The Heidelberg Catechism expresses very clearly the need and actuality of the oneness of the Church of Jesus Christ. In Lord’s Day 21 we confess: “That the Son of God . . . gathers, defends and preserves for Himself, by His Spirit and Word, in the unity of the true faith, a Church . . . .” Down through the history of the Church the particular form of this unity has been presented in various ways. A study of our own confessions and history makes clear that we, as Christian Reformed churches, have constantly declared that this unity is a unity of the faith.
A Confessional Unity – We call our confessions “The Forms of Unity.” Our unity is confessional. Further, we have always insisted that such confession never be or become merely formal in character, nor simply a reverencing of the beliefs of our fathers set forth in the confessions. We have insisted that such confession be of heart and mouth, that it come to concrete expression in life. Basic to this insistence is the recognition from the Word of God that all of life is basically covenantal. Man is in covenant with God whether he likes it or not, whether he admits it or not. He is either a covenant breaker in Adam or a covenant keeper in Jesus Christ.
Look for a moment at the picture that is presented to us in Revelation 1. When John looked to see the voice that spake with him, he saw seven golden candlesticks. They were separate candlesticks or lampstands. Yet they had unity. That unity was made manifest in the person of the Head of the covenant, Jesus Christ, the Son of man who was in the midst of the lampstands. Even a casual perusal of the letters to the churches represented by these seven lampstands will make clear that those things which the One “who had eyes like a flame of fire” saw in these churches which threatened unity were their confession and their life and not some problem of inter-organizational unity.
This is not to say that the Christian Reformed Churches have not seen that such unity of confession and life ought to come to some sort of organizational expression. The very fact that she, herself, is a federal union of congregations speaks loudly of that fact. Yet she has ever insisted that that unity was first of all in common confession spoken and lived. She has insisted that any organizational unity which might in any way harmfully affect the true confessional unity of the Church, ought not to be encouraged, but rather, strongly opposed. It is for this reason that our fathers withdrew from the union entered into with the Reformed churches soon after their arrival from the Netherlands. It is for this reason that we have from time to time drawn back from proposed union with other denominations.
All of Life Is Covenantal – To say that the unity of the churches is basically and pervasively covenantal is to say that it is first of all God’s work. It is the Christ, the Son of God who is also the Son of man who is in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. And, because this most basic and meaningful unity must come to expression in the hearts and lives of covenant children, the Reformed churches historically and the Christian Reformed churches particularly have insisted on Christian education for their children. Whether one consults our present Church Order, Article 71, or the Church Order adopted in 1914, Article 21, or the Church Order of Dort, 161819, or even that of 1586, you will find that Christian Education must be promoted and provided for our children “according to the demands of the covenant.” Our children must come to years of understanding truly confessing and living, by the grace of God, the unity which is the true unity of the churches.
Christian education of covenant children is not demanded because parents make certain promises at the baptism of their children! Parents are asked to make these promises because the covenant demands Christian education! God has determined that all of life is covenantal. God has determined that confession and life may not and really cannot be separated. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Covenantal Education of Primary Concern – As the Christian Reformed churches contemplate closer organizational unity with the Reformed Church in America, Christian covenantal education ought to be a matter of primary concern. It seems that there was a time when this matter was not at issue. Dr. I. N. Wycloff of the Reformed churches reported that in 1849, “the colony directed its attention as far as possible to schools . . . . The teachers gave instruction in Catechism and Psalm singing as well as reading and writing. . .”1 This was, indeed, very important to this colony. Dr. J. H. Kromminga says: “The desire to educate their own children in free Christian schools was an important consideration in inducing the settlers of 1847 to emigrate from the Netherlands.”2 The reason for this is clear: “The deepest root of the Christian Reformed conception of education is the covenant relationship of God and His people.”3
Christian education evidently was not an issue in the withdrawal of our fathers from the Reformed churches. It was, however, an important issue in the Afscheiding [Separation] and the migration to America.
