Vol 25 Issue 18

The pre-Synodical prayer service was held on Tuesday evening, May 31, in the Second Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. The Rev. H. De Wolf, vice-president of the Synod of 1948, brought a fitting message from Psalm 122:6. He very aptly applied these appropriate words of Scripture to the work for which the Synod had gathered.

Some weeks have elapsed since the last article appeared under this general heading. Thus it may be well to recall to mind that we distinguished in our previous article between the special office of ministers, elders and deacons and the general office of all believers. In the new dispensation all true believers are officebearers. Through the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them, they are partakers of His anointing. They have the unction of the Holy One whereby they know all things. I John 2:20.

We were addressed to the task of treating the “if” sentences in the Bible of the type, “If the wicked turn from their evil way, they shall live.” In one of my previous articles or letters I dealt with the “if” sentences of that type as contained in the 18th chap, of Ezekiel’s prophecies.

As we saw, my dictionary defines the concept “condition” (always, of course, as a sentence element in your proposition) as follows: “Condition: that on which something else is contingent.” You don’t like that definition, brother. You say that it is a borderline definition, and that it does not really apply. I promised to show that it is the only correct definition. To this task I now address myself.

We concluded our preceding article with the observation that the root or fundamental meaning of the word “grace” is beauty, attractiveness. This applies to the Hebrew “chen” and also to the Greek “charis”. And we noted that this fundamental meaning of “beauty, attractiveness,” is clearly expressed in passages as Prov. 22:11 and Luke 4:22, in connection with which we made a few remarks. Let us now attend to various uses of the word “grace” in the Holy Scriptures.

Chapter 1: The Sign and Its Meaning (continued)

The Revs. Bos and van Teylingen continue their repudiation of what they consider errors concerning the covenant of grace as follows: “2. Every opinion which, in the nature of the covenant promise with respect to elect and non-elect children of the covenant, introduces a distinction which denies that the full covenant promise comes seriously to all.” In this connection we must quote at the same time proposition 3.

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. . . . He saved us. . . .” Titus 3:4, 5b Saved by the dawn! Saved by the dawn of God! The night had been so long and so dark!