All Articles For Hebrews

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Foxhole Christians I recall from childhood days during the Second World War a saying that went like this, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” The point of the saying was that the terrors of combat compelled men to believe in and turn to God. It seems we are witnessing the same phenomenon now that our nation is at war in the Middle East. Military chaplains report increased attendance at worship services and Bible Study meetings. Captain James O’Conner, a Lutheran and chief chaplain aboard the aircraft carrier USS...

This at bottom is the objection of “Liberated” Reformed theologian Dr. J. DeJong to the Protestant Reformed doctrine of the covenant (cf. the letter in this issue of the Standard Bearer). He expresses this fundamental objection when he writes, “And Engelsma is only perpetuating the same kind of ‘election’ theology which refuses to entertain the Scriptural teaching of faith as the way or condition to salvation….” He says the same thing when he accuses me of misreading the Reformed creeds “through the glasses of the typical Protestant Reformed interpretation that makes election dominate all other doctrines.” For the “Liberated,” the one,...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. A significant event in the life and ministry of the Protestant Reformed Churches and their seminary occurred in the evening of May 20. That night the thirty-third Commencement service of the seminary was held in the sanctuary of the Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. Graduating this year were Seminarians Christopher John Connors and David Phillip Higgs of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia. After the Rev. Dale H. Kuiper, acting President of the Theological School Committee, awarded the brothers their diplomas, they presented to the seminary...

Rev. Miersma is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Thus far in our consideration of the Trinity we have seen that while God is one, yet He reveals Himself to us as a plurality of persons. God speaks to us as the “I am that I am” (Ex. 3:14), and yet within Himself He speaks in the plural, “Let us make man in our image…” (Gen. 1:26). Moreover, we have seen that God reveals Himself as three, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by His works of creation, redemption, and sanctification. By the threefold character of His...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. At the outset we wish to assert as strongly as possible that lack of assurance in the experience of the believer is abnormal. Doubt concerning one’s salvation is not the norm of the believer’s life. And certainly the lack of assurance of salvation is not a sign of a deep spirituality. There are those in the Reformed tradition who teach that doubt or the lack of the assurance of salvation is an indication of spirituality, so that the more one doubts, the more deeply spiritual that person is....

Faith a Condition? In his letter in the March 15, 1991 issue of theStandard Bearer, “Liberated” theologian Dr. J. DeJong responded to my charge that the “Liberated” doctrine of the covenant makes the covenant dependent upon the will and work of the baptized child. This, I contended, is the clear and necessary implication of the teaching that the faith of the child is the condition for the fulfillment of the promise that God is supposed to make to every baptized child. I appealed to the Reformed confession, the Canons of Dordt, which repeatedly deny, in so many words, that faith...

Rev. Heys is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. Last time our attention in this department was called to The Proper Weeping and Laughing. Now we do well to delve a bit more deeply into that proper laughing. The reason for this is that the child which our gracious God gave to Abraham and Sarah was called Isaac. And that name “Isaac” means “laughter.” We must then also remember and emphasize the fact that our God gave him that name. Abraham and Sarah did not choose that name. Our God told them that his name must be Isaac...

Rev. Kortering is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Peter 5:6, 7 Care! How destructive cares can be. How marvelous caring can be. There is good care; there is bad care. Our passage under consideration deals with both. Our cares are bad. Hence, get rid of them; cast all your cares upon Him. Why should we do this? Because He, that is, God, cares for you. These words...

Rev. denHartog is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. What a difference there is in the way the Lord deals with various of His children! Some seem to go through much of their life without any trouble. And when they come to the end of their life they are taken to glory in a moment, peacefully, without any struggle and with little suffering. Then there are others of God’s children who have one trouble after another. They experience sorrow upon sorrow. Some of God’s children must suffer long years of sickness and agony before they are finally...

Rev. Heys is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. When Adam and Eve ate a piece of fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it may have looked to us as a minor sin. It may even look strange that a “little sin” like this should call for death and everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. But if we realize that it was an act of hatred against God; a denial of His right to forbid man to do this or that; an act whereby man sought to dethrone God; and, as the devil...