CHAPTER ONE. In the Old Testament we meet with the problem of suffering and reward, and the attempts made to resolve it. It becomes the one great problem after the time of the Exile. Most commentators are agreed that it grew to hold that place in relation to the increase of importance of the individual in Hebrew thinking. While certain aspects of the problem are presented in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Psalm 73, the most important contributions are made by the Deuteronomist and the poet who wrote the Book of Job. The Deuteronomist theory presents the belief that there is a rigid correspondence between the sins of the individual and his suffering. The reply in Job makes it clear that this is not so. Job himself passes through the desperate situation of feeling deserted by God to a certain faith that whatever happens to him, God is faithful. CHAPTER TWO. Jesus' teaching on "discipleship". Basically Jesus's teaching centres around Mark 8 : 34, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me". The cost of discipleship from this point of view means, then, that even as Jesus Himself bears the cross for the salvation of the world, so the disciple is called upon to bear that cross in association with his Lord. Jesus offers the reward of both a present foretaste and a future consummation of eternal life, as the disciple shares in His resurrection. St. Paul's teaching of "Life in Christ". The central teaching of Paul is found in Romans 6 : 11, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." The cost of discipleship is death, the death of self- will. It means being crucified with Christ. The reward of the righteous man is both a present and future participation in the risen life of Christ. CHAPTER THREE The need of man. Because man is a sinner, being estranged from God in whose image he was created, he stands in need of being reconciled to God. This he cannot do himself because, to his sin, he is not able to make the full sacrifice of his self-will. "Man requires to be put right with God because as a matter of fact he is not right." The Christ. Only in the person of the God-man is God able to effect man's resolution. Jesus, the Christ, who alone of all men did not participate in the sinfulness of man, is this God-man, realising in Himself the fact that salvation can only be wrought by one who is both God and man. The necessity of the Cross. The death of the Christ is seen to be necessary both from the side of man and from that of God. It was essential that the Christ should give His life for man; everything for His purpose of salvation turns on the will to die. He must give himself to reconcile man to God. The sacrifice of the Cross. Seen in the context of the Old Testament sacrificial system, what is important about the sacrifice of the Christ is that on the cross He offered up His life for man. The sacrifice of the Christ is both in the category of divine revelation and that of human response. It is the love of God in its utter self-offering making a way whereby the sinner might be reconciled to Him. The use of the Ransom Theory of the atonement is regarded as inadequate for expressing this cost. Basically it is a costly sacrifice because it is the self-offering of the Son of God upon the cross. CHAPTER FOUR The New Testament picture. A closer analysis is made of the New Testament teaching of discipleship, where it is seen that it is required of men that he should make, like the Christ, the costly sacrifice of himself. Soren Kierkegaard. This existential thinker felt the need of awakening men to a full recognition of the costliness of life. Despair. Man, due to his state of sinfulness is in despair, for "sin can be defined as despair at not willing to be oneself or not willing to be oneself before God." It is necessary to make the leap of faith to pass from this despair. The Three Stages. These are the aesthetical, ethical and religious stages. The individual must enter the last by making the leap of faith out of his despair; and this leap means the costly commitment of the self to the Christ. "Purify your hearts." In this book, Kierkegaard analyses man's double-mindedness. He comes to two conclusions. "If anybody would will the Good truly, then he must with knowledge of himself be ready to renounce all double-mindedness. If anybody would will the Good truly, then he must be ready to do all for the Good, and suffer for for the Good." His teaching on the cost of discipleship could be summed up thus : "The negating of one's finite self, or the negating of one's finitude means for him nothing less than the conscious sacrifice of all that is finite." Paul Tillich. Tillich deals with the ultimate problem of being and non-being, and in the "Courage to be" he develops the reactions of the individual when he is faced with the possibility of his non-being. The individual can either lose himself in his world by the courage to be as a part, or lose his world in himself by the courage to be as himself. These two forms of courage are transcended by the courage to accept acceptance, which is the ultimate courage to be, in which the individual accepts the fact that though he is sinful, yet God accepts him. This courage is the outcome of faith, which is found in an encounter with the New Being, in which the self is lost in the Christ, being found also in the Christ. The disciple surrenders himself that he may be made more truly himself. CHAPTER FIVE In this chapter an attempt is made to analyse the reward of righteousness. This reward is firstly seen to be the outcome of the life of discipleship and not its motive. Basically it is found in the new quality of life which is called eternal life. It is a reward both in the future and in the present. In the future it is the fullness of life in communion, peace and joy in the presence of God. In the present it is a foretaste of that life which is to come, a present possession in the midst of finitude of communion, peace and joy with God. Ultimately this means participation in the resurrection of the Christ. CHAPTER SIX We can conclude from this thesis, then, that Jesus the Christ is the prototype of the Christian. Discipleship is costly because it means participation in His utter self-offering of Himself; and the righteous man, who is the one who by faith commits himself to and in the Christ, is rewarded with the new quality of eternal life. The death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ are the criteria of the cost of discipleship and the reward of the righteous man.

