Volume 52, No. 6 June 2002

Inside this Outlook

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A Song of Ascents .................................................... Dr. Simon J. Kistemaker ..................2Dr. Simon Kistemaker explains how the Songs of Ascents, especially Psalm 133,prepared the Israelites for worship, and how they should apply to us today.

Our Father in Heaven and Earthly Fathers ......... Rev. Jay A. Wesseling .....................3By looking at the way our God reveals Himself as our Father, Rev. Jay Wesselinglooks at the role earthly fathers should have within the family.

Needs Which Wives Need Met at Home (2)..........Rev. Richard J. Kuiken ................4The second of three articles, Rev. Richard Kuiken looks at another need whichwives need from their husbands.

A Word to Husbands .............................................Rev. Tim Perkins ...........................6Rev. Tim Perkins explains the motive and the manner of a husband’s ministry andresponsibility to his wife and family.

A Look At the 2002 Synod of the Christian Reformed Church ................................. 9A Brief Look At the Agenda..............Rev. Harlan Vanden Einde ...................... 9Observations of Synod 2002................... Rev. Richard Blauw ...................................... 11

Election and the ‘Free Offer’ of the Gospel (4) ....Dr. Cornel Venema ...................... 14In this discussion of the “Free Will Offer”, Dr. Venema looks at the teachings ofJohn Calvin and the statements within our confessions.

God’s People, My Parish ........................................Rev. Edward J. Marcusse ..............17“I found myself walking down the hallway toward his room not knowing who orwhat to expect.”

Book Reviews ...................................................Rev. Jerome Julien ...................19

Sound Bites - 1963 ............................................................................................................23Quotes from the thirteenth year of the Torch and Trumpet’s publication that stillspeak to us today.

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Volume 52, No. 6 (ISSN 8750-5754) (USPS 633-980) “Andthe three companies blew the trumpets...and held THETORCHES in their left hands, and THE TRUMPETS in theirright hands. . .and they cried, ‘The sword of Jehovah and ofGideon” (Judges 7:20).

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Whenever in biblical times Jewishpeople would travel to Jerusalem tocelebrate one of their feasts, theysang the songs of ascents recordedin Psalms 120 through 134. Singingthese psalms, they expressed theirjoy in the Lord God as they camecloser to the city and eventuallyarrived at God’s temple.

When we approach God in worship,we must do so by gathering withfellow worshipers in a spirit of unityand harmony. The psalmist sings,“How good and pleasant it is whenbrothers [and sisters] live togetherin unity!” (Ps. 133:1). We ac-knowledge that the closer we cometo God the more harmonious we

A Song of AscentsPsalm 133

Simon J. Kistemaker

should be in relationship to ourbrothers and sisters in the Lord.Wherever this characteristic is evi-dent, worshipers sense not onlyGod’s goodness and blessings butalso his nearness. We know that itis impossible to worship God whenconstant strife and enmity arepresent among his people, for thenGod withholds his blessings.

The psalmist illustrates delightfulunity and peace among the wor-shipers by portraying Aaron in hisrole as high priest. He writes, “It islike precious oil poured on the head,running down on the beard, runningdown on Aaron’s beard, down uponthe collar of his robes” (Ps. 133:2).

At first sight this picture has noth-ing in common with our times andculture. It does not speak to us andis utterly foreign. Yet when we putthe picture in its historical settingand examine it, we begin to see themeaning of oil running down thehead and clothing of the high priest.

God anointed Aaron as high priestfor the task of presenting Israel’spraises and petitions to him. Aaroncould serve God in that capacityafter he had been properly or-dained. The ceremony of ordina-tion demanded that he be drenchedwith precious oil that would coverhis head, saturate his hair andbeard, and drip down onto the col-lar of his robe.

The oil stood for holiness that signi-fied total consecration to God.

June, 2002 3

Aaron had to think that which ispure, speak that which is true, anddo that which is right. His everythought, every word, and everydeed had to exemplify holiness.

In the same vein, unity, harmony,and peace must saturate God’speople so that the world is able tosee our Christian walk of life. Weare living, as it were, in a glasshouse and everyone on the outsideis able to see and even hear us.Hence, the guideline for any Chris-tian is to live in the very presence ofGod and joyfully sing, “So shall nopart of day or night from sacred-ness be free, but all my life, in ev-ery step, be fellowship with Thee.”

The psalmist provides a second il-lustration, “It is as if the dew ofHermon were falling on MountZion. For there the Lord bestowshis blessing, even life forevermore”

(Ps. 133:3). Dew descends nightlyon Mount Hermon and the land ofIsrael to refresh and replenish allvegetation, animals, and insects.The dew is so heavy that moisturesteadily falls in large drops on allplants insects, and animals. Thusthey are supplied with the neces-sary moisture to withstand the heatof the next day and flourish. Dewcomes silently and inconspicuously;it nourishes and revives God’s greatcreation. When Mount Zion, lo-cated at one of the higher places inIsrael, receives the same dew thatdescends on Mount Hermon, theresult is uncommon fruitfulness.

Similarly, when we in our Christiancommunity display the characteris-tics of peace, harmony and unity,God’s blessings descend on us qui-etly, unobtrusively, and profusely.God strengthens us for the task towhich He has called us. He literally

Dr. Simon J. Kistemaker isa retired professor of the Re-formed Theological Seminaryin Jackson, Florida. He cur-rently resides in Oviedo,Florida.

places His material gifts next to usto sustain us in our daily life. In ad-dition, He also grants us spiritualgifts, especially eternal life. In ourown strength we come to failure,and consequently we readily admitthat we are totally dependent onour heavenly Father. The prophetJeremiah eloquently expresses thisby saying, “Because of the Lord’sgreat love, we are not consumed,for His compassions never fail.They are new every morning; greatis your faithfulness” (Lamenta-tions 3:22-23).

As those made in the image of Godwe are told to be like Him in per-fection, holiness, and so on. If weare to be like God in being a Fatherit will help us to know what God hasrevealed about Himself as a Father.

We have a good and clear examplehere of progressive revelation, thatis, how God reveals Himself morefully as the Scripture goes on fromthe first revelation in the Old Testa-ment to the final and complete rev-elation as we have it in the NewTestament.

God reveals Himself first as theCreator: God, the Father, Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth, as weprofess in the Apostles’ Creed

In the Old Testament God also callsHimself the Father of the nation ofIsrael as well as the Father of thekings of Israel.

The more personal relationship be-tween God and the believer is oftenmentioned in the Psalms, whereGod is said to have pity on thosewho fear Him, as a human fatherpities his children.

Searching a concordance will yieldmany references from the Old Tes-tament. Yet it is in the teachings of

Our Father in Heavenand Earthly Fathers

our Savior that we find the clearestreferences to God as the Father ofHis people. “Clearest” is the opera-tive word here, and it is due to thefact that Jesus makes clear thefact that God is a Father to all whoare in Christ by faith. This relation-ship is special beyond the fact ofGod being our Creator. It reveals adepth of feeling and intimacy whichis not found until our Savior showsthat we are God’s children whenwe believe in His only Son for oursalvation. Think of John’s exclama-tion: “How great is the love theFather has lavished on us, that weshould be called children of God!And that is what we are!” (I John3:1).

When He speaks of our future in

Jay A. Wesseling

4

glory this is also carried through, forGod tells believers “I will be his Godand he shall be my son.” (Revela-tion 21:7).

Knowing what is true about God asthe Father of His children chal-lenges all Christian fathers. He pro-vides for all our needs and is alwayspatiently there for us.

On our part, we will seek to loveGod our Father since He first lovedus. We must reflect that love bykeeping His will for our lives beforeus as family men.

Since the essence of love is to seekand supply what is best for the ob-ject of our love, even at the price ofself-denial when necessary, suchlove will characterize Christian fa-

thers. Their priorities will be deter-mined by their calling as fatherswho are sons of their HeavenlyFather.

In covenant with Him, they will ful-fill the pledge they made at baptismfor the training of their children inthe Christian truth and way. Thistraining does not begin or end withChristian education, be that in aChristian day school or through theincreasingly common practice ofhome-schooling. It will show whenthe child is yet just a babe in arms,through growing years, even be-yond adolescence, for one blessedwith children never stops being afather. With wisdom sought fromthe Heavenly Father, we earthlyfathers must never stop striving to

live up to the ideal of being rolemodels for our own children.

In Malachi 1 the Lord states “A sonhonors his father...” and then askswistfully, “If I am a father, where isthe honor due me?”

May the Lord not only bless allChristian fathers in their calling, butmay the children of such fathersalso honor them as they are calledto do by the Lord in His Word.

Rev. Jay A. Wesseling is aretired pastor in the UnitedReformed Churches of NorthAmerica. He makes his resi-dence in Sheldon, Iowa.

Richard J. Kuiken

Part 2

In Part I of this series entitled,“Needs Which Our Wives NeedMet At Home”, we set forth andsummarized these three needs withthe acrostic T - L - C: Time; Love;and Communication. Having pre-viously addressed the need of ourwives for “Time which results inGod-honoring, Christ-centeredcompanionship and compatibil-ity”, we now consider a secondneed which our wives need met athome, namely, “Love spoken in alanguage which our wives willunderstand and appreciate.” Al-low me to illustrate.

Early on in our nearly 25 years ofmarriage, my wife, Margaret, and I

Needs Which Wives Need Met At Home

came to the realization that therewas some growing tension betweenus. In short, we were beginning towonder if we really “loved eachother” as we thought. As we dis-cussed these mutual feelings, bythe grace and mercy of God, weboth came to a very surprising, butultimately edifying, insight!

