Vol 98 Issue 13

And set up over his head his accusation written, this is Jesus the king of the Jews . Matthew 27:37 The superscription above Jesus’ head is a glorious declaration of the truth of the gospel. Jesus was and is the King of the Jews. The superscription is so significant that all four gospel accounts record it in differing levels of detail. Significantly, all four contain the crucial phrase, “The King of the Jews.” We must see Jesus on the cross as the King of the Jews. Matthew, more than the other gospel accounts, treats the subject of Jesus’ kingship and...

In this series of editorials, we are examining the distinction between a true church and a false church. The first few editorials are devoted to setting forth a right understanding of that distinction, and then a few other articles will make application of the distinction to the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC). In the previous article, we looked at how the Belgic Confession and the Scriptures set forth this distinction. The conclusion we reached was that it is in keeping with the Belgic Confession and the Scriptures to be careful not to imply that one’s own church is the only true...

I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. I Corinthians 3:6 The diversity that is found in the church of Jesus Christ is an amazing wonder. Many different spiritual gifts are represented in each congregation, and God uses each one to refresh and strengthen the other members. In this way, Christ, the Head of the church, is glorified. In a more specific sense, the office of the ministry provides diversity. Men with different strengths and weaknesses sound forth a common gospel message each week. God overrules their sin and weakness and uses the “foolishness” of preaching to save...

Previous article in this series: February 1, 2022, p. 210. One of the great wonders of God’s inspired words in Scripture is that they are often revealed to us in the form of a mystery. These “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” serve to reinforce the faith of those who are given to understand and to harden the hearts of those who reject God and His Son. Such was the explanation offered by Christ when He was asked by His disciples the reason for His teaching in parables (Matt. 13:10- 17). And such is the purpose of the frequent paradoxes...

Previous article in this series: March 15, 2022, p. 274. According to our examination of the historical examples in foreign missions of a commitment to the three-self formula, the three aspects of this formula should be somewhat familiar. However, it is beneficial that we have a clear description of the self-government, self-support, and self-propagation of an indigenous, autonomous church institute that functions faithfully in obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. First, what is the “self-government” element of the three-self formula? As defined by Robert Decker,1 self-government means that in the biblical and confessional sense…each congregation is under the care of...

But, Lord, in Thee is all my trust, Thou art my God I cried; My life, my times are in Thy hand, I in Thy strength confide. Psalter #80, stanza 9 We are all creatures of time. For the timeless God, in His infinite wisdom, created us so. He, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, has so designed things that all of our life here on earth—as we journey from here to heaven—is governed by time. Not only must we teach our children how to tell time on the face of the clock that hangs on the...

Previous article in this series: January 15, 2022, p. 187. We have been considering the subject of Christian communication, and so far we have noted two important principles. First, our communication must be governed by the principle of truth; second, our communication must be governed by the principle of what is necessary, important, and helpful. Or, to use the illustration we have employed before, our words must pass through the truth-filter and the necessity-filter. In this article we add to those two filters a third: the love-filter. All our communication must be governed by love. A key passage of God’s...

The Riddle of Life, by Johan H. Bavinck. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2016. 102 pages. $21.50, softcover. [Reviewed by Dr. Marco Barone] This book was written by Johan Herman Bavinck (1895—1964), whose uncle was Herman Bavinck. The book can be described as a general introduction to the Christian worldview. It is neither an exegetical work nor a theological monograph. The book is rather a discussion of vital philosophical questions answered from a Christian perspective. In eighteen short chapters, Bavinck seeks briefly but pointedly to discuss metaphysics (the nature of reality), epistemology (the nature of knowledge), ethics (the nature...

Classis West of the Protestant Reformed Churches met on March 2-3, 2022, in Hope PRC (Redlands, CA). This isolated congregation did an outstanding job of hosting the delegates. The day before the meeting, an officebearers’ conference was held on the timely subject of the church of Christ. The first two speeches dealt with the government of the church, with Rev. M. Kortus speaking on “A Delicate Balance: The Relationship between Office of Believer and the Special Offices in the Church of Christ” and Rev. E. Guichelaar speaking on “The Autonomy of the Local Congregation and the Authority of the Broader...

Trivia question Which PRC minister recently led two different congregational Prayer Day services on back-to-back days? PRC news (denominational) Now that I kept you all in suspense with my question about whom First PRC-Edmonton called on February 27, we can confirm that it was Rev. E. Guichelaar. My apologies for an obvious copy editor’s mistake! It was supposed to be filled in by yours truly before it went to press. I can guess you had a little laugh at my expense. Probably not the last time that will happen. On March 13 Rev. C. Spronk (Faith PRC) declined the call...