Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear—Hebrews 11:3 Scripture is the lens through which we must understand the creation. We saw in the last installment that we have a more sure word of prophecy in God’s inspired Word (Standard Bearer, December 2025, p. 121). In light of that more sure Word, we must not use creation and men’s interpretation of creation as our guide for understanding Scripture. Just the opposite, we must use Scripture as our guide for understanding...
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We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts—2 Peter 1:19 Scripture is the lens by which we ought to interpret creation. You can put an elegant book in front of a man with blurry vision, but he will not be able to make out the words until you give him a pair of glasses or some other sort of lens to help him see clearly. So too, God...
Previous article in this series: June 2025, p. 349. Sowing a seed in the expectation of an eventual harvest is a fundamental principle of gardening that we considered in a previous article. But this is not the only principle pictured in gardening. God’s sovereign use of means—a core principle of earthly life (both physically and spiritually)—is pictured in gardening. For example, plants need various nutrients in order to grow and develop. These nutrients and how they are provided to the plant are means that God uses for plant development. Means are the things of this life that God uses...
Science teacher in Covenant Christian High School, and member of Hope PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan This is the time of year when many of us are busy in our gardens or tending to something we are trying to grow. Gardening is a very beneficial activity. Besides the value of being outside, being active in God’s creation, and enjoying the growth and development of the plants you are cultivating, a garden affords us, as Christians, the opportunity to be reminded of many spiritual truths. Whether in sowing, reaping, watering, fertilizing, weeding, pruning, or otherwise, we can be led to...
home missionary in the Protestant Reformed Churches, and member of Zion PRC in Jenison, Michigan In his 1851 classic, Moby Dick, Herman Melville had this to say about the whale: In his System of Nature, A.D. 1776, Linnaeus declares, “I hereby separate the whales from the fish.” But of my own knowledge, I know that down to the year 1850, sharks and shad, alewives and herring, against Linnaeus’s express edict, were still found dividing the possession of the same seas with the Leviathan.… Be it known that, waiving all argument, I take the good old fashioned ground that the...
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...
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,...
Science teacher in Covenant Christian High School and member and elder of Hope PRC in Walker, Michigan There are certain occurrences in the creation that capture our attention with dramatic intensity. One such event is about to unfold in numerous locations throughout the eastern half of the United States, if it has not already begun in some areas. This remarkable spectacle involves the emergence of countless cicadas from underground, a phenomenon that captivates observers because of its incredible magnitude. This particular emergence involves two neighboring groups of periodical cicadas that have not emerged together since 1803, the same year that...
Mr. Joel Minderhoud, science teacher in Covenant Christian High School and member of Hope PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan Many readers of the Standard Bearer living in North America will have the opportunity to observe a total solar eclipse in a few weeks. On Monday, April 8, 2024, observers in specific locations across North America will witness this rare event (observable in locations across central Mexico around noon, and along a path from Texas to Maine and up to the Maritime provinces of Canada from 1:30 CDT to 4:30 ADT). Those outside this 115-mile-wide path in North America will experience...
Mr. Dan Kuiper, science teacher in Covenant Christian High School and member and elder of Hope PRC in Walker, Michigan Imagine, for a moment, a man lost and wandering through the desert. He is not prepared for the extreme heat and has no water. As he stumbles through the sand, the sun beats down on him. His feet drag. His tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth and his head pounds as he becomes more and more dehydrated. His primary objective is to find real, refreshing, life-giving water. Without it, he has no hope of survival. In the distance,...