You see, as we began our marriedlife together, being the godly womanthat she is, Margaret was faithfullyseeking to show her love to me inthe language which she understoodthe best. She was selflessly offer-ing practical help and support in amyriad of ways throughout thecourse of each day. For example,she would make me a hearty break-fast, keep and clean the house, run

all sorts of errands during the day,make any number of phone calls forme, and then welcome me home inthe evening with a delicious dinner.Margaret was repeatedly saying, “Ilove you” in her language by offer-ing to me all sorts of practical helpand support along life’s way.

Ah, but the only problem with that,you see, is that I am a “romantic”by nature! That is just how Godmade me to be. So, while she wasworking so hard as a young wifetrying to keep the house clean, keepup with the laundry, prepare goodfood and all the rest, as a younghusband I was thinking to myself,“Who cares what the house lookslike! I want romance!!” At thesame time, even though I was busybuying Margaret cards and flowersand little “surprise gifts”, I certainlywasn’t much (if any) help aroundthe house.

June, 2002 5

In summary, we suddenly realizedthat while we were both sincerelyand repeatedly saying, “I love you”to one another, we were saying it ina language which our marriagepartner simply did not understand.And friends, if the message of lovewhich we are trying to send to ourhusband or our wife is not beingreceived, obviously that has thesame negative “emotional impact”upon our spouse as if the messagehad never been sent at all.

Margaret and I talked throughthese things. The Lord graciouslyshowed us that we both really did,in fact, love each other and thataccording to His Word we werecompletely desirous of remainingfully committed to our marriagevows.

Both Margaret and I consciouslycommitted ourselves to learning andspeaking each other’s “language oflove”. Consequently, by God’sgrace, Margaret became muchmore of a “romantic” and I simplystarted helping out around thehouse and doing more practicalthings to support my wife in thecourse of her days. (I don’t mindsharing with you that a side benefitof all this was that through theyears I have gladly discovered thatmy wife’s language of love is muchcheaper than my own!)

Now, a particular challenge to themen, if I may. Brothers, why doyou suppose that I, as a man andthe head of my home, was willing,by God’s grace, to adapt and modifymy “language of love” to meet theneeds of my wife and seek to puther needs before my own, and whyshould you be willing and desirousof doing that very same thing? Well,the reason has to do with what we

read, in Ephesians 5:25-33 whereGod’s Holy Spirit inspired Worddeclares:

Husbands, love (agape)your wives, just as Christloved the church and gaveHimself up for her to makeher holy, cleansing her by thewashing with water throughthe word, and to present herto Himself as a radiantchurch, without stain orwrinkle or any other blemish,but holy and blameless. In

this same way, husbandsought to love their wives astheir own bodies. He wholoves his wife loves himself.After all, no one ever hatedhis own body, but he feedsand cares for it, just as Christdoes the church - for we aremembers of His body. ‘Forthis reason a man will leavehis father and mother and beunited to his wife, and thetwo will become one flesh.’This is a profound mystery -but I am talking about Christand the church. However,each one of you also mustlove his wife as he loveshimself, and the wife mustrespect her husband.

In similar fashion, in Colossians3:19 Paul writes, “Husbands, love

(agape) your wives and do not beharsh with them.” And to bothhusbands and wives, indeed, to allChristians everywhere, God’s HolyWord declares in I Corinthians 13:4-8a:

Love (agape) is patient, loveis kind. It does not envy, itdoes not boast, it is not proud.It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easilyangered, it keeps no recordof wrongs. Love does notdelight in evil but rejoiceswith the truth. It alwaysprotects, always trusts,always hopes, alwaysperseveres. Love neverfails.

You see, we most often and mostnaturally express love in a languagewhich means the most to us. Butour calling as Christians, our task asGod-honoring husbands, is to askourselves, indeed, let us even askour wives, “Honey, how can I say‘I love you’ in a way that meansthe most to you?” Some wivesmost appreciate “romantic gifts”and others “practical helps” and stillothers may respond most favorablyto “hugs or physical touch”. Inwhatever language of love ourwives wish that we would speak,we must be willing to “die to our-selves”, to subjugate our own feel-ings, wishes, dreams and desiresand put the feelings, wishes,dreams and desires of our wivesbefore our own. Men, I assure you,if you do this you can not miss! Youwill not fail! You will be meeting theneeds of your wives ever morefaithfully and effectively, and Godwill be glorified!

Isn’t this what “agape love” andthe very heart of the gospel of Jesus

...we were saying “Ilove you” in a

language which ourmarriage partner

simply did notunderstand.

6

Christ is all about? In Romans 5:8we read, “And God demonstrateshis own love (agape) for us in this:while we were yet sinners, Christdied for us.”

In the midst of a culture where themessage repeatedly being con-veyed is, in effect, “I love you be-cause…”; or “I’ll love you un-til…”; or, “I’ll love you when…”, or“I’ll love you if…” … the godlyman, indeed, also the godly woman,any true disciple of Jesus Christ willincreasingly seek to model and ex-emplify the Lord’s kind of love,agape. In Christ, the person willrepeatedly say to his/her spouse, inword and in deed, “Honey, I loveyou - period. Unconditionally; un-reservedly; no strings attached.And I promise to show you andexpress to you that kind of love,each and every day.”

Why? Because in the midst of avery sinful, selfish, self-centered,unloving and often lonely world -LOVE - agape - spoken in a lan-guage which our wives will un-derstand and appreciate, is one ofthe Three Key Needs Which OurWives Need Met at Home.

Rev. Richard J. Kuiken isthe Senior Pastor of thePompton Plains ReformedBible Church.

Since Father’s Day is around thecorner it might be a good time to heara biblical word from the Lord tohusbands and fathers. DavidBlankenhorn of the Institute forAmerican Values said this about agood father: “A good father doesthese basic things: provides for hisfamily, protects his family, and givesspiritual and moral guidance.” Iwould agree that a good father doesall those things but I think there issomething absent in the description.I would add that in order to be a goodfather you need to be a good husbandfirst!

The best thing you can do as a fatheris to truly love your wife as Christloved the church and heed by thegrace of God the divinely inspiredword that Peter expresses in thepassage above. Men, your relation-ship to your wives and how you livewith them is a first priority. The or-dinary consequence of a good andfaithful marriage with Christ at itscenter will be good and faithful chil-dren who will love and serve theLord. There certainly are exceptionsbut this is the norm.

Peter is concerned that husbandsrealize that they are called to giveboth intelligent and tender leadershipto their wives. Every man is inescap-ably answerable to God for what his

A Word to HusbandsTim Perkins

Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honorto the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of thegrace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

home becomes. This is so becausea husband is the head of his homeno matter how he leads (1Cor.11:3). He is not only com-manded to be the head of his wifeand home but to be a good head.He is either a good head who leadshis wife and family in faithfulnessto the commands of the Lord or heis a bad head who leads his familytoward spiritual ruin and compro-mise. And as the head of his wifeand family he must pastor his homewith spiritual wisdom and compas-sionate care. In light of this, I’d liketo look at the above verse by first,considering the motive for ahusband’s ministry to his wife andsecond, the manner of that minis-try.

The Motive for a Husband’sMinistry

I Peter 3:7 begins with the words“Husbands, likewise.” Thesewords connect us to the precedingcontext in which Jesus submits tothe will of His heavenly Father asHe carries out the salvation of Hispeople (2:21-25). On this groundservants are to render submissionto their masters (2:18-20), wivesare to yield to their husbands (3:1-6) and husbands are to lovinglysubmit themselves to caring forthe needs of their wives. The word

...in order to be a good father you need to be agood husband first!

June, 2002 7

“likewise” bids us to look at theconduct of Christ and how He laiddown his life for the salvation of Hischurch.

Jesus knew the needs of His peopleand their helpless inability to savethemselves. He gave His life inorder to satisfy the demands of therighteous and holy God. Thus, Pe-ter reminds husbands that our mo-tivation for ministry to our wivesis built upon God’s saving graceapplied to us on the ground ofJesus’ work. Any command with-out this behind it has no more forcethan simple good advice. BecauseJesus, as the suffering servant de-livered us from our sin and becauseHe has become the “Shepherd andOverseer” of our souls, husbandsmust live with their wives like Jesuslives with His church! This providesthe motive for obediently hearingand doing what God says in our pas-sage.

When we think about how our Sav-ior writhed in anguish upon thecross under God’s just wrathagainst our sins and graciously de-livered us - when we think abouthow God knows us and has com-passion on us by providing a Saviorwho meets us at our most urgentneed - when we think about Jesus,the Lord of the universe nailed to atree, spilling His holy blood, bowingHis sacred head in bitter heartache,becoming the Lord of our shameand sinful hearts, and healing us byHis stripes - can we not then real-ize the honor and dignity of ourcalling to serve sacrificially theneeds of our wives as Christ sacri-ficially served the true needs of Hischurch! Thus the pattern by whichwe live in relationship to others andin particular our wives is builtaround the person and work of Jesus.

The Manner of the Husband’sMinistry

Having realized the importance ofthis passage from Peter concerningthe motive for a husband’s ministry,now we see how Peter describesthe manner in which husbandsshould live with their wives. Hebegins by explaining that husbandsshould live with their wives in anintelligent or “understanding” way.But what does Peter mean by this?Well, he certainly means that hus-bands should continuously seek toknow what makes their wives tick.They should pursue the knowledgeof their wives as much after saying

“I do” as they did before they said“I do.” That is, we should all re-member how we courted our wivesbefore we married them. Do youremember way back then whenyou couldn’t get the thought of herout of your head? We need to con-tinue that throughout our entire mar-riage.

A part of this understanding orknowledge is further expressed bythe call to care for our wives byhonoring them, being tender towardthem, realizing that they are moredelicate, and are co-equals beforethe Lord in their standing beforeHim as believers. The wife is not

inferior because of her physicaldelicateness. This is the way theLord has made her. She is to beprotected and cared for, especiallyas one who is a joint heir of JesusChrist.

