This year of our Lord, 2018, marks the four hundredth anniversary of the convening of the Synod of Dort in Dordrecht, the Netherlands. The Synod of Dort was convened in order to settle the ongoing controversy in the Dutch churches regarding the teaching of Arminius and his followers on the topic of election. For those […]
During the course of my ministry, I have often been asked by elders a question about what might be termed “pastoral tenure.” The question often arises within the context of a church’s vacancy and its search for the names of ministers to whom the congregation might extend a call. In the course of their search […]
Throughout this series of articles on the Canons of Dort, I have been emphasizing that they affirm two closely related and fundamental themes of the gospel. These are: God’s sovereign and gracious work. in the redemption of His elect people, and the comfort this work affords the Christian believer. Only the gospel of God’s free […]
In several previous articles on the Canons of Dort. I have referred to the implications of its confession of God’s sovereign grace in the salvation of His people for the preaching of the gospel today. However, these references were largely incidental to my purpose which was to summarize the teaching of the confession and to […]
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom. 6:1–2) As these well-known words of the apostle Paul imply, it is possible to conclude wrongly from the teaching that we are saved by grace […]
Now that we have come to the end of our journey through the Canons of Dort, it is time to draw some conclusions regarding their continued usefulness and importance for the Reformed churches today. This will enable us to tie up some remaining loose threads in the previous articles, and to underscore what has been […]
The book by (Rev.) Clarence Boomsma was distributed to delegates of the CRC Synod ‘93 as a valuable contribution to the deliberations on women in church office. Cornelis P. Venema unmasks some of the grave assertions made by the author. In this one year allotted by Synod ‘93 for further discussion in the churches, members and office-bearers ought […]
In the first chapter of the book of Acts, we are told that the disciples, when they were in the presence of the risen Lord, inquired about the restoration of the kingdom to Israel: “And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring […]
In this article I wish to introduce a new series of doctrinal studies devoted to the theme, “The Bible and the Future.” Though I am unable to predict how many articles this series will require, the following article is intended to serve as a kind of broad introduction to the subject of the future, approached from […]
In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin declares that the Old Testament was given to the people of Israel as a means to “foster hope of salvation in Christ until His coming.” All of the Lord’s redemptive dealings with His covenant people, prior to the birth of Christ in the “fullness of time,” […]