Vol 41 Issue 06

Rev. H. Veldman, of Hope Church in Grand Rapids, received the call to be Home Missionary of our churches.  First Church, of Grand Rapids, extended a call to Rev. J.A. Heys of South Holland, Illinois.

Concerned Presbyterians  Our readers will recall that in the last issue of theStandard Bearer we reported concerning a movement in the Southern Presbyterian Church which has as its goal the spiritual revival and renewal of the Church. This movement is composed of ministers and laymen who dedicate themselves to work and pray for a return of the denomination to the truth of the Westminster Confessions. 

Before discussing specific ecumenical endeavors, as the World Council of Churches, I want to consider our own position over against ecumenism in general. I had already touched upon this in a former article, but now I wish to elaborate a bit upon that. In particular, what must we say of the abundant Scriptural references used in support of the present-day movement? We must agree that it is our duty to bow before proper arguments from Scripture. But, do the ecumenists properly interpret those passages which they love to quote? 

The above caption is a partial quotation taken from the third question that is asked by the church of parents when they present their children for baptism. It clearly defines the limitation of the sacred vow in which promise is made that we will arduously and faithfully instruct the children God entrusts to our care “in the aforesaid doctrine,” which, for us Protestant Reformed parents, can only mean the faith or way of life set forth in the Protestant Reformed credo! We will spare no effort.

In the light of the evangelical approach that is commonly advocated in our day, one could readily conclude that the coming of our Lord and His public ministry on earth was not most perfectly timed after all. We might be inclined to conclude that the fullness of time that marks the appearance of Christ in the flesh should have been at the close of this twentieth century instead of two thousand years ago. Take, for example, the thoroughly organized Billy Graham campaigns with all their workers, choirs, stadiums, radio and television support.

The seraphim cover their faces with their wings in the presence of God.  Isaiah saw them do this in his vision recorded in Isaiah 6:1-3.  Each seraph had three sets of wings. With two wings they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. And with two they did fly. At the same time they cried to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.”  What a striking picture! 

Those In Authority Ministers of God—Continued 

A persistent heresy, always enjoying a certain amount of popularity, and, like crab-grass, cropping up under the driest conditions, is that of destructionism, the theory that the final end of men, at least the wicked, is a total extinction of being. This is certainly the view of the pure Pelagian, the man on the street, and of the atheist, the materialistic destructionist; for they all suppose that human beings at death pass out, or are put out of existence altogether.

This is not only the teaching of Question and Answer 79, but is also taught already in the 76th Question and Answer: “What is it then to eat the crucified body, and drink the shed blood of Christ?

Our Acute Shortage  Last time I mentioned the fact that we are not accustomed in our churches at present to speak in mild terms of a mere “need” of ministers, but rather to speak of “an acute shortage” of ministers. I also made the point that from the point of view of our clergy, our potential ministers and seminary students, our churches as a whole, and our covenant parents this poses a very serious and sacred responsibility,—the more so because we as churches profess to have and to proclaim the pure gospel.