Vol 78 Issue 07

George Ophoff was Professor of Old Testament Studies in the Protestant Reformed Seminary in its early days. Reprinted here, in edited form, are articles which Ophoff wrote at that time for the Standard Bearer. In our previous article we showed that those institutions and transactions of the old dispensation that are in Theology called types are in Scripture designated shadows. It is these Old Testament shadows, or prefigurations, which will be the object of our attention in our study of typology. We now inquire into the character, nature, and function of the Old Testament shadows. In doing so we must...

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Minister Activities   Our seminary has informed us that the faculty has licensed Mr. Bill Langerak (Hope PRC, G.R.) and Mr. Paul Goh (from our sister church, ERCS) to speak a word of edification in the churches.  We thank God for giving these men the necessary gifts to advance to this part of their training for the gospel ministry. From a trio of the Revs. C. Haak, C. Terpstra, and M. Vander Wal, the congregation of the Trinity PRC in Hudsonville, MI has extended a call to Rev. Haak...

Miss Lubbers is a member of First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This article completes the review of the critique by Herman Hoeksema of the Specific Principles adopted in 1925 by the National Union of Christian Schools. The final article in the critique was published in the Standard Bearer of July 15, 1932. The previous article (Article 8) contained a review of the critique by Herman Hoeksema of NUCS Specific Principle 5. “The all-embracing objective of the school is to promote the glory of our covenant God: (a) by seeking in humble dependence upon God to equip the...

Rev. Terpstra is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan. Introduction The topic before us may seem to be one that is relatively simple and clear, even free of any controversy. Who would possibly dispute that the believer is to be an active participant in the public worship of God?! And who would argue what the believer ought to be doing in the worship service, namely, praising and thanking God through singing, hearing the Word, prayer, and giving? But the fact is that this subject is worthy of special and separate treatment. This is true for several reasons....

Rev. Key is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa. As we continue our study of the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, we come to the doctrine of saving faith. For a man to be born again by the wonderwork of regeneration is quite obviously the work of God and God alone. We contribute nothing to our spiritual birth. The fact that God calls us from darkness into His marvelous light (II Pet. 2:9) must also be the work of God. But when it comes to faith, many seem to think that we speak now of...

Prof. Hanko is professor emeritus of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Introduction It is time to turn from the Medieval Period in the history of doctrine and concentrate on the time of the Reformation. The Medieval Period, with few exceptions, was a barren period theologically, and little can be learned from it when one is pursuing the development of the truth of God’s Word. Heretics abounded, but the answers to heretics were not to be found. The Reformation is a different sort of period. During the time of the first generation Reformers, God, through them,...

Rev. Smit is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Doon, Iowa. Terrorist controlled aircraft, anthrax-laced letters, yellow cluster bombs, and cruise missiles we recognize as weapons of mass destruction. Who has not recently seen terrorist-controlled aircraft, fully laden with jet fuel, puncturing skyscrapers and completely destroying them along with thousands of people? We are all fully aware of the potential for destruction and massive loss of life from a nuclear missile attack. We are shocked at the sight of explosions, destruction, large death tolls, and the grievous earthly suffering of men, women, and children. We shudder at the thought...

H. Hoeksema and C. VanTil Rev. Herman Hoeksema was a theologian and a thinker of no small ability. His formation of the Protestant Reformed Churches after 1924 showed that he was, together with Rev. H. Danhof, a leader of men. The Protestant Reformed Churches have continued to exist, even though a storm of separation agonized them. Rev. Hoeksema and Dr. Cornelius VanTil were mutual admirers. VanTil was a pastor in the Spring Lake CRC as his first charge. When Professor VanTil attended worship services in Hoeksema’s church, he would always sit up close to the front. Invariably, when Rev. Hoeksema...

One of the major projects of the Reformed Free Publishing Association (RFPA) at present is the publication of a commentary by Herman Hoeksema on the book of Romans. The commentary will be titled, Righteous by Faith Alone: A Devotional Commentary on Romans. It will be a devotional commentary on the order of the author’s commentary on the book of Revelation, Behold, He Cometh. The book is scheduled to come out early this year. This is a work by the renowned theologian that has never before been published, with the exception of the exposition of Romans 9-11. It will be a new...

Every two years for the past ten years, the British Reformed Fellowship (BRF) has held a weeklong family conference somewhere in the British Isles. This summer the BRF will hold the sixth such conference in Northern Ireland. The dates of the conference are July 20-27, 2002. On behalf of the BRF and the Protestant Reformed Church in Northern Ireland, which works closely with the BRF in putting on the conference, this editorial is an invitation to readers of the Standard Bearer, both in North America and all over the world, to attend. The conference was designed especially to bring together...