                                     earer

A   R E F O R M E D   SEMI-MONT'HlL3f  M A G A Z I N E



IN THIS ISSUE


    Meditation:
      Holy In Our Conversation

    Editorial:
      Dr. K. Runia on Reprobation

    Something About Weddings
      (see: Come Ye Apart...)

    A Precious Jewel
      (see: In His Fear)





                                         Volume XL VII/Number I I/March 1, 1971


242                                                       THE STANDARD BEARER


                           CONTENTS:                                                                THE STANDARD BEARER
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Meditation

                                      Holy In Our Conversation
                                                             Rev. M. Shipper

                "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your
             ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner  of con-
             servation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I ain holy. "                                          IPeter  1:14-16

   Hope and sanctification are mutually  inclusiye                         mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that
concepts!                                                                  is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus
  This we discovered in our last Meditation, relative to Christ."
the verse preceding our text. Our text is a continuation                       Proceeding from the supposition that our hope  -
and development of the thought expressed in the pre-                       which hopes to the end for the grace that is to be
ceding verse: "Wherefore gird up the loins of your brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ - will


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   243



also manifest itself in a walk of sanctification, the One, Who calls you, you also see the blackness of your
apostle encourages us to be holy in all manner of con- sinful heart; and the corruption of your nature be-
versation. This is, indeed, the main thrust of the Word comes a thing so repulsive that you hate it as God
of God mentioned above.                                   hates it. Then you are also attracted to Him Who is the
  So become holy!                                         effulgence of beauty, and purity, and goodness.
  As He which has called you is holy!                      Be holy as He is holy!
  That we may become holy as God. is holy - this is,         And holiness in us is that grace of God whereby we
indeed, the substance of our hope. And unto this we also are in principle delivered from sin and corruption,
are exhorted in the text.                                 and consecrated unto God.
  As God is holy!                                            Be holy in all manner of conversation!
  That God is holy, there can be no doubt, for this is       Our conversation is our life in all its manifestations,
abundantly attested to in all Scripture. Listen `to the in all its departments. Our conversation is not merely
psalmist! "But thou art holy, 0 thou that inhabitest the words we speak, but it includes also the thoughts
the praises of Israel." And again, "The Lord is righte- behind that speech. Our conversation is our whole life,
ous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." Allow personally, inwardly and outwardly, as we live it in
Isaiah to take you into the presence of God, and hear relation to those in our homes, in the church, in soci-
.with him what the seraphim constantly call out as they ety, in the state, in the world. And undoubtedly the
stand before His face: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of apostle has in mind especially our outward life, which
hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory." And Isaiah of course, is always motivated from within, by the
says again, "God that is holy shall be sanctified in inward man, the man of the heart. For as a man think-
righteousness." And Peter, quoting in our text from eth in his heart, so is he.
the Book of Leviticus, has in mind those passages           That walk is to be consistently holy!
which declare: "For I am the Lord your God: ye shall        Not fashioning ourselves according to the former
therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for lusts!
I am holy." Jesus Himself, while in the flesh, prayed:      Those former lusts were the carnal desires and pas-
"Holy Father, keep through thine own name those sions that characterized our thinking, willing, and act-
whom thou has given me." And John in the Revela- ing as we lived out of the old nature, and before the
tion, describing the activity of the four beasts before holiness of God penetrated into our hearts. `Accord-
the throne, ascribes to them this saying: "Holy, holy, ingly we sought the things which are below. We had
holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to pleasure in sin and corruption. We walked in darkness,
come."                                                    in spiritual ignorance. 0, indeed, not so was it, that we
  That God is holy means, negatively, that there is no did not know the difference between good and bad.
sin or corruption in Him. He is light, and there is no Even the heathen have the work of the law written in
darkness in Him. Positively, it means that He is abso- their hearts, so that they can distinguish between good
lutely consecrated to Himself. as the only Good. It is and evil. But spiritually we were ignorant. That'is, we              .
His prerogative to be Self-centered because He is God. had no correct knowledge of God, of sin, of the bless-
He is the exalted One Who .dwells in unapproachable edness of God's fellowship, of the calling of the gospe1
light. He has no communion or fellowship with sin or whereby we are now called to walk.in holiness.
sinners, and is a consuming fire over against all the       But from all this, in -principle, we have been de-
workers of iniquity. Shall anyone approach unto Him, livered!            (
he must be like unto Him - holy as He is holy.              0, make no mistake about it! The holiness we now
  He Who is holy has called you to,be holy!               possess,- we carry in an old nature which is still inclined .'
  This calling is the efficacious calling whereby the to all evil. Here is precisely where the spiritual battle
Holy One transforms those who were children of dark- comes in. `We have in our hearts the desire to serve
ness into children of light. Though this calling comes God, to be devoted to Him in love; but corruption, but
to us through the preaching of the Gospel, it is never the old man of sin in us loves to do evil. If we were
to be identified with the mere word of man; but it is already holy as God is holy, there would be no need
the irresistible, almighty calling of Him Who makes the for the exhortation of our text.
dead to live, and calleth those things which be not as      And how necessary is this exhortation.today! Is it
though they were. He causes the light of His holiness not your and my complaint, dear reader; that this ha-
to penetrate into our sin-darkened hearts, casting out tred of sin and this consecration to God are so meager?
the darkness, and causing the grace of His holiness to Is it not so with us that, with better knowledge, with
dwell there. Shining the light of His holiness into the the saving knowledge of faith in our hearts, we. never-
innermost recesses of our hearts, He gives by the grace theless find great delight in satisfying the lusts of our
.of His Spirit light to our eyes, so that we see; opening flesh? Do we not find ourselves humming the tunes
of our ears, so that we hear His divine calling. And which the wicked sing as they proceed on their way to
when you hear His calling, and behold Him, the Holy. destruction? Do you not catch yourselves finding  de-


