“Let us, therefore, diligently retain those characters impressed upon Our minds and estimate them according to the judgment 0/ God. For there is nothing that Satan labours more to accomplish, than to remove and destroy one or both of them (i.e., the marks of the true church); at one time to efface and obliterate these […]

It is saddening for anyone who is committed to the Christian faith in its Reformed or Calvinist form to contemplate how the influence of this system of Christian truth has declined in the modern world. A thoughtful student cannot help but wonder why this faith that once inspired and dominated the thought and life of large […]

Reformation-rallies do not make much sense, if they only deal with the past. It is rather easy to give an historical account of the Reformation of 1517 and later years; it is possible to praise the Lord for the great things he has done in former centuries; it is even tempting to rise to ecstasy describing […]

We traced the idea of church discipline in our previous contribution to the fact that the Church is God’s temple, and that this holy place must be well-ordered and clean. “Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man destroyeth the temple of God, […]

Roman Catholicism is changing, so they say. Many people are expecting great things from the conciliar meetings, some already held and others to be held in Rome. As one of our Roman Catholic neighbors said the other day, “Now at last we’ll all be one.” She herself seldom attends mass and has little time for the church. […]

For some time now we have been dealing with the way in which the Biblical teaching concerning its own reliability and infallibility has been under attack. Many are the arguments used in this attack. At all costs, according to some of the most influential teachers and preachers of our day, the Bible must be reduced to an […]

A CONFUSED STATE OF AFFAIRS In the preceding article it was stated that the situation is in a great flux in the Netherlands Gereformeerde Kerken. Movement and change are occurring in more than one respect. N. J. H. writes in the issue of Gereformeerd Weekblad of June 19, 1964, “Whoever knows anything about the tensions (in […]

The suggestions that are made here are based on an assumption. It is that ministers of the Gospel are like farmers, businessmen and professional men in this respect: All are not equally capable, and all are not endowed with the same measure of certain abilities or “talents.” Under the system of calling pastors now in effect […]

Scripture: Romans 13 Background: In society the state ought to manifest God’s Kingdom as “righteousness in the administration of justice.” Those in proper authority have the calling to establish and enforce human ordinances (I Peter 2:13). It is in this connection that we witness the terrifying struggle of millions in the United States for “civil rights.” This […]

Scripture: Daniel 1 Background: One of the presidential candidates now campaigning in the United States claims that his administration will restore private initiative and work against all programs which imply the curbing of legal individual rights. This is a major area of dispute today since the expansion of government services requires broader taxation, and this means that […]