To honor her is to praise her and togive preferential treatment to her.She has been chosen for the impor-tant role of the “weaker vessel.”Her role calls for special esteem!Certainly in terms of sheer physicalability a man is stronger than awoman and therefore husbandsshould be very careful that they donot use their physical strength tointimidate their wives. They are toemploy their energies in being ten-der and gentle showing special trib-ute to their wives. For the husbandto exploit the wife’s weakness is torisk the chastisement of the Lordand will turn the ear of the Lord deafto a husband’s prayers.

However, the wife is not a weakervessel simply because she is physi-cally more delicate but because sheassumes the role or takes on themantle of weakness in relation toher husband as she submits to himin obedience to the Word of God.When we think of weakness weunderstand that to refer to a lack ofpower or position. For a wife togently and quietly submit to herhusband is to be weak and faint inthe eyes of the world. Therefore,husbands need to especially demon-strate in word and deed greatpraise, admiration and reverencetoward their wives because theyhave been assigned by God the“weaker” position in the marriage.

Furthermore, both believing hus-band and wife are “heirs of thegrace of life.” They both belong tothe Lord, they both know His sav-

The pattern by whichwe live in relation-

ship to others and inparticular our wivesis built around theperson and work of

Jesus.

8

ing grace and stand to inherit all thatChrist has promised, therefore hus-bands must treat their wives not asinferiors, but as a joint heir withChrist. This is certainly a part ofthe knowledge or intelligent under-standing with which a husbandshould relate to his wife.

But the knowledge or understand-ing that I believe overall is mostimportant is the knowledge or un-derstanding of the Scriptures. Itis knowledge which is from abovethat is to be grasped by husbands ifthey are going to honor their wivesand dwell with them to God’spraise. A husband is to know thatwisdom concerning Christ, the gos-pel, and all that God has revealed,especially as that concerns mar-riage and family relationships. InPeter’s second letter the wordknowledge is used repeatedly torefer to the knowledge of Christand His revelation (2 Peter 1:3,5-6;3:18).

Thus, the central point of Peter’scommand to husbands is this: Hus-bands must keep on dwelling withtheir wives in harmony with thatrevelation of God in Christ and HisWord that belongs to the Christianbeliever. Since you are a Christian,and you know the Word of God,then apply that Word to your rela-tionship with your wife! This seemsto be the essence of what is beingsaid.

Peter reminds us that the unbelieveris full of unbelief and ignorancewhich leads to slavery and foolish-ness - something which the believerhas been delivered from (1 Peter1:4; 2:15). Therefore every believ-ing husband must strive to be a stu-dent of Scripture. He must be thepastor of his home who reads, ex-

plains, and applies the Scriptures inhis relationship to his wife and in hisleadership of the home and thetraining of his children. To heed thiscommand, a husband has to be satu-rated by the Word of God. Hus-bands, are you students of Scrip-ture? Does this command pinch alittle? It should!

The sad fact of the matter is that somany husbands, even Christian hus-bands, are far away from the scrip-

tural ideal of a husband who shep-herds his home. Some husbands arelittle more than grown-up little boyswho see their wives more as theirmothers than their wives! Theyview their wives as someone whosatisfies their physical needs, keepsthem well fed and soothes theiregos when they hurt.

Or, they reduce their role to that ofa provider alone. The major con-cern for many husbands is to makea living, the wife’s job is to run thehome. So the husband hurries him-self off to work and is eager to ac-quire plenty of money so that hecan provide the comforts of modernlife for his family. Most men do apretty good job at this and take thispart of their responsibility very seri-ously, but this is lopsided leadership

at best. Peter would tell us thatthere is more to husbandry than justearning a good living for our fami-lies.

What about it husbands, are youreally working hard to study Scrip-ture so that you can pastor yourhome effectively? Have you reallyunderstood from God’s Word theexalted place of weakness thatyour wife occupies and have youpraised and venerated her for this?The best way to observe Father’sDay is to commit yourself by God’sgrace to the pursuit of learning andunderstanding and applying God’sWord so that you dwell with yourwife and family in harmony withthat Word.

For most it would be utterly unac-ceptable to be pastored in thechurch by a preacher who did notknow or give himself to the studyof God’s Word. Likewise, it oughtto be unacceptable and abhorrentto us as husbands, who are calledto be pastors of our homes, to beless than diligent students of theHoly Scriptures!

Rev. Tim Perkins is thePastor of the CornerstoneUnited Reformed Church inHudsonville, Michigan.

Husbands mustkeep on dwelling

with their wives inharmony with that

revelation of God inChrist and His Word

that belongs to theChristian believer.

June, 2002 9

On Saturday, June 8, 2002, 188 del-egates from the 47 classes of theCRC spread across the UnitedStates and Canada, will gather atthe Fine Arts Center Auditorium onthe Calvin College Campus in GrandRapids for their annual synod.Unless their work is finished earlier,the sessions are scheduled to con-clude by 11:45 AM on June 15th.By mid-April, most of the delegateshad received their copy of TheAgenda, and began pouring over itscontents in preparation for delibera-tion and decision. The purpose ofthis article is to give you a bird’s eyeview of what that agenda contains.

The Board of Trustees

The governing board of the CRC iscalled “The Board Of Trustees”,and this board annually presents tosynod a summary of the activitiescarried out on behalf of synod dur-ing the interim between annualsynod meetings. Included in thatreport is a summary of the activitiesof the agencies and educational in-stitutions of the CRC, which is whythe BOT report occupies 276 pagesof The Agenda. Let me highlightjust a few items from their report.

Of note is the fact that the office ofgeneral secretary is celebrating its100th anniversary in 2002. It wasback in 1902 that synod initiatedthat office (then referred to asStated Clerk; now General Secre-

tary). At that time Synod appointedDr. Henry Beets to that position.Since then, five different personshave occupied that office, whichbecame a full-time position in 1956.

Also of interest is the fact that todate, 19 of the 47 classes of the

CRC have declared the word maleinoperative in Church Order Article3-a. Synod 1995 instructed theGeneral Secretary to keep a list ofthose classes and report theirnames annually to synod. Synod1995 also approved the position ofan ethnic advisor to serve synod,and thus the BOT has appointed sixpeople to serve in that capacity atSynod 2002.

Synod 2000 adopted a recommen-dation that is in effect until 2005that women advisors also servesynod. Thus the BOT has ap-pointed seven women to serve inthat capacity at Synod 2002. A re-view of this decision concerningwomen in office is scheduled to takeplace in 2005.

Though this has been a difficult

A Look at the 2002 Synodof the Christian Reformed Church

year for most charitable organiza-tions, including the church and ourdenominational agencies, it is grati-fying to note that as a support sys-tem for denominational ministries,our ministry shares have generatedover twenty-million dollars of sup-port annually for the past fewyears. In view of the specificneeds of the agencies, and on therecommendation of the MinistriesAdministrative Council, the BOThas adjusted the ministry share al-location, increasing the shares forCalvin Seminary and CRC Publica-tions, and decreasing the shares forBack to God Hour, Calvin College,Home Missions and Word Mis-sions. Synod 2002 will be asked toapprove that reallocation.

In 1997, the synod endorsed a rec-ommendation from the BOT whichpresented a Denominational Minis-tries Plan, put together as a result oftwo extensive listening toursthroughout the denomination. Theintent was to give some clarity aboutthe CRC’s identity and purpose.After working for several yearswith the goals and strategies thatwere part of the plan, major por-tions of it have been rewritten. Thisexpanded and revised version isbeing presented to Synod 2002 forendorsement. It is found in Appen-dix H of The Agenda, and coverssome 26 pages. It not only de-scribes what the CRC is, but pre-scribes what we should be. Allmembers of the Christian Re-formed Church would to well totake the time to carefully read thisidentity statement.

A Brief Look at theAgenda

Rev. Harlan Vanden Einde

Appendix H of TheAgenda not only

describes what theCRC is, but

prescribes what weshould be.

10

Agencies

In an article such as this, it is impos-sible to go into detail about the workof the various agencies of the CRC.Each of these agencies report theiractivities, their concerns and theirsuccesses. If you would take thetime to read through these reports,you would be amazed at what theLord is accomplishing through thisrelatively small denominationknown as the CRC. There is rea-son for tremendous gratitude andpraise to God for what He is doingthrough this small group ofchurches.

Interchurch RelationsCommittee

But let me call your attention to acouple of recommendations comingfrom the Interchurch RelationsCommittee. One of them is this:“The synod authorize the IRC toapply for membership in the WorldAlliance of Reformed Churches(WARC), (Agenda 2002, p. 245).This alliance is one of the oldestecumenical organizations, havingbeen formed in London in 1875.Today its membership consists ofover two hundred churches locatedin more than one hundred coun-tries, with a total membership ofapproximately eighty million Re-formed believers. Though there isreason for caution in joining thisalliance, since there are some mem-ber churches who interpret Scrip-ture in a manner incompatible withthe CRC’s principles and practices,yet as the report of the IRC says,“membership in WARC offers theCRC a rich opportunity for Re-formed ecumenical witness andwork” (Agenda 2002, p. 263).