244                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



light in the vanity the world has to offer? And when and cry out his humble confession of transgression,
you observe all this, do you not feel in your hearts that and plead for Father's mercy, and pray for more grace
you are very disobedient to your heavenly calling as to withstand the lusting urge of his flesh to walk in the
children of God?                                            way of sin, and to put on the new man, which in Christ
  As He which hath called you is holy!                      Jesus is created unto righteousness and holiness.
  So be ye holy in all manner of conversation!                And the more will this be true of him because he
  As obedient children!                                     knows that he is living in those days in which the
  Remember, God, Who is holy, is your Father!               prophetic Word of God informs- him that it will  be-
  And obedience to Him is to be subjected, to be in come increasingly difficult for the children of God to
submission to His command. Literally the term "obedi- live in this world because the days are evil - the more I
ent" means: to hear under. Being under Him, under say, will he walk carefully, in the way of sanctification.
His Fatherly care, under His Fatherly Word, under His Not in his own strength will he walk, nor ever imagin-
loving command, you are submitted, you hear and lis- ing that sanctification is his work which he contributes
ten, and therefore obey.                                    unto his salvation; but believing with all his heart that
  Father has begotten you through the power of the the good work which Father has begun in his heart, He
resurrected Mediator unto a living hope. He has begot- is also able to perfect. Consciously and obediently re-
ten you unto an incorruptible, undefilable, unfadeable sponding to the divine call to holiness, he will strive
inheritance which is reserved in heaven for you; and earnestly to emulate His Father with a godly walk.
unto which He preserves you through the power of              And Father, Who will never allow anyone to pluck
faith.                                                      us out of His hand, will continue to call us, and never
  And remember that as Jesus once prayed, so He cease to remind us that it is His eternal desire that we
continues to pray: Holy Father, keep through thine be like unto Him.
own name those whom thou hast given me!                       Holy as He is holy!
  Should we then not hear and obey, as obedient chil-         And presently all His dear children shall appear be-
dren, His command to walk in holiness, to be holy as fore Him clothed in His righteousness, and shining with
He is holy?                                                 His grace of holiness.
  Indeed, he who is truly the- child of God will  re-         Then shall He say unto them, "Come, ye blessed,
spond to his Father's calling to be holy as He is holy in enter into the tabernacle of My holiness, yea, in the
all manner of conversation. Because he is a child of inner sanctuary where I dwell."
God, which he is only by sovereign grace, he will be          And we shall never go out!
obedient.                                                     World without end!
  And when he is naughty and disobedient, he will run         Amen!
to his Father with bitter tears streaming down his face,


EditGal

                    Doctrinal Tensions "Down Under" (4)
                            Dr. K. Runia on Reprobation
                                              PVOJ: H. C. Hoeksema

