Vol 97 Issue 20

The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. Proverbs 3:33 The family unit in our society is disintegrating. Marriage, which is the backbone of the family, is in deep trouble. Mothers, who are all important to the welfare of the family, are abandoning their God-given role in the family as keepers of the home to take up work outside the home. Children and young people no longer respect authority but live as rebels in their homes. The lifestyle our society has adopted makes family life very difficult. These...

In the past five years, our churches have struggled mightily to combat and root out error that gave to good works a place “out of harmony with the Reformed confessions.” In the process of that struggle, some have warned against antinomianism as an error that must also be avoided. My editorial about the “two thieves” showed that there is always error on both sides of the gospel of the cross, both on the left and on the right. The error of giving credit to good works is an error, perhaps referred to as error on the ‘left.’ But there is...

In the letter of Mr. Doug Wassink in the August SB, we mistakenly changed a sentence in his next-to-last paragraph. The corrected sentence should read, “But we do have one example—Christ, in perfect love, gave up all His personal benefits (even spiritual ones) for us on the cross” (We had “…gave us all His personal benefits….”). We apologize for this error and any change of sense it gave to the author’s meaning.

In the summer of 2020, many, if not most, North American denominations of churches were forced to cancel their general assemblies, synods, and conventions. By the time the summer of 2021 arrived, the restrictions in many states allowed for these larger assemblies to convene and take up their annual work once again.   Growing anticipation for CRC’s next synod One denomination that did not convene a synod this summer is the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC). The CRC’s “Council of Delegates” convened virtually in June to take up some of the work on synod’s agenda. The Council is...

And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Jonah 2:10-3:4 The gracious miracle...

Previous article in this series: July 2021, p. 427. We Are to Have a Good Hope For All. And although God knows who are His, and here and there [in Scripture] mention is made of the small number of elect, yet we must hope well of all, and not rashly judge any man to be reprobate. For Paul says to the Philippians, “I thank my God for you all” (now he speaks of the whole church in Philippi), “because of your fellowship in the Gospel, being persuaded that he who began a good work in you will bring it to...

What would you say if an adherent of a heathen religion asked you how your God differed from theirs? Besides the obvious, that our God is the true God and theirs is not, what would be some central points to mention? Last time we considered two points concerning the oneness of God. First, our God is the one and only Creator who called all things into existence. He alone is “the beginning.” Secondly, He alone is “the end.” He is the goal, who governs and directs all things to accomplish His purpose and glorify His name. The apostle Paul when...

Previous article in this series: April 1, 2021, p. 308. Evidence of the PRCA’s commitment to the three-self formula can be observed in the synodical decisions and missionary reports of the PRCA’s foreign mission work. Growth in the understanding of the three-self formula and a commitment to it is evident in PRCA’s past mission work in Jamaica, the first of four examples I will reference here. Initial involvement of the PRCA in missions in Jamaica began in 1962. At some time in that year, the Mission Committee (which in years later became known as the Domestic Mission Committee) was contacted...

Stressed by all the approaching due dates of his college classes, Johnny comes home wanting only to escape into his video-game adventures for a while. Molly’s mind swirls from all the drama of her high school relationships and yearns again to lose herself in a fantasy novel. Mother, her mind filled with chores, errands, and concerns about the children, cannot wait to take a break and scroll through the newsfeed on her phone or tablet. Dad, troubled by problems at work and controversy at church, just wants to drown out his thoughts with something on the HD big screen and...

Trivia question Which congregation in the PRCA became the denomination’s first “English speaking congregation?” Answer later in this column.   Minister activities Hudsonville PRC formed a new trio of Rev. R. Kleyn (Covenant of Grace PRC–Spokane, WA), Rev. E. Guichelaar (Randolph PRC), and Rev. R. Barnhill (Peace PRC–Dyer, IN). Rev. R. Kleyn received this call. Rev. R. Barnhill (Peace PRC-Dyer, IN) declined the calls from Wingham PRC and Kalamazoo PRC. Crete PRC called Rev. J. Engelsma (Doon PRC). Rev. Engelsma was directed by God to accept Crete’s call. Rev. Engelsma preached his farewell sermon on August 1, with a farewell...