Vol 38 Issue 18

In the Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter XV, we read: “To justify, in the apostle’s disputation touching justification, doth signify to remit sins, to absolve from the fault and the punishment thereof, to receive into favor, to pronounce a man just. For the apostle says to the Romans: ‘God is he that justifieth. Who is he that can condemn?’ (Rom. 8:33, 34). Here to justify and to condemn are opposed. And in the Acts of the Apostles the apostle says, ‘Through Christ is preached unto you forgiveness of sins: and from all things, from which ye could not be justified by...

Rev. G. Lanting, pastor of Holland’s church since 1959, declined the call from our Loveland congregation. Rev. G. VanBaren, Doon’s pastor since 1956, accepted the call extended him by our Randolph church. Rev. M. Schipper, pastor of Grand Rapids Southwest Church, has received the call from Doon from a trio which included the Revs. G. Vanden Berg and G. Lanting. Our beloved Rev. G.M. Ophoff, Emeritus Professor, was taken to his heavenly rest Tuesday, June 12, at the age of 71 years. Southwest’s bulletin expressed it this way: “After standing in the line of battle for the truth, God has...

The Synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches of 1962 is part of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ. This brief article is intended as an enumeration of some of the impressions left with undersigned as well as an enumeration of some of the decisions that were taken. It is not in any sense complete; our readers are urged to purchase a copy of the printedActs to learn of all the work that was done and the many decisions Synod made. Synod opened Tuesday evening, June 5, with the presynodical prayer service. Rev. M. Schipper, president of last year’s Synod...

Further expressions of the consistories on the above subject are continued in this article. The consistory of Hope Church expressed: “Without entering into the question as to whether an official radio broadcast of the Word by a Protestant Reformed Church is on the same level with divine worship in the house of God we do wish to express the following concerning the singing of hymns on such a broadcast: “l. That we believe that hymns ought not to be sung on such a broadcast: (a) because we should put up every possible guard against the introduction of hymns into divine...

Holy and Canonical “We receive all these books, and these only, as holy and canonical . . .” This is a statement of the faith of the church and its members concerning “these books,” that is, concerning the books mentioned in the preceding article. In Article III is the doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures. In Article IV is the list of the canonical books. In the present article is the statement of our faith with respect to these books that constitute the inspired Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament. In the first place, we acknowledge...

We concluded our preceding article with the remark that we would comment in this article on the claim of Rome that it is truly the Catholic, universal Church of God and of Christ in the midst of the world. In the first place, the name, “Roman Catholic Church,” is certainly a misnomer. That church calls itself the Roman Catholic Church. How can a church be catholic, universal, and at the same time Roman? Does not the name, Roman, limit that church so that it is no longer catholic or universal? O, we know that Roman Catholicism teaches that the name...

Up and clown this vast land of ours from the Canadian to the Mexican borders, from the Atlantic coast to the shores of the Pacific’ Ocean children, young men and young women, men and women have graduated from institutions of learning. Hundreds upon thousands of diplomas have been handed to those who finished their prescribed courses. Degrees have been conferred. Congratulations have been extended. But if that instruction was not in the fear of the Lord, wisdom has not been imparted by those who taught. The fear of the Lord is the beginning, the principle of all wisdom. If we...

We were speaking in our former essay of those who are widows indeed; those who are actually widows, answering to the Scriptural portrait of a widow. A widow, we saw, is one who is “bereft” of a husband. According to the Hebrew term ahmanah she is one who is “silent.” A woman who has put on the garments of widowhood has put on the garments of silence. Concerning such widows Paul gives Timothy some very definite instructions! It should be remembered that such a widow, who is a widow indeed, is one who has no earthly means of sustenance. She has no...

“Now Korah,….Dathan and Abiram…rose up before Moses with certain of the children of Israel: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? Numbers 16:1-3 During the wilderness journey, there were many in Israel who were children of God in name but not at heart. This became ever increasingly evident. Through the months and years the great and marvelous works of...

In De Wachter, (Dutch weekly of the Christian Reformed Church), June 19 issue, appear articles from the Rev. Martin Monsma and the Rev. Idzerd Van Dellen dealing with overtures to set aside the Conclusions of Utrecht at the 1962 Synod of the above-named church. In the present editorial we are not particularly interested in what becomes of the Conclusions of Utrecht, but rather in certain remarks made by Revs. Monsma and Van Dellen in connection with this subject concerning the official status of the Three Points. The trouble, both with the report of the Study Committee on the status of the...