No abstract / New Testament / D.Th.

No abstract / New Testament / D.Th.

D.Litt.et Phil. / The world in which the Christian community finds themselves today, is a world that has in many ways spiritually lost its way. This has led to the ethical and moral decay that has as a result, social problems, as well as social and political corruption. The Church is also experiencing a crisis. The Church, until recently was the centre of many people‟s existence, but now increasingly people are removed from the church and churchless. Is there an antidote to counteract this assault on the Christian faith? As per the argument in this dissertation, the answer lies in the lifestyle of the faithful, according to their confession. A way of life that confirms and not renounces the Biblical truths is the only way in which the Church‟s credibility can be restored in a post modern milieu. It is also one of the most important ways in which the decay in society can be counteracted; a Church that can yet again, as a bride of Christ perform her missiological duty as the salt and light of the world. This conclusion has forced the relevance of this research to the forefront. Paul describes the Corinthians as the holy temple of God in which the Holy Spirit resides (1 Cor 3:16-17). Two questions immediately arise: what relevance does this metaphor have on a Christian lifestyle and can a metaphor, applied 2000 years ago to the Christians in Corinthians, have any hermeneutical value, today? Can it serve as an ethical core moment in the post-modern time in which we find ourselves? These are some of the questions addressed in this research. The temple motif is a central theme found throughout the Bible. This is born through God‟s desire to live amidst his people. He instructs Moses to build a tent tabernacle, so that He “can live in their midst” (Ex 25:8). This tabernacle moved with the Israelites, everywhere they went. This was the place where God revealed his special presence, where daily offerings were made as atonement for the people‟s sins and where, once a year on the Great Day of Reconciliation the high priest went into the Most Holy to atone for the sins of the people as well as his own. Everything in and around the tabernacle was characterized by holiness.

Thesis (MPhil (Old and New Testament. Bible Interpretation))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study deals with discipleship as a challenge to the church in the twenty first century, with the Gospel of Mark as a starting-point. Discipleship is after all the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It embraces the whole of the church’s existence; identity and integrity. Evans (2001:30) exclaims: “To be a true disciple, one must accept the fate of the Master; and the Master’s fate is inextricably bound up with his identity, purpose, and mission. True Discipleship cannot emerge in isolation from true Christology.”

Christian life today has been influenced by countless influences from the external world. Although these external factors have a significant bearing on the church of Christ, the greatest challenge however manifests itself from within the latter. Where the core doctrine of the church constitutes issues of theological and Christian importance, they seem to slowly dissipate and the practices of the secular world seem to take ownership of the church of Christ. The Reformed church has within its confines the three marks of the church whose sole purpose is to ensure that the church of God remains and continues to be the true church of Christ. These Three Marks are: (a) the proclamation of the Word; (b) the correct administration of the sacraments, and (c) the correct exercise of discipline. Among the three marks, discipline acts as a catalyst that enables the survival and proper continuance of the other two marks and thus the true church of Christ. These Three Marks prescribe the basic fundamentals of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) as a Reformed Church and thereby serve as a primary tool for this church. Discipline, therefore, forms an intrinsic part of this church. However, as a controlling mechanism, its influence and/or instillation appears to be neglected. This quagmire may very well be attested to the overemphasis of democracy (of/or relating to majority rule doctrine) in preference to theocracy (God as the ultimate authority in our lives), where even matters of high religious stature are being compacted to human decision-making processes. These influences needless to say are key in the regression and/or progression of Christian life and life in general. However, their inclusion within the Christian doctrine should not be cumbersome to the latter. The Christian way of life and doctrines should be holistically adhered to without fear or favour. The main purpose behind the formation of these marks by the Reformed church was to sustain the true church of Christ and the only way to ensure this sustainability, was to be consistent in exercising these marks. The church therefore has an obligation towards God and its members to be consistent in carrying out its mandate from God through the scriptures as the creator and father of the church and the world at large. The premonition that forms the basis of this research is that within the three prevalent marks of the church, there appears to be certain discrepancies in that they are not all carried out in unison and are not consistent with each other. With the over-emphasis of one above the other, the church of God could be heading towards vanity, and all its efforts could be fruitless. It is also my conviction that the starting point for rolling out these three marks lie with the leadership of the church by the General Synod, Regional Synods, Presbyteries, Ministers and their church councils. If found that any of these key adherents are not protagonists of these marks, then they would have neglected their God-entrusted responsibilities and their accountability towards the entire community of believers. It is in this regard that this research seeks to implement a litmus test of where the URCSA stands in terms of executing its mandate with relation to the three marks of the church viz; proclaiming the word, administering the sacraments and more importantly, exercising exercising discipline as these marks form the sinew that binds the entire church together. The church of Christ as an entity is engaged in service, which is not to be haphazard in nature, but must be structured. This service begins with serving God, serving one another and finally serving the world at large. This will ensure that the church of God maintains its holiness. For this holiness to be ensured, the church of God has to be open to discernment and allow God take charge of His church. Such uncertainties can be verified only by looking into discipline as the sinew that brings these three marks together. The reason for this approach is that, the first two marks are prescriptive with more parameters than discipline has, whereas discipline can be easily influenced. It is to the benefit of this task that much attention be given to discipline as the last mark of the three, as it is prone to abuse, because it relies mainly on human behaviour, attitude and/or approach to the Christian life. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to outline the possible disintegration of discipline as the sinew that binds the three marks of the Reformed Church in general and URCSA in particular within the Southern Synod. important to note that discipline in the lower strata of the church is carried out religiously without question. The notion that prompted this topic is that contrarily, those who occupy the highest echelons of the church (leadership in the church, ministers and evangelists) do not appear to be enjoying the same reception regarding discipline. The challenge that faces the URCSA is how to maintain equal treatment of the three marks of the true church in a democratic society in the light of the service of God, one another and the world. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

