Vol 59 Issue 06

I finally received a welcome letter from Rev. T. Miersma written by his wife Jan. The letter cleared up the question about the difficulties they were having with the Canadian Consulate in Detroit. Actually there were no difficulties, as this quote will show, “To our surprise when we had the interview, on September 27, and asked about the possibility of getting such a permit (work permit), the vice consul replied, that he could write that up for us a minute, and so we could move immediately if we wanted. . . .

Copyright (1982) Board of Publications, Christian Reformed Church in North America, reprinted from the October 4, 1982 issue of the Banner, with permission. Written by Dr. Paul G. Schrotenboer, general secretary of the Reformed Ecumenical Synod, and Bernice Schrotenboer, a retired foreign language teacher.

The Standard Bearer received the following question:  “We are living in an age when the women of the world are demanding equal rights, as we see in the E.R.A. We also see in the church world that same demand, as women seek the office of minister, elder and deacon. 

In combating the evil philosophy that had affected the members of the church at Colosse, Paul sets forth the gospel of the headship of Christ. Rather than to turn from this world in an evil spirit of asceticism, Paul exhorts them to see its glory in relation to Christ the Head of all things.

HISTORY (cont’d) The statement of faith adopted by the Council of Nicea (AD 325) had certainly been a victory for the truth. Nicea had condemned the error of Arius that Jesus was merely a creature and not truly God. Positively, Nicea had confessed that Jesus Christ is “the Son of God, begotten of the Father (the only begotten, i.e., .of the essence of the Father, God of God, and) Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.” 

Youth in the Lord, the last time we met together we saw that the strength of youth and the beauty of youth is the spiritual adornment of obedience. The earmark of the child of God is obedience unto one’s parents in the Lord, for the Lord’s sake, for this is right. This was based on the Word of God as recorded in Ephesians 6:1-3. We concluded our discussion last time by pointing out that obedience is well-pleasing unto the Lord, that He loves obedience. 

Come, Ye Children – published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association When Isaac grew up a little more, God came to Abraham and asked him to do a very hard thing—the hardest thing in all his life to do—harder even than waiting for Isaac to be born. This is what God said, “Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, and offer him for a burnt offering.”

It is surely a good thing, in this Christmas season when our thoughts should be directed to the Wonder of Bethlehem, to dwell a few moments upon the subject we have selected for this article. To dwell upon the necessity of the incarnation is difficult in itself, even apart from the element of sin. The truths of the Word of God are profound because they involve the living God, and the truth of the incarnation is surely a truth that involves the living God.

The Church and Persecution One might be inclined to say that persecution of the church is rather out of the question within freedom-loving countries such as Canada and the United States. However, these countries have maintained a certain “separation of church and state”—going to absurd and evil lengths to see to it that there is no reference to God, His Word and law, in any public institution. Now, attempts are being made for the state to impose upon the church its own standards of morality.

The Decline of the GKN Not long ago a brother from one of our churches wrote me concerning his evaluation of the church situation in the Netherlands after he had visited there for several weeks.