This time of year many churches go through the process of selecting and installing office-bearers to their respective roles as elders and deacons. As we reflect on the importance of the role of office-bearers in the church, we should turn our attention to the account of Moses and his struggle to provide effective leadership among […]
Who planned the first wedding? As we read the Bible, we note that the narrative follows the history of God’s work in the creation from the beginning (Genesis 1:1) until Christ’s second coming (Revelation 22:21). For this reason, the reader should seek to comprehend the flow of God’s revelation in history from the Old Testament […]
As we mentioned in our study of the Belgic Confession’s articles on justification, our Lord Jesus Christ won for us two great benefits (what the Reformer’s called the duplex beneficium), justification (arts. 2223) and sanctification (arts. 24-25). Justification deals with the guilt of sin and sanctification with the pollution of sin. This, from the outset, […]
Within North American Evangelicalism there has developed over the past several years a false dichotomy between awe and accessibility in worship. Although many congregations are unaware of this “either-or” mentality, it is far too prevalent to be mere coincidence. How many churches now refer to their services as celebrations rather than worship? There is something […]
As we move to Revelation 4:5–6a, we find movement in the text itself. Here we move from the throne of God to the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, only to move from the seven lamps of fire to the sea of glass that is before the throne. […]
After a long and hazardous journey in crossing the Atlantic Ocean, our forefathers landed on these American shores. They came with the history of the Reformation and the experience of persecution as their background. They came with but one purpose in mind, to be able to serve God in accordance with the teachings of Scripture, […]
Though there are many theological issues involved in this modern controversy, there is none more important or central than that of justification. While the three names/groups mentioned above have many things in common (as well as many things in which they differ), there is one issue upon which they all agree: That the works that […]
Founded in 1930 to publish a magazine, P&R Publishing Company will celebrate its 75th anniversary year, in part, by publishing about forty new books. The company’s magazine was established, according to founder Samuel G. Craig, “to state, defend, and further the system of thought and life taught in the Bible.” He added that this “system […]