Volu 100 Issue 20

Pastor of Hull PRC in Hull, Iowa Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour—Ephesians 5:1, 2 We are, by nature, imitators one of another. We become like the people who are closest to us. Children resemble parents; church members tend to dress and speak in a similar way; students imitate teachers and fellow classmates. While it is true that we naturally imitate fellow human beings, we are not, by nature, imitators...

Pastor of Crete PRC in Crete, Illinois INTRODUCTION In my last editorial, I indicated that it was my intention to write several articles on the decisions of the recent synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches regarding a case of doctrinal error. I also noted that I intended to focus on the truth of the believer’s experience of his salvation and various doctrines related to it. The first editorial in this little series grounded the entirety of the believer’s salvation—therefore, necessarily also his experience of salvation—in the saving work of Jesus Christ. In this editorial, I want to relate the believer’s...

Pastor of the Wingham PRC in Wingham, Ontario, Canada As many of you know, the very liberal Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA) began its downward spiral into apostasy already well over a hundred years ago. J. Gresham Machen wrote a famous book in the 1920s contrasting true Christianity from the liberal theology that was running rampant in the Presbyterian church in which he was a pastor at the time. In the 1970s, the PCUSA gave their blessing to same-sex unions. You will not be surprised to learn then that, according to World magazine, their general assembly in Salt Lake...

Pastor of Trinity PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan This is a study of the biblical and confessional doctrine of the old man and the new man. It is presented under the title of a question that became the occasion for this study. The reason is not because the answer is difficult. The answer is plain. No! The new man is not the Holy Spirit! The biblical proof is also plain: The new man is man (Eph. 4:24); the Holy Spirit is God (I Cor. 12:3). There are three basic reasons for this study. First, to explain and develop the doctrine of...

Member of Faith PRC in Jenison, Michigan In Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5, the apostle Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, uses the phrase, “redeeming the time.” In both verses, the exhortation of Paul has to do with walking in wisdom, rather than foolishly, and therefore taking advantage of every moment we have been given. Ephesians 5:16 directs that redemption of time primarily to our own walk and personal life as Christians, while in Colossians 4:5 it is directed more to our walk regarding our witness to “them that are without.” In both cases, however, the admonition of...

Science teacher in Covenant Christian High School and member of Hope PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips—Psalm 140:3. Snakes such as mambas, cobras, and rattlesnakes engender fear, not just because they are scaly, fork- tongued, belly-slithering, lurking creatures, but primarily because of the toxic venom with which they could suddenly poison us. This venom is feared for good reason—it can have serious biological effects, culminating in paralysis and even death if left untreated. Similarly the Bible teaches that our venomous tongues, particularly malicious slander and false accusations,...

Pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan   Synod 2024 of the Protestant Reformed Churches approved  the  Contact  Committee’s  (CC)  proposal to establish a corresponding relationship with the Bekennende Evangelisch-Reformierte Gemeinde (BERG), which translates as the Confessing Evangelical- Reformed Church in Giessen, Germany. The PRC recognizes two official relationships. The first is a full sister-church relationship that includes, among other things, “mutual acknowledgement of offices, so that ministers of sister churches are allowed preaching privileges in one another’s congregations and are eligible to be called by congregations in sister churches” and “mutual acknowledgement of member attests” (CC Constitution, V, B,...