  In our previous editorial on this subject we dealt Kampen, the seminary of the  Gereformeercle Kerken.
with Dr. Runia's summary and evaluation of Dr. G. C. Permit me to quote what Runia writes about the views
Berkouwer's views on reprobation and the latter's criti-    of Dr. Polman:
cisms of the Canons of Dordrecht. And we found that
Runia expressed substantial agreement with Dr.                     In his earlier publications he fully upheld the views
                                                                of the 
Berkouwer.                                                                 Canons, but gradually, mainly under the in-
                                                                fluence of Barth and Berkouwer, he has changed his
  There is one more section in Dr. Runia's essay in             mind. He summarizes his own view as follows. There
which he presents and summarizes the criticisms of              are two dangers that continually threaten the biblical
others. In this section he refers chiefly to another            doctrine of God's election and rejection: casual deter-
Dutch theologian, Dr. A. D. R. Polman, who was for              minism and (often as a reaction against the first)
many years professor of systematic theology at                  synthetic synergism Causal determinism is the result


                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER                                                         245


    of taking one's starting point in an abstract, sovereign         certain persons. "The latter is confessed in the
    decree, based on the concept of `absolute power'. The            Canons (1, 6 and 15) and this is not accepted by us."
    consequence of this starting point is that election and          The fathers of Dort never produced scriptural evi-
    rejection become two parallel, symmetrical lines,                dence for this view, but based it on a mere logical
    which both proceed from the absolute decree. But                 conclusion. If some people call this a valid and neces-
    this is nothing else than causal determinism. In re-             sary conclusion, then they should realize that the
    action, synthetic synergism overemphasizes man's re-             Bible itself never draws this conclusion.
    sponsibility and then projects this back into God's            It should be noted, first of all, that Dr. Polman here
    decree in the form of praescientia or praevisio. Ac-
    cording to Polman the Bible does not know about a           clearly expresses disagreement with the Canons of
    pre-temporal decree that in (a) causal way determines       Dordrecht and that he accuses the Canons of drawing a
    all things, but it only speaks of a gracious election in    conclusion which the Bible itself never draws. Polman,
    Christ before the foundation of the world. When it          therefore, is in express disagreement with the Canons
    mentions rejection, it is always a rejection in history,    of Dordrecht. And according to the language of the
    in which God's reaction against man's rebellion be-         Formula of Subscription  - which, of course, has be-
    comes manifest. Tbis does not mean that man's sinful        come a dead letter in the Netherlands  - this is very
    activity becomes autonomous over against God's              plainly a disagreement which undoubtedly would re-
    counsel. The Bible sets the two aspects side by side,       quire a gravamen.
    and leaves it at that. We have to respect these limits         Now what does Dr. Runia say about all this? He
    of our reflection. But it is quite clear that every one
    who objectivizes the elect and the reprobate in two         passes it by without a word of evaluation.
    fixed groups, can no longer do full justice to the se-         Is this failure to express either approval or disap-
    rious call of the Gospel, which also comes to the           proval, this complete silence, a serious matter for a
