Vol 97 Issue 18

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother and then...

Unprecedented, as far as I am aware. Prof. Russell Dykstra was but one year from finishing the five-year transition period into his retirement as faculty in the PRC seminary when on May 30 he accepted a call to become pastor of Byron Center, MI PRC. First, the pastorate (Doon and Hope GR); then twenty-five-years as professor at seminary; now back to the pastorate. At age 67. Sixty-seven these days is not what 67 was 50 years ago, but it still does not carry the strength of youth. It was very understandable then that only two days later, at the Standard...

On Thursday, June 17, after nine days of committee meetings and open sessions, the 2021 Synod completed its works on the largest agenda in the eighty-two-year history of Protestant Reformed synods. It was a good synod, from many points of view. The blessed harmony of brothers in Christ was manifest through all the meetings and meals. This was not a feigned harmony, but genuine, based on the unity in the truth of Scripture and cemented by brotherly love. That it was a unity based squarely on truth was immediately manifest in the solemn ceremony—no empty ritual—of the reading of the...

Synod 2021 adopted “an open letter to those who have recently left the PRCA calling them to repentance with the goal of biblical reconciliation.” Synod instructed the Stated Clerk “to request that this letter be printed in the Standard Bearer. The SB gladly complies with this request.    Dear brothers and sisters who have left the PRCA over the recent controversy, We write to you out of the sincere love we have for you in our Lord Jesus Christ and the deep grief we have over the division between us. Knowing it to be our solemn duty before God, we...

The First Ecumenical Council (Nicea, AD 325) established the doctrine that Jesus Christ is truly God, being of the same essence as the Father. The Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople, AD 381) reiterated the deity of Christ, began to work through the relationship between Christ’s person and natures, and set forth clearly the deity of the Holy Spirit. In the fifty years before the next ecumenical council met, theologians continued to investigate the relation between Christ’s divine person and His two natures. What particularly made necessary the meeting of the Council of Ephesus in AD 431 was the error of Nestorianism....

Jonah 2:1-10 One of the most remarkable things about Jonah’s prayer is that most of the prayer is quotation from the Psalms. He quotes from Psalm 120:1 (v. 2), Psalm 42:7 (v. 3), Psalm 31:22 (v. 5), Psalm 69:1 (v. 7), Psalm 142:3 (v. 8), Psalm 3:8 (v. 8) and Psalm 31:6 (v. 9). Calling God his own mercy (v. 8) is also a reference to Psalm 144:2. These quotes not only show a close acquaintance with the Psalms on Jonah’s part but also demonstrate the power of the Psalms both as the Word of God and as a divine...

Previous article in this series: April 15, 2021, p. 327. The testimony of the gospels The obedience of Christ comprehends the totality of the Father’s will as it was perfectly performed by Christ, the Servant of Jehovah, during His vicarious life on earth. Last time we demonstrated that the Scriptures and Reformed confessions teach that Christ’s perfect, lifelong obedience is imputed to our account in justification as our righteousness before God. Romans 5:19 teaches, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Even as many are reckoned...

God Has Elected Us out of Grace. From eternity God has freely, and of His mere grace, without any respect to men, predestinated or elected the saints whom He wills to save in Christ, according to the saying of the apostle, “God chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). And again: “Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our...

Trivia question Who was the seminary student that graduated in 1999 and accepted the call to Loveland, CO PRC? Answer found later in this article.   Denominational activities The pre-synodical service was held Monday, June 7, at 7 p.m. in Georgetown PRC with Rev. R. Van Overloop preaching. Synod convened on June 8, at 8 a.m. in Georgetown PRC. Seminary graduation took place on Thursday, June 10 in Georgetown PRC, at 7:30 p.m. with Prof. D. Kuiper giving the address on ”Putting One’s Neck to the Work.” To watch the program, visit the seminary’s YouTube channel at prcts.org.   Minister...

Appreciation for the Standard Bearer The purpose of this letter is to express my appreciation for the continued publication of the Standard Bearer. The SB continues to give spiritual instruction in many areas where we need it. Of particular interest to myself and many of the readers is the continued articles regarding the doctrinal aspects of the controversy that has engulfed our churches for the past years. I want to encourage the SB to continue to publish articles that help us maintain our balance as God’s people and as a denomination of churches. We need to read articles and hear...