Vol 38 Issue 20

Edgerton’s nonagenarian received the congregation’s congratulations via the bulletin. Mr. A. Bleyenberg Sr. celebrated his 90th birthday July 31. What a progress in worldly science one has witnessed in that span of years—what a retrogression in the spiritual attitudes of a nation founded upon religious principles—but, what is still worse, what a spiritual lethargy revealed in the nominal church and the resulting shrinkage of the true church. The Radio Committee of the Reformed Witness Hour has reported that practically all of Rev. H. Hoeksema’s books are again available. Many of these books are “out of print” and the committee had...

Report of special meeting of Classis East—August 17, 1962, at Hope Church. The Rev. M. Schipper, following the order of rotation, led in the opening devotions and presided over this session of Classis. The Rev. G. Lanting was asked to record the minutes. All the churches of Classis East were represented by two delegates with the following exceptions: Grand Haven was not represented, Creston had only one delegate, Hudsonville, through an error, had no officially appointed delegates though the pastor and an elder were present. Rev. G. Lubbers, Prof. H.C. Hoeksema, Rev. G. Vos and elder G. Kamps were given...

The controversies concerning the question of infallibility rage on in the American Church world. Our readers will recall that this question arose some time ago in the Reformed Church in America in connection with the examination of a student who refused to subscribe to the position that the narrative of the creation and fail of Adam was historically true. This issue, inasmuch as it touched upon the infallibility of Scripture, was never finally settled in that Church to this writer’s knowledge. There was no strong condemnation of this position and of those who taught it. More recently, the Christian Reformed...

In our last article we raised several questions regarding marriage. It is not our purpose to attempt to answer these questions now but we shall do that later as we discuss the idea and implications of the marriage state. We will first write a few things about “church weddings” which is the subject of Article 70 of our Church Order. Our present reading of the Church Order makes church weddings mandatory for the members of the church. Although the article we are now considering does not say this in so many words, it is nevertheless clearly implied. It states that...

Why Do We Acknowledge Scripture’s Authority?(cont.) Rather than lose ourselves in scholastic wranglings over the question which of these three grounds is primary and which is secondary, which is of greater significance and which is of less importance, we ought to see that these grounds, all three of them, belong together and can in no wise be separated. One is of no value without the other two and could not possibly serve as a ground. We may, in fact, say that these three are but three aspects of the one ground of the believer’s faith concerning the authority of the...

In our presentation of the Protestant view of the Church, we must also call attention to the marks of the Church. What are these marks of the true church of Christ? Why are these the marks of the church? What is meant by the true church, and what is the distinction between the true church and the false church? Must we maintain that there is only one true church (the Protestant Reformed Church) and that all other churches are false? There are those, also in our churches, who would maintain this, although the undersigned must confess that he has heard...

Jude speaks of it in his general epistle. He felt the necessity of exhorting the Church to contend earnestly for the faith (doctrine, truth) once delivered to the saints, because certain men had crept in unawares who taught that which they had dreamed up in the place of that which God had delivered to the saints. The way of Cain! How many followers he has! How many there are who have him for their spiritual father rather than his brother Abel! How many there are who do not keep themselves in the love of God because they follow men who...

In our former essay we called attention to Paul’s description of and criteria for a fit candidate for the work and position of a deaconess in the church of Jesus Christ. There were two factors which are particularly singled out and set in bold relief. The first is the matter of personal qualifications. She must have been the wife of one man, have nourished children, have lodged strangers, and have washed the saints’ feet; particularly, she must have relieved the needy! In one word: she must have diligently followed every good work! Besides, and probably too for the foregoing reasons,...

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote...

Christ, so we wrote in our last article on the subject of justification, is worthy of life eternal. He is the Son of God in human nature. And He humbled Himself deeply into death and hell in perfect obedience of love. Hence, it was entirely according to the justice of God that in the same measure that He humbled Himself He should also be highly exalted and attain to the state of immortality in eternal glory. This is the teaching of Scripture. Thus we read in Philippians 2:6-11: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be...