Volu 101 Issue 05

pastor of Kalamazoo PRC in Kalamazoo, Michigan For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith—Romans 1:16, 17 These verses form the end of the inspired apostle’s introduction to the book of Romans. The apostle Paul had begun it with such fervor and zeal for the message he was about to convey that the...

professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and member of First PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan As a pastor and a professor who teaches Reformed worship in the Protestant Reformed Seminary, I am always trying to think of ways to help God’s people embrace and carry out Reformed worship with mind and heart. As you know, we are to offer every aspect of our worship to God “in spirit” as well as “in truth.” Yet, at times God’s people struggle to maintain the proper spiritual mindset as the service progresses through the elements of worship. It seems...

pastor of Doon PRC in Doon, Iowa THE WRITER While no clear indication is given in the book itself that the Holy Spirit used Mark to write it, the church has always maintained that this is so. This is indicated especially by the writings of the church fathers in the second century AD.1 Mark’s full name was John Mark (Mark being his surname). His mother’s name was Mary (Acts 12:12), in whose house the church had gathered to pray for Peter when the latter was imprisoned by Herod. He was a nephew of Barnabas (Col. 4:10) and accompanied Paul and...

pastor of Providence PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan Previous article in this series: September 15, 2024, p 517. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord— 2 Corinthians 3:18 SANCTIFICATION: GOD’S WORK In this article we continue our explanation of sanctification, the sixth step in the ordo salutis: regeneration, calling, conversion, saving faith, justification,   sanctification,   preservation,   and glorification. Our definition was: “Sanctification is God’s work of making elect, regenerated, justified sinners holy.” We have looked at...

pastor of Randolph PRC in Randolph, Wisconsin   In addition to the steps of release, return, and refreshment, another significant step for a foreign missionary’s departure from his field of labor and going back to his passport country and sending churches is the step of rehearsal. While the activity of rehearsal should be a part of a missionary’s lengthy furlough from his field of labor, it also should be part of a missionary’s permanent release from his field of labor and return to his passport country and sending churches. REHEARSAL Rehearsal was an activity that the apostles had been trained...

Science teacher in Covenant Christian High School, and member of Hope PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan   The following is adapted from the speech the author gave at the RFPA’s annual meeting on September 26, 2024 at Southwest Protestant Reformed Church.   Dear friends and supporters of the RFPA, To us whom God has graciously given the gift of faith, comes the exhortation of the Word of God to read and to give attendance to doctrine; to grow in grace and knowledge of God; to get wisdom. God has given us means to grow in grace and in knowledge of...

member of Southeast PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and administrator at Eastside Christian School in Grand Rapids, Michigan Submitted by Carmen Griess, member of Loveland PRC in Loveland, Colorado. The Loveland Protestant Reformed Church’s roots are thoroughly German. The charter members were almost exclusively children and grandchildren of German- Russian immigrant Henry Schwarz from Sutton, Nebraska (NE). His ancestors can be traced back to the Protestant Reformation, including the 1525 marriage of Felix Ochsner and Fronegg Gosswiller performed by Swiss Reformer, Ulrich Zwingli! His family is thoroughly interwoven with two other German- Russian families, Griess and Ochsner. Both of Henry’s...

member of Faith PRC in Jenison, Michigan, full-time librarian/registrar/archivist at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and SB book review editor The following book is reviewed by Prof. David Engelsma, former editor of the Standard Bearer, professor emeritus of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and member of Trinity PRC in Hudsonville, Michigan The Abusive Wife: Ministering to the Contentious Woman, by David D. Edgington. Phoenix, Arizona: Matthew 22:37 Books, 2015. Pp. 168. $14.99. Paperback. When some years ago I gave the public lecture on spousal abuse in the Reformed community that to some extent opened up the reality...

professor emeritus of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and member of Southwest PRC in Wyoming, Michigan INTRODUCTION Suppose that you walked into a Jewish eatery in the Old Testament, let us say a Jewish Russ’ Restaurant in Nazareth. The noon specials might not strike you so much for what they were as much as for what they were not. There would be no BBQ pork or Reuben sandwich on the menu. There would be no shrimp salad. You would not be able to order a ham and cheese sandwich. And no ham and pea soup...