All Articles For Jude

Church Membership—Optional? In the April 1 issue of the Standard Bearer a reader tells us that he “…can’t find a passage of Scripture that states we must do anything other (or additional) than believe on Jesus Christ for salvation.” He need not look any further than the book of Ephesians, where we read, “…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25). Now if Christ loves the church and gave Himself for it, does He also love those outside the church? Did He give Himself for them as well? The answer must be “no,” by logical inference; otherwise we would...

This article is the text of the address of Prof. Dykstra at the Seminary Convocation held at Trinity PRC on September 3. 2008. Previous article in this series: January 15, 2009, p. 172. [Introduction: The stated goal of this convocation speech was to demonstrate the essential relationship between the believer and the seminary. The first part demonstrated the crucial importance of the seminary for believers. This second half will establish that the saints are equally essential to the seminary, and then will call all to faithfulness in their respective duties. RJD] The Saints Serve the Seminary How are the saints...

Homer Hoeksema was professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Introductory Remarks The Word of God does not furnish us with any kind of detailed account of the history of the line of Seth, the line of the people of God. In the rather remarkable fifth chapter of Genesis we find, apart from the biblical account of the beginning of the covenant line and the account of the consummation of the history of that line (chapters 4, 6, 7), the record of that line. But there is very little detail furnished us. We learn that there...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. * The speech given by Rev. Cammenga at the annual meeting of the RFPA, held on September 28, 1995. For over 70 years the Standard Bearer has championed the cause of the Reformed faith. Over those years the Standard Bearer has undergone many changes. There have been changes in the appearance of the magazine. There have been changes in format. There have been changes of rubrics and writers. There have been changes of editors. One thing has not changed in that span of time, and that is the Standard Bearer’s vigorous defense of the...

Rev. VanBaren is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. Contemporary Worship An interesting article concerning “contemporary worship” appears in the Outlook, Oct. 1995, written by Rev. Mark Beach. He evaluates “contemporary” worship services and expresses legitimate dismay. Now I have never attended a “contemporary” worship service. I have often wondered what was involved in such a “worship” service – though I could make a reasonable guess. This article explains the “contemporary” service, though it points out as well that not all “contemporary” services are conducted in the same manner. This is what Beach has to say about...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of Southeast Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Angels are mentioned in thirty-six of the sixty-six books of the Bible. The Hebrew and Greek words both mean messenger; they are means by whom God reveals Himself and His salvation to us. Indeed, angels are the servants of the elect, “sent forth to minister for those who shall be the heirs of salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Angels are invisible, non-corporeal creatures who owe their existence to God. “He also created the angels good, to be His messengers and to serve the elect” (Belgic Confession, Art. 12). Although...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of Immanuel Protestant Reformed Church in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. The word “example” does not occur in the Old Testament, which is not surprising when we consider that the Old Testament contains many persons and events that are examples for them that should come later. In the Mew Testament there are five Greek words translated “example,” or “ensample.” These five words have their own nuances, but also show a high degree of similarity and agreement. One refers to a mark that a strike or a blow makes, that is to be observed as a dissuasive warning or...

Thomas C. Miersma is pastor of the First Protestant Reformed Church, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We are considering in this column the Reformed principle of Scriptural interpretation, that the Word of God is its own interpreter. This principle, which the reformers have taught us, we are pursuing from the viewpoint of its application to our own Bible study, and confining ourselves for practical reasons to its application to the study of the English Bible. These are the same techniques and approaches which the reformers themselves used in their own exposition of God’s Word and which you will find reflected in their...

Rev. DeVries is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Wingham, Ontario, Canada. Tolerance We live in an age of almost unparalleled tolerance. Tolerance is put forth as one of the great virtues of our times. It is possible to give it other names, to use another label for this notion, different terminology. It may be called “cultural accommodation”; it may be termed “political correctness”; it may be euphemistically labeled “sensitivity.” But underlying all of these characterizations is the notion of tolerance. Though many in our day would undoubtedly desire to add “tolerance” to the list of the fruits of...

Rev. VanBaren is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. But: Is It Genetic?? In last November’s election, doubtlessly the question of homosexuality and homosexual “marriage” played a sizable role. Whether the election would have turned out differently if this had not been an issue is questionable. The Christian recognizes that all of this is under the control of a sovereign God. Because of the agitation for homosexual “marriages,” eleven states had on their ballots, and the electorate approved, the proposal that the state’s constitution be amended to include the definition of marriage to be that exclusively between a...