All Articles For Isaiah

Rev. Terpstra is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of South Holland, Illinois. “But the God of all grace, who hath called you unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, . . . make you perfect…” I Pet. 5:10 “… The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious… “ Ex. 34:6 “One thing have I desired of the LORD, . . . that I may dwell in the house of the LORD…, to behold the beauty of the LORD…” Ps. 27:4 “Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation” Ps. 106:4 “For by...

“Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the house without man, and the land be utterly desolate. And the LORD have removed man far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land….” Isaiah 6:11-13 The Divine Timetable for Judgments in the Goodly Land We should never forget that the land of Canaan was truly a goodly land. If even a part of the earth could be singled out as being in a unique sense “God’s Country,” it was the land of Canaan, the accursed son of Ham...

Prof. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Introduction Without question the Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beloved Confessions of all time, if not indeed the most beloved. Those who cherish the heritage of the truth, and who turn to the Confessions of the church to learn it, will rejoice in the Heidelberger as a precious gift of God through the Spirit of Truth whom Christ promised the church. Not only those who belong to churches which have made the Catechism their theological basis, but God’s people from any tradition and...

Rev. Dick is pastor of Grace Protestant Reformed Church in Standale, Michigan. Intimate discourse, this last one of Jesus to His disciples. It is the night before Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus continues to reveal covenant secrets to His friends. So much to say! Who would say: but the sermon is too long? The main concern of Jesus in this last discourse of John 14-17 is to comfort the people of God. God had told the prophets long ago that to comfort the people of God is the calling of the prophets (Is. 40:1). Here is the prophets: all...

Rev. VanOverloop is pastor of Bethel Protestant Reformed Church in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Why do some respond favorably to evangelistic efforts and others do not? And why do some reject every effort to win them to Christ? Why do some believe the preaching of the gospel and repent? And why do others remain in their sins and under the just condemnation of God? Often the answers to these questions center in the person of the missionary or witness, or on the method used. Reflecting Scripture, the Calvinistic Canons of .Dordrecht answer these questions differently. “That some receive the gift...

Rev. Miersma is pastor of Immanuel Protestant Reformed Church of Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  Acts 2:1-4 Pentecost! What a...

Rev. Hanko is missionary-elect to Northern Ireland. Pastoring in the church of Jesus Christ is a work that has many different facets. As nearly everyone knows, the word “pastor” means “shepherd.” Pastoral work, then, has to do with the work of church officebearers as shepherds. This calling to be shepherds, as we will see, really involves all the work of all the different offices. A complete study of pastoral work, therefore, would involve nothing less than a complete study of the offices of the church. Because the subject is so large, this article will have to be limited to a...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary.

Prof. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Introduction In the last article we introduced our readers to Caspar Olevianus who, along with Zacharius Ursinus, authored the Heidelberg Catechism. Our readers will recall that we discussed Olevianus’s early life in Trier, the city of his birth, his studies for law in France, his studies in theology and preaching in Geneva, and his subsequent return to the city of his birth. Although Olevianus was hired in Trier as teacher in the local school, and was limited to teaching philosophy in Latin, his conscience still...

The Reformed Free Publishing Association has recently published a book of no little importance to the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC). It is A Watered Garden: A Brief History of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America. The author is Gertrude Hoeksema. The book is attractively illustrated by Jeff Steenholdt. The title, taken from Isaiah 58:11, lays stress on the church as a living body. The author uses the figure of the garden as the device that unites the various periods of the history of the PRC. The importance of the book to the PRC is exactly that it is a history of...