The nature and extent of biblical authority is a subject that has been studied and widely discussed during the past three years in Christian Reformed circles. Officially, that discussion ended with the adoption of Report 44 by the 1972 Synod. However, there is a matter inseparably bound up and interwoven with this study of and discussion […]
One thing should not be overlooked. It was science that denied the possibility of the truths basic to salvation. And the church allowed itself to be carried along by the dictates of science. Today the church is again faced with a question thrust upon it by science: What shall we do with the first chapters […]
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105. “And we have the word of prophecy . . . whereunto ye do well that ye take heed. as unto a lamp shining in a dark place . . . ,” II Peter 1:19 The Bible teaches us that we […]
There is a book which has often been on the list of best sellers. It was and is found in many homes; it is found in public places. It is freely distributed. It is among the best known books in the world, found in more languages than any other. Yet, strange to say, the book […]
About the authority of the Bible in the Christian Reformed Church. Some years ago I was struck by the term “dishonesty” in a Dutch Reformed (Gereformeerd) church-magazine; the editor used that term to indicate his concern about the fact, that in spite of their personal signature under the subscription-form some of his colleagues publicly deviated […]
“The Bible was not written as a textbook on Geology” is one of those cliches, true enough by itself. Today it is often used in fellowship with another: “The Bible is certainly inspired in the area of the message of salvation and in the revelation of the God of our Salvation.” When these two cliches, […]
“The problem of authority is the most fundamental problem that the Christian Church ever faces. This is because Christianity is built on truth: that is to say, on the content of divine revelation. Christianity announces salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, in and through whom that revelation came to completion; but faith in Jesus Christ […]
Enough things are lost in the average church to make some sort of lost-and-found department necessary, even if it is only a drawer in a desk some· where. Church coatrooms often contain an interesting selection of old hats, overshoes, umbrellas, and gloves. Human memory being what it is, this is not surprising. But what a […]
“I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them” (lsa. 42:8–9). God, in this word spoken through the […]
The Bible contains pure, unadulterated nonsense. Let me give three examples. 1. Election and human responsibility On the one hand the Bible teaches unequivocally and continually that God elects some and not all: “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14); ‘“You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16); “Jacob I […]