All Articles For Hoeksema, H.C.

A few days ago I was asked to put in writing my impressions of our recent Young People’s Convention, and I am now complying with that request, in spite of the fact that I arrived in time to be present only for the Thursday evening and Friday sessions. Hence I can give impressions of only a part of the convention. Furthermore, I took no notes on the proceedings of the convention, and therefore only my most outstanding impressions will be found in print,—only the impressions that still live on. The excellent work of Oak Lawn’s committee was very much in...

Twice in recent months the claim has been made that Dr. Harry Boer’s gravamen is not a legitimate gravamen. The argumentation is that the Boer gravamen is a “prove it” gravamen, that it is simply a request for the Christian Reformed Church to give Scriptural proof for the doctrine of sovereign reprobation, and that the Synod is not a kind of “question-box” and cannot be called upon to render proof for the various doctrines set forth in the creeds. The Rev. Nelson Kloosterman made this claim in The Outlook (February, 1979). After writing rather confusedly about the nature of a gravamen,...

The accusation has often been directed at us Protestant Reformed people that we stand outside of the historical line of the reformed faith; this is indeed a powerful argument if it can be substantiated. But if, on the other hand, the exponents of common grace can be shown not only to stand outside of the historically Reformed line, but to stand in a line which has been strongly and bitterly opposed throughout church history by all who stand for the truth, the central truth, of the sovereignty of God, we have indeed a powerful argument. Our purpose in this essay...

(Cont. from the last issue of the S.B.) Again in Question 23, Article 3, reply objection 1, Summa Theological, we read: “God loves all creatures and all men, inasmuch as He wishes them all some good; but He does not wish every good to them all. So far, therefore, as He does not wish this particular good—namely, eternal life—He is said to hate or reprobate them.” In support of both the first, and second contentions we read in Article 7 of Question 23, Summa Theol. I: “Reply obj. 3. The good that is proportionate to the common state of nature...

Approximately one week ago I was approached by a committee of the Auxiliary with a request to give a talk on this occasion, your annual picnic. And having accepted the invitation, I naturally began to ponder as to what was required of me, and as to what I should say; and I furthermore came to certain conclusions, which I shall pass on to you in the form of a declaration of intentions. In the first place, what you will hear tonight is not to be classified as an oration, nor even as a speech, but as a mere talk. For...

Beginning with this issue the undersigned has been asked to write for this rubric in our Standard Bearer. And although this rubric has appeared in the Standard Bearer for several years already, and is therefore not new to the readers, this is nevertheless a new beginning. A new beginning it is both from the point of view that the undersigned has not previously written, except occasionally, in any of our periodicals, and certainly from the point of view of the fact that to read “In His Fear” is far different than writing for this rubric.

Both the main topic, upon which we propose to write a few articles, and our sub-topic for this issue could, of course, have been formulated in question form. And yet the introduction of a question mark would have changed the formulation somewhat. To ask, “Is Church Membership a Matter of the Fear of the Lord?” and to write on that question, is not quite the same as writing on the topic “Church Membership in His Fear.” The former leaves the matter open to doubt, and such a formulation would require a demonstration. The latter formulation, however, proceeds from the assumption...

Dear Mr. Editor: A grim contrast presented itself in our Standard Bearer between the report of Classis West and the letter of Hamilton’s Consistory in the issue of September 15. It is a contrast which might possibly leave the impression that our churches are working at odds, at different ends,—an impression which should not be left uncontradicted. And an impression it certainly leaves which ought to be cleared up at once and in a proper manner by the common party involved. I refer, of course, to the contrast between the Rev. Hettinga’s dealings in the vicinity of bur Hamilton congregation...

The important question that is before us, as we have seen, is: what does it mean that I am guided by the fear of the Lord, both as objective standard and as subjective principle, in my church affiliation? That question is not an easy one to answer for many reasons, chief of which is the undeniable fact that we are surrounded in our day by a multitude of churches, so that the believer is forced to answer the question: where is the church? Time was, of course, when in an outward sense, at least, the believer did not have to...

 The Church In The World. In our last article we called attention to the Reformed and Scriptural conception of the holy catholic Church. We did this, not because it was our intention to discuss dogmatically the idea of the church, as such. That does not belong in the territory of this rubric. We must remember that the chief question before us, at present is: what is the significance of church membership in the fear of the Lord? And it was with a view to that question that it became necessary to briefly call attention to the fundamentals of the Christian...