Its importance to the Christian Reformed churches can hardly be overemphasized. Even though the Christian Reformed churches do not believe that the church itself, through her consistories, ought to own and operate schools, she has insisted that the officebearers of the churches “see to it that there are good Christian schools.” One of the questions every Consistory must answer at every classis meeting and every church visitation is whether the Consistory is promoting the cause of Christian education. The Synod of 1936 decided that “. . . If, in the judgment of a Class is, a Consistory does not support the cause of Christian schools, the Classis should continue earnestly to admonish such a Consistory publicly in its classical meetings and privately through the church visitors until it truly repents.”4
RCA on Education – In direct contrast to this, the Synod of the Reformed Church in America in 1957 directed that a report of its Board of Education “be sent to every pastor in the church for reading, reference and study.” This report is, in actuality, an attack on Christian education and a defense of public, secular education. A basic, underlying presupposition of this report is that not all of life is covenantal, that God is demanding a covenant-keeping response to Him in all of life, that confession is not necessarily lived out in the totality of life. It militates against the truth that all men are either covenant breakers or covenant keepers and that this brings a basic, antithetical cleavage between them. Education, therefore, to their mind, is not covenantal, but extra-covenantal.
It may well be true that Christian education is gradually losing its basic importance among us as Christian Reformed churches. It may be true that we also are losing sight of its basic covenantal nature. It may be true that we no longer know just why, in our Church Order, we have said that the covenant demands it. If this is true and if in this way we have drawn closer to the Reformed Church in America, let us not carry it any further! This will not enhance, this will not foster unity. True unity is not made up of these ingredients!
Let us take a long, hard look at these things as we consider the steps we are presently taking towards “unity.” It certainly has to do with our life in covenant with our God. It certainly has to do with that unity for which our Lord prayed. It certainly has to do with that unity with which our Lord concerned Himself when, from the midst of the churches, He wrote seven letters and recorded them for us in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation.
God calls us to unity! Let us carefully listen to His Word in answering that call.
1. J. Kromminga, The Christian Reformed Church (Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1949), p. 27.
2. Ibid., p. 134.
3. Ibid., p. 125.
4. Acts of Synod, 1936, pp. 36 f.
Harry Van Dyken is pastor of the Maranatha Christian Reformed Church of Toronto (Woodbridge), Ontario.
A Confessional Unity – We call our confessions “The Forms of Unity.” Our unity is confessional. Further, we have always insisted that such confession never be or become merely formal in character, nor simply a reverencing of the beliefs of our fathers set forth in the confessions. We have insisted that such confession be of heart and mouth, that it come to concrete expression in life. Basic to this insistence is the recognition from the Word of God that all of life is basically covenantal. Man is in covenant with God whether he likes it or not, whether he admits it or not. He is either a covenant breaker in Adam or a covenant keeper in Jesus Christ.
Look for a moment at the picture that is presented to us in Revelation 1. When John looked to see the voice that spake with him, he saw seven golden candlesticks. They were separate candlesticks or lampstands. Yet they had unity. That unity was made manifest in the person of the Head of the covenant, Jesus Christ, the Son of man who was in the midst of the lampstands. Even a casual perusal of the letters to the churches represented by these seven lampstands will make clear that those things which the One “who had eyes like a flame of fire” saw in these churches which threatened unity were their confession and their life and not some problem of inter-organizational unity.
This is not to say that the Christian Reformed Churches have not seen that such unity of confession and life ought to come to some sort of organizational expression. The very fact that she, herself, is a federal union of congregations speaks loudly of that fact. Yet she has ever insisted that that unity was first of all in common confession spoken and lived. She has insisted that any organizational unity which might in any way harmfully affect the true confessional unity of the Church, ought not to be encouraged, but rather, strongly opposed. It is for this reason that our fathers withdrew from the union entered into with the Reformed churches soon after their arrival from the Netherlands. It is for this reason that we have from time to time drawn back from proposed union with other denominations.