The other report of the IRC that

will elicit some discussion pertainsto clarifying the official doctrine ofthe Roman Catholic Church con-cerning the Mass. This report is theoutgrowth of two overtures pre-sented to the 1998 Synod concern-ing question and answer 80 of theHeidelberg Catechism. In a 20page report, found in Appendix Dof The Agenda, (page 274ff), thecommittee analyzed the statementfound in q. & a. 80 of the Heidel-

berg Catechism as it relates to cur-rent Roman Catholic theology andpractice. As a result of their study,the IRC is recommending to Synod2002 that this entire report be sub-mitted to “the United States Confer-ence of Catholic Bishops and theCanadian Conference of CatholicBishops requesting their agreementthat the report gives an accuratepresentation of official RomanCatholic teaching regarding thesacrament of the Eucharist”(Agenda 2002, p. 294). Beforeany changes are suggested in theHeidelberg Catechism, that muchsurely has to be done, and synodwould do well to give careful andprayerful consideration to this report.

Study Committee

Synod 2002 will be confronted withjust one study committee report thisyear, a 38 page report (includingappendices) from the committee togive directions about and for Pasto-ral Care For Homosexual Mem-bers. This report is a result of amandate given to them by Synod1996 to study the above mentionedsubject “in a manner consistentwith the decisions of Synod 1973”(Agenda 2002, p. 313).

This committee met with a varietyof persons with same-sex attrac-tions and reviewed a survey sent toCRC pastors as to the ways inwhich the guidelines of the 1973report were being carried out in thechurches. Their conclusion wasthat many congregations appearedto have little knowledge of the 1973report, and thus the guidelines fordealing with persons of same-sexattraction were not being followed.So the preliminary report of thiscommittee, which was presented toSynod 1999, was made available tothe churches for study and re-sponse. Now Synod 2002 is receiv-ing their final report.

It is obvious, as the committee re-ports, that there “is considerablediversity of opinion and feelingwithin the denomination about indi-viduals with same-sex attractionsand ministry to them” (Agenda2002, p. 315). The committee’shope is that “the contents of thereport that follows....will assist ourchurches in ministering more effec-tively in the name of Christ”(Agenda 2002, p. 316).

Overtures

There are 13 overtures going toSynod 2002, two of which ask synod

There is reason forcaution in joiningthis alliance, since

there are somemember churches

who interpretScripture in a

mannerincompatible with

the CRC’s principlesand practices.

June, 2002 11

to revise the decision of Synod 2000not to permit women ministers toserve as synodical deputies; onecalls for a revision of Belgic Con-fession Article 34, specifically thatsentence that says “we detest theerrors of the Anabaptists”; and twohave to do with our present minis-try-share system, asking for somerevision.

Finally, one Confession-Revision-Gravamen is on this year’s agenda,appealing to synod to consider re-placing the phrase “He descendedinto hell” with “He descended tothe realm of the dead” in theApostles’ Creed and the HeidelbergCatechism. Since this gravamenwas rejected by the classis in whichthe church presenting it is located,the appeal is now being presented toSynod 2002.

Being a delegate to synod involvesa very significant responsibility, andsurely one that requires the prayer-ful support of the entire church. Asthe delegates themselves preparefor Synod 2002 and the matters onthe agenda, may all of us be much inprayer for the guidance of the HolySpirit so that the will of our Heav-enly Father may be done throughthe part of His Kingdom known asthe Christian Reformed Church.

Rev. Harlan Vanden Einderecently retired from activeministry after serving theBorculo Christian ReformedChurch for thirteen years.

An annual rite of spring, like seeingthe first robin in your back yard, ishaving the UPS driver deliver theAgendas for Synod. At first glanceit appears to be a fairly light agenda.There are the reports from theagencies and committees all callingattention to various noteworthy orsometimes less than noteworthyprojects with which they are in-volved. There is the usual politi-cally correct rhetoric, yet there arealso some significant trends that canbe seen in this year’s agenda.

A Reformed Identity

Appendix H (p. 63) the Denomina-tional Ministries Plan for Agenciesand Institutions of the CRC, has anextended discussion of our re-formed identity. There is an analy-sis of three emphases in our de-nomination. The first is thedoctrinalist (or confessional) em-phasis which stresses the confes-sions. Being “reformed” is definedby the historic reformed confes-sions. The most well known sys-tematic theologian of this position isLouis Berkhof.

The second emphasis is that of thePietist. Here the stress is one’sexperience of the Christian life andone’s personal relationship to God.The third emphasis is labeled thetransformationalist view. Here theemphasis is on developing a world

Observations onSynod 2002

Rev. Richard Blauw

and life view and applying this per-spective to every aspect of culture.

Abraham Kuyper is quoted noting“that the sovereign Lord JesusChrist lays claim to every squareinch in the whole domain of humanexistence.” The report concludesthat “these three emphases –doctrinalist, pietist, andtransformationalist – have oftenfunctioned as distinct approaches inthe CRC”. All three of these needto be integrated in a well-balancedChristian life and theology.

The report is a sound analysis of theCRC, although a few more obser-vations could have been made.There is increasing fragmentation inthe denomination and some of it isalong the fault lines of these mind-sets. Home Missions, for example,and those who advocate praiseteams and contemporary worshipare usually of a more pietistic bent.Among the transformationalists, forexample, are those who think thatthe denomination is obligated tocreate a committee to address ev-ery real or perceived social ill.

It is the first emphasis – thedoctrinalist – that now exercises theleast influence in the denomination.In some quarters to appeal to theconfessions or the creeds is per-ceived as being “exclusive” or“dogmatic” or “legalistic”. Somechurches have abolished programsof catechical instruction for theirchildren and catechism preachingis waning. There are some whothink the creeds and confessions

There is an analysis of three emphases in ourdenomination – the doctrinalist...the pietist...and

the transformationalist.

12

are 16th century documents andshould be re-written every 10 or 20years to keep up with the changingtimes. Some of that mind set wasbehind the “Contemporary Testi-mony”. Recent articles on doctri-nal subjects in the Banner (eg. onElection or the Authority of Scrip-ture) reflect either an ignoring of theconfessions or a desire to redefinethem.

The problem is that when one doesnot emphasize the doctrines ofgrace as embodied in the ReformedConfessions, it is very difficult forour children to understand what itmeans to be reformed and why weare different from other evangelicalprotestant churches. This may beone reason why we are losing ourchildren in significant numbers.

From NAPARC to WARC

Evidence of the diminished role ofthe confessions in the life of thechurch can be seen in the report ofthe Interchurch Relations Commit-tee (p. 238 ff). It appears that ourhistoric association with NAPARC(North America Presbyterian andReformed Council) will be termi-nated. One of the charges broughtagainst the CRC by the PCA(Presbyterian Church in America)is that the CRC, in allowing the or-dination of women, acted not onlycontrary to Scripture, but also con-trary to its own confessional state-ment, i.e. Art. XXX of the BelgicConfession which deals with thegovernment of the church and itsoffices. This article notes “thateverything will be carried on in thechurch with good order and de-cency, when faithful men are cho-sen, according to the rule pre-scribed by St. Paul in his Epistle toTimothy.” Obviously this article

would be an impediment to the or-dination of women so the word“men” was changed to “persons”.The argument put forth was thatthe word in the French version ofthe creed was “personages” whichis gender neutral. The word “per-sonages” is not gender neutral,rather its gender is determined byits context. Contextual referencesto the Epistle to Timothy make theword in this context masculine sothe use of the phrase “faithful men”is correct. This was part of the

PCA’s theological-historical argu-ment. The counter arguments ofthe CRC appear to be grammati-cally and historically weak. It re-flects a diminished view of the sig-nificance of the confessions in thelife of the church.

If ecumenical relations with ourhistoric reformed friends and sisterdenominations are terminated, it isa bit difficult to confess the catho-licity of the church. We would findourselves in an ecumenical no-man’s land. So the InterchurchRelations Committee is recom-mending that the CRC apply formembership in the World Alliance

of Reformed Churches. The re-port rightly notes some significantdifficulties in joining this alliance.“WARC’s confessional commit-ment is not as clear and distinct asthe CRC’s.” The constitution ofWARC recognizes the Reformedtradition as a “biblical, evangelicaland doctrinal ethos, rather than anynarrow and exclusive definition offaith and order.” Such languageought to make Synod extremelynervous. J. Greshan Machen wasexpelled from the PresbyterianChurch in the 20’s becausePresbyterianism was a “controllingethos” and not a “doctrinal commit-ment.” The Apostle Paul in his let-ter to Timothy identifies the churchas “the pillar and ground of thetruth” not the pillar and ground ofan “ethos”. Tepid commitment toan “ethos” has allowed outrightheresy in some denominations.Even Roman Catholicism demandscommitment to the “magisterium”(the teaching authority) of thechurch. It is unlikely that member-ship in WARC will enhance ourcommitment to the confessions inthe life of the CRC.

This recommendation to joinWARC represents a shift awayfrom identifying with the more his-torically conservative Reformedand Presbyterian denominationstowards identification with themore mainline protestant and theo-logically liberal denominations. Ifthis trend continues one might ex-pect an overture in the not too dis-tant future to join the NationalCouncil of Churches (NCC). If,however, the CRC desires to drifttoward the mainstream of Ameri-can Protestantism, there is a seriousrisk of getting swept away in somedangerous theological currents.

If the CRC desires todrift toward themainstream of

AmericanProtestantism, thereis a serious risk ofgetting swept awayin some dangerous

theological currents.

June, 2002 13

Women’s Ordination

Perhaps no other issue has been asdevastating and divisive in the his-tory of the CRC as the issue ofwomen’s ordination. In the pastdecade we have lost numerouschurches, families and some 40-50thousand members. Financial re-ceipts are down and support fordenominational causes and agen-cies is eroding. In an effort to settlethe troubled denominational watersSynod decided to postpone dealingwith Church Order Art. 3 until theyear 2005.

Such pastoral considerations andconcerns seem lost on ClassesGrand Rapids East and Lake Eriewhich are overturing Synod to re-vise the decision of Synod 2000 notto permit women ministers to serveas Synodical Deputies. The rhe-torical overkill of the Grand RapidsEast overture is astounding. Theimplication is that they are a “voicefor the voiceless”, as if it is impos-sible for male delegates to Synod torepresent the interests of thewomen of the church.