The subject and the scope of this study are the role(s) of the Spirit-Paraclete in John 16:4b-15. The methodology applied is socio-rhetorical criticism as developed by Vernon K. Robbins. The fourth Gospel is called the `spiritual Gospel.' Its pneumatic connotations are not only related to its presentation of Christ but also to its frequent references to the Spirit and its cognates. Jesus' Spirit-Paraclete teaching in his Farewell Discourse is a prominent example of this. Its pneumatological content is, however, problematic. This is demonstrated by the various attempts of Johannine scholars. In addition, methodologies, goals and the scope of these studies vary. It was observed that if scholars suggest a role for the Spirit-Paraclete, they usually use `either-or' language, pointing out one role while excluding other possible roles from their conclusions or merely list explicitly mentioned functions of the Spirit-Paraclete. This study is a response to this present situation. It deals with the last two Spirit-Paraclete sayings of Jesus in his farewell address to determine the role(s) of the Spirit-Paraclete, applying the comprehensive reading model which has not been applied to this text before. The hypothesis was that if a more comprehensive methodology is applied to the narrative, a more comprehensive understanding of the text would be gained. We applied multidisciplinary socio-rhetorical criticism which takes into account narrative-rhetorical, intertextual, social-cultural, ideological and sacred aspects of the text while not neglecting contexts in which the story took place, was recorded and is interpreted. Findings were that the roles of the Spirit-Paraclete go beyond mere theological and spiritual significance to touch sociological and psychological aspects of human experience. Thus, the roles of the Spirit-Paraclete are multidimensional. These roles are also integrated with each other. Together they support and point to one major role of the Spirit-Paraclete, which does not, however, downplay his other roles. The central role of the Spirit-Paraclete in John 16:4b-15 is to be the divine presence who forms a performing community of the disciples called the people of the Spirit. / New Testament / D. Th. (New Testament)

Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

The subject and the scope of this study are the role(s) of the Spirit-Paraclete in John 16:4b-15. The methodology applied is socio-rhetorical criticism as developed by Vernon K. Robbins. The fourth Gospel is called the `spiritual Gospel.' Its pneumatic connotations are not only related to its presentation of Christ but also to its frequent references to the Spirit and its cognates. Jesus' Spirit-Paraclete teaching in his Farewell Discourse is a prominent example of this. Its pneumatological content is, however, problematic. This is demonstrated by the various attempts of Johannine scholars. In addition, methodologies, goals and the scope of these studies vary. It was observed that if scholars suggest a role for the Spirit-Paraclete, they usually use `either-or' language, pointing out one role while excluding other possible roles from their conclusions or merely list explicitly mentioned functions of the Spirit-Paraclete. This study is a response to this present situation. It deals with the last two Spirit-Paraclete sayings of Jesus in his farewell address to determine the role(s) of the Spirit-Paraclete, applying the comprehensive reading model which has not been applied to this text before. The hypothesis was that if a more comprehensive methodology is applied to the narrative, a more comprehensive understanding of the text would be gained. We applied multidisciplinary socio-rhetorical criticism which takes into account narrative-rhetorical, intertextual, social-cultural, ideological and sacred aspects of the text while not neglecting contexts in which the story took place, was recorded and is interpreted. Findings were that the roles of the Spirit-Paraclete go beyond mere theological and spiritual significance to touch sociological and psychological aspects of human experience. Thus, the roles of the Spirit-Paraclete are multidimensional. These roles are also integrated with each other. Together they support and point to one major role of the Spirit-Paraclete, which does not, however, downplay his other roles. The central role of the Spirit-Paraclete in John 16:4b-15 is to be the divine presence who forms a performing community of the disciples called the people of the Spirit. / New Testament / D. Th. (New Testament)

Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)