In The Banner of November 16 we found the following statement by the editor: “All these issues (that are at present being considered in the Netherlands, H.H.) are foreign to our own Church, except the one on Common Grace; and this was settled at the synod at Kalamazoo in 1924. When Dr. K. Schilder was among us, about eleven months (ago?? H.H.) he sought to reopen that controversy by propagating his off-color views on that subject, but the attempt was not successful. Many of our people are wondering what the decision will be next spring. (That is, when the Synod...

The doctrine of God’s covenant of grace with His people must be fully in harmony with the Canons of Dordt. Of course, it is true that in a Reformed church the doctrine of the covenant must be in harmony with all the Reformed confessions. But the covenant must explicitly conform to the Canons because the Canons set forth the Reformed doctrine of salvation. And the covenant is salvation, for God saves His people in order to bring them into the covenant relationship of love and friendship. The soteriology or salvation theology of the Canons is, in a word, unconditional salvation....

From the Scriptural passages we quoted in our previous articles on the above subject (see the issue of Feb. 15) it became evident that the false teacher is motivated by carnal considerations. He serves not the Lord Jesus Christ, but his own belly, his carnal purposes and desires, his own name and position and glory, the acquisition of filthy lucre. These purposes he cannot serve by teaching and preaching the truth, that always is contrary to the flesh, condemns it; hence, he needs the lie and. teaches it in order to realize his carnal ends. But from the same passages...

What, for a long time we feared, what, according to the reports in the last papers we received from the old country, the Dutch more and more feared, especially since the “protective” possession by the Germans of Denmark and Norway, has now become history: old Holland was invaded and overcome by the German war-machine! And we, no doubt, were all shocked and filled with indignation because of this brutal and wholly unjustified attack upon the lowlands. Without provocation on the part of the Dutch, though the German government concocted several reasons and excuses for this wanton disregard of international relations...

Assurance was a significant doctrine faced at the Synod of Dordt in 1618–19. The Arminians insisted no man could have assurance that salvation was his unless he was told: “God loves you and wants to save you.” And, said the Arminians, that might not be said to him unless it is true that God loves everyone, Christ died for everyone, and God’s desire is to save all. Assurance is also a significant issue in the doctrine of the covenant. The conditional covenant touts itself as the covenant theology that gives the most assurance. The assurance it gives (so it is...

In the last editorial on the Canons’ explanation of faith in Head IV, we called attention to the fact that faith is an instrument that embraces and appropriates Christ and His benefits. This faith, however, it not a condition that man can or must fulfill in order to be saved. This is evident, first, from the fact that faith flows out of election. Second, faith, even the act of believing, is the work of God in the elect. To call a work of God in His people a condition that they must fulfill is wrong on the face of it....

About this subject a question was delivered to me from the Men’s Society of our Church in South Holland, IL. The exact wording of the question I know not, because the question was delivered orally, but I believe that the Society is interested to know especially whether that battle must be conceived of as a real, literal battle, or whether the text in Revelation refers to something spiritual. The possibility of conceiving of it in a spiritual way was suggested, I believe, by the mention of the three unclean spirits that proceed out of the mouth of the dragon, the...

Repeatedly we have heard the thought expressed that since the German Reich established its “protectorate” in old Holland, the Nazi party gained considerably in influence. It is even suggested occasionally that the National Socialist Party is now in the majority. And somewhere I read that even one of the professors of the Free University of Amsterdam had joined the Nazi Party. The facts in the case, however, appear to be, that the original N. S. B. in the Netherlands (Nationaal Socialisten Bond), which at the outbreak of the war numbered approximately forty thousand members, is still a small minority party,...

All our readers, no doubt, know that our lawmakers in Washington are debating the merits and demerits of the “Lease-Lend Bill,” known as H.R. 1776. By the time this number of our Standard Bearer appears it may have been adopted, either with or without important amendments and modifications. For we are making history fast. The bill is designed to make is possible for our government to produce and deliver to Great Britain all the war material she may need with the greatest possible speed. It is divided into nine sections, the most important of which is the third, which we...

Key to a proper understanding of the Reformed doctrine of salvation and therefore also of the doctrine of the covenant, is faith. How faith fits as an instrument must be carefully taught, lest one slip into hyper-Calvinism or into Arminianism. That faith is an instrument is clear from the con­fessions. The Belgic Confession (Art. 22) teaches that “the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ, with all His merits, ap­propriates Him, and seeks nothing more besides Him.” It goes on to maintain that believers “possess Jesus Christ through faith.” The article rejects the notion...