It may come as a surprise to somethat there are some intelligent andeducated women in our denomina-tion who think that women’s ordi-nation is “contrary to the clearteaching of scripture”. It is highlyunlikely that their views will be rep-resented on the Women’s AdvisoryCommittee to Synod. Overturessuch as these are not likely to pro-mote the “unity of the Spirit in thebond of peace.”

CRC and RCA

There is however, another overturefrom Classis Grand Rapids Eastthat merits careful consideration

and that is the proposal to explore“organic unity” (whatever that is)with the RCA (Reformed Churchin America). The overture rightlynotes that the grounds for separa-tion in 1857 (such as singing hymnsin public worship, having non-RCAChristians at the Lord’s Table, notenforcing weekly catechismpreaching and annual home visiting)are now characteristic or the com-mon practice of the CRC as a de-nomination.

The RCA is less bureaucratically

dominated and with its regional syn-ods is more respectful of the rightsof the local congregation. It is inmany ways a kinder and gentlerdenomination. Perhaps we ought toexplore the possibility of mergerwhich would formally acknowledgewhat in fact has taken place. Op-position to this would be most evi-dent in the denominational bureau-cracies and boards. It remains,however, something worth consider-ing.

Conclusion

Synod 2002 may be a more pivotalsynod than a superficial scanning ofthe agenda may first indicate. Ul-timately its success will be mea-

Rev. Richard Blauw is thepastor of the First ChristianReformed Church of SouthHolland, Illinois.

... we ought toexplore the

possibility of mergerwhich would

formallyacknowledge what infact has taken place.

sured not by denominational punditsbut by the Lord’s blessing. TheRoman Catholic theologian HansKung once observed that “The Bibleis the Book of the Church and thatthe Church must continually striveto become the Church of theBook”. As Reformed Christianswe confess indeed that the Bible isthe book of the church. The ques-tion that synod must ask is, are weincreasingly becoming the churchof the Book? May God grant Hiswisdom and discernment to the del-egates of Synod 2002.

- Dr. Cornel Venema - President of Mid-

America ReformedSeminary

Reformed Fellowship hasmade his books available

at a special price:

But for the Grace of God

and

What We Believe

NOW ONLY$3.00 EACHwhile supplies

last

14

In the history of the Reformedchurches, the distinction between auniversal and an effectual call of thegospel is a commonplace. Eventhough there are a few advocatesof a strong form of hyper-Calvin-ism, which denies that the gospelcall should be preached to all sin-ners, the elect and non-elect alike,the mainstream of the Reformedtradition has always affirmed thelegitimacy of an indiscriminatepreaching of the gospel to all sin-ners without exception.

However, in the debate regardingthe nature of this gospel-call, somehave advocated what I have calleda “soft” hyper-Calvinism. In thisview of the gospel-call, we shouldnot present the gospel promise to allsinners in the same manner. Sincesome of those to whom the gospel-call is addressed are non-elect, weshould not regard the call, so far asit is addressed to them, as express-ing any good will or favor on thepart of God or those who speak inHis name. The gospel-call, when itcomes to those whom God has notdetermined to save, does not ex-press any desire, whether on God’sor His ambassadors’ part, that theyshould believe in Jesus Christ, turnfrom their sin and so be saved.

In my previous articles, I sought toshow from the Scriptures that thisreserve regarding the gospel-call is

not fully biblical. Rather, there isbiblical evidence for the teachingthat in some sense God desires thesalvation of all lost sinners, and thatthose who represent Him in thegospel ministry ought likewise toseek earnestly the salvation of all towhom they have opportunity tobring the message of salvation. Thegospel comes to lost sinners asgood news: “Believe in the LordJesus, and you shall be saved, youand your household” (Acts 17:31).It does not summon people to be-lieve that they are elect or non-elect, but to put their trust in Christalone for salvation. The biblicalteaching regarding particular elec-tion, however clear and compellingit may be, does not negate the bib-lical teaching regarding the propri-ety of extending the gospel’s sum-mons and promise to all lost sinners.

However, there are a few questionsthat I have not addressed until thispoint, which I would like to considerin this and a subsequent article.These questions are: first, is thegospel-call, as I have interpreted it,the teaching of historic or classicCalvinism?; second, is the idea of awell-meant offer of the gospel con-sistent with the biblical teaching ofGod’s sovereign and unconditionalelection of some sinners, but not oth-ers?; and third, what implicationsdoes a proper view of the gospel-call have for the subject of Re-

formed evangelism?

Classic Calvinism?

Though the Reformed tradition isknown for its affirmation of God’sunconditional election of His peoplein Christ, there is some disputewhether it also affirms the teachingof a free offer of the gospel. Isthere evidence that the historic po-sition of the Reformed churchesfavors the idea that the gospel-callexpresses some kind of good willon the part of God toward all lostsinners?

Though it is not possible to canvassthe whole of the Reformed traditionto ascertain its position on the gos-pel-call, we will accomplish our pur-pose by briefly considering two rep-resentative sources: Calvin, who isgenerally acknowledged to be theleading theologian of the tradition;and the Reformed confessions,which express the churchly con-sensus of the tradition. Admittedly,this is a limited basis for drawingany general conclusions about theReformed tradition. But it is suffi-cient to illustrate what is the historicposition of the Reformed churches,especially as it comes to expressionin one of its representative theolo-gians and confessional symbols.

Calvin

Calvin’s teaching on the subject ofunconditional election is wellknown. God has from eternity pur-posed to save His elect people, notupon the basis of foreseen faith orworks but upon the basis of Hissovereign grace and good-pleasure.

Reformed Evangelism“Election and the ‘Free Offer’ of the Gospel”

Part Four

Cornelis P. Venema

Is there evidence that the historic position of the Reformed churches favors theidea that the gospel-call expresses some kind of good will on the part of God

toward all lost sinners?

June, 2002 15

J

Calvin’s position onthe subject of the

well-meant offer ofthe gospel is not as

well known, nor is itas uniformlyinterpreted

However, his position on the subjectof the well-meant offer of the gos-pel is not as well known, nor is it asuniformly interpreted. Rather thanattempt to sort out all of the varyinginterpretations of Calvin’s view, Iwill only cite a few examples fromhis writings to show that he affirmedsome kind of free offer of the gos-pel. Several of these examples alsoshow how Calvin interpreted thetexts we considered in our previousarticles.

In his commentary on Romans5:18, Calvin writes: “Paul makesgrace common to all men, not be-cause it in fact extends to all, butbecause it is offered to all. AlthoughChrist suffered for the sins of theworld, and is offered by the good-ness of God without distinction to allmen, yet not all receive Him” (em-phasis mine)1. What is remarkableabout this comment is that Calvinspeaks of “the goodness of God,”which is exhibited to all men in thepreaching of the gospel. He evenacknowledges a kind of “commongrace” that extends to all those towhom the gospel is offered. Thoughmany do not “receive” Christ as Heis offered in the gospel, this doesnot remove the fact that He is trulyoffered to all to whom the gospel isaddressed. While Calvin elsewherein his commentary on Romans de-clares that “God does not work ef-fectually in all men,”2 in his com-ments on Romans 5:18 he affirmsGod’s favor or goodness toward allto whom the gospel-call is ex-tended. He also uses a variety ofterms in this commentary to de-scribe the nature of the gospel-call:the gospel “exhibits” or “offers”Christ, and thereby “invites” sin-ners to “receive” Him.3 Theseterms are stronger in meaning than

a view of the gospel-call as a mere“exhibition” or “presentation” ofChrist would allow. They suggestthat God through the gospel genu-inely and graciously invites all sin-ners to believe.

Equally remarkable are Calvin’scomments on Matthew 23:37 (par.Luke 17:34; “O Jerusalem, Jerusa-lem . . . How often I wanted togather your children together, theway a hen gathers her chicks underher wings, and you were unwill-ing”). According to Calvin, Christ’s

language in this lament expresses a“maternal kindness.” In a mannerof speaking, God “bares His breastto us” in the overtures of the gos-pel.4 Through the gospel God mani-fests His “great goodness,” whichis similar to a maternal tendernessand kindness expressed towardwayward children who prove un-willing to respond in kind. Indeed, itis precisely the tender-heartednessof God’s lament in the Person ofHis Son that renders human unbe-lief in response to the gospel such a“monstrous” thing. For this rea-son—the sinner’s stubborn refusalto respond appropriately to God’skind overtures—a “dreadful ven-geance awaits us as often as theteaching of His Gospel is put before

us, unless we quietly hide ourselvesunder His wings, in which He isready to take us up and shelter us.”5

In his lectures on Ezekiel, Calvinexpressly states that God an-nounces through the prophet (espe-cially in Ezekiel 18:23,32) “Hiswish that all should be saved.”6 Thisis the general tenor of the wholegospel when it is presented to lostsinners—“all are promiscuouslycalled to salvation.”7 Though weare not to confuse this gospel-callwith God’s “secret counsel”whereby He has determined tosave the elect, we may not denythat “God calls all equally to repen-tance, and promises Himself pre-pared to receive them if they onlyseriously repent.”8 When it comesto the presentation of the gospel tolost sinners, therefore, we shouldnot curiously inquire into God’s hid-den purposes but rather look to theWord in which the divine will “ismade plain to us and to our chil-dren.”9 While Calvin readily ac-knowledges that this may suggestto us a kind of duplicity in God (Hedecrees one thing, but expressesHimself in another way through thegospel), he nonetheless insists thatGod’s purposes are harmonious andconsistent, however difficult, evenimpossible, it may be for us to seeclearly how this is so.

