Vol 27 Issue 08

There are two facts, which we feel have been established by us in our exposition of Hebrews 10:23. The first of these is, that the “Confession of the Hope” is not merely a subjective hope, but that it refers to the entire hope of the promise of the gospel, as it has been principally and legally realized through the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, and as it shall ultimately and finally be realized in the return of Christ; when we shall see Him as the firstborn Son, Lord of lords and King of kings, the heir over all things...

With considerable interest and also some amazement we have read the evisceration of our recent contribution wherein we attempted to state why we considered the adoption of the Declaration undesirable. We appreciate the fact that the Rev. Ophoff has felt it worthy of his time and talent to take this material and not only to comment upon it in general but to treat it paragraph by paragraph and express his opinion not only on those things wherein we disagree but also here and there to express agreement. However, I beg to be excused from some of the conclusions which he...

Holland, Michigan December 26, 1950 Dear Editor: If possible will you please place the following in the Standard Bearer? In our discussions of “conditions” and “The Brief Declaration of Principles” I believe we very often fail to properly distinguish the real issues involved. Consequently many insinuations and charges are hurled back and forth which, if the issues were properly evaluated and understood, would never be made. It is because we are convinced of this that we put forth this effort to smooth the waters and conserve the unity of our churches. We would also make the plea that we carry...

Holland, Michigan December 22, 1950 Dear Editor of the Standard Bearer: In re Rev. Kok’s article which he handed out to the personnel of the Holland Men’s Society, and which also appeared in the Standard Bearer, I would like to state the following: That although Rev. Kok is “becoming more and more convinced that the ‘Declaration of Principles’ is a sad mistake, and that we as churches, should reject it”; that I am becoming a thousand fold more convinced every time I read this ‘Declaration’ from the hand of Rev. Kok, that if there ever was a time that we...

  Secondly, the angels are spiritual and incorporeal beings. With respect to this point there has not always been unanimity of opinion. The Jews and many of the early Church Fathers ascribed to the angels airy or fiery bodies. The Synod of Nicea, 787, declared its agreement with a certain John of Thessalonica who opined that the angels had fine, delicate bodies, and with another who stated that the angels were limited as far as space is concerned and had appeared in the form of men and could therefore be portrayed and represented. However, a council in 1215 declared that...

Rev. Petter does not write the truth about the “Declaration”. He does not write the truth about us, who urge the adoption of the “Declaration”. He does not write the truth about our last Synod by whom the “Declaration” was drafted and tentatively adopted. He does not write the truth about Rev. Hoeksema. He brings us one and all under a thick cloud. I have need of making this plain. 1. First to be considered is this excerpt from Rev. Fetter’s writings: “As to the origination (of the “Declaration”) there already has been some brow-raising and it is no wonder...

There are several reasons why the Declaration that was proposed by our last Synod to the churches should be adopted at our next Synod. Its adoption should not be postponed. The Mission Committee evidently felt that they had need of such a declaration as a basis for their work and deliberations. And this basis must not be left uncertain for another year. The missionaries themselves evidently felt the need of it as a basis for their labors and for the organization of churches. At least, the Rev. A. Cammenga, who was present at our last Synod, strongly expressed himself in...

We have found, especially in our latest contacts with the Immigrants in Canada, that the “Declaration of Principles” proposed by our last Synod has been construed by them as a stumbling-block to affiliation with our Churches. Undoubtedly, much of this fear is due to misunderstanding and misuse which has been made of that document. There has been little actual discussion of the content while a great deal has been written and said about what its power might be and how it might be used. Hence, it usually has been attacked as an already adopted and binding document and warnings have...

With the present issue we turn, once again to the subject which last had our attention in the December 1 Standard Bearer. The reader may recall that in that article we concluded that “there can be no doubt about it that the church is actually and concretely manifest in gatherings of specific congregations at certain places and at stated times/’ Hence, we drew the conclusion that “the believer will not think lightly of his membership in the church in the world,” and that “he knows. . . . that it is therefore his obligation before God to belong to that...