Vol 95 Issue 05

Trivia question In addition to Christmas wreaths and door swags, which Ladies’ School Circle in which locale sold their well-known Kissing Balls as a holiday fundraiser? Answer later in this column. Evangelism activities Lynden PRC Evangelism Committee hosted a Fall lecture on Friday, October 26 with Prof. R. Dykstra speaking on “The Believer’s Assurance in the Canons of Dordt.” We note this from the bulletin of Grandville, MI PRC: “The evangelism committee would like to remind the congregation of the second evangelism workshop. This second speech and discussion will be focusing on the topic ‘Speaking of Our Faith to Those...

Here We Stand: Commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, edited by Ronald L. Cammenga, Jenison, MI: RFPA, 2018, 197 pages, paper. [Reviewed by Julian Kennedy, Covenant PRC, Ballymena.] Just another book on the Reformation, or so I thought! My initial wrong attitude was swiftly replaced by appreciation as I got into the book. What I particularly liked about it was that it majors on the main effects of this great work of God’s Spirit half a millennium ago. In fact, the chapters outline the vitally important changes that occurred in this period of the history of the church. First,...

In Isaiah 43:10 and 12, God says to His people, “Ye are my witnesses.” That witness is in contrast to the false witnesses of the nations regarding their gods. That witness is that there is one true God who saves. He saves through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. We are not only forgiven our sins but delivered from slavery to sin. We are new creatures recreated in the image of God. Our lives are to be lived in thankfulness, shown by obedience to our...

This year and next mark the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dordt. One of the most significant labors of that Synod was to compose and adopt the Canons of Dordt. Although the main purpose and benefit of this creed was and still is to provide a clear, biblical response to the grievous, God-dishonoring heresy of Arminianism, surprisingly this creed also addresses, both indirectly as well as explicitly, the matter of the church’s calling to do mission work. As we commemorate the work of this Synod and the Lord’s guiding hand in that work, we do well to take a...

Previous article in this series: August 2018, p. 449. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 Down through the ages, no weapon has been more valuable and had a greater use in warfare than the sword. Countless enemies have fallen and countless battles have been won by the edge of the sword. In the apostle Paul’s day the Roman soldier carried a short stabbing sword in a sheath attached to his belt. Often the soldier in the front line of a legion would carry his shield in...

Previous article in this series: August 2018, p. 444. God created all things This good and almighty God created all things, both visible and invisible, by His co-eternal Word, and preserves them by His co-eternal Spirit, as David testified when he said: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth” (Ps. 33:6). And, as Scripture says, everything that God had made was very good, and was made for the profit and use of man. Now we assert that all things proceed from one beginning. The doctrine of creation...

Previous article in this series: September 15, 2018, p. 494. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). Introduction There is yet one fundamental error of premillennialism concerning the end of all things—eschatology—that the Reformed faith strongly condemns and that plainly exposes premillennialism as gross error concerning the end. This error pervades dispensational premillennialism. Criticism of the error likewise, therefore, has pervaded this critical examination of premillennialism. But it is...

The Synod of Dordt met in the city of Dordrecht, in a building called the Kloveniersdoelen. The city Two other cities were considered as possible locations for the synod: The Hague (the national capital) and Utrecht. Utrecht was ruled out because it was “a stronghold of Remonstrants.”1 On November 20, 1617, the national government decided that the synod should meet in Dordrecht.2 This city had been the site of a significant provincial synod in 1574, and of the first national synod in 1578. More importantly, the city was considered safe. It was an island city with walled gates, so entry...

The letter from Manuel Kuhs together with Professor Dykstra’s reply I found thought-provoking (SB, October 1, 2018). Please permit me to address something in the reply I found confusing. The professor believes that one’s statements can be “out of harmony with the Reformed confessions” yet not contradict the confessions. The statements judged to be “out of harmony with the Reformed confessions” and that consequently compromised the doctrine of justification by faith alone, in his view, do not contradict the confessions. He writes: “If the teaching went farther and the logical conclusions were completely drawn out, it would eventually contradict these...

This article was first published in the October 15, 1997 issue of the Standard Bearer (vol. 74, no. 2), part of a special Reformation issue on the Synod of Dordt, the 400th anniversary of which we commemorate this year and next. When the Enemy launched a full frontal assault against the doctrinal walls of the church, the church responded with a ‘Canons’ blast of confessional truth to ward off the assault, to show that there is plenty of life in the old city yet, and that those “set for the defense of the gospel” (Phil. 1:17) do not intend to...