    reprobate.                                                  Reformed man? Or would it be unfair to argue from
  We may remark here that  in this summary  lof Dr. Dr. Runia's silence? In my opinion, it would not be
Polman's ideas we meet with the same errors which we unfair, but perfectly justified to criticize Dr. Runia on
have noted in the views of those theologians previously this score. And here are my reasons. In the first place,
treated by Dr. Runia in his essay. Basically, there is Dr. Runia himself states that Dr. Polman changed his
nothing new here. We find also in Polman the same mind  under the influence  of  Barth and Berkouwer.
criticism of so-called "causality," the same attempt to Berkouwer is evaluated favorably by Dr. Runia. More-
get rid of sovereign and eternal reprobation, and the over, throughout this chapter shows a consistent
same tossing about of such scare-terms as "causal de- inclination to agree with all those who criticize the
terminism.  " We may take note of one element in the notion of so-called "causality" in the Canons, partic-
above summary which has not occurred previously, at ularly with respect to the doctrine of reprobation. In
least not in this definite form. I refer to the last sen- fact and in truth, therefore, while Runia does not ex-
tence: "But it is quite clear that every one who  objec- press approval specifically of Polman, he has already
tivizes the elect and the reprobate in two fixed groups, expressed approval of similar ideas in other theolo-
can no longer do full justice to the serious call of the gians. This, can only mean by implication that Dr.
Gospel, which also comes to the reprobate." But we Runia also disagrees with and opposes the teachings of
may also note that the position stated in this sentence the Canons of Dordrecht, and, is in violation of the
is not really new. We as Protestant Reformed have Formula of Subscription, and should have felt himself
heard this charge over and over again. In fact, the in duty bound to file a gravamen instead of airing his
charge is even much older: it is a charge which was disagreements. In the second place, it is inconceivable
registered by the Arminians against the Reformed al- to me that a Reformed man  - let alone a Reformed
ready at the time of the Arminian controversy. It was, professor of theology  - can be confronted with such
in fact, just because of charges like this that the fathers flagrant heresy as that of Polman and pass it by in
of Dordrecht found it necessary to emphasize that silence. Yes, I am referring to the fact, first, that this
they held to the promiscuous preaching of the gospel ought to be contrary to the Reformed sensibilities of
and to the seriousness (not to be confused with well- any soundly Reformed man. I simply cannot conceive
meant-ness) of the call of the gospel which comes to of it that a Reformed man can be confronted by such
the reprobate as well as to the elect in the promiscuous error and that he does not cry out against it with all
preaching.                                                      that is in him and warn his readers against it. This
  But let us go on with Runia's summary:                        Runia fails completely to do. Do not forget, moreover,
      Pohnan is well aware of the fact that he deviates         that this is not merely my personal opinion concerning
    from the Canons. Somewhere he writes'that the real          what a Reformed man should do. In the first place,
    problem is not God's free, sovereign good pleasure in       according to the Church Order of Dordrecht, Article
   the life of the believers, but the partial symmetry          18, this is the calling of professors of theology: "The
   between the  decree  of election and rejection, in           office of the professors of theology is to expound the
   which from all eternity God has elected and rejected         Holy Scriptures and  to vindicate sound doctrine


