Vol 42 Issue 03

Rev. J. Kortering has declined the call from Randolph, Wis. Lynden, Wash. has called the Rev. B. Woudenberg, of Doon, Iowa.

Balance on hand September 1, 1964—$1,336.81  Receipts  Subscriptions—$3,674.10  Membership—$166.00  Gifts—$4,824.30  Advertising—$164.00  Bound Volumes—$525.00.  Total—$9,353.40  Total receipts—$10,690.21 

Dear Brethren:  Reporting for the Board of the RFPA in this, the forty-first year of the Standard Bearer, our thoughts are in harmony with the words that appeared on the cover of the first issue, October 1, 1965: “Thanks Be to God.” For it is of a certainty, the Lord has strengthened and blessed us in our witness to His Word these twelve months.

One of the intents of this rubric is to review the continuing sessions of the Second Vatican Council being held in Rome. The reader may recall that about one and a half years ago the present writer presented six articles on the first two sessions of this Council. A re-reading of those articles may be helpful for a better understanding of what has been going on at the Council. The third session is already ancient history: it met from September 14 through November 21 of last year.

UNION OF EVANGELICALS  The tides of ecumenicity run strongly and seemingly irresistibly. Most of it is evil, and the Church of Christ can have no part of it. But what about the faithful people of God who are still waging a battle for the truth within many separate denominations? Is it not their calling also to come together into one ecclesiastical household? Ought they not make every effort to join in the cause of Christ? 

THE SHINING FACE OF STEPHEN Acts 6:15  There stands Stephen before the entire Sanhedrin. All the eyes of all the members of this Jewish court are fixed upon him. The text says “they gazed upon him all . . . . . and they saw”, that is, while they gazed on him they saw something very significant on the face of this man who had been forcefully hauled into their court. They saw his face as it were the face of an angel! 

“Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” I Samuel 7:12

Those who defend a general, well-meant offer of salvation to all mankind also maintain that there is a certain ability in the unregenerated sinner to accept the gospel. An offer implies that one can accept or reject it; an invitation can be honored or turned down. And the ability, to accept or reject must necessarily lie with the person who receives the invitation. Therefore since the offer comes to every individual who hears the gospel, it must follow that all men have the ability to accept as well as to reject the gospel-invitation. 

GRATITUDE 

BARTH’S DOCTRINE OF SCRIPTURE