‘n Persoonlike Nota oor Reeks 1 en ons Gereformeerde Belydenis
Liewe leser,
Ek wil jou van die begin af inlig oor hoe ek hierdie kursus aanbied en watter gesindheid ek daarmee het. Ek glo met my hele hart dat die Heilige Skrif ons hoogste gesag is, en dat die gereformeerde belydenisskrifte – die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis, die Heidelbergse Kategismus en die Dordtse Leerreëls – ‘n getroue en Bybelse opsomming gee van die kernwaarhede van ons geloof.
Ek bieg dit openlik: indien daar ooit ‘n botsing sou wees tussen wat ek sê en wat die Skrif leer soos dit reg verstaan word in ons belydenis, dan kies ek sonder huiwer die Skrif. Hierdie kursus is nie bedoel om ons belydenis te verswak nie, maar om dit te belig vanuit ‘n metafisiese hoek wat ons help om die diepte en breedte van God se grootheid nog beter te waardeer.
Tog erken ek dat daar sekere temas in Reeks 1 is wat, afhangend van jou agtergrond, as ongewoon of selfs potensieel omstrede ervaar kan word. Hieronder lys ek dit vir jou, saam met die relevante belydenisverwysings, sodat jy self kan onderskei.
Potensiële Spanningspunte
1. Gebruik van filosofie en natuurlike teologie
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 2; DL 3/4.4–6
Ek gebruik gedagtes van filosowe soos Aristoteles, Aquinas, Plantinga en Lewis as hulpmiddels om die geloof te verduidelik. Sommige gereformeerdes verkies om streng by presupposisionele argumente te bly, uit vrees dat filosofie as “neutrale” rede misleidend kan wees.
2. Klassiek-filosofiese beskrywings van God (ipsum esse subsistens)
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 1; HK Sondag 8
Hierdie taal beklemtoon God se selfbestaan en eenvoud, maar kan sonder verduideliking verkeerd geïnterpreteer word as panteïsme of ‘n ontpersoonliking van God.
3. Klem op God se immanensie sowel as transendensie
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 13; HK V/A 26
Ek praat graag oor God se teenwoordigheid “in alles” (Hand. 17:28). Dit is Bybels, maar kan deur sommige gehoor word asof ek God en skepping vermeng. Die Skepper-skepsel-onderskeid moet altyd duidelik bly.
4. Universele verlange na God
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 2; DL 3/4.1–4; Rom. 1:18–21; Rom. 3:11
Ek verwys na die sensus divinitatis en die rusteloosheid wat dit in elke mens skep. Hier is noukeurige onderskeiding nodig. Calvyn leer dat God ‘n bewussyn van Homself in alle mense ingeplant het (Institusie I.3.1), maar dat gevalle mense hierdie bewussyn aktief onderdruk en verdraai (Institusie I.4; Rom. 1:18–21). Die sensus divinitatis produseer dus ‘n onrustigheid en ‘n besef dat daar iets groter is, maar lei op sigself nie tot ware Godskennis of opregte soeke na God nie — Romeine 3:11 is ondubbelsinnig: “Daar is niemand wat God soek nie.” Enige werklike beweging van die hart na God toe word deur die Heilige Gees gewerk (DL 3/4.11–12). Waar Hart of ander denkers praat van ‘n “natuurlike verlange na God” by ongelowiges, moet ons dit verstaan as die rusteloosheid wat die sensus divinitatis nalaat, nie as ‘n ongehoude menslike vermoë om God te soek of te vind nie.
5. Erkenning van gedeelde klassieke teïsme met ander gelowe
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 2, 7; DL 2.5
Ek wys daarop dat sekere eienskappe van God deur ander godsdienste erken word. Dit kan maklik verkeerd verstaan word asof ek sê alle gelowe lei na God, wat ek nie glo nie. Christus bly vir my die enigste Middelaar.
6. Oop gespreksbenadering
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 7; HK Sondag 21
Ek wil hê mense moet vry voel om vrae te vra en selfs te verskil. Party mag dit as te “oop” ervaar in ‘n streng belydenisgebonde konteks.
7. David Bentley Hart se universalisme
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 37; DL 1.15; HK Sondag 19, V/A 52
Ek moet eerlik wees oor iets wat sommige lesers sal opval. Hierdie reeks steun sterk op die filosofiese raamwerk van David Bentley Hart, veral soos uiteengesit in sy boek The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss (2013). Dit is ‘n uitstekende werk oor klassieke teisme, en ek gebruik dit met oortuiging.
