All Articles For Question Box

We received the following question: “Is a regenerated person still depraved? Your question reminds me of two errors that often arise within the church: on the one hand, the error of perfectionism, and on the other hand, the error of antinomism. The perfectionist argues that we are new creatures in Christ; old things are passed away, and, along with these old things, also our depravity. He appeals to such passages of Scripture as I John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of...

Again L.W. of Spokane writes, and informs us that it was a slip of memory which resulted in the Dec. 1, 1966 title “Dispensationalism an Ancient Error” being misquoted. He then questions a statement in the May 1, 1967 article, which had read, “What Calvinistic theology gives credence to Dispensa­tionalism?” and calls attention to Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology as being “Calvinistic, premillennial and dispensational.” Perhaps our own theological library at the Protestant Reformed Seminary contains this work.

Manhattan, Montana February 6, 1952 Rev. H. Hoeksema Grand Rapids, Michigan Dear Brother: In our Men’s Society there is difference of opinion in regard to the proper explanation of I Corinthians 13:13, especially in regard to these words: “And now abideth faith, hope and charity.” Some of the members are of the opinion that es­sentially faith and hope will abide with us even in eternity, while others maintain that this is impossible, since our faith and hope will then be fully realized. So our question is: Do these words refer only to time, or also to eternity? Will you be...

* In the fall of 1989, I gave the address to the annual meeting of the Reformed Free Publishing Association, publisher of the Standard Bearer. This was my first address to the parent body as editor of the magazine – my “inaugural address. ” The group instructed me to publish the speech in the SB. Belatedly, I now obey the order. I have, however, taken the liberty to revise the speech, significantly so in places, as those who heard the speech will discover when they read especially the last two installments. There will be four installments in this series of...

The Two Philips Some time ago I was pleasantly surprised by a question from one of our high school students. Maybe this will open the way for more. The question reads, “In our dictionaries, they distinguish Philip the Apostle from Philip the Evangelist, or Philip the Deacon. Now I always thought that they were the same man. I was wondering what you think about this from a Biblical point of view.”

Cornelius Hanko is an emeritus minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches. Recently a reader of the Standard Beaver asked some questions regarding children partaking of the Lord’s Supper. When I answered him, I informed him that if he was not fully satisfied, he was welcome to come again. He now writes: “Thank you for answering my questions concerning children and the Lord’s Supper. I do appreciate your explanation of our churches’ position on this question. I have some further questions on this matter.” I will treat these questions in the order given. “1. I Cor. 11:28, 29 may be interpreted either as (a) barring...

Cornelius Hanko is an emeritus minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches. One of our faithful readers asks some questions about liturgy and liturgical practices. Question #1 When the invocation is spoken, the minister addresses the congregation as “you”, but at the end of the service when the salutation is given, some ministers conclude with “you all”. Is the “you all” correct? Reply Obviously our reader, who is a good listener, has more in mind than might appear on the surface of his question. He seems to imply that when the congregation meets in public worship on Sunday as church institute,...

A reader from New Zealand, after expressing his appreciation for the Standard Bearer, writes: 

Cornelius Hanko is an emeritus minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches. A reader writes: There is power in prayer. Prayer is a tool which God gave us, through which He blesses us. Does not prayer change us, change circumstances, and help others? Is it wrong for a group of saints to get together in prayer for a family in need, or when tragedy strikes, or when drought or sorrow hits us? Is it not better to present our cares to the Lord than to wring our hands in frustration for things we cannot change? Reference is made to James 5:13-18, Ephesians 6:18,...

Cornelius Hanko is an emeritus minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches. A reader asks: Concerning the ancestry of Christ in Matthew’s Gospel and also in the Gospel of Luke: Is this also the covenantal line of the true people of God, or are there unbelievers in this lineage? Among these people are some prominent names; but also some folk which are not familiar names; how is it that the two lists are not the same? The first question is whether the genealogies as recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew and in Luke trace the covenant line throughout the Old...