All Articles For Article

Sin is guilt. Guilt is obligation to pay. Sin involves us in the obligation to suffer the extreme penalty, the wrath of God. And this wrath of God is eternal. For God is eternal life. Man, created as adapted to God’s service and communion, can experience peace and happiness only in fellowship with the Most High. The love of God, my love of God and God’s love of me, is for me eternal life and joy. Sin deprives us of this happiness. It places us in the state of guilt. And God, Who maintains Himself and will not suffer evil...

So reads the caption of an editorial appearing in The Banner for April 11. Writes the author of this article (the Rev. H. J. Kuiper): “A number of reasons can be advanced why Christians do well to practice tithing. We invite our readers to give special consideration to the following arguments in favor of this time-honored method of contribution to the needs of the kingdom of God.” Let us pause here. I am a faithful reader of The Banner. So the invitation comes also to me. And I accept. I have given special consideration to the reverend’s arguments in favor...

Sounds rather unreal and impossible. We live in a world without hope in spite of all the promises by leaders and leading men. Hope? The whole structure of civilization shakes and the soul of man is filled with horror, when he reads his newspaper or listens to the radio. There is seemingly no end to the destruction caused by this second war now fought in every part of the world and in every sphere of life. Let us forget the years of peace, for they were nothing less but the preparation of another war, and prepare ourselves for the final...

It must be evident to all that there must be a principal difference between a Christian Labor Alliance and a “neutral” or worldly Union, if there is any reason for the existence of the former. A difference in degree can never be a sufficient reason for a separate organization. If there is only a gradual difference, between the C.L.A. on the one hand, and the A.F. of L. and C.I.O. on the other, the inevitable result will be that the former will more and more approach the latter, cooperate with them, and be merged into them in the industrial struggle....

The name of the prophet, Amos, means burden bearer. He was not the father of Isaiah whose name was also Amos. The book tells us the following about the history of the prophet. His home was in Tekoah the modern Tekua, located about 12 miles south of Jerusalem and about 6 miles south of Bethlehem. According to tradition it was a place where many shepherds grazed their flocks. Amos was no prophet by profession, that is, he was no member of the prophetic guild, and came from no prophetic school. His occupation was that of a herdsman. It is a...

*Delivered at the meeting of the League of Men’s Societies in Holland, Michigan. The Board of the League of Men’s Societies in asking me to speak on this subject realized that already at first glance the answer to this question would be an unqualified ‘Yes.’ Without hesitation we are proud to classify ourselves as Calvinists. As such my subject is very simple, for on that point there can be no dispute. Nevertheless your committee also felt that there is more to be said on the matter. The fact is, that Calvinism has become a very general and vague term in...

There is perhaps no imagery quite so vivid in its speech as the language of water. It is a figure that is often employed by the Holy Ghost in the Holy Scriptures. Both in the Old and the New Testament we note its speech. One of the very first Psalms that we learn in our earliest infancy is the beautiful 42nd psalm with its central theme of the thirst for streams of living water. But also in other portions of the Old Testament do we find its language. Think, for instance, of Isa. 44:3: “For I will pour water upon...

Strange words these. Peculiar admonition. I would not brethren that ye should be ignorant concerning the great event of the passing through the Red Sea. Moreover, I would not that ye should be ignorant. In this clause we find the conception with the preceding chapter. The exhortation at the end of the chapter pictures a sharp contrast between the athletes in the Olympic stadium and those who run the spiritual race. There is first of all similarity between them. The contestants strove for the reward or the crown which was to be had when the race was finished. The difference...

In the foregoing article on the typology of Scrip­ture, we were occupied with the Holiest Place and its furniture. As the symbolical import and typical bear­ings of this furniture can be fully comprehended only in connection with the service of the day of atonement, we shall consider this service, the instructions for which are contained in the 16th chapter of the book of Leviticus. This chapter has exclusive regard to the means of approach to God on the day of atonement. It consists of two portions. The first of these (vs. 2-28) contains the directions for the annual atonement; and...

The prophetic activities of Hosea occurred in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The contemporary kings of Israel were: Jero­boam II; Zachariah, the son of Jeroboam and the last king of the house of Jehu; Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Bekah and Hoshea, the last king of Israel. The joint reign of these kings lasted from 823 to 730 B. C. Altogether comprising a period of 93 years. All these ‘kings were wicked (of Israel). Of each one it is related that he walked in the ways of Jeroboam I. The period during which Hosea prophesied was...