All Articles For I Timothy

No one can doubt the importance of sound, clear understanding of civil government, of the authority that civil government has over him, and of the duty he has toward civil government. Not only does Scripture make the Christian’s relationship to the state part of his, or her, thankful, holy life (Rom. 13:1-7; I Pet. 2:11-17) but also the broad sphere of the state’s power assures that each of us comes into direct contact with civil government, or is affected by civil government, daily. The teenager who wants to drive must receive a license from the state, and thereafter submit to the...

Prof. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. (This article is a continuation of Prof. Hanko’s contribution to the Special Issue, which dealt with the Reformed Faith concerning civil government.) We ought now to take a closer look at Article 36 and attempt to understand what it is saying and why it is still important. In order to understand why this article was included in the Belgic Confession to begin with, one has to know a bit about the situation which existed in the Lowlands at the time the Belgic Confession was written...

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Evangelism Activities This year’s catechism collections from the Lynden, WA PRC are being used to support the outreach evangelism of the Trinity PRC in Houston, TX. We thank Lynden for sending the following brief review of Trinity’s outreach in Houston so that we can share it with you. One of the specific areas of outreach for our Trinity congregation continues to be its work among the Hindu Indians, and particularly among a group of people called Sindhis, who originally came from Sind, Pakistan. Over the years a...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of Southeast Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Reformed believer is intensely interested in the use of the word “all” in Holy Scripture. He finds the chief, doctrinal use of this word in connection with God Himself, with God’s works outside of Himself, and especially with God’s salvation. Because the honor and glory of God are at stake according as we interpret the word “all,” the Reformed believer wants to get it right! The all-ness that is in God refers to the infinite goodness and limitless perfections. No limits can be placed upon God’s...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Take It—or Leave It? This is what one keen analyst of this year’s synod of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) said in reaction to that synod’s decision re opening the offices of minister and elder to women, and to its decision not to break fraternal relations with the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland WW “We have only two options,” said the analyst, “Take it or leave it. The CRC is not ‘headed in the wrong direction’; as of Synod 1995, it is on the wrong course. Our choice is no...

Rev. Gritters is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Byron Center, Michigan. “Should I do it? Or should I not?” For a good portion of the Christian life, the Bible does not give direct answer to us whether we should or should not. These things, about which the Bible does not give direct instruction, are called adiaphora. Adiaphora means, literally, “the things indifferent.” The concept is important – as important as your salvation. The word ought to be known by us. Thus, I included it in the title of the article. Please learn it: adiaphora. The things indifferent. In...

Rev. Bruinsma is pastor of the First Protestant Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan. “… Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. “ Proverbs 30:8, 9 “Feed me with food convenient for me.” Surely, this is not a sinful request we make to our God. It is not wrong to ask for earthly things. In fact, the request of this proverb is strikingly similar to the...

The recent book, Behold Your God (BYG), by Scottish Presbyterian theologian Donald Macleod is a passionate plea for the doctrine of common grace. Three of the sixteen chapters are devoted to common grace explicitly. A fourth consists of the application of common grace to the saving will of God and the atonement of the cross. Macleod’s defense of common grace involves the denial of the Reformed doctrine of total depravity. For common grace keeps the unregenerated from being completely defiled by sin. The Presbyterian theologian defends his denial of total depravity in three ways. First, he redefines “total” to mean merely...

Rev. Hanko is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” I Timothy 1:18 A faithful saying. Just as we teach our small children in their catechism lessons that “Jesus came to save His people from their sins,” so the early church of the new dispensation had certain favorite expressions, such as, “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.” The apostle Paul puts a divine seal on this statement as a faithful, fully...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. 4949 Ivanrest Avenue in Grandville, Michigan is of course the address of the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. What happens here is that men receive instruction in the various disciplines of the theological curriculum designed to prepare them to serve the Protestant Reformed Churches as ministers and missionaries of the Gospel of God’s sovereign grace in Jesus Christ. Here the professors teach their classes in the mornings and spend the rest of the day reading and studying, preparing for those classes and various other lectures and preaching assignments in...