246                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER



against heresies and errors.  " (emphasis added) The that none of these theologians wants to limit God's
language of the Formula of Subscription is still more power and sovereignty, that they are not motivated by
explicit. Notice:                                                  the desire to give some place to even a partial
          We promise therefore diligently to teach and faith-      autonomy of the human will when they question or
       fully to defend the aforesaid doctrine, without either      reject an eternal decree of reprobation, but that "On
       directly or indirectly contradicting the same, by our       the contrary, they all agree with the Canons when the
       public preaching or writing.                                latter teach that we have been chosen by God in Christ
          We declare, moreover, that we not only reject all        before the foundation of the world. Or to put it in the
       errors that militate against this doctrine, and particu-
       larly those which were condemned by the  above-             formulation of  1, 5: `Faith in Jesus Christ and
       mentioned synod, but that we are disposed to refute         salvation through Him is the free gift of God.' " His
       and contradict these, and to exert ourse1ves.m keep-        second consideration is "that most Reformed
       ing the Church free from such errors. And if hereafter      confessions of the Reformation period are either silent
       any difficulties or different sentiments respecting the     on reprobation or speak of it in very cautious terms."
       aforesaid doctrines should arise in our minds, we           And this third consideration is that at the conference
       promise that we will neither publicly nor privately         of Arminians and Calvinists at the Hague in 16 11 the
       propose, teach, or defend the same, either by preach-       Dutch Calvinists stated more than once that their
       ing or writing, until we have first revealed such senti-    controversy with the Arminians did not concern the
       ments to the consistory, classis and synod, that the        latter's view of reprobation. According to Runia, these
       same may be there examined, being ready always              three considerations will help one to see the problem
       cheerfully to submit to the judgment of the consis-         in its real proportions.
       tory, classis and synod, under the penalty in case of
       refusal to be, by that very fact, suspended from our          ,Now I have my serious doubts about the correctness
       office.                                                     of all three of these considerations, though it is not my
   With respect to the duties stated in the two clear purpose to enter into these items in detail at this time.
quotations just made, Dr. Runia is plainly derelict.               As to the first, I have two remarks: 1) It is not a
   Runia's summary of recent criticisms of the Canons question of what these theologians  want to do, but a
is concluded by a brief paragraph concerning voices question of what they actually  do.  And no one can
raised in the Christian Reformed Church of this escape the fact that by their rejection of an eternal
country. He makes mention of articles by H. Pietersma decree of reprobation they create a void which can
and H. R. Boer in The Reformed Journal. Some of our only somehow be filled by the false doctrine of the
readers will undoubtedly recall references in  The autonomy of the human will. 2) The fact that one
Standard Bearer  to these same writings. The articles by subscribes to the quoted statement of Canons I, 5  -
Pietersma Dr. Runia does not even summarize. They without anything more - and especially in the context
were  written in connection with the Dekker Case. My of a denial of reprobation, is of absolutely no
single recollection of those articles is that one could significance and of no value as a guarantee of a man's
recognize in them whatsoever the Reformed doctrine Reformed character. Any Arminian will also subscribe
of election and reprobation; any similarity was strictly without reservation to the bare statement, "Faith in
coincidental. The articles by Dr. Boer are summarized Jesus Christ and salvation through him is the free gift
very briefly by Runia. And then he adds this of God." This is not the issue. The issue is that of the
conclusion: "Boer does not openly attack the Canons. Reformed or the Arminian interpretation of this bare
Neither does he speak of a `causal' way of thinking, statement. And a Reformed interpretation of it cannot
but it is quite obvious that this criticism is along the be made without reference to an eternal decree of
same lines as that of Berkouwer and Polman."                       reprobation as well as an eternal decree of sovereign
  Also, here Runia utters not a word of criticism election.
although, again, in view of his opinion that Boer stands             As to the second consideration, the mere silence of
in the line of Berkouwer, and in view of Runia's other Reformed confessions on this subject is of no
agreement with Berkouwer, we may assume that Runia importance whatsoever, especially when we take under
is likewise not critical of Boer and Pietersma.                    consideration the fact that the Canons of Dordrecht
                             *****                                 are of a later date, and that they represent an advance
  At this point Dr. Runia presents a concluding in the history of dogma, and an advance and
evaluation of these criticisms, in addition to whatever refinement of the Reformed faith which arose out of
elements of evaluation he has already presented in the the throes of severe controversy and struggle, through
earlier parts of his essay.                                        which the Lord our God was pleased - as so often in
  First of all, he points out that these criticisms all the history of the church - to bring the faith to clearer
center about the doctrine of an eternal decree of and more precise expression. Nor can it be denied that
reprobation. He presents three considerations which, the Canons of Dordrecht stand very clearly in the line
according to him, are necessary in order to see this of, Calvin himself, so that the same theologians who
"problem" in its proper perspective. First, he claims criticize the Canons also find themselves necessarily


