Vol 38 Issue 11

Thursday, Feb. 8, was a happy day for the congregation of our Southwest Church. The congregation came together for the purpose of sharing their pastor’s joy in celebrating the 25th anniversary of his ordination into the Ministry. To the Schipper family that date had triple meaning for on it the birthday anniversaries of both father and daughter were also celebrated. The congregation enjoyed a dinner in the church parlors before meeting in the auditorium for the program. Guests included Rev. Schipper’s father and mother from Holland, Rev. and Mrs. H. Hoeksema, Rev. arid Mrs. G.M. Ophoff and Rev. and Mrs....

We must return once more to the report of the Synodical Study Committee and its report to the Synod of 1960 on the hymn matter. In addition to the committee’s historical and exegetical survey of the hymn question, it includes in its report a section entitled “Conclusions Of Your Committee.” To this section we will direct the attention of our readers in the present article. Although the committee readily grants “that the singing of the hymn in public worship is nowhere expressly forbidden in Scripture and neither is there an express command that the hundred fifty Psalms shall be sung...

First of all; in answering the objection that verbal inspiration is, necessarily mechanical, we may notice that this is a thoroughly rationalistic argument. It does not appeal to Scripture. It is not an argument based upon the Word of God, either directly or by implication. It is purely speculative. It arises out of human reason. In this respect it is very similar to the argument raised by the Arminians and Pelagians against the doctrine of salvation through sovereign, irresistible grace, namely, that this doctrine reduces men to mere stocks and blocks, that is, suppresses completely their rational, moral nature. Neither...

The Church of God, we noted in our preceding article, is the gathering of believers, and as rooted in Divine unchangeable election. This is the Protestant view of the Church, which we are now discussing in these articles, and as in distinction from the Roman Catholic view. And that Church of God is also most emphatically an object of faith. Because of its catholicity, its oneness, its holiness, and the fact that it is destined for everlasting and heavenly glory and immortality it cannot be discerned with the natural eye. We can only believe an holy catholic church. There are several aspects...

It was a very different time when Solomon lived from the time in which youth lives today. But the words of Solomon still are appropriate and words of true wisdom: “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” If in Solomon’s day there were many earthly things to occupy the time and mind of youth, what shall we say of today? In fact from Adam’s day until today there has been a steady increase in the number of earthly things upon which to set one’s affections and an increasingly greater number of ways to seek the flesh. In Paradise...

It may not be without purpose to remind even the thoughtful and attentive reader bf the salient points touched upon in our former article on I Timothy 4:1-5. For the text itself we refer the reader to his own Bible. We suggest that the reader first read the text from this letter of Paul to Timothy as he labors in Ephesus. If one would take the time to peruse our former article he would see that we touched upon the following exegetical points. In the first place, we took notice of the term “faith” in the text; the faith from which...

“Then Moses mid unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.” Leviticus 10:3 It was a glorious day in the camp of Israel when the tabernacle of Jehovah was assembled from its various parts and the cloud of His presence descended to cover the tent and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Not only was it the fruit of many months of dedicated labor, it was a rich unfolding of revelation concerning the Gospel through which only...

The Word of God plainly teaches that we are all born in sin and corruption and death, and that the sin of Adam is imputed to the whole human race. It is evident, therefore, that the Savior in these words cannot have meant to teach that no man has sinned unless he comes in touch with Christ first, but that the special sin of hating Him and His Father would not have become revealed, would not have been manifest, if Christ had not spoken unto them and had not shown unto them His mighty works. They also appeal to the...

The case referred to in the title of this article is that! of the protests of First Church and Creston against the action of the Southeast Consistory in receiving as members in good standing schismatics who had left the former two congregations in the split of 1953 and who had not made confession of sin and become reconciled with the congregations which they left. Classis East began to deal with appeals on this matter in January; and in an extended session, February 14-16, this matter was treated and finished by classis, and an excellent and concise majority report was adopted...

I stated that the schismatics should return: 1. With a heartfelt confession of the sin they committed when they left the Protestant Reformed Churches and supported the two heretical statements of De Wolf, and 2. That they should make this confession to the consistory and church of which they were members before the schism. The latter item, though it was inseparably connected with the first, became the subject of difference of opinion between the First Protestant Reformed Church of Grand Rapids and the Southeast Church of the same city. The latter claimed that they could receive schismatic members in their...