Sedert 2019 het Hart egter in sy boek That All Shall Be Saved openlik ‘n universalistiese standpunt ingeneem – hy verwerp die leer van ewige verdoemenis en voer aan dat alle mense uiteindelik gered sal word. Dit staan in regstreekse spanning met ons gereformeerde belydenis. Die Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis (Art. 37) bely dat die goddeloses “die ewige straf” sal ontvang. Die Dordtse Leerreels (1.15) leer dat God nie almal verkies het nie, maar sommige in hul val en verderf gelaat het. En die Heidelbergse Kategismus (Sondag 19, V/A 52) troos ons juis met die verwagting dat Christus as Regter sal kom wat al sy en my vyande “in die ewige verdoemenis sal werp.”
Ek wil dit nie wegsteek nie. Eerlikheid vra dat ek erken: die man wie se filosofiese werk ek hier gebruik, het teologiese oortuigings wat op hierdie punt wesenlik van ons belydenis verskil. Wat ek wel in hierdie reeks gebruik, is Hart se filosofiese raamwerk oor God se wese, nie sy soteriologiese gevolgtrekkings nie. Sy beskrywing van God as die oneindige grond van bestaan, bewussyn en goedheid staan in ‘n lang klassieke tradisie (Augustinus, Aquinas, die Kappadosiers) en is nie afhanklik van sy latere universalistiese standpunt nie.
Ek vra jou om hier met onderskeiding te lees: neem wat waar en nuttig is, en toets alles aan die Skrif en ons belydenis.
Punte van Volle Ooreenstemming
1. God as ewig, selfbestaand, onveranderlik
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 1; HK Sondag 8
In volle ooreenstemming met die belydenis se beskrywing van God se natuur.
2. God as Skepper en Onderhouer van alles
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 12, 13; HK V/A 26
Direk in lyn met die belydenis; Hand. 17:28 is korrek gebruik as Skrifgrond.
3. Skepper-skepsel-onderskeid
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 1, 13
Beklemtoon in beskrywings van God as transendent en tog immanent teenwoordig.
4. Algemene openbaring – skepping wys op God
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 2; DL 3/4.4
Volledig ooreenstemmend; skepping maak God se ewige krag en Goddelikheid bekend.
5. Christus as Middelaar en bron van verlossing
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 20–23; HK Sondag 1
Saligheid word aan gemeenskap met God in Christus verbind.
6. Beeld van God in die mens
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 14; HK Sondag 3
Erken dat rede, moraliteit en verhouding deel van die skeppingsbeeld is.
7. Doel van die mens: Aanbidding en gemeenskap met God
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: HK V/A 1, 32; NGB Art. 1
Kennis van God lei tot aanbidding en vreugde.
8. Afwysing van valse voorstellings van God
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: HK Sondag 36; NGB Art. 2
In lyn met belydenis dat ware godskennis net uit Skrif kom.
9. God as bron van waarheid, goedheid en skoonheid
Relevante Belydenisverwysings: NGB Art. 1; HK V/A 26
Harmoniseer met belydenis se beklemtoning van God se volmaaktheid.
Hoe ek hoop jy dit sal lees
Ek vra jou om Reeks 1 te benader met ‘n onderskeidende hart en ‘n oop Bybel:
- Toets alles aan die lig van God se Woord.
- Onthou dat filosofie vir my slegs ‘n hulpmiddel is, nie ‘n gesag nie.
- Hou Christus en die evangelie in die middelpunt.
- Lees in die wete dat ek myself en my woorde graag ondergeskik stel aan die waarheid van die Skrif.
My gebed is dat hierdie kursus jou liefde vir God en jou waardering vir ons gereformeerde erfenis sal verdiep, en dat ons saam in verwondering sal staan oor die grootheid van ons Here.
Jou broer in Christus, A.A. Retief
A Personal Note on Series 1 and Our Reformed Confession
Dear reader,
I want to inform you from the outset about how I present this course and the disposition with which I do so. I believe with my whole heart that Holy Scripture is our highest authority, and that the Reformed confessional standards — the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort — provide a faithful and biblical summary of the core truths of our faith.
I confess this openly: if there were ever a conflict between what I say and what Scripture teaches as rightly understood in our confession, I would choose Scripture without hesitation. This course is not intended to weaken our confession, but to illuminate it from a metaphysical angle that helps us better appreciate the depth and breadth of God’s greatness.
Yet I acknowledge that certain themes in Series 1 may, depending on your background, be experienced as unusual or even potentially controversial. Below I list them for you, together with the relevant confessional references, so that you can discern for yourself.
Potential Points of Tension
1. Use of philosophy and natural theology
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 2; CD 3/4.4–6
I use ideas from philosophers such as Aristotle, Aquinas, Plantinga and Lewis as tools to explain the faith. Some Reformed believers prefer to remain strictly with presuppositional arguments, fearing that philosophy as “neutral” reason can be misleading.
2. Classical-philosophical descriptions of God (ipsum esse subsistens)
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 1; HC Lord’s Day 8
This language emphasises God’s self-existence and simplicity, but without explanation it can be misinterpreted as pantheism or a depersonalisation of God.
