Vol 27 Issue 14

Introduction In this article we begin our discussion of a new question under our main theme of “Church Membership in His Fear”. Thus far we have discussed the implications of church membership as such, emphasizing the calling of the believer with regard to the church to which he belongs. We have not mentioned directly the matter of to what church he belongs. We might, perhaps, have discussed this latter question first quite properly, although for various reasons we have left it until now. For underlying all our previous discussions has been the supposition that we did belong to some certain...

“Thus also it is written: the first man, Adam, became a living soul; the last Adam became a quickening Spirit”. I Cor. 15:25. We ended our last article with the remark, that if any man preached well on Genesis 2:7, he would also preach well on Revelations 22, by so doing. It is well to keep this in mind. Better still: let us try to set this forth in the very passage of the Word of God under consideration. For here, in I Cor. 15:45, Paul is setting forth the full revelational and Christological-Eschatological implication of Genesis 2:7. Proof for...

Esteemed Editor: Because of the response to my latest contribution and because for the sake of clarification which at least one of your answers requires and because I desire to publicly assure you that I love you as a brother in Christ and esteem you highly for your works’ sake and because I also would inform you that I have upon various occasions and even very lately defended your name and person, I sincerely hope that you will not advise me to also keep this contribution in my pen. Allow me to answer as the thoughts come rather than from...

When one compares the report of the special session of Classis East which was held in February with the report of the March session of Classis West, one is forced to conclude that unless there are sudden and complete reversals of opinion, the Declaration of Principles as drawn up by the 1950 Synod will be rejected by our churches. Classis West had almost unanimously decided to advise Synod not to adopt it. Classis East is very greatly divided in its stand over against this declaration. How can one conclude anything else than that to all appearances our churches do not...

THE CONCORDISTIC THEORY We concluded our preceding article with the statement that Dr. Bavinck declares that also that exegesis of Genesis 1 is possible which regards the six days as periods. Mind you, he does not say that this exegesis is necessary but merely that it is possible. It is true that he does not attach much value to the fact that the word “day” does occur often in Holy Writ as not merely referring to a period of twenty four hours. Some seek support for their contention that the days of Genesis 1 are periods from the fact that...

We hereby present to our readers the overture in re the Declaration which Classis West decided to send to synod. The overture was presented to Classis West by the consistory of Bellflower. The part that is placed in parenthesis was eliminated by way of an amendment. However, because its very elimination is significant, we here insert it.   Esteemed brethren: We have received the declaration of principles which were drawn up by our last Synod and submitted to our consistories to be approved by our 1951 Synod if no objections are given. We understand that we are to study the...

The discussion of the main contents of the Declaration of Principles was finished in my last editorial on the subject. What follows is chiefly in the form of conclusions that are based on the preceding part of the Declaration. For the sake of completeness I publish it here once more. The Declaration concludes as follows; ‘III. Seeing then that this is the clear teaching of the confession, “A. We repudiate: “1. The teaching: “a. That the promise of the covenant is conditional and for all that are baptized. “b. That we may presuppose that all the children that are baptized...

Church Membership in the USA. From our daily newspaper we glean the following: “Church membership increased 51.5 percent while the nation’s population increased only an estimated 30 percent between 1926 and 1949, the National Council of Churches reported today. “The council said, ‘American Church membership is at an all-time high, not only in terms of actual numbers but in proportion to the population.’ “A council survey for the 24-year period showed that total membership of religious bodies, including a number of eastern orthodox churches rose from 53,204,413 in 1926 to 80,682,575, or more than 54 percent of the total population...

In the March 15 issue of the Standard Bearer the Rev. Hofman, writing about the Declaration of Principles, makes the following statement: “But apart from this it may even be granted that the Declaration is Church-politically proper before our Churches. Technically, perhaps, it is true that no rule of our Church Order has been violated. But certainly the procedure is highly irregular.” And a little further he writes: “Therefore, even though it may be granted that the Declaration is Church-politically proper, it can hardly be said that the way it came was regular, but, on the contrary, quite irregular.” This...