Vol 62 Issue 12

David Harbach is a teacher at Adams St. Prot. Ref. Christian School, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The new address of Rev. Joostens and his family is: Ocean Pines, Apt. B202, P.O. Box 238, Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies. Rev. Bruinsma has written the congregation of First Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, to acquaint them with the Beeston Springs Church that joined the Protestant Reformed Churches of Jamaica three and one-half years ago. This church is without a minister, although an enthusiastic man, Elder Tomlinson, who desires to become a minister, serves the congregation of about twenty to twenty-five people. On Wednesday afternoons...

EVANGELICAL ETHICS, ISSUES FACING THE CHURCH TODAY, by John Jefferson Davis: Puritan and Reformed Publishing, 1985; 299 pp., $13.95. (Reviewed by Prof. H. Hanko) The blurb on the cover of this book explains its contents. The Christian today is confronted with ethical questions of unprecedented magnitude. Are nuclear weapons justifiable? Does world population growth make the widespread use of contraceptives imperative? What attitude should Christians have toward homosexuality? How should we respond to the practices of abortion, infanticide, euthanasia? Is civil disobedience ever an option for believers? What does the Bible say about artificial insemination, or about sterilization? Never before...

Carl J. Haak is pastor-elect of the Protestant Reformed Church of Lynden, Washington. Mercy—how we love that word! “The Lord is merciful . . .”; “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him . . .”; “Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses . . . .” God’s mercy looks at us as we are miserable and wretched in our sins and it is His tender pity and loving compassion towards us whereby He does us good. “God be merciful to ME the sinner, . . . this man went...

Barrett L. Gritters is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Byron Center, Michigan. The relation between believers in the church and the elders is often incorrectly viewed as similar to that between citizens of the United States and their State or Congressional Representatives. Ours (USA) is a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” in which (according to our constitution) the power rests in the people who are governed. That is, the power rests in the people themselves. Because this kind of representative government is part of our country’s heritage, some get the notion that...

Robert D. Decker is professor of New Testament and Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Ministers of the gospel do not make much money. Generally speaking, at least this is true in our denomination, ministers do not accumulate a great deal of earthly wealth. Do not misunderstand, our ministers are provided with all they need. They are provided with good houses and a salary and other benefits which are sufficient to “free them from worldly cares and avocations.” But, if one wishes to make a great deal of money and amass to himself earthly riches, he ought not enter...

Ronald J. Van Overloop is a missionary-pastor of the Protestant Reformed Churches in suburban Northwest Chicago. One of the vital issues of the Reformation was the priesthood of all believers. The Reformation abolished the idea that only a select group of men may function as priests. It pointed out that Scripture calls all of the members of the church “priests” (I Peter 2:9) and that each has priestly tasks (Hebrews 13:15, 16). One of the principal duties of priests was to know and to teach the Word of God to the people (Malachi 2:7). In the old dispensation the people...

Gise J. Van Baren is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Once upon a time (children’s stories and perhaps “parables” should begin that way) there was a man who was a carpenter—a very good one at that. From his youth he had been developing his talents. He spent unending hours practicing and seeking to perfect this art. He lived in a ramshackle, old house (badly in need of repair), but he did not have the time to take care of that. He anticipated a call from the king who was building his palace. After all, the king...

Herman C. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament departments at the Protestant Reformed Seminary. The Scriptural teaching concerning the office of all believers was one of the crucial doctrines of the Reformation and was held by every Reformer on the continent of Europe and in Great Britain. It is not too much to say that without this central teaching, the Reformation would never have restored the church to the pure teaching of Scripture. The truth concerning the office of all believers had been denied by the Romish Church. A number of factors accounted for this. While we...

Homer C. Hoeksema is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament at the Protestant Reformed Seminary. All God’s people are prophets. The Spirit Who was poured out on the church on the day of Pentecost is the Spirit of prophecy, Who makes God’s people participants in the prophetic anointing of Christ. “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy!” Hence, under the new covenant, according to Hebrews 8:11, “they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.” In fact, God’s people know all things:...

Homer C. Hoeksema is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament at the Protestant Reformed Seminary. The believer is in office! The expression “office of believers” is not found in Scripture; and it does not occur in our Reformed confessions. And probably when we think of offices in the church, we are inclined to think immediately of the offices of minister, elder, and deacon. Perhaps it even takes a reminder to make us think of the fact that there is such a thing as the office of believers and of the fact that all believers are in office. Whatever may be...