Skrif en kerkorde: enkele konstantes vanuit 'n veelkantige beeld

[摘要] English: The viewpoint for this dissertation is that God still speaks through His Word and Spirit toHis church about the latter's fundamental nature and order. From this it can be concludedthat the church is continuously being called to listen to the Word so that. under theguidance of the Holy Spirit. it can remain church in and for it's time, as God intended itto be. In the first section of the dissertation it is clear that the Word shows a unique,complex multifaceted image of the church. At times, it even shows contradictory views.and in many instances demonstrates a reflection of the demands of circumstances. It alsoreflects something about the dynamic way in which the Lord enables His church to bechurch in its particular circumstances.In the second section of the dissertation. the constants which appear the most in thecorpusses. are taken collectively to form the outlines of the nature and order of thechurch. It goes without saying that these issues are restricted to what is important for thefunctioning of the church. It became clear that the church originates from God. in thatHis Spirit. within the framework of the covenant. ties individuals to Him in faith, on thegrounds of the atonement work of Jesus Christ, thus including them in His church. These. individuals are tied together in Christ and cannot function without one another. Thechurch is thus by nature a corporate unit. whether universally as the new Israel. or in itsmore visible state as a local congregation. Furthermore. because of its origin. the churchexists as a seperate group of people in the world with the responsibility to hold fast to thegospel of Jesus Christ. and thus to be equipped to be God's witnesses in the world. As faras the organizational aspects are concerned. it is clear that the church is both in heruniversal and local state, an integrated entity. In this regard. it is important to realize thatJesus Christ himselfis the structure of the church. and see at the same time to it that it isbeing served in an orderly fashion. Within the scope of this structure. every member hasa Godgiven clerical responsibility. At the same time. existing ministeries form. togetherwith the Spirit. the skeleton that makes the congregation a dynamic. motivated body onthe move. These specific ministeries are charismatic in origin. function non-hierarchial in .the congregation and have the responsibility to instruct the congregation in especially theteaching of the gospel. The reason for this is to enable, the congregation to adhere to itscalling for obedience, love. and witness, and that the church's particular existence can bemaintained. In all of this there is a definite openness for change depending on thedemands of circumstances.In the third section specific implications for church order were highligted from theconstants, which should be addressed in one way or another in all church order to avoidpragmatism and arbitrariness on the one hand. and to create space on the other hand fordiversity of the demands oflocal circumstances. In the course of the dissertation,reference is made to both the traditional Reformed church order as it manifests itself inthe Dutch Reformed Church. and some newer models which have come to the fore in theplace of the traditional order. It became clear in the discussion that both sides showpartiality. Although the demands of circumstances contributed to this. it is especially thenew models that are standing on wavering Scriptual truths.

[发布机构] University of the Free State