                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER                                                          247


differing with the great Reformer.                                    part of the clear teaching of Scripture. Man is always
  .As to the third consideration, that concerning the                 seen as responsible for his own sin and the blame for
Hague Conference in 1611, even apart from the                        his unbelief is always put squarely upon the sinn'er
question whether this is the whole story of the Hague                himself. In no respect can God ever be held
Conference, the fact is, in the first place, that there               responsible for it, not even in an indirect sense. God
                                                                      is holy. "God is light and in him is no darkness at all'
was development and sharpening and clarification of                   (I John 1:5). But (Note this "but," HCH) there is also
the controversy between 1611 and the time of the                      a second line of thought in the Canons, namely, the
Synod of Dordt, 1618. In the second place, the fact                  line of `causality.' We find this in particular in 1, 6,
remains, regardless of this Hague Conference, that the               which opens with the following words: "That some
Canons must and do speak for themselves. They, not                    receive the gift of faith from God, and others do not
the proceedings of the Hague Conference, are the                     receive it., proceeds from God's eternal decree."
official expression of the Reformed faith. And these                 Reading this, one cannot help wondering whether
Canons'speak of eternal reprobation in opposition to                 there were some traces of the idea of `absolute power'
the heresy of the Arminians. The question is not                     in the minds of the author. At any rate it was at this
whether one agrees or disagrees with what the Hague                  point the Arminians always concentrated their attack.
Conference may have said, but it is whether one agrees               Time and again they repeated the accusation: you
                                                                     make God responsible for unbelief. At the conference
or disagrees with the Canons. And that the Canons                    of The Hague in 1611 they described the views of the
express themselves on eternal reprobation is no                      Calvinists as follows: "those who are predestinated
wonder! For there is no one who can escape the                       unto perdition (being by far the majority) must be
conclusion, no matter how he may attempt to deny                     damned necessarily and unavoidably, and they cannot
this or to avoid it, that the doctrine of eternal                    be saved." The Calvinists, on the other hand, always
reprobation is inseparably bound up in the doct.rine of              rejected this view as a caricature. They were firmly
eternal election, so that it is fundamentally impossible             convinced that this was unbiblical and repudiated it as
to express one's self on the latter and to maintain                  a statement of their own position. Yet the question
silence on the former.                                               may be asked whether the conclusion of the
                                                                     Arminians was not valid, if one takes 1, 6 and 1, 15
  In the light of the above, one must also conclude                  seriously. Is it really possible to avoid this
that the three considerations advanced by Dr. Runia                  conclusion? Of course, we gratefully notice that the
do not help whatsoever in gaining the proper                         fathers of Dort rejected it, but was it not a valid
perspective with respect to what he calls a "problem."               implication of their second line of thought?
Instead of furnishing the proper perspective, Dr. Runia            We must caution the reader that the above
accoinplishes the opposite. He puts this matter in the           quotation presents the Canons through Dr. Runia's
wrong perspective. And he does so by attempting to               eyes. And the Doctor's vision here is far from being
minimiie, through these three considerations, the                20/20.  The above quotation represents a gross
seriousness of this criticism and denial of sovereign            misrepresentation of the Canons and of the position of
reprobation.                                                     the fathers of Dordt. In the first place, if there are to
  At this point Dr. Runia turns to a brief discussion of         be distinguished two lines of thoughts in the Canons,
the Canons themselves. And he begins by making the               then they are not the disjunctive and contrasting lines
claim that "we must admit that there are indeed two              which Dr. Runia thinks to find. But the First Head of
lines of thought" in the Canons. On our part, we will            Doctrine is to be outlined, in general, as follows. In the
not make this admission, and especially not in the               first five articles of Canons I, the fathers of Dordt
sense in which Dr. Runia insists on it. But let us allow         follow the historical order with respect to the  fallen-
Dr. Runia to speak for himself:                                  ness of mankind, the gift of God's only begotten Son,
       On the one hand, the Canons take their starting           the promiscuous preaching of the gospel, everlasting
    point in the Gospel. Here all emphasis is laid on the        woe and everlasting life, unbelief and faith. Up to this
    ekloge. Salvation is wholly and fully God's work. It is      point, we may say, in general, that the historical facts
    God who has chosen those who believe in the Gospel.          with respect to salvation and the preaching of the gos-
    He has chosen them in Christ before the foundation           pel are presented. And, in general, up to this point
    of the world "out of mere grace, according to the            Arminians would agree. Beginning with Article 6, how-
    sovereign good pleasure of his own will" (1,7). Their        ever, the Canons face the question: how are these his-
    faith is not their good work, but it is the "free gift of    torical events to be explained? And then they present
    God' (1, 5). At this very point we find the real
    controversy with the Arminians, who in their defense         the truth which is so severely criticized by Runia and
    of man's free will, made election conditional upon           others, namely, "That some receive the gift of faith
    foreseen faith.                                              from God, and others do not receive it, proceeds from
       In addition to  the above the Canons equally              God's eternal decree." This is no new line, no second,
    emphasize that unbelief is man's fault. "The cause or        divergent line,  .which stands in contrast with the  so-
    guilt of this unbelief as well as of all other sins is no    called line of the gospel. To assert this is not Re-
    wise in God. but in man himself" (1. 5). This too is         formed. It is Reformed to maintain that the gospel


