In Overture 5 to the 1971 Synod of the Christian Reformed Church, Classis Chatham requests Synod to declare “that it is necessary and desirable to re-express the faith of the church in a new confession which will replace the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort as a statement of the truth and as our standard of unity.”
This call to confessional re-expression cannot fail, I believe, to strike n sympathetic chord in the hearts of concerned believers. Confessional expressions of the churches are born out of crises in the life of the churches. There can he no serious doubt that we live today in such a time of crisis. We face this head-on in every area of life; it inescapably confronts us.
But, it must also he noted that confessional expressions are born out of the midst of such crises; they are not created—they cannot simply be called forth. They arise out of the confessional living of the believers in the midst of conflict. They arise out of the scripturally inspired sensitivity of the members of Christ’s churches to the spirits of the time. Historically I believe we may conclude that such confessional articulation on the part of the churches has come about when the Spirit-driven, biblically-informed, spirit-testing-and-exposing life of believers has forced Satan to change from angel-of-light tactics into the roar of the lion.
We must seriously face the questions, then, first of all whether we have truly come to such a time of believer activity; and, in the second place, whether this can be said of us as Christian Reformed churches. Personally I am convinced that the answer is, No; and that that answer is clearly before us.
In times of crisis, the churches, the believers reach out to take a firmer grasp on their anchor—a reassuring realization and articulation of the tie which our covenant God has made for His people to that which is within the veil (Hebrews 6:19, 20).
Historical continuity needed – All we have said thus far is in the full realization that the church is in history. The church must of necessity respond to the historical situation in which she lives. Classis Chatham has taken note of this. The one ground that is given in the overture which addresses itself to the “necessity” of complete re-expression in confessional form, addresses itself to the historical conditioning of our present Three Forms of Unity.
I believe, however, that Class is has said both too much and too little. It is stated that the truth has been expressed in a way “that was influenced by the heresies they had to oppose.” While agreeing to a measure of truth in this statement, we must see that our present symbols have done far more than address themselves to certain heresies. Tn them the churches have endeavored to say together and say after their father a full expression of the truth of His revelation. The believer docs not have to be a trained historian to say the same thing today with the churches of that day—with the Church of our Lord in all of history.
I cannot agree that: “Today the creeds need the interpretation of theological and historical experts; they cannot serve as an adequate expression of the faith of the ordinary members of Christ.” Believers can be helped by such experts, particularly in understanding certain direct references to heresies. For the most part, however, the members of Christ in our Reformed churches will recognize their own voice, the voice of their faith as they join with our fathers in saying what God has said to us in His Word.
it is good and necessary that such historical continuity in confession be ours. Our Lord has promised to lead His Church into all the truth. He has promised that His Spirit would guide. This may well mean and demand that the churches come to further and more specific confessional expression in any given crisis. But it surely should not mean that she take any step which might tend to cut her off in some measure from her history. This would be too high a price to pay for possible contemporaneity. Truly the churches must strive to speak forth in confession in such a way that not only the churches, but also the world can understand. But she will also realize that the world cannot really understand without the revitalizing power of the Spirit of God.
The second ground may well constitute a call to the formulation of another confessional statement addressing itself both to further insights given by the Spirit of God and the heresies planted since the Synod of Dort. It hardly calls for the drastic step proposed. Is there not a real danger that this proposal, regardless of intent, may promote one of the real enemies of the faith—that of present-day-proposed historical discontinuity? I believe this danger to be very real.
Spiritual prerequisite needed – The third ground and the fifth are closely related, I believe. The desire expressed in both is basically a desire for a more vibrantly alive membership, a more fully living church. But is this not a prerequisite for confessional reformulation rather than a result?
These two grounds constitute a much-needed call for a living, relevant, enthusiastic, and intelligent confessing and confessional life on the part of each and all believers. This means, above all, a call back to careful, intense, prayerful reading and study of the inerrant Word of God. This calls for pressing prayer on the part of the churches for the demonstration of the power of the Spirit of God in the midst of the churches, in the midst of the world. Then the “ordinary members of Christ” will also be enthusiastically and intelligently involved in our present confessing symbols!
Regarding the fourth ground it can be briefly stated that our ignorance will not simply go away by preparing, by writing new confessions. This demands other and more drastic means!—means which the Lord of the Church has placed at our disposal. And no confessional statement is in danger of veneration if it is a living symbol of the living faith of the churches. The diagnosis is correct. The prescribed treatment does not fit the disease.
The Christian Reformed Churches are not ready, are not spiritually vital enough to “do today what it was called to do in the times of the Reformation.” Her energies are spent to a large extent on the competitions of this world. She is experiencing many and diverse interpretations and expressions concerning the Word of God and her confessional symbols. Because of the pressures of the demons at work in our time, we must be driven under the pressure of the Word of God, seeking prayerfully the guidance of the unifying Spirit of God to come to further confessional expression. This expression must, then, be a continuation of the symbols of the past, our past, the ongoing history of Christ’s Church.
Purpose this overture should serve – It ism y prayer that this overture will serve a glorious purpose in that it may be instrumental in the hand of our God to drive us to the Word of Cod and thus meaningfully to join hands again with our fathers in confessionally answering our Father in heaven, in confessionally speaking to each other, in confessionally speaking to the world.
This overture ought not to be adopted by Synod. This overture ought to be taken seriously as that which may lead us by God’s grace to speak further and more clearly and loudly on such matters as the Word of God, and on such matters as the new meaning which is being placed by many today in the historic language of the churches.