The last example of Calvin’s affir-mation of the well-meant offer ofthe gospel comes from his treat-ment of 2 Peter 3:9 (“The Lord …is patient toward you, not wishingfor any to perish but for all to cometo repentance”). This passage, likeothers in the Scriptures, presents uswith a difficulty that is not easy toresolve. How can God desire tosave sinners whom He has not pur-

16

posed (in some cases) to save?Calvin admits that this might suggestsome kind of disparity betweenGod’s secret and revealed will:though God has secretly determinedto save the elect alone, He declaresin the gospel that He desires thesalvation of all. The only solutionopen to us is to acknowledge that inHis revealed will “God stretches outHis hand to all alike,” even thoughsecretly He has determined to saveone and not another.10 Nonetheless,there is no ultimate disharmony be-tween God’s purpose of election andthe universal call of the gospel, how-ever difficult this harmony may befor us to comprehend. Indeed, if weattempt to discover in what senseGod desires or wills the salvation ofall, we will be seeking to knowsomething God has not chosen toreveal to us.

Confessions

The most important evidence for thehistoric position of the Reformedchurches on the gospel-call is, ofcourse, the testimony of the confes-sions. These have official standingas a summary of the church’s under-standing of the Word of God. Eventhough it may be too much to insistthat the Reformed confessions re-quire a strong affirmation of thewell-meant offer, this view seems tocomport best with the languageused in the confessions.

The most direct and clear statementof the nature of the gospel-call as itis addressed to all lost sinners isfound in the Canons of Dort. TheCanons of Dort were formulated asa Reformed or Calvinist answer tothe five “opinions” of the Arminianor Remonstrant party in the DutchReformed church of the early seven-teenth century. In their “opinions,”

the Arminians claimed that theteaching of unconditional electionundermined the universal and indis-criminate preaching of the gospel toall sinners. In particular, the teachingof unconditional election deprivedthe gospel invitation or offer of itsseriousness and sincerity.11

In their response to the Arminians,the Canons of Dort address the sub-ject of the well-meant offer in twoplaces. In the Second Main Point ofDoctrine, which deals with Christ’sdeath and human redemption, theCanons affirm that the death ofChrist “is of infinite value and worth,

more than sufficient to atone for thesins of the world” (Art. 3). ThoughChrist’s death was designed to pro-vide redemption for the elect alone,the gospel must be preached to alllost sinners. According to the Can-ons, “it is the promise of the gospelthat whoever believes in Christ cru-cified shall not perish but have eter-nal life. This promise, together withthe command to repent and believe,ought to be announced and declaredwithout differentiation or discrimina-tion to all nations and people, towhom God in his good pleasuresends the gospel” (Art. 5).

However, it is in the Third andFourth Main Points of Doctrine thatthe Canons most expressly speak ofthe gospel offer. In Article 8, weread that “all who are called throughthe gospel are called seriously. Forseriously and most genuinely Godmakes known in His Word what ispleasing to Him (gratum est): thatthose who are called should come toHim. Seriously He also promisesrest for their souls and eternal life toall who come to Him and believe”(emphasis mine). The language ofthis Article, which is closely but notexactly patterned after the languageof the Arminians’ “opinion” on thegospel-call, clearly expresses theidea that God declares through thegospel what He finds desirable andpleasing, namely, that lost sinnerscome to Him in faith. Without in anyway compromising their affirmationof the electing purpose of God, theCanons simultaneously affirm thegenuineness and sincerity of the gos-pel-call.

Though the Westminster Standardsare not as explicit or direct in theiraffirmation of the well-meant offerof the gospel, they do use languagethat implies this teaching. ChapterTen of the Westminster Confessionof Faith, which summarizes theScriptural teaching of “effectualcalling,” speaks of those who areeffectually called being “enabled toanswer this call, and to embrace thegrace offered and conveyed in it”(WCF X.II). Now it might be arguedthat this language only describeswhat is offered to the elect, whoalone are effectually called throughthe gospel. In this view, grace is onlyoffered through the gospel to theelect. But it is more plausible that thislanguage describes the nature of thegospel call itself, which becomes

Calvin insists thatGod’s purposes areharmonious and

consistent, howeverdifficult, even

impossible, it may befor us to see clearly

how this is so.

June, 2002 17

effectual unto salvation when theHoly Spirit grants faith and repen-tance to the elect. The faith grantedto the elect is, in other words, a be-lieving response to a gracious sum-mons and offer. The matter is moreclear, however, in the language ofthe Westminster Larger and ShorterCatechisms. The WestminsterLarger Catechism, for example,speaks of the non-elect as those“who, for their wilful neglect andcontempt of the grace offered tothem, being justly left in their unbe-lief, do never truly come to JesusChrist” (Q & A 68). Likewise, theWestminster Shorter Catechism af-firms that Jesus Christ is “freelyoffered to us in the gospel” (Q & A31).

The likeliest reading of these confes-sional statements is one that affirmsthe teaching of a well-meant gospeloffer. The gospel-call, which is ex-tended indiscriminately to all lost sin-ners, freely offers Christ and invitesits recipients to believe in Him forsalvation. The gospel summons sin-cerely reveals what God finds pleas-ing and desirable. Failure to respondin faith and repentance, accordingly,aggravates the guilt of those whorefuse what God invites them to re-ceive. Following Calvin’s lead, theReformed confessions insist upon afree and indiscriminate preaching ofthe gospel to all lost sinners. Further-more, through this preaching GodHimself graciously offers and invitessinners to respond in faith and re-pentance.

Endnotes1Calvin’s New Testament Commentar-ies, (ed. David W. Torrance and ThomasF. Torrance; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,1963-74), vol. 8, pp. 117-18. Hereaftercited as CNTC. I am indebted to mycolleague, Rev. J. Mark Beach, for call-

Dr. Cornelis P. Venemaserves as president of Mid-America Reformed Seminaryin Dyer, Indiana where he alsoteaches doctrinal studies.

I had never met the man before. AllI had was his name: Dennis. Havingmoved into my new church just ashort time before, my elders had toldme about this member of the congre-gation who was confined to a carefacility some distance away.

He was not that old, or so I was told.He was only in or around his mid-forties, but he was suffering fromA.L.S. Experts refer to this asAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis;most people simply call it “LouGehrig’s disease.” The elders rec-ommended that I visit him sometime.So, I now found myself walking

down the hallway toward his room,not knowing who or what to expect.

This care facility had that institu-tional look to it, as well as the barelysanitized smell that so many of thesesorts of “homes” have. There weredrab green walls, a highly polishedfloor, and an odor in which you coulddetect both human waste and chlo-rine bleach doing battle. This wasclearly not the kind of place wherethe rich and famous came to live outtheir final years on earth; rather, thiswas where those came who couldafford no better.

I stood there for a moment watching him, debat-ing whether or not I should leave and never come

back.

God’s People, My ParishJesus in My Heart

ing these passages to my attention.2 CNTC, vol. 8, p. 27.3 CNTC, vol. 8, p. 27.4 CNTC, vol. 3, p. 68.5 CNTC, vol. 3, p. 686 Calvin’s Commentaries (Edinburgh:Calvin Translation Society, 1843-55),vol. 12, p. 266. Hereafter cited as COTC.7 COTC, vol. 12, p. 266.8 COTC, vol. 12, p. 247.9 COTC, vol. 12, p. 267.10 CNTC, vol. 12, p. 364.11 The Arminian opinion declared thefollowing: “Whomever God calls to sal-vation, he calls seriously, that is, with asincere and completely unhypocriticalintention and will to save; nor do weassent to the opinion of those who holdthat God calls certain ones externally

whom He does not will to call internally,that is, as truly converted, even beforethe grace of calling has been rejected”(as cited in Crisis in the ReformedChurches: Essays in Commemorationof the Synod of Dort (1618-’19), ed. P.Y. De Jong [Grand Rapids: ReformedFellowship, Inc., 1968], Appendix H, pp.226-27).

Edward Marcusse

18

I approached Dennis’ door and en-tered his room. It was dreary andbare, with no pictures on the wall,no knick-knacks on the dresser, andnot even a chair to sit in. There wasnothing at all to personalize thisroom—nothing at all that would in-dicate that it was someone’s“home.” The only furniture was asimple three-drawer, woodendresser and a cold chrome institu-tionalized bed. On that hard bed laybut a shell of a man.

Dennis’ hair was matted and un-combed; his beard was tousled andunkempt. His shirt had the rem-nants of at least several days’worth of meals spattered across itsfront…but these were all second-ary. What first and foremostgrabbed my attention was Dennis’arms and legs. The disease hadattacked these parts of his bodyfirst, causing the muscles to degen-erate and constrict. This, in turn,caused his extremities to be pulledin tightly to his body, like a spidercaught in the first hard frost of theautumn—the kind you have to blowon to see if they are alive.

I did not have to blow on this man.I could easily see that he was stillalive because of his eyes. The dis-ease had struck this part of himnext. They were the eyes of a blindman—ever staring but never see-ing. They moved aimlessly, spas-modically, back and forth, up anddown. He had not heard me enter,and so I stood there for a momentwatching him, debating whether ornot I should leave and never comeback. He would never know. Whatdifference would it make?

A fresh stream of spittle ran downfrom the corner of his mouth andonto his beard, following the dried

up course of others before it. I de-cided to at least say his name; if hedid not respond, I could always goback and tell the elders I had tried.

“Dennis,” I whispered.

Immediately, he turned his headand stared at me with those bigsightless eyes. Obviously, the dis-ease had not affected his hearing.

“Yeshh,” he slurred. ALS was nowattacking this part of his body.