248                                             THE STANDARD BEARER



exactly proclaims "the whole counsel of God." When or  by good and necessary consequence,  may be de-
the Canons, beginning with Article 6, expound this duced from Scripture"), nevertheless he virtually can-
truth of God's counsel of predestination, they do not cels this concession by adding: "In general we must say
go off on a tangent. But they explain in the light of that especially at the point of an eternal decree of
and on the basis of Scripture the only way `in which         reprobation we have to be most careful. And one
the facts set forth in Articles l-5 can possibly be ex- should ask oneself: why does Scripture itself not draw
plained in their true light and significance in the con- this conclusion, if it is so natural and so logical?" And
text of sovereign grace which is really sovereign. They then, in the second place, he goes on to say that
explain the heart of the truth that salvation by faith is Canons I, 15 does not mention any Scripture proof,
indeed a free gift ofgruce. Thereupon, the Canons first and that in other articles the Scripture proof given is
set forth the truth of sovereign election, Artt. 7-14. very weak, "to'say the least." And finally, he adds that
And then they are confronted by the fact that not all        this is true of Reformed theology in general and that
believe and not all are saved and not all are chosen; and "The texts that are usually mentioned are all ambigu-
they further explicate the truth already mentioned in ous and they all allow a different and better inter-
Article 6 (that some do not receive the gift of faith, pretation."
and that this also proceeds from God's eternal decree).        This section is nothing short of amazing in its bold-
And thus it is that in Articles 15 and 16 the doctrine       ness, coming from the pen of one who is supposed to
of eternal reprobation is set forth.                         be a Reformed man and to subscribe to the Reformed
  There are, therefore, no two lines in the Canons, but      creeds.
one line, the line of divine predestination.                   In the first place, how is it possible that a Reformed
  The trouble is that Dr. Runia does not want this man states that it is a QUESTION whether Scripture
clear line, and that he simply reiterates the criticisms itself speaks of an eternal decree of reprobation. This
of those whom he has reviewed in this essay, especially      again is plainly contrary to the Formula of Subscrip-
with respect to that bug-bear of causality. It is only on tion and to a Reformed man's subscription to the
this basis, further, that Dr. Runia principally takes the    creeds as the expression of the truth of Scripture.
side of the Arminians when, for example, he writes,            In the second place, would that Dr. Runia had
"Reading this, one cannot help wondering whether heeded his own warning that at the point of an eternal
there were some traces of the idea of `absolute power' decree of reprobation we have to be "most careful,"
in the minds of the author. At any rate it was at this       instead of recklessly claiming without any evidence,
point the Arminians always concentrated their attack. without even an attempt at proof, that Scripture itself
Time and again they repeated the accusation: you does not draw this logical conclusion. All of this be-
make God responsible for unbelief." Instead of accept- trays a wrong attitude toward our confessions as well
ing the position of Dordt, instead of accepting Dordt's      as a wrong attitude toward the doctrine of eternal re-
repeated repudiation of this false charge of the Armin- probation. It is due, of course, to the fact that Dr.
ians, he really joins the Arminians in their `argument Runia has swallowed hook-line-and-sinker the teach-
when he writes: "Is it really possible to avoid this con- ings of Berkouwer.
clusion? Of course, we gratefully notice that the              In the third place, I stand amazed that a Reformed
fathers of Dordt rejected it,  but was it not a valid man can say that texts of Scripture are "ambiguous."
implication of their second line of thought?" (empha- This betrays a wrong attitude toward Scripture as well.
sis added) This rhetorical question constitutes a vicious      And, in the fourth place, I stand amazed that a Re-
attack upon the Canons: a charge that the fathers of formed man can say in such an off-hand manner, with-
Dordt are really inconsistent, and an essential agree- out even'an attempt at proof, that all the texts that are
ment that the Arminian false charge against Canons I, usually mentioned in our confessions and in Reformed
6 and 15 is a valid charge.                                  theology in support of eternal reprobation "allow a
  Next Dr. Runia treats what he calls the main ques- different and better interpretation."
tion: "The main question, however, is whether Scrip-           Why, I ask, does Dr. Runia not openly say farewell
ture itself speaks of an eternal decree of reprobation." to our Reformed confessions? This, at least, would be
And again he assumes a critical stance. Runia claims, in honest.
the first place, that the main proof in Reformed               In the concluding section of his essay Dr. Runia
theology has always been the logic of the situation.         states a few things concerning the criticism of the
And while he first concedes that logic does play an Canons by some Reformed theologians in recent years.
important role in theology, and that Reformed theol- First, he claims that these criticisms do not mean that
ogy has always freely acknowledged its good right, and these theologians wish to derogate from the sover-
while he even quotes the Westminster Confession on           eignty of God or that they deny God's eternal counsel.
this score ("the whole counsel of God concerning all This is a statement without proof; and I point out
things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, again that it is beside the point. The question is not
faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture what these theologians wish to do (a question of mo-