All of Life Is Covenantal – To say that the unity of the churches is basically and pervasively covenantal is to say that it is first of all God’s work. It is the Christ, the Son of God who is also the Son of man who is in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. And, because this most basic and meaningful unity must come to expression in the hearts and lives of covenant children, the Reformed churches historically and the Christian Reformed churches particularly have insisted on Christian education for their children. Whether one consults our present Church Order, Article 71, or the Church Order adopted in 1914, Article 21, or the Church Order of Dort, 161819, or even that of 1586, you will find that Christian Education must be promoted and provided for our children “according to the demands of the covenant.” Our children must come to years of understanding truly confessing and living, by the grace of God, the unity which is the true unity of the churches.
Christian education of covenant children is not demanded because parents make certain promises at the baptism of their children! Parents are asked to make these promises because the covenant demands Christian education! God has determined that all of life is covenantal. God has determined that confession and life may not and really cannot be separated. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Covenantal Education of Primary Concern – As the Christian Reformed churches contemplate closer organizational unity with the Reformed Church in America, Christian covenantal education ought to be a matter of primary concern. It seems that there was a time when this matter was not at issue. Dr. I. N. Wycloff of the Reformed churches reported that in 1849, “the colony directed its attention as far as possible to schools . . . . The teachers gave instruction in Catechism and Psalm singing as well as reading and writing. . .”1 This was, indeed, very important to this colony. Dr. J. H. Kromminga says: “The desire to educate their own children in free Christian schools was an important consideration in inducing the settlers of 1847 to emigrate from the Netherlands.”2 The reason for this is clear: “The deepest root of the Christian Reformed conception of education is the covenant relationship of God and His people.”3
Christian education evidently was not an issue in the withdrawal of our fathers from the Reformed churches. It was, however, an important issue in the Afscheiding [Separation] and the migration to America.
Its importance to the Christian Reformed churches can hardly be overemphasized. Even though the Christian Reformed churches do not believe that the church itself, through her consistories, ought to own and operate schools, she has insisted that the officebearers of the churches “see to it that there are good Christian schools.” One of the questions every Consistory must answer at every classis meeting and every church visitation is whether the Consistory is promoting the cause of Christian education. The Synod of 1936 decided that “. . . If, in the judgment of a Class is, a Consistory does not support the cause of Christian schools, the Classis should continue earnestly to admonish such a Consistory publicly in its classical meetings and privately through the church visitors until it truly repents.”4
RCA on Education – In direct contrast to this, the Synod of the Reformed Church in America in 1957 directed that a report of its Board of Education “be sent to every pastor in the church for reading, reference and study.” This report is, in actuality, an attack on Christian education and a defense of public, secular education. A basic, underlying presupposition of this report is that not all of life is covenantal, that God is demanding a covenant-keeping response to Him in all of life, that confession is not necessarily lived out in the totality of life. It militates against the truth that all men are either covenant breakers or covenant keepers and that this brings a basic, antithetical cleavage between them. Education, therefore, to their mind, is not covenantal, but extra-covenantal.
It may well be true that Christian education is gradually losing its basic importance among us as Christian Reformed churches. It may be true that we also are losing sight of its basic covenantal nature. It may be true that we no longer know just why, in our Church Order, we have said that the covenant demands it. If this is true and if in this way we have drawn closer to the Reformed Church in America, let us not carry it any further! This will not enhance, this will not foster unity. True unity is not made up of these ingredients!
Let us take a long, hard look at these things as we consider the steps we are presently taking towards “unity.” It certainly has to do with our life in covenant with our God. It certainly has to do with that unity for which our Lord prayed. It certainly has to do with that unity with which our Lord concerned Himself when, from the midst of the churches, He wrote seven letters and recorded them for us in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation.
God calls us to unity! Let us carefully listen to His Word in answering that call.
1. J. Kromminga, The Christian Reformed Church (Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1949), p. 27.
2. Ibid., p. 134.
3. Ibid., p. 125.
4. Acts of Synod, 1936, pp. 36 f.
Harry Van Dyken is pastor of the Maranatha Christian Reformed Church of Toronto (Woodbridge), Ontario.