Vol 76 Issue 01

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Congregational Activities Progress continues to be made on the sanctuary of the Georgetown PRC in Hudsonville, MI. Construction has now gotten to the point that the building committee is asking for volunteer help from the congregation. It appears that there are now many opportunities for Georgetown’s members to help with some free time spent on 48th Ave., cleaning, sweeping, scraping, vacuuming, or dusting on the inside, as well as helping with landscaping and underground sprinkling on the outside. As many of our readers know from personal experience,...

In the Company of Angels: What the Bible Teaches What You Need to Know, by Andrew J. Bandstra. Grand Rapids: CRC Publications, 1995. 133 pp., no price given (paper). [Reviewed by Prof. Robert D. Decker.] In general this book by Andrew Bandstra, Professor of New Testament Emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary, contains many helpful insights into the subject of Angels. The points made are tightly argued and based on careful exegesis of Scripture. This is a very welcome contrast to the speculation one finds in so much of what’s written on the angels. Upon reading this little book one will...

Rev. Woudenberg is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.  Romans 11:6 As we have seen, Dr. Klaas Schilder considered the covenant to be a legal or forensic relationship between God and all the baptized children of believers. Emphasis was placed by him on the promises of the covenant, but never apart from its demands and its threats. If anyone fails to meet these...

Rev. Key is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Randolph, Wisconsin. Having considered Christ’s names and work, we are left to consider His exaltation. He who perfectly satisfied God’s justice was then exalted to the highest place of glory. The exaltation of Christ is revealed to us as having taken place in steps. The first step was His resurrection from the dead; the second, His ascension into heaven; the third, His sitting at God’s right hand; and that which is yet to be seen, His final coming again in judgment, when He will also take His people to Himself...

Rev. VanBaren is minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches . “Change of Earth’s Orbit” One reads often of theories concerning events which occurred on the earth thousands (some say millions) of years ago. Occasionally an article appears which causes one to sit up and take note. One such article appeared in the Denver Post, August 12, 1999: The Sahara stretches across northern Africa, a vast wasteland devoid of vegetation. But thousands of years ago the area was rich with vegetation, covered in grass and shrubs.  Now a team of German researchers has concluded that this dramatic transformation was triggered...

Miss Lubbers is a member of First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan Three articles (cf. Nov. 15, 1998, Feb. 15, 1999, and March 15, 1999) have summarized and reviewed some of the early significant writings by Herman Hoeksema and George M. Ophoff concerning Christian education and Christian schools. I have contended that the articles respecting Christian education and Christian schools during the earliest years of the publication of the Standard Bearer influenced profoundly the development and formation of the Protestant Reformed Christian Schools. I believe that it can be demonstrated that those articles, written seven decades ago by...

Rev. Kleyn is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Edgerton, Minnesota Again and again the Scriptures remind us that we are to forgive the sins of our fellow saints. This is our sacred duty and responsibility. Christ, for example, states it very emphatically when He says to His disciples: “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:3, 4). “Be...

Rev. Kortering is a Protestant Reformed minister-on-loan to Singapore. Polemics is the activity of Christians and the Christian church in which they expose errors which may be within the local church, in the church-world in general, or even among the heathen. It always concerns itself with differing viewpoints and calls the attention of the Christians to the seriousness of errors that may be present. It is to be distinguished from apologetics in that the latter is the science of developing proper biblical answers to wrong teachings and carefully defending the faith from error. Polemics focuses upon the actual activity of...

Although we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Standard Bearer in connection with the 75th anniversary of the Protestant Reformed Churches in the year 2000, God willing, the 75th birthday of the SB is actually October, 1999. The first issue of the magazine, originally a monthly, appeared in October, 1924. The editors were Rev. H. Danhof, Rev. H. Hoeksema, Rev. G. Ophoff, and a layman, G. Van Beek. In charge of subscriptions was G. Vos. The subscription price was $1.50. 

At their annual meeting this past July, the staff of the Standard Bearer—writers and managing editor—planned volume 76. Volume 76 begins with this issue—October 1, 1999. Changes from the past year include the following. Rev. James Laning will co-edit “Taking Heed to the Doctrine” with Rev. Steven Key and Rev. Charles Terpstra. Rev. Laning will also write a new rubric, “All Thy Works shall Praise Thee.” These articles will show how creation reflects spiritual realities. Connie Meyer will cooperate with Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma and MaryBeth Lubbers in writing “When Thou Sittest in Thine House”—the rubric on the Reformed family. Rev....