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                              249



tive and intent), but it is a question of what they do, bit on this, almost leaving the impression that he has
objectively. And it seems to me that the conclusion is said too much. But the fact remains that he has said it!
inescapable that they deny God's eternal counsel, in Finally, he suggests that Reformed theology over-
spite of any assertions to the contrary.                   emphasized the "pre-temporal nature of the divine
   Secondly, Runia explains once more that these counsel" and that it. perhaps "too simply identifies the
theologians cannot accept a causal connection between eternal nature of the counsel with the eternal nature of
God's decree and that which happens in history. Here God Himself." And he leaves the reader with the
he brings up the old argument of a disjunction between thought that there are many questions and that "the
the causality of God's decree and human responsibility depth of these problems remains a tremendous chal-
- a favorite of Arminians. And he brings the similar lenge for the future."
argument that history would lose all its significance        But the total effect is that Dr. Runia criticizes and
and would only be a mechanical, pre-determined out- contradicts the Canons of Dordrecht at their most cru-
working of a divine decree. Moreover, he once more cial point, that of the First Head of Doctrine, and that
repeats, in a slightly different form, his charge that the he covers this up in the end by the old Arminian tactic
Canons are inconsistent and his agreement with of leaving things in question.
Berkouwer that the "real intention of the synod is           It seems to me that anyone who reads this essay
found in this rejection of the eodem modo and not in must see that Dr. Runia is a man who is fundamentally
the causal framework which we find in 1, 6 and 15 ." out of sympathy with the Reformed faith set forth in
Berkouwer, he says, is "undoubtedly right."                the Canons of Dordrecht.
  Dr. Runia concludes by conceding that there are            Geelong should have called its professor to clear ac-
many unsolved problems left. And he goes on to state count on this score.
that to him the only correct starting point for all our      And the churches "down under" should not allow
thinking about election and rejection lies in the gospel their future ministers to be instructed by Dr. Runia
itself, and that it is unfortunate that the Synod of unless and until he gives full satisfaction with respect
Dordrecht has not adhered to this, but added another to his agreement with the Canons.
line which starts from the counsel of God. He hedges a


All Around Us

                                             An Infallible Pope?
                                            Discord At Concordia
                                               Satan Worship
                                            Woman's liberation

                                                 ProJ: H. Hanko

AN INFALLIBLE POPE?                                        the question of birth control. Various elements in the
  Since the days when Pope John XXIII called into          Church have moved in the direction of closer union
session Vatican II the Roman Catholic Church has           with Protestant.
been swept by calls for reform that have grown increas-      While on occasion conservative  .officials in the
ingly loud and strident. There have been changes sug- Church and the pope himself have tried to put a brake
gested and made in various practices and in the liturgy on these sweeping changes in doctrine and practice,
of the Romish Church. There have been many theolo- not much from a very practicalpoint of view has been
gians who have attached some very important doc- done to stem the tide of new thoughts.
trines of Roman Catholicism and questioned many              But apparently it is possible to go too far; and when
others. There have been voices raised which have one goes too far, the hand of the Church can be heavy
openly denied the fundamental doctrines of Scripture indeed.
to which the Romish Church has always remained               One leader in Roman Catholicism who strongly ad-
committed, People in the Church have openly ques- vocates change is the German theologian Hans Kung.
tioned the Church's ethics on various points as, e.g., on He has been one of the most consistent critics of the


 250         /                                 THE STANDARD BEARER



Church and one of the most articulate advocates of liberal churchmen seem to originate there.
reform. He has stirred the Church deeply and was, in          The conservatives succeeded at the last General
 fact, called to Rome in 1968 to give answer to Church Synod. in electing a fellow conservative to-the office of
 officials concerning his views. In 1968 he refused to president of the  .Synod.  Dr. Jacob- A. 0. Preus had
go, however, on the grounds that no specific charges promised, after being elected, to investigate Concordia
had been brought against him. And the Church did not Seminary to see if the charges were true. This investiga- .
press the'matter.                                           tion is now under way.
   But recently, in a new book, the  42lyear-old Kung       The liberals are apparently very afraid of such an
 attacked one very sacred cow of the Church: the doc- investigation. Their attacks against the conservatives in
trine of the infallibility of the Church. In this book, the Church and against "Christian News" have become
entitled "Infallible? An Inquiry," Kung. claims that increasingly bitter. They have made good use even of
there is no basis either in Scripture or in Christian the secular Press to discredit their investigators. And
tradition for the view that either the pope, or the they are not very coop.erafive thus far in the investiga-
Church, or any Church Council is infallible in its decla- tion. Characteristically of heretics, they have concen-
