RAFR105 Vrygemaak … daarom is ons goed genoeg (Henco van der Westhuizen)
Martin Luther maak die stelling dat hy sy hele lewe vir die Here afgesonder het, maar tog het skuldgevoelens hom menigmaal beetgepak. Dan kom die besef dat geregtigheid nie iets is wat verwerf word nie, maar dat hierdie geregtigheid eerder ‘n passiewe geregtigheid is: ‘n geskenk van God! En dit word die grondslag waarop hy sy verstaan van die teologie bou!
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RENG105 Set free … that is why we are good enough (Henco van der Westhuizen)
Martin Luther made the statement that he had set his whole life apart for the Lord, but was nevertheless often overwhelmed by feelings of guilt. He later realised that “justice” was not something he could earn; it wasn’t something that he could achieve by what he did or did not do. This justice was rather a passive justice; it was a gift from God! And this become the solid foundation upon which he built his theology.
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Vrygemaak om in geloof anders te kan kyk (Cas Wepener)
Soos die kamera die wêreld raam in die voortdurende soeke na wat ek en jy dink ‘mooi’ is, net so raam die Bybel die wêreld met wat vir God ‘mooi’ is. In die tradisie van die Reformasie kan ons nie sê dat ons al iets gesien het, as ons nog nie deur die kamera van die Skrif daarna gekyk het nie. Dan sien ons in die woorde van Elisabeth Eybers, “onderwater webbe roer”. Dan sien ons in die woorde van Jesaja, ʼn takkie wat uitspruit uit ʼn afgekapte stomp..
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Freed through faith to see differently (Cas Wepener)
As the camera frames the world in a constant search to whatever you and I regard as “beautiful”, in the same way the Bible frames the world with what is “beautiful” to God. In the tradition of the Reformation we cannot say we have seen something, if we have not seen it through the camera of the Scriptures. Then we see in the words of Elisabeth Eybers, “the webbed stirs underwater”. Then we see in the words of Isaiah, “A shoot will come up from the stump…”
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Vrygemaak om te bely (Elsje Büchner)
Die Reformasie het ons vrygemaak van die kettings van ʼn lewe waarin jy letterlik met geld moes betaal vir jou sondes. Dit het gelowiges se oë vir die radikaliteit van God se genade oopgemaak. Maar beteken hierdie insig dat sondebelydenis dan nie meer nodig is nie of verskraal is tot ʼn vinnige sin aan die einde van ʼn gebed: “Here, vergewe my my sondes?”
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Set free to confess (Elsje Büchner)
The Reformation set us free from the chains of a life in which we literally had to pay for our sins with money. This opened believers’ eyes for the radicality of God’s grace. However, does this insight mean that the confession of sins is no longer necessary or that it has mitigated to a quick sentence at the end of a prayer, “Lord, forgive me my sins”?
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Vrygemaak deur ʼn God wie se beloftes hoop bied (Robert Vosloo)
Op 31 Oktober 1517 het ʼn jong Rooms-Katolieke monnik, Maarten Luther, volgens oorlewering ʼn protesskrif met 95 stellinge teen ʼn deur van die Kasteelkerk in Wittenberg, Duitsland vasgespyker. Luther wou met dié daad ʼn gesprek begin oor wat hy as wanpraktyke van die kerk van sy dag gesien het. Hy het dit veral teen die sogenaamde aflaatstelsel gehad – ʼn praktyk waarvolgens ʼn mens vryspraak of vermindering van straf in die hiernamaals kon koop. Vir Luther het hierdie praktyk (wat berus op die idee dat jy God se guns kan koop) teen die boodskap van die evangelie ingedruis, en het hy hom sterk uitgespreek teen die feit dat die kerk ter wille van geldelike gewin en ten koste van die armes hiermee voortgaan. Nee, sou Luther voortaan al hoe duideliker argumenteer, ons verlossing word alleen deur God op grond van die geloof in Christus in genade aan ons toegesê.
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Freed – by the God whose promises gives hope (Robert Vosloo)
On 31 October 1517, according to tradition, a young Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther, nailed a protest document with 95 Theses against a door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany. With this dead of protest, Luther intended to begin a discussion about what he perceived as malpractices of the church of his day. His main concern was the so-called ‘indulgences’ – a practice by which a person could buy his or her redemption or decrease of punishment in the hereafter. Luther regarded this practice (which was based on the idea that you could buy God’s favour) as directly contrary to the message of the gospel and he strongly disputed the fact that the church could proceed to enrich itself at the cost of the poor. No, Luther would henceforth undoubtedly argue, God gives us our salvation, by grace alone and solely based on our faith in Christ.
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Vrygemaak om met vreugde te dien (Gideon van der Watt)
Vryheid is een van die mensdom se hoogste ideale en kosbaarste besittings. Oor die eeue heen veg volke al in vryheidsoorloë, lê mense hulle lewe vir vryheid neer. Dink maar aan die stryd vir die vrystelling van slawe, of vir godsdiensvryheid. Seker die belangrikste simbool vir Amerika is die reuse Statue of Liberty in die New York hawe. Hierdie beeld van die Romeinse godin van vryheid was ʼn geskenk van die vryheidsliewende Franse volk in 1886. Vryheid kan egter ook ʼn risiko wees; dit kan misverstaan word. My of ons vryheid kan ander hulle vryheid ontneem. Of dit wat ons as vryheid nastreef, kan so maklik in ʼn nuwe slawerny ontaard. Die vraag is: Wanneer is ons waarlik vry?
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Freed to serve with joy (Gideon van der Watt)
Freedom is one of humankind’s highest ideals and most valuable possessions. Down through the ages nations fight for independence; people lay down their lives for liberation. Just think of the struggle for the emancipation of slaves, or for freedom of religion. Probably the most important symbol for America is the giant Statue of Liberty in the harbour of New York. This statue of the Roman goddess of freedom was a gift from the freedom-loving French people in 1886. But freedom can also be a risk; it can be misapprehended. My or our freedom could deprive others of their freedom. What we strive for as liberty can easily degenerate into a new slavery. The question is: When are we truly free?
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Vrygemaak vir hierdie lewe (Pieter van der Walt)
Ons het dit in hierdie lewe nie altyd net maklik nie. Christenskap vrywaar jou nie van die probleme van gewone menswees nie. ʼn Christen kan ook siek word en sukkel om gesond te word. ʼn Christen ervaar soms angs, het ook bekommernis oor die toekoms, sukker met selfverwyte en gevoelens van mislukking en minderwaardigheid, met neerslagtigheid en diepe twyfel.
Die vader van die Reformasie, Martin Luther, het 500 jaar gelede intens bewus geword daarvan dat God uit genade alleen in Jesus Christus ons wêreld binnegetree het; dat Hy nie losstaan van ons kwellinge nie maar ons stryd teen versoekings ken, ons twyfel, en ons pyn. God het nie op ʼn afstand gebly nie. Dit het radikale implikasies vir ons ingesteldheid en vrese.
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Set free for this life (Pieter van der Walt)
This life is not always easy. Christianity doesn’t always protect you from the everyday problems all humans experience. A Christian can also become ill and have trouble healing. At times a Christian feels anxious too, worries about the future, struggles with regrets and feelings of failure and inferiority, with despondency and deep insecurities.
The father of the reformation, Martin Luther, became intensely aware that God came into the world through Jesus Christ by grace alone, and that he is not indifferent to our concerns, that he knows our struggle with temptations, our doubts, and our physical and emotional pain. God did not keep a distance. This has radical implications for our attitude and fears.
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