Godsleer en skrifleer: Fokus en uitdaging
Authors: Coetzee Callie F.C. 
Published: December 2012

Die keuse van die onderwerp vir hierdie artikel moet teen ‘n bepaalde agtergrond gesien word. In die eerste plek het  dit om die plek en taak van die dogmatiek, waarin die Godsleer en die Skrifleer ‘n besondere plek inneem, gegaan. Dogmatiek is immers die wetenskaplike sisteem van die kennis van God, en God openbaar Hom in besonder deur die Skrif. In die tweede plek het dit oor die aktualiteit van die onderwerp gegaan. Daar word vandag toenemend gepleit vir ‘n nuwe Godsbeeld, wat God se verhouding tot die wêreld betref. Die begrip wat gebruik  word is panenteïsme. Wat die Skrifleer betref, is die vraag na die gesag van die Skrif voortdurend aan die orde. Wat die begrip panenteïsme betref (God in alles en alles in God), in onderskeid van die begrippe deïsme, panteïsme en teïsme, is vanuit die Skrif bevind dat daar geen ineenvloeiing van God en die geskape werklikheid  is, soos die voorstanders van panenteïsme (o.a. die Nuwe Hervorming en Julian Müller in Suid-Afrika) bepleit het nie. Wat die Skrifleer betref, het die debat weereens, soos in die 16de eeu, saamgetrek in die vraag of die Bybel die Woord van God is of die ervaring van mense. Die skrywer se eie standpunt het saamgetrek in volledige instemming met die Gereformeerde belydenis soos verwoord in Nederlandse Geloofsbelydenis, Artikel 2–7. Die voorstanders van ‘n nuwe Godsbeeld (panenteïsme) het egter in hulle Skrifleer radikaal  van die Reformatoriese tradisie afgewyk. Die fokus en uitdaging vir die Gereformeerde dogmatiek lê in die onverswakte handhawing van die Goddelike gesag van die Woord. In sy Woord openbaar God Homself as die transendente en immanente God (teïsme). Hierdie waarheid het onder andere besondere implikasies vir die leer van die voorsienigheid. Wanneer die dogmatiek, in samewerking met ander relevante teologiese dissiplines en die wetenskap van die wysbegeerte en literatuurwetenskap sy taak verrig, eindig ware teologie in doksologie.Doctrine on God and doctrine on Scripture: Focus and challenge. The choice of the title for this article must be seen against a specific background. In the first place it had to do with the place and task of dogmatics, in which the doctrine on God and the doctrine on Scripture are most important. Dogmatics can be defined as the scientific system of the knowledge of God and God reveals Himself in particular in Scripture. Secondly,  it had to do with the actuality of the topic. In the current debate there is an emphasis on a new view of God as far as his relationship with creation is concerned. The term used is panentheism. And as far as the doctrine on Scripture is concerned, the question of the authority of Scripture is always on the agenda. As far as the term panentheism (all in God and God in all) is concerned, distinguished from deism, pantheism and theism, it was concluded that in Scripture we do not find any identity or fusion between God and creation, as the advocates for panentheism (the New Reformers and Julian Müller inter alia in South Africa) plead. As far as the doctrine of Scripture is concerned, the focus is on the question whether the Bible is the Word of God or the experience of man. The author of this article found himself in full agreement with the Reformed confession as formulated in the Belgic Confession, Articles 2–7. On the other hand,  the advocates for a new view about God (panentheism) deviate radically from the Reformed tradition. The focus and challenge for Reformed dogmatics lie in the maintaining of the Divine authority of Scripture. In his Word, God reveals Himself as both the transcendent and immanent God (theism). This truth has specific implications for the doctrine on providence inter alia. When Reformed dogmatics is practised in cooperation with other theological disciplines, philosophy, literature studies, et cetera, theology in the end becomes doxology.