Vol 64 Issue 14

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. At a congregational meeting held in mid-March, the saints at the First P.R.C. in Holland, Michigan extended a call to Rev. Jason Kortering, pastor of the Grandville P.R.C. in Grandville, Michigan, to become their minister. Pastor Wayne Bekkering of our Faith P.R.C. in Jenison, Michigan has suffered a set-back and is now under professional care for his psychological problems and depression. Let us remember this servant of God in our prayers, as well as his family and congregation. The ministers of Classis East share in the preaching...

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6, Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan Publishing Co., Cloth, $30.95, 1088 pp. [reviewed by Prof. H.C. Hoeksema] This is a volume of an attractively published set from Zondervan’s Regency Reference Library. The set, when completed, will consist of twelve large volumes, covering all of Scripture. At present Volumes 2 and 3 (Genesis through II Samuel) and Volume 5 (Psalms through Son of Solomon) are not yet published. Volume 6 is a commentary on Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel by four different authors. On the plus side with respect to this commentary...

Jason L. Kortering is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan. The Book of Joshua follows chronologically upon the events recorded in the Pentateuch. We have seen that the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy deal with the history of Israel that takes them to the very edge of the land of Canaan. They have endured the forty years of the wilderness sojourn, and Moses has been replaced by Joshua as the leader. They are ready to cross the Jordan River. The Former Prophets Having said this, we should acquaint ourselves with the fact that the Book of Joshua...

Jason L. Kortering is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan. We have come to the concluding part of the book of Deuteronomy, which contains the last words of Moses and the record of his death (Deut. 31:1-34:12). We are up to chapter 32 with our outline. In chapter 31:19, God instructed Moses to write a song which would witness to the people of Israel concerning God’s faithfulness to them. We now have this song that Moses wrote. In the introduction, Moses expresses the purpose of this song, to ascribe greatness to God (Deut. 32:1-3). This is followed...

Arie den Hartog is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Randolph, Wisconsin. Sincere and godly humility is certainly among the chief traits of godliness. There are few exhortations that we find more often in Scripture than exhortations to humility. The inspired apostle Peter exhorts us: “Be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty h and of God, that he may exalt you in due time (I Pet. 5:5-6). Pride is the chief of all sins. Pride has its origin with the devil himself. It is, of...

Ronald L. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. To Article 4 of the Church Order, which deals with the lawful calling of ministers of the gospel, four decisions have been appended by our Protestant Reformed Churches. These four decisions concern the method of the election of a minister, the duties of the classical counselor or moderator, and the peremptoir and praeparatoir examination of candidates. Election of a Minister The election of a minister of the Word shall be conducted in the following manner: 1. The consistory shall make a nomination consisting usually of a trio of...

Gise J. Van Baren is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Editorial comment about the creation debate at Calvin College I will leave to others. It is of interest, however, to note the reaction and comments of some as presented in the press. In the Detroit Free Press, Feb. 13, 1988, we were informed on the front page: Three Calvin College professors who questioned the literal truth of the Bible’s creation story were spared possible disciplinary action Friday in a report issued after a year-long investigation of them by trustees of the school.  The report said physics professor...

Herman C. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. In our last article we talked about the great evils of euthanasia as it is increasingly being practiced in this country and abroad. In this article we want to attempt to see some light in the many problems which nevertheless arise, and with which the child of God is confronted in various ways by this perplexing problem. The problems really arise out of the advances of medical technology, which has made it possible to sustain or prolong life artificially. That is, various machines are...

John A. Heys is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. When one walks around a foundation that has been laid for a building that is under construction, that foundation will not tell whether the building will be a hotel, warehouse, office building, hospital, factory or any other large building. It will not tell us how many stories the building will have, or whether the outside walls of the building will be made of wood or stone. But that foundation will tell us how long and wide the building will be, and that someone wants a building, and wants...

In The Outlook (April, ’88, pp. 13, 14) the Rev. Jelle Tuininga, a Christian Reformed minister in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, writes under the title, “Obey God Rather Than Men”—a Scriptural injunction, of course, with which no one may disagree. We certainly must obey God rather than men if and when we are confronted by such a choice. In the article the Rev. Tuininga leaves the impression that he is very disturbed, and even angry. He also leaves the impression that he feels rather frustrated—frustrated partly because those whom he classifies as “liberals” in the Christian Reformed Church are, to use...