“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing (disciplining) us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for […]
Question: What does worship do for the church? Answer: Unto this catholic visible church, Christ has given the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world: and does by his own presence and Spirit, according to this promise, make them […]
While shellshocked House Republicans wonder what became of their “revolution,” the Supreme Court has allowed the real revolution to proceed. By a vote of 8-1, the Court refused to block Wisconsin’s program that allows poor children to attend the private or religious school of their parent’s choice. The National Education Association, American Civil Liberties Union, […]
I had gone to visit Grandpa in Groningen, Holland, for the last time before coming to the United States to study in January, 1996. He was in a nursing home because of a stroke years earlier, but he still played excitedly in a chess club, often went to concerts, and wrote us newsy letters about […]
READ GENESIS 4 As part of the punishment of the LORD God, expulsion from the Garden of Eden is the result of Adam and Eve’s rebellion. But in the judgment of God, there will be a “seed of the woman” that will crush the serpent’s head. Divine wrath came upon the human race in Genesis […]
READ GENESIS 5:1–6:8; ROMANS 5:12–21 The account (“generations”) of the heavens and the earth was covered in Genesis 2:4–4:26. It recorded God’s perfect creation and His placing there of a perfect working team (our first parents). But within this account we read of our sinful rebellion against God, a rebellion that is met with punishment […]
Recently I wrote a column emphasizing the importance of the local church in the kingdom of God. I stressed local initiatives, bemoaned creeping bureaucracies, and lamented a denominationalism that seems to appear wherever I look. I argued that denominationalism is a phenomenon that seems to think that only denominationally-organized mission work, educational ministry, and even […]
INTRODUCTION Now that we have provided a summary of some of the more distinctive features of Kuyper’s worldview, a few common criticisms of Kuyper’s position need to be considered. Not only during his lifetime, but also in terms of his influence within the Reformed community subsequent to his death, Kuyper has been a controversial figure. […]
PRAYER ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE John Murray’s practice of prayer was the outpouring of his devotion to the Triune God revealed in Scripture. The language of his prayer was the language of Scripture, for his prayer reflected what God says to us in His Word, and what we say to Him, guided by His Word and […]
Women in the Service of Christ by Norman Shepherd. Published by the Reformed Fellowship, Inc., 36 pages, $2.00 plus postage. Reviewed by Harlan Vanden Einde. The question of the propriety of allowing women to occupy all of the ordained offices in the church has been the object of discussion and debate for the past couple […]