is impossible to say that today I do not believe in Jesus Christ but from tomorrow on I will believe that He is the son of God, He died for my sins on the cross, and through his resurrection and ascension He made certain my own resurrection and my entrance into heaven. Our true faith in Jesus Christ is created in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings about a spiritual change in our lives, or as the Bible says, the Holy Spirit regenerates us, that is, enables us to believe in Jesus Christ. As to how and when the Holy Spirit does his blessed regenerating work in our lives, we cannot tell. This following Bible verse refers to the mysterious nature of the work of the Holy Spirit: “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 A man who is bora of the Spirit knows only this, that: he believes in Jesus Christ. Although we cannot tell how the Holy Spirit creates our faith but we can tell whether our faith is a true faith or just a selfdeception. True faith in Jesus Christ manifests itself in repentance and conversion. A man who truly believes in Jesus Christ admits and confesses daily to God his manifold sins and transgressions. He is very sorry for his corruption and clearly realizes that if Jesus had not suffered and died for him there would be no hope for him to be forgiven by God and to inherit an eternal life in heaven. Also, true faith in Jesus Christ must bear the fruit of thanksgiving. If I realize that without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ I would be doomed to hell, certainly I wish to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for his great love to me. But there is only one way to show my gratitude and thanksgiving to Jesus: I have to give up my sins and strive by all my power to live according to his holy example. This is conversion. True repentance and true conversion are such essential parts of true faith in Jesus Christ that without them there is no salvation. This truth is revealed in these words of the Bible: “Unless you repent you will all perish.” Luke 13:3. “Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, idolatry, envy, drunkeness, selfishness, and the like. Those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal. 5:19-21 You are the only one who is able to tell whether or not you have true faith in your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Stephen Kovács.