I introduced myself as the new min-ister of his church, and I watched

as his right arm, with its hand pulledtightly inward, tried to move out tome in order to greet me. I put myhand on his, and instantly, his facebroke into a mile-wide smile. Thedisease had obviously not yet foundthese muscles, as this smile becamethe trademark of my meetings withDennis. He was a joy to visit, andI found myself going back thereregularly.

Over the course of my time withhim, he told me about his life. In hishalting speech, he told me of hischildren who were now grown butlived too far away to visit. He toldme of a wife whom he had loved

much, but who had left one day andnever returned. He told me of a jobthat he had performed ably andwell, but the money from it had runout years before. He also told meof this disease, which was slowlyovertaking him more and more eachday, and which he knew wouldsomeday take his life. Dennis toldme a lot of things, many of themmeaningless, and now I’ve forgot-ten them. One day, however, hetold me something that I will neverforget.

During one of my visits, I greetedhim as usual. As soon as he heardmy voice, he responded in his fa-miliar way: with his trademarkTexas-wide smile. So I asked him,“Dennis, why do you smile somuch? How can you be so cheer-ful when you have gone through allof the things that you have?”

Without missing a beat or eventhinking it over, Dennis respondedin his slurred and crippled speech,“Because … I … have … Jesus …in … my … heart.”

And I cried.

Here was a man where every pitchlife threw at him was a curve ball.Here was a man of whom societywould say had absolutely no qualityof life, a prime candidate for eutha-nasia. Here was a man who had noapparent reason for living…and yet,God had a reason for keeping himalive. God had great use yet forhim, even with his disease. Godgave quality to his life, and that waswhat was most important.

God used Dennis to minister to me,the minister. He used Dennis tochallenge me and my view of life.He used Dennis to cause me to

He also told me ofhis disease, which

was slowlyovertaking him moreand more each day,and which he knewwould someday take

his life.

June, 2002 19

Engelsma, David S. ReformedEducation: the Christian Schoolas Demand of the Covenant. Re-vised Edition. Grandville, MI: Re-formed Free Publishing Associa-tion, 2000. V. 101 pp $8.00, paper-back.

The title of this book may turn offsome readers, thinking it is forteachers, or that it will take such anoutdated view of education that itwould not be relevant. First, it is foreveryone: teachers (and they mustread it), parents who seek to befaithful to their covenant responsi-bilities or who wonder what thepurpose of Christian Education is,students old enough to think anddiscuss this time - honored part ofcovenant-life. Further, it is not old-fashioned in approach, it is a returnto the teaching of Scripture. This issorely, needed in an age wheresecularism has invaded even theChristian Schools. Also, anyonewho knows Professor Engelsma’swritings, knows they are alwaysrelevant.

Originally given as lectures for thebenefit of teachers in the Protes-tant Reformed Christian Schools,and published in 1977, they havebeen somewhat revised but not ex-panded. The concluding bibliogra-phy gives many suggestions for fur-ther reading.

Professor Engelsma begins by ex-plaining the covenantal basis ofChristian Education. The school, hestates, arises from the demand ofGod’s Covenant. Perhaps home-schoolers will not like what he saysabout that practice, however, hisconcern about curriculum is a validone. Instead of closing the book atthat point they should read on.They will certainly learn something!

His chapter on the place of theBible and Confessions in the schoolis important. He stays far from theFundamentalism which is rampantin some schools called Christian.

Boldly he addresses Reformed Edu-cation in relation to culture as hewrites about the dangerous tempta-tion of world-flight and the nearlyunknown concept of the antithesisin today’s church world.

The section on the place of theteacher must be read again byteacher and parent alike.

The final chapter on the goal ofReformed Education is a gem inmany ways.

Not much has been published onthis particular approach to Re-formed Education. May this littlevolume fill the gap!

* * * *

Rev. Edward Marcusse isthe pastor of the BethelUnited Reformed Church inCalgary, Alberta.

grow closer to the Lord out of ap-preciation for all that the Lord hasgiven to me. God, through theApostle Paul in I Thessalonians5:16-18, commands us, “Be joyfulalways; pray continually; givethanks in all circumstances, for thisis God’s will for you in ChristJesus.” Through Dennis, Godtaught me the full meaning of theseverses: that if I have “Jesus in myheart,” then I really have every-thing I need. The next time I amthrown that curve ball in life and Iam tempted to not be joyful, to notpray, to not give thanks then I willremember Dennis and smile, be-cause I, too, have “Jesus in myheart.”

This is not old-fashioned in approach, itis a return to the teaching of Scripture.

Book ReviewsBook ReviewsBook ReviewsBook ReviewsBook ReviewsJerome Julien

20

Marvin Kamps hasperformed a great

service for English -speaking Calvinists.

Alcock, Deborah. The SpanishBrothers: a tale of the sixteenthcentury. And W. Oak Rhind.Hubert Ellerdale: A Tale of theDays of Wycliffe. Neerlandia, AB/ Pella, IA I Romsey, Rants, UK:Inheritance Publications, both 2001.326pp. $12.90 US. $14.95 CN 221pp, $10.90 US, $12.90 CN, respec-tively, paperback.

Both of these books for youngpeople and adults are in The Refor-mation Trail Series. The value ofthese works is simply that they laybefore the reader aspects of theReformation that we either do not

know or knew very little about.Besides, the information comes sopleasantly since it is in novel form.

Rhind’s book about the days ofWycliffe introduces us to fourteenthcentury England and the early re-forming movements, especially thatof Wycliffe. With so much empha-sis on Luther and his providentialplace in the Reformation - andrightly so - we forget the earlystruggles toward reformation. Thestory is engaging and the disguisedhistory is enlightening.

Alcock’s book is equally valuable inthe light of what has already beenwritten. Yet, it has another value: itinforms us about the site and thestruggles of God’s people in Spainfollowing the Reformation. Most ofus do not know about a Reforma-

tion Church in Spain. We can imag-ine that in a Roman Catholic coun-try the price believers would paywould be high, but this book, thoughthe story is fiction, gives “an accu-rate historical account of the rise,progress, and downfall of the Prot-estant Church in Spain.” The faith-ful believers who would hold to thetruth of life in Christ by grace wouldsee death as heretics at the hand ofthe Church, but Truth could not bekilled!

The story is about two brothers,one brought up as a soldier, theother as a priest. Their quest was tofind what happened to their father.It is a story which captures yourinterest and imagination. Eventhough the story itself is old - this isa republication - you will learn a lotby reading it, and you will be re-minded of God’s strange and won-derful ways. Highly recommended!

* * * *

Kuyper, Abraham. ParticularGrace: a Defense of God’s Sover-eignty in Salvation. Translatedfrom the Dutch by Marvin Kamps.Grandville, MI: Reformed FreePublishing Association, 2001. xx,356 pp. $29.95 hardcover.

Most Reformed people know thefame of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), the great Dutch churchleader, preacher, statesman, andprolific writer. Many of his worksremain locked in the Dutch lan-guage. This volume, until recently,was numbered with those. In 1879,Kuyper began writing a series ofarticles for the religious weekly DeHeraut (The Herald) under theheading “Dat De GenadeParticulier Is.” These articles,which continued until June 1880,

were later published as a book. Ittook one hundred twenty years toget them in English. Marvin Kampshas performed a great service forEnglish - speaking Calvinists. Hispreface gives a wonderful introduc-tion to the volume. Also, he has in-cluded a short appendix which ex-plains Kuyper’s distinction betweengrace and “gratie.”

The text is divided into four parts.The first section is entitled “NoChrist for All.” It becomes veryapparent that in “the good old days”the problem of universal or generalgrace and a “Christ - for - all”

mentality was rampant in the Dutchchurches. Kuyper comes downfirmly for particular grace. Hespends much time on the passagesthat are often used in opposition toparticular grace; I John 2:2, I Timo-thy 2:4, and II Peter 3:9. Then hemakes clear that man is totally de-praved and unable to do anythingtoward his salvation. As he con-cludes this section he writes thatwe believe and teach on the basisof Scripture, “a particular grace bywhich Jesus directs life, blesses theWord, opens the ear and bends thewill, but and everything is dependentupon this - as instrument, so that heremains the One who does it, andthe one to Whom, therefore, is allthe glory!” (p. 98).

The second section, “Tested by theResult”, begins by pointing out

The informationcomes so pleasantlysince it is in novel

form.

June, 2002 21

There is so littlematerial on the OldTestament from the

Reformed perspectivein English. These

volumes willcertainly have a

place.

“One cannot earnestly proceedwith general grace without destroy-ing the way of Salvation” (p. 103).In this section Kuyper takes thereader through the history of re-demption in order to lay out the wayof salvation. Then the author showsus the Messiah as the Son of Manand the Eternal Word and he makesit very clear: “particular grace istaught by Jesus in the clearestterms” (p. 165).

The third section is entitled “TheUnfathomable Mercies” and fo-cuses on God’s great love for Hisown and how Jesus endured God’swrath “against the sin of the wholehuman race” (p. 208). In one chap-ter Kuyper addresses the “flow”and the “to whom” of preaching.

The fourth section considers thetexts and the concepts in Scripturewhich all too often are used to at-tempt to disprove particular grace.

All in all, these forty short chapters- none is longer than ten pages,most are shorter - should help clearour minds again so that we return toa Biblical view of grace. This is assorely needed today as it was inKuyper’s day. Will the reader agreewith every idea Kuyper writes?Probably not. Only God’s Word is tobe agreed with in toto. However,Kuyper is attempting here to openup for his readers the wonderfultruth of Scripture.

A word must be said about the ap-pearance of the volume. It is clearlyprinted on nice stock. The bindingis handsome.

Take it up and read it, and yourheart will be blessed.

