Magyar Egyház, 1989 (63. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)

1989-09-01 / 5. szám

8. oldal

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

BY GRACE WE ARE SAVED

Grace is the undeserved favor of God. We were born by grace, we live by grace, and we will die by grace. Grace means that God is on our side, and he is our loving, merciful and gracious Father. Our salvation depends on grace. The Scripture makes it clear, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8.)

This grace cannot be bought! There are a lot of people today who feel that as long as they have money they can buy anything, including the grace of God and their ticket to heaven. But no one can buy the grace of God with money or precious diamonds or expensive gold.

Grace is the free gift of God to sinners like you and me. It is plentiful, sufficient for all needs, and near at hand. Our part is to accept it and bless the Lord for it.

There are people who believe that they can be saved by the death of Christ plus the help of the saints and their good deeds. But Jesus says, “When you have done all that is commanded you say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Lk. 17:10.). And Paul says “We hold that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28.). The Heidelberg Catechism answers the question why our good deeds cannot be even part of our righteousness before God as follows, “Because the righteousness which can stand before the judgement of God must be absolutely perfect, and our best deeds in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin” (Q 63.).

“By grace you have been saved.” By grace we are saved! By grace we receive forgiveness! By grace we enter heaven! By grace we gain eternal life! So then it is not by our deeds — no matter how good they are — but by the amazing grace of God that we are saved. Therefore, we should be able to sing, “Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to thy cross I cling.”

“By grace you have been saved through faith.” I have been both amazed and helped by the faith of those biblical characters who believed. The centurion, who came to Jesus for the healing of his servant, believed. Jesus said to him, “Go be it done for you as you have believed” (Mt. 8:13.). One day a leper came to Jesus and on his knees he said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean” (Mk. 1:40.). Jesus responded to his faith, “Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I will, be clean’” (Mk. 2:41.). Both the centurion and the leper was helped by Jesus because they believed in his healing power and love.

Martin Luther learned about the importance of faith during his pilgrimage to Rome. As he was ascending on the sacred stairs of the judgement seat of Pilate on his knees, he heard these words sounding in his ear, “The just shall live by faith!”

Although we are saved by grace, yet it is our responsibility to receive it by faith. By faith we believe that Jesus Christ took upon himself the form of a slave and humbled himself even to the death on the cross. By faith we believe that he died for our sins that he may purchase the amazing grace and redeeming love of God for us. By faith we confess him as our Lord and Savior.

“By grace you have been saved.” It touches our hearts. It makes us say, “Amazing grace! Wonderful grace! Greater than all our sins!”

Barnabas Roczey

HUNGARIAN REFORMED YOUTH CAMP

The annual Youth Camp was held on August 13-19 at the Menonite Church Center, in the Laurel Mountains of Pennsylvania. There were 71 youth and 28 counselors present. The lower attendance, coupled with a lower average age among the campers, contributed to a peaceful and enjoyable time for all. On the whole, the youth were well-behaved and attentive. The latter was due in no small part to the program topics which dealt with current issues facing them. These were chosen in March at the United Church of Christ of Bridgeport, CT, addressing the question, “Can I make it as a Christian Teenager in the 1990’s?”

On Monday, Rev. Imre A. Bertalan of Allen Park, MI was the main speaker dealing with sex from a Christian point of view, as God’s gift to us. He presented the Biblical perspective, stressing responsibility and appropriate expression within the sanctity of marriage as well as the consequences of unfaithful, inappropriate sexual behavior. Although it is a sensitive topic, our youth have been exposed to it in school and society; thus, the church cannot shirk its responsibility to present the spiritual aspect of God’s intentions for procreation.

On Tuesday, the issue of drug usage was addressed. A special speaker, a retired Navy man, Mr. Jeff Thaxton, was hired for the presentation. His dynamic approach grabbed everyone’s attention. He emphasized self-respect and love toward parents. He reminded all, that our body is God’s temple, lovingly cared for by the parents, which becomes an individual responsibility. As Christians, we live in reality and not in a fantasy world, accountable for our actions to God and each other. The use of drugs break both divine and human fellowship and relationships. The youth were asked to exercise self-respect and to hug their parents at least 3 times a day.

On Wednesday, Rev. and Mrs. William Nyerges of Newburry, OH, presented the practical side of human love as it unfolded during 25 years of their marriage. At the end of their presentation, they renewed their vows in my presence.

On Thursday, Rev. Coralyn Medyesy of Wallingford, CT, was the guest speaker. She split the assembly into six groups and had each compile a list relating to human physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual growth development from the cradle to the grave. The lists were in turn formed into prose and poetry which were shared that evening at Vespers.