Christ arose! That is the holy conviction that brings joy to our hearts on Easter Day. Without that certainty, the assurance that our Lord broke the bars of death on the third day could not be real. Without that certainty, there could be no real Easter joy in our souls, for there would be no […]
“And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last…” (Luke 23:46) The six hours on the cross are coming to a close. Death is at hand. Jesus has spoken several times while hanging on the cross. He has manifested […]
The teaching of Jesus being a sacrifice by being crucified and pouring out His blood to take away our sins is not very “relevant” to the world today. After all, who is a sinner? Furthermore, we need to get beyond capital punishment as a way to punish and view criminals as victims who need rehabilitation. […]
In Isaiah 14:12–15, we read words that are addressed historically to the King of Babylon. In this passage, he is presented as a type or figure of the arch-enemy of our faith, namely, the Devil himself: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star (KJV – Lucifer), son of the dawn! You have been […]
With Revelation 4:1, we begin a new section in the book of Revelation, thereby affording us the opportunity to reorient ourselves in terms of the structure of the book. Following the lead of William Hendriksen in his masterful commentary, More Than Conquerors, we have stated that there are seven sections in Revelation: chapters 1–3, chapters […]
To fragment or federate? That is the question. Do we have any union as the church universal? Is there any mutual accountability in the URCNA? Are we a group constantly seeking to fragment along local church boundaries or are our local churches within actual federated borders? Are local churches seeking nothing more than counsel and […]
Under the Old Testament administration of the Covenant of Grace, the covenant was largely a physical covenant with a spiritual remnant imbibing in promises and blessings. Under the New Testament administration of the Covenant of Grace, the covenant is not primarily physical with a spiritual component, but primarily spiritual with a physical component (Hodge 130). […]
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21 On December 17, 2004, God called to glory Rev. John H. Piersma. His gain is great loss to his family, to his church family, and to the greater Reformed community. Had he lived another week and a day, Rev. Piersma would […]