All Articles For Taking Heed to the Doctrine

Previous article in this series: October 1, 2017, p. 14. Introduction In our recent articles we have been considering together the truth of the perspicuity of Holy Scripture. By the perspicuity of Scripture we mean that the Bible is clear. The ordinary believer is able to understand Scripture, know with confidence what the meaning of Scripture is, and is able to judge all teaching in its light. We have seen what this truth means and what it does not mean. We have also demonstrated that Scripture teaches its own perspicuity. The truth of the perspicuity of Scripture is a vital...

Previous article in this series: March 15, 2017, p. 274. We have been considering an erroneous view of God’s kingdom that is being taught by some of the professors at Calvin College, Dordt College, and some others. These colleges describe themselves as institutions designed to train students to be “agents of renewal in the world,”1 and exhort us to join them in an effort to improve “the world.” To assure us that we are called to do this and that our efforts will not be in vain, they point us to God’s promise to renew all things. Yet the renewal...

Previous article in this series: January 15, 2017, p. 180. Introduction “If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture than thou dost.” These are the words that William Tyndale (1494-1536), English Reformer and Bible translator, spoke to an ignorant Roman Catholic clergyman whom he was debating. By the grace of God he was able to accomplish the very thing to which he committed himself. And it cost him his life. After he was betrayed by a friend, he was arrested and jailed. Eventually he died...

Previous article in this series: December 1, 2016, p. 107. As was mentioned in the last article, both Calvin College and Dordt College refer to themselves as institutions designed to train students to go out and “renew” things. The King, they say, calls us to be “agents of renewal”1 wherever we go. If we are busily engaged in this renewing activity, then we are said to be establishing the kingdom of God on the earth. Some have cited Colossians 1:20 as proof for this idea. That passage along with Ephesians 1:10 speak of all things being reconciled to God and...

Previous article in this series: September 15, 2016, p. 490. Necessity “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” So writes Job in Job 23:12. Food is necessary, absolutely necessary for us. Without food we die. So it is and even more so, teaches Job, spiritually. What corresponds in the spiritual realm to food in the natural realm is the Word of God, our meat and drink to life eternal. As necessary as food is for the body, so necessary is the Word of God for our souls. We are at present considering Scripture’s perfections....

Previous article in this series: September 1, 2016, p. 468. Not long ago a young adult asked me a question about something he had heard at college. One of his instructors cited Colossians 1:20 as proof that Christians have a calling to strive to renew everything in this world. That specific passage in Colossians speaks of Christ “reconciling all things” unto God. What does that mean, and what does it imply as to our calling in the midst of this world? Colleges training “agents of renewal” Both Calvin College and Dordt College refer to themselves as institutions designed to train...

Previous article in this series: August 2016, p. 445. Scripture’s Necessity The Bible is the Word of God—the Word of God in the words of men. The Bible is an entirely unique book. There is no other book in the whole world that is like this book. There is only one book that can be called “the Word of God.” There is only one book written in human language, one book that can be read, studied, and meditated on that is “the Word of God.” That book is the Bible, or Holy Scripture, or just Scripture. Because the Bible is...

Previous article in this series: June 2016, p. 404. Last time we considered how Scripture and our Reformed confessions speak of the church as God’s kingdom. But what does it mean when Scripture speaks of Christ as the King of all the earth? Are those outside the church in Christ’s kingdom, too? We turn now to consider two things: first, what it means that Christ is King of all the earth; and secondly, how He rules over those who reject Him as their King. The King of All the Earth That Christ is the King of all the earth means...

Previous article in this series: May 1, 2016, p. 349. Introduction The Bible is authoritative. The Bible is the authority over faith (what we believe) and over conduct (how we live). It is the authority for the individual believer, whether layperson or officebearer, whether professional or daylaborer, whether company executive, farmer, or carpenter, whether housewife, student, or office worker. The Bible is the authority over the church as a whole, whether the local congregation, consistory, classis, or synod; whether in the established congregation or on the mission field; whether in the seminary classroom or in debate at one of the...

Since the church is the kingdom of God, wrong views of God’s kingdom will go with wrong views of the church. The transformational view of the kingdom taught at some Reformed colleges, the two kingdom view taught by some Presbyterians, and the dispensational view promoted by the Baptists are all associated with wrong views of the church and its relationship to this world. With this in mind, we begin to look at what the Scriptures teach about the church as the kingdom of God, contrasting this with the various kingdom views that are being taught in our own day. When...