| Posting
# 30
The
Belhar Confession
The Belhar Confession is one of the standards of unity
for the Uniting Reformed Church of Southern Africa . That unity,
as depicted in this
Confession, is what God desires between all people and groups. Read
this brief Confession for yourself at:
http://www.bethel.edu/~letnie/AfricanChristianity/SABelhar.html
This Confession states that:
We believe
that Christ's
work of reconciliation is made manifest in the Church as the community
of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another;
The fact is: “that
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting
men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message
of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19, 20).
Doesn't the confessional statement “that
Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the Church”
imply that “
Christ's work of reconciliation ”
is something greater (broader, more extensive) than “
the Church ”
and is to be displayed in the Church by the Church's teaching and
practice?
One objection raised against the premise; “All
persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be
finally lost,”
is: “Why
preach?” or “Why carry on the work of missions?” The Belhar Confession
provides one answer, namely, that those “
who have been
reconciled with God and with one another”
ought to be joined with
“
the community of believers ”
whose
message is:
“
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting men's sins against them.”
Whether
so intended by the authors of The Belhar Confession or not, the
fact “that
Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the Church”
is a compelling reason to call upon all who have been reconciled
to God to be joined in spiritual and visible unity to “the
Church.”
Cordially,
Neal Punt whenindoubt3@charter.net
For
further discussion of the question "Why Preach?" click
on Posting # 9, Motivation for Missions or
Why Preach?
PS
— If you are unable to access The Belhar Confession on the internet
I will send it to you by email.
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