Vol 98 Issue 12

When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. John 19:26-27 Jesus spoke but seven times during the six hours of suffering on the cross. The first crossword was spoken after the soldiers nailed Him to the cross at 9:00 a.m.: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” The second crossword was spoken later in the morning to the penitent thief who...

The issue Members of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRCA) are thinking about and discussing doctrinal truths with renewed fervency. This is one of the good fruits of the controversy through which the Lord Jesus is bringing us. God’s people have been focusing primarily on truths related to soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), which has been the specific realm of the doctrinal controversy. But there has also been renewed interest in ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church). Specifically, discussion has centered on the distinction between the true and the false church. This distinction has garnered attention on account of...

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Jonah 4:11 The book of Jonah ends in a strange way with a reference to Nineveh’s cattle: “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” The last word, then, in this marvelous book is “cattle.” The reference to the 120,000 small children in Nineveh is understandable....

Previous article in this series: February 1, 2022, p. 213. A third example of the PRCA commitment to the threeself formula in foreign missions is the PRCA work in the Philippines. After five years of developing individual contacts and groups by delegation visits, the PRCA Synod in 2001 declared the Philippines a PRCA mission field and approved the calling of a missionary to serve there. Synod appointed Doon PRC (IA) the calling church. In 2002 Doon called and sent Rev. Audred Spriensma, with his family, to begin mission labors in Manila, centering on the Berean Church of God (Reformed-BCGR) in...

Previous article in this series: December 15, 2021, p. 139. We have been exploring the topic of authority. We have learned that authority is the right to rule. We explained that God has all authority, has conferred authority upon Jesus Christ according to His human nature, and through Christ has bestowed upon certain people the right to rule. Those people on earth to whom God has given authority include parents in the home, and the husband as head of his wife; teachers who stand in the place of parents; officebearers in the church; government officials on the national, state, and...

For us the word tower brings different things to mind than it did for God’s people in ages past. There are towers today. Radio towers dot the landscape spreading cellphone coverage over the country. The cityscape is dominated by skyscrapers housing offices and businesses. Go to one of today’s major cities, and you can likely visit a special tower erected as a monument to some important event or person. Few towers today serve the purpose they had in the past. The first mention of a tower in the Bible is not a favorable mention. This tower came to be called...

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 48 Question 123. Which is the second petition? Answer. Thy kingdom come; that is, rule us so by Thy Word and Spirit, that we may submit ourselves more and more to Thee; preserve and increase Thy church; destroy the works of the devil and all violence which would exalt itself against Thee; and also, all wicked counsels devised against Thy holy Word; till the full perfection of Thy kingdom take place, wherein Thou shalt be all in all. In this second petition, which has to do with God’s kingdom, our request concerns both God and ourselves....

Previous article in this series: January 15, 2022, p. 181. An error regarding the Trinity is being taught today in a number of books on practical matters. A person might pick up what is considered a conservative book on marriage and find instruction about the triune God that is fundamentally wrong. The specific error we have been considering is sometimes called EFS (Eternal Functional Subordination). It is the teaching that within the Trinity the second Person is submissive to the first, and the third Person is submissive to both the first and the second Persons. In the previous article I...

Preparing for Dating and Marriage: A 31- Day Family Devotional, by Cory Griess (Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2020), 112 pp. Softcover. $9.95. [Reviewed by Rev. Grant VanLeuven, pastor of Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Diego, CA.] Used with permission by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. This review was first published online at reformation21.org. When my eldest daughter entered her senior year of high school last Fall, we had a daddy-daughter brunch date to plan her future. We enjoyed navigating through ideas toward her ideal major, place of study, and vocation. But I surprised her when I brought up the...

Trivia question Which PRC minister owned a “PRC-50” ‘vanity’ license plate at the time of the PRC’s 50th anniversary in 1975? PRC news (denominational) Classis West met at Hope PRC in Redlands, CA on March 2 for her regular meeting. An officebearers’ conference was held the Tuesday before on the subject of “The Church of Christ: Her Government and Her Sinfulness.” Four ministers from Classis West gave speeches, with two in the afternoon and two in the evening. The speeches were also livestreamed through Hope PRC’s website for the benefit of those not present. Let us hope they also are...