3. Emphasis on God’s immanence as well as transcendence
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 13; HC Q/A 26
I like to speak of God’s presence “in all things” (Acts 17:28). This is biblical, but can be heard by some as if I am conflating God and creation. The Creator-creature distinction must always remain clear.
4. Universal longing for God
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 2; CD 3/4.1–4; Rom. 1:18–21; Rom. 3:11
I refer to the sensus divinitatis and the restlessness it creates in every person. Careful discernment is needed here. Calvin teaches that God has implanted an awareness of Himself in all people (Institutes I.3.1), but that fallen human beings actively suppress and distort this awareness (Institutes I.4; Rom. 1:18–21). The sensus divinitatis therefore produces a restlessness and an awareness that there is something greater, but does not in itself lead to true knowledge of God or genuine seeking after God — Romans 3:11 is unambiguous: “There is none who seeks after God.” Any real movement of the heart towards God is wrought by the Holy Spirit (CD 3/4.11–12). Where Hart or other thinkers speak of a “natural longing for God” in unbelievers, we must understand this as the restlessness that the sensus divinitatis leaves behind, not as an unassisted human capacity to seek or find God.
5. Acknowledgement of shared classical theism with other faiths
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 2, 7; CD 2.5
I point out that certain attributes of God are acknowledged by other religions. This can easily be misunderstood as if I am saying all faiths lead to God, which I do not believe. Christ remains for me the only Mediator.
6. Open conversational approach
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 7; HC Lord’s Day 21
I want people to feel free to ask questions and even to disagree. Some may experience this as too “open” in a strictly confessional context.
7. David Bentley Hart’s universalism
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 37; CD 1.15; HC Lord’s Day 19, Q/A 52
I must be honest about something some readers will notice. This series draws heavily on the philosophical framework of David Bentley Hart, especially as set out in his book The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss (2013). It is an excellent work on classical theism, and I use it with conviction.
Since 2019, however, Hart has in his book That All Shall Be Saved openly adopted a universalist position — he rejects the doctrine of eternal condemnation and argues that all people will ultimately be saved. This stands in direct tension with our Reformed confession. The Belgic Confession (Art. 37) confesses that the ungodly will receive “eternal punishment.” The Canons of Dort (1.15) teach that God has not elected all, but has left some in their fall and perdition. And the Heidelberg Catechism (Lord’s Day 19, Q/A 52) comforts us precisely with the expectation that Christ will come as Judge who will “cast all his and my enemies into eternal condemnation.”
I do not want to hide this. Honesty demands that I acknowledge: the man whose philosophical work I use here holds theological convictions that on this point differ substantially from our confession. What I do use in this series is Hart’s philosophical framework concerning God’s being, not his soteriological conclusions. His description of God as the infinite ground of being, consciousness and goodness stands in a long classical tradition (Augustine, Aquinas, the Cappadocians) and is not dependent on his later universalist position.
I ask you to read here with discernment: take what is true and useful, and test everything against Scripture and our confession.
Points of Full Agreement
1. God as eternal, self-existent, immutable
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 1; HC Lord’s Day 8
In full agreement with the confession’s description of God’s nature.
2. God as Creator and Sustainer of all things
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 12, 13; HC Q/A 26
Directly in line with the confession; Acts 17:28 is correctly used as scriptural ground.
3. Creator-creature distinction
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 1, 13
Emphasised in descriptions of God as transcendent yet immanently present.
4. General revelation — creation points to God
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 2; CD 3/4.4
Fully consistent; creation makes known God’s eternal power and divinity.
5. Christ as Mediator and source of salvation
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 20–23; HC Lord’s Day 1
Salvation is linked to communion with God in Christ.
6. Image of God in humanity
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 14; HC Lord’s Day 3
Acknowledges that reason, morality and relationship are part of the image of creation.
7. Purpose of humanity: Worship and communion with God
Relevant Confessional References: HC Q/A 1, 32; BC Art. 1
Knowledge of God leads to worship and joy.
8. Rejection of false representations of God
Relevant Confessional References: HC Lord’s Day 36; BC Art. 2
In line with the confession that true knowledge of God comes from Scripture alone.
9. God as the source of truth, goodness and beauty
Relevant Confessional References: BC Art. 1; HC Q/A 26
Harmonises with the confession’s emphasis on God’s perfection.
How I hope you will read this
I ask you to approach Series 1 with a discerning heart and an open Bible:
- Test everything in the light of God’s Word.
- Remember that for me philosophy is merely a tool, not an authority.
- Keep Christ and the gospel at the centre.
- Read knowing that I gladly submit myself and my words to the truth of Scripture.
My prayer is that this course will deepen your love for God and your appreciation of our Reformed heritage, and that together we will stand in wonder at the greatness of our Lord.
Your brother in Christ, A.A. Retief