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Scripture clearly teaches the truth of total depravity, that is, that all men as they are born into the world are incapable of doing or willing that which is pleasing to God; they are all without exception turned aside into darkness and evil (cf. Gen. 6:5, Ps. 14:2, 3, Jer.

When the child of God opens the Scriptures and reads concerning sinful and fallen man as he is by nature, he is confronted with a woeful picture of the misery of man.

The teaching of the Bible with regard to man in sin is that he is born into this world dead in trespasses and sins. The student of the Bible identifies those words as being from Ephesians 2:6.

This is a subject which has been much discussed in recent Reformed theology in connection with the doctrine of predestination and especially in connection with the doctrine of reprobation. Appeal has been made by some theologians to the fact that this expression, eodem modo, is rejected in the Conclusion of the Canons of Dordrecht in order to modify—in fact, to change radically—the doctrine of reprobation as taught and confessed in the first chapter of the Canons.

Of the Canons of Dordt, it is true, as of the prophet inZechariah 13:6, that its wounds are “those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” In those houses of God where there is such effusive profession of love and esteem for the Canons that all rulers and teachers in the house are made to swear an oath in the Name of the Lord, that they “heartily believe and are persuaded that all the articles and points of doctrine, contained in the Confession and Catechism of the Reformed C

The doctrine of sovereign predestination is a truth which has been constantly attacked by the enemies of the truth. Augustine, the first in the New Testament Church to develop this doctrine, was called upon to defend it against the enemies of sovereign grace. Gottschalk rotted in prison because he confessed this truth. Luther wrote his famous and powerful, “Bondage of the Will,” in defense of sovereign predestination as that truth was attacked by the humanist Erasmus.

From the lofty heights of theological contemplation to the deepest soul-wrenching cry of human distress, the truth of sovereign election casts an aura of heavenly bliss on every spiritual need. It is good for us to consider together how necessary the doctrine of election is for our personal assurance of salvation. 

With this issue we present a new department editor, Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma, who will be responsible forSigns of the Times for the next six issues. We welcome him to the ranks of our associate editors. Thanks, Rev. Flikkema, for your quota of six articles so faithfully submitted!

Of the myriad objections and misrepresentations which have been and continue to be brought against the doctrine of predestination two are extremely serious. It is alleged that the doctrine itself cannot be preached. It is also commonly held that the Reformed Churches cannot preach election and reprobation on the mission field. In fact, it is said that the Reformed Churches which maintain the doctrine of predestination cannot do mission work because of that very fact. Neither of these charges is new. Enemies of the truth have been saying these things literally for centuries. 

It is Reformed to maintain the truth of sovereign reprobation. The man who denies reprobation not only shows himself to be outside the Reformed camp, but shows himself actually to be an enemy of the Reformed faith itself. Reformed believers confess double predestination—this is, not only God’s election of some men, but God’s reprobation of others.