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14 The Creation and Fall of Humanity 15 The Doctrine of Original Sin

Belgic Confession of Faith · Article 14

The Creation and Fall of Humanity

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Türkçe

Tanrı’nın insanı toprağın tozundan yarattığına ve onu kendi suretinde ve benzerliğinde — iyi, doğru ve kutsal olarak — biçimlendirdiğine; kendi iradesiyle her bakımdan Tanrı’nın isteğine uyabilecek durumda olduğuna inanırız. Fakat insan bu onurlu durumda iken bunu anlamadı ve üstünlüğünü tanımadı. Şeytanın sözlerine kulak vererek kendi isteğiyle günaha boyun eğdi ve bunun sonucu olarak ölüme ve lanete teslim oldu. Kendisine verilmiş olan yaşam buyruğunu çiğnedi; günahıyla kendisini gerçek yaşamı olan Tanrı’dan ayırdı ve bütün doğasını bozdu. Böylece kendisini hem bedensel hem ruhsal ölüme mahkûm etti; tüm yollarında kötü, sapkın ve bozulmuş hâle geldi. Tanrı’dan aldığı bütün üstün armağanları yitirdi; geriye yalnızca onu affedilemez kılacak kadar küçük izler dışında hiçbirini tutamadı. Ayrıca Kutsal Yazı’nın öğrettiği gibi, içimizdeki bütün ışık karanlığa dönmüştür: “Işık karanlıkta parladı, karanlık onu kabul etmedi.” Burada Yuhanna insanları “karanlık” olarak adlandırır.

Bu nedenle insanın özgür iradesine dair buna aykırı olan bütün öğretileri reddederiz; çünkü insan günahın kölesidir ve gökten verilmedikçe hiçbir şey yapamaz. Zira kim kendi başına iyi bir şey yapabileceğiyle övünebilir? Mesih şöyle der: “Beni gönderen Baba çekmedikçe kimse bana gelemez.” Kim kendi iradesiyle övünebilir? Çünkü şöyle yazılmıştır: “Bedenin düşüncesi Tanrı’ya düşmandır.” Kim kendi bilgisiyle övünebilir? Çünkü: “Doğal insan Tanrı’nın Ruhu’na ait şeyleri kabul etmez.” Kısacası, kim kendi kendisinden tek bir düşünce üretebilir? Çünkü biz “kendimizden bir şeyi düşünmeye yeterli değiliz; yeterliliğimiz Tanrı’dandır.” Bu nedenle elçinin söylediği söz sabit ve sarsılmazdır: “Çünkü hem istemeniz hem de yapmanız için sizde etkin olan Tanrı’dır.” Çünkü Mesih’in işi olmaksızın Tanrı’nın isteğine uygun bir anlayış ya da irade yoktur; Mesih’in kendisi şöyle öğretir: “Bensiz hiçbir şey yapamazsınız.”

English

We believe that God created human beings from the dust of the earth and made and formed them in his image and likeness- good, just, and holy; able by their will to conform in all things to the will of God. But when they were in honor they did not understand it (Ps. 49:20) and did not recognize their excellence. But they subjected themselves willingly to sin and consequently to death and the curse, lending their ear to the word of the devil. For they transgressed the commandment of life, which they had received, and by their sin they separated themselves from God, who was their true life, having corrupted their entire nature. So they made themselves guilty and subject to physical and spiritual death, having become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all their ways. They lost all their excellent gifts which they had received from God, and retained none of them except for small traces which are enough to make them inexcusable. Moreover, all the light in us is turned to darkness, as the Scripture teaches us: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5) Here John calls the human race "darkness." Therefore we reject everything taught to the contrary concerning human free will, since humans are nothing but the slaves of sin and cannot do a thing unless it is given them from heaven. (John 3:27) For who can boast of being able to do anything good by oneself, since Christ says, "No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me"? (John 6:44) Who can glory in their own will when they understand that "the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God"? (Rom. 8:7) Who can speak of their own knowledge in view of the fact that "those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit"? (1 Cor. 2:14) In short, who can produce a single thought, knowing that we are not able to think a thing about ourselves, by ourselves, but that "our competence is from God"? (2 Cor. 3:5) And therefore, what the apostle says ought rightly to stand fixed and firm: God works within us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13) For there is no understanding nor will conforming to God's understanding and will apart from Christ's involvement, as he teaches us when he says, "Apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

We believe that God created human beings from the dust of the earth and made and formed them in his image and likeness- good, just, and holy; able by their will to conform in all things to the will of God. But when they were in honor they did not understand it (Ps. 49:20) and did not recognize their excellence. But they subjected themselves willingly to sin and consequently to death and the curse, lending their ear to the word of the devil. For they transgressed the commandment of life, which they had received, and by their sin they separated themselves from God, who was their true life, having corrupted their entire nature. So they made themselves guilty and subject to physical and spiritual death, having become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all their ways. They lost all their excellent gifts which they had received from God, and retained none of them except for small traces which are enough to make them inexcusable. Moreover, all the light in us is turned to darkness, as the Scripture teaches us: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5) Here John calls the human race "darkness." Therefore we reject everything taught to the contrary concerning human free will, since humans are nothing but the slaves of sin and cannot do a thing unless it is given them from heaven. (John 3:27) For who can boast of being able to do anything good by oneself, since Christ says, "No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me"? (John 6:44) Who can glory in their own will when they understand that "the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God"? (Rom. 8:7) Who can speak of their own knowledge in view of the fact that "those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit"? (1 Cor. 2:14) In short, who can produce a single thought, knowing that we are not able to think a thing about ourselves, by ourselves, but that "our competence is from God"? (2 Cor. 3:5) And therefore, what the apostle says ought rightly to stand fixed and firm: God works within us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13) For there is no understanding nor will conforming to God's understanding and will apart from Christ's involvement, as he teaches us when he says, "Apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

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