Harry Van Dyken is pastor of the Woodbridge – Maranatha Christian Reformed Church of Woodbridge, Toronto, Ontario.
This call to confessional re-expression cannot fail, I believe, to strike n sympathetic chord in the hearts of concerned believers. Confessional expressions of the churches are born out of crises in the life of the churches. There can he no serious doubt that we live today in such a time of crisis. We face this head-on in every area of life; it inescapably confronts us.
But, it must also he noted that confessional expressions are born out of the midst of such crises; they are not created—they cannot simply be called forth. They arise out of the confessional living of the believers in the midst of conflict. They arise out of the scripturally inspired sensitivity of the members of Christ’s churches to the spirits of the time. Historically I believe we may conclude that such confessional articulation on the part of the churches has come about when the Spirit-driven, biblically-informed, spirit-testing-and-exposing life of believers has forced Satan to change from angel-of-light tactics into the roar of the lion.
We must seriously face the questions, then, first of all whether we have truly come to such a time of believer activity; and, in the second place, whether this can be said of us as Christian Reformed churches. Personally I am convinced that the answer is, No; and that that answer is clearly before us.
In times of crisis, the churches, the believers reach out to take a firmer grasp on their anchor—a reassuring realization and articulation of the tie which our covenant God has made for His people to that which is within the veil (Hebrews 6:19, 20).
Historical continuity needed – All we have said thus far is in the full realization that the church is in history. The church must of necessity respond to the historical situation in which she lives. Classis Chatham has taken note of this. The one ground that is given in the overture which addresses itself to the “necessity” of complete re-expression in confessional form, addresses itself to the historical conditioning of our present Three Forms of Unity.
I believe, however, that Class is has said both too much and too little. It is stated that the truth has been expressed in a way “that was influenced by the heresies they had to oppose.” While agreeing to a measure of truth in this statement, we must see that our present symbols have done far more than address themselves to certain heresies. Tn them the churches have endeavored to say together and say after their father a full expression of the truth of His revelation. The believer docs not have to be a trained historian to say the same thing today with the churches of that day—with the Church of our Lord in all of history.
I cannot agree that: “Today the creeds need the interpretation of theological and historical experts; they cannot serve as an adequate expression of the faith of the ordinary members of Christ.” Believers can be helped by such experts, particularly in understanding certain direct references to heresies. For the most part, however, the members of Christ in our Reformed churches will recognize their own voice, the voice of their faith as they join with our fathers in saying what God has said to us in His Word.
it is good and necessary that such historical continuity in confession be ours. Our Lord has promised to lead His Church into all the truth. He has promised that His Spirit would guide. This may well mean and demand that the churches come to further and more specific confessional expression in any given crisis. But it surely should not mean that she take any step which might tend to cut her off in some measure from her history. This would be too high a price to pay for possible contemporaneity. Truly the churches must strive to speak forth in confession in such a way that not only the churches, but also the world can understand. But she will also realize that the world cannot really understand without the revitalizing power of the Spirit of God.
The second ground may well constitute a call to the formulation of another confessional statement addressing itself both to further insights given by the Spirit of God and the heresies planted since the Synod of Dort. It hardly calls for the drastic step proposed. Is there not a real danger that this proposal, regardless of intent, may promote one of the real enemies of the faith—that of present-day-proposed historical discontinuity? I believe this danger to be very real.
Spiritual prerequisite needed – The third ground and the fifth are closely related, I believe. The desire expressed in both is basically a desire for a more vibrantly alive membership, a more fully living church. But is this not a prerequisite for confessional reformulation rather than a result?
These two grounds constitute a much-needed call for a living, relevant, enthusiastic, and intelligent confessing and confessional life on the part of each and all believers. This means, above all, a call back to careful, intense, prayerful reading and study of the inerrant Word of God. This calls for pressing prayer on the part of the churches for the demonstration of the power of the Spirit of God in the midst of the churches, in the midst of the world. Then the “ordinary members of Christ” will also be enthusiastically and intelligently involved in our present confessing symbols!
Regarding the fourth ground it can be briefly stated that our ignorance will not simply go away by preparing, by writing new confessions. This demands other and more drastic means!—means which the Lord of the Church has placed at our disposal. And no confessional statement is in danger of veneration if it is a living symbol of the living faith of the churches. The diagnosis is correct. The prescribed treatment does not fit the disease.
The Christian Reformed Churches are not ready, are not spiritually vital enough to “do today what it was called to do in the times of the Reformation.” Her energies are spent to a large extent on the competitions of this world. She is experiencing many and diverse interpretations and expressions concerning the Word of God and her confessional symbols. Because of the pressures of the demons at work in our time, we must be driven under the pressure of the Word of God, seeking prayerfully the guidance of the unifying Spirit of God to come to further confessional expression. This expression must, then, be a continuation of the symbols of the past, our past, the ongoing history of Christ’s Church.
Purpose this overture should serve – It ism y prayer that this overture will serve a glorious purpose in that it may be instrumental in the hand of our God to drive us to the Word of Cod and thus meaningfully to join hands again with our fathers in confessionally answering our Father in heaven, in confessionally speaking to each other, in confessionally speaking to the world.
This overture ought not to be adopted by Synod. This overture ought to be taken seriously as that which may lead us by God’s grace to speak further and more clearly and loudly on such matters as the Word of God, and on such matters as the new meaning which is being placed by many today in the historic language of the churches.
Harry Van Dyken is pastor of the Woodbridge – Maranatha Christian Reformed Church of Woodbridge, Toronto, Ontario.