* * * *

mat: mimeographed and spiral-bound. Most students and readerswere unaware of their existence.Some have had them in their librar-ies, however, and they can testify tothe value of these books. Nowmany more, through this new andattractive publication, can benefitfrom their insights.

Homer C. Hoeksema, an ordainedminister in the Protestant ReformedChurches, began preparing thesebooks in 1959 when he became aprofessor in his church’s seminary.He held the post of professor untilhis death in 1989. He was able towork through the period of the OldTestament judges in these syllabifor his classes. Professor DavidEngelsma, Hoeksema’s successor,will complete the series, the Lordwilling. The plan is to cover all ofthe Old Testament historical mate-rial. The editor expresses the pur-pose of these volumes in theseWords: “The increase of the faith ofthe people of God ... becomes thepurpose of this work. When,through a fuller and clearer under-standing of the scriptures, faith isenriched, truly the ultimate end ofthe glory of Our covenant God isachieved.” (p xvi, V. 1). ProfessorHoeksema’s son, Mark, has done avery commendable job of editing hisfather’s work.

Volume One contains a new intro-duction - one for the whole series -by the editor. He deals with the na-ture and reality of history, the viewof the Covenant underlying the ap-proach of these volumes, and thedivisions of Old Testament history.

The meat of the first volume coverssome 1650 years of biblical history.A lion’s share of the pages coversthe subject of creation and the Fall.

Van Rijswijk, Cor. Abraham’sSacrifice (The Word Of the KingSeries). Neerlandia, AS / Pella, IA/ Romsey, Hants, UK; InheritancePublications, 2001. 43pp. $7.90U.S., $8.93 CN. hardcover.

This little book telling the famousBiblical story of Abraham takingIsaac up the mountain is beautifullyillustrated in black and white byRino Visser. It is well written andeven a child who has learned toread can read it to himself. How-ever, parental involvement wouldmake the story even more memo-

rable. Like many of the children’sbooks from Inheritance, this one ishighly recommended.

* * * *

Hoeksema, Homer C. Unfold-ing Covenant History; An Expo-sition of the Old Testament. Vol-ume 1 - From Creation to theFlood. Volume 2 - From theFlood to Isaac. Series editor;Mark H. Hoeksema. Grandville,MI: Reformed Free Publishing As-sociation. 2000,2001. xxxviii, 327pp.; xvi. 3ll pp. $27.95 each, hard-cover.

These volumes have been availablefor many years in a different for-

22

Rev. Jerome Julien is theStated Clerk of the UnitedReformed Churches in NorthAmerica.

A student of the Bookof Revelation can

hardly do better thanthis!

It understandably begins with God(where else can we begin?) andthen moves on to the work of Hishands. Much space is given to theactivities of the first week in history.Biblical exposition and theologicaldiscussion are wedded together inan admirable way. The last third ofthe book takes the reader from theyears of Cain and Abel through thecatastrophic flood in the days ofNoah which demonstrated God’sjudgment on sin, and His grace andcovenant friendship to Noah. Sev-eral helpful diagrams appear whichaid in understanding the chronologyof these events.

Volume Two takes the reader fromthe days following the receding ofthe waters to the blessing of Jacobby Isaac. The Biblical teaching ofthe sword-power of the state re-ceives lengthy treatment. The cov-enant with Noah, Nimrod, Babel,Shem’s generations, the place ofAbraham, the place of Isaac, theconflict of Jacob and Esau, andIsaac’s blessing of Esau are all in-cluded. In fact, this volume coversthe material in Genesis from chap-ter 8:20 through chapter 28.

Congratulations go to RFPA formaking this series available to abroader readership. There is so littlematerial on the Old Testament fromthe Reformed perspective in En-glish. These volumes will certainlyhave a place. Has the author saideverything on these texts? No. Willeveryone agree? Probably not.However, his writings will provokediscussion and further study. Howsoon before the next volume will beready? Readers eagerly await thatday.

* * * *

Hoeksema. Herman. Behold,He Cometh! An Exposition of theBook of Revelation. Second Edi-tion with addition of Scripture andsubject indexes. Grandville, MI:Reformed Free Publishing Associa-tion, 2000. xvii, 772 pp., $32.00.hardcover.

When this book first appeared in1969 Dr. William Hendriksen, re-nowned amillennial expositor of theBook of Revelation and minister inthe Christian Reformed Churchwrote in a review that appeared in

The Banner: “The treatment of thetext is definitely Reformed in char-acter in that it always ascribes allthe glory to God and traces his wayin history... I warmly recommendthe book.”

With its republication, the text hasnot changed. It is the same bookwe have been using through thelast thirty-three years. What makesit different - and more usable - isthe addition of forty-four pages ofindices: Scripture and subjects.

First, for those not acquainted withthis fine volume, here is a bit ofbackground. Rev. Hoeksemapreached through the Book of Rev-elation twice in his ministry, oncesoon after World War I and the sec-ond time during World War II, thelatter time to very large crowds ofhearers. The series of messages in

this volume - fifty-three in number- thoroughly expounds the comfort-ing truth in this last book of theBible, At one time, these appearedas articles in The Standard Bearer.The approach to the Bible text isclearly amillennial. A student of theBook of Revelation can hardly dobetter than this!

The new feature of the book - newin this edition, is the index. This is avery fine and valuable addition, onethat will be of great help to anyonewho studies this last book of Scrip-ture. Actually, there are two indices,one of Scripture texts referred to inthe exposition, and one listing themany subjects discussed. Such alarge and complete volume is notuseful without this kind of index.Numerology is central in the sym-bolism found in Revelation. The in-dex shows clearly where there arediscussions of the numbers used byinspiration. Other very importantimagery used, and the continualreferences to the Old Testament,are listed in the indices.

If you have an interest in studyingthis comforting and timely book(and every believer should), by allmeans get a copy of it. It’s morethan worth the trip to the bookstore!The words of Hendriksen still ringfrom this reviewer: “I warmly rec-ommend the book.”

June, 2002 23

January 1963

“A true Church is the onlyChurch which Christ uses and Healone is the hope of mankind.”

Keeping the Church a ChurchAlexander C. De Jong

“The greatest need of the hour isnot to bring more men and womeninto the churches but to deepen thespiritual life of those who do belong,to prune church rolls of the deadbranches and, through a church-wide proclamation of the unadulter-ated and undiluted gospel of divinegrace, not only to bring new life intospiritually dead churches but alsoby means of faithful discipline toprune and purify them.”

Evangelism in Depth ProgramHenry J. Kuiper

February 1963

“We need every text in Scrip-ture, and every chapter, and weneed them all together in the won-derful unity which makes the sixty-six books of Scripture the Word(singular!) of God. And we need tolet that one, whole Word speak in itsevery part.”

The Sum...Is TruthNicholas B. Knoppers

“Calvin insisted that a religiousorganization purporting to be aChurch submit itself to Scripturaltesting before church union propos-als be broached.”

* * * * *

“...we must be ecumenicallyconcerned or we will become irrel-

Sound BitesTorch and Trumpet 1963

evant in our own times.”Evangelical

Ecumenical MovementsJohn H. Bratt

“Only when we resist the temp-tation to display theological erudi-tion and strive to administer God’sWord can we clearly understand thelanguage of the Catechism whichechoes in human voice the veryWord of God.”

Preaching the CatechismAlexander C. De Jong

March 1963

“There is no place for me in theworld except the place whichChrist has given for me by the Fa-ther in answer to His prayer.”

Church and WorldJohn H. Piersma

April 1963

“...what you understand theBible to be will determine to a largeextent your approach to and inter-pretation of it.”

When the Bible CursesElco H. Oostendorp

“...attempts at church union are,as a rule, put forth in an atmospherecreated by latitudinarianism, that isto say, in that climate which is ad-verse to doctrine. We are passingthrough a period of indifferencetowards truth and doctrine todayand it should surprise no one thatjust at this time ‘everybody’ clam-ors for church union. Liberalismand indifference towards doctrine

must make for church union, foroutward church union. Liberalismcan never conceive of a justificationfor separate denominations.”

Are Separate Church Denominations Justifiable

Nicholas J. Monsma

May - June 1963

“Reformed theology is based, noton ecclesiastical tradition, nor onhuman reason, nor yet on religiousexperience, but solely on the objec-tive Word of God.”

Is the Glory Departing?R. B. Kuiper

July - August 1963

“The common complaint is thatministers do not have time to makesermons. That is quite an anomaly.Imagine a physician saying that hewas too busy to practice medicine.”

Ministers, Counselors, and Quacks

Christian Huissen

“...a doctrine is useless if it doesnot become the springboard to ef-fective action.”

Pragmatic ChristianityNick R. Van Til

September 1963

“Too many of us to all practicalintents and purposes regard theirdenomination as the totality of theChristian church. In exercising‘the communion of the saints’ werestrict ourselves to the members of‘our church.’”

* * * * *“The truth is to be done as well

as believed, believed as well asdone.”

* * * * *“The church which today dispar-

ages Christian doctrine will tomor-

(continued on page 24)

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John PiersmaDaniel

Henry Vander KamSermon on the MountEphesiansI & II ThessaloniansI TimothyI PeterI JohnParablesActs (Chapters 1-13)Acts (Chapters 14-28)Amos

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row have no gospel to declare.”A Satanic Assault

on the Christian ReligionR. B. Kuiper

November 1963

“’That whosoever believeth onHim should not perish but have eter-nal life’ is not the condition of salva-tion but the assurance of it.”

Are Election and Evangelism Compatible?

Allan Dykstra

December 1963

“...the church ought to be a har-monious symphony of tribute to Godand His Christ. I don’t hear thatkind of music when everyone mayplay his part according to a differentscore.”

I Am the Fourth Minister...Lambertus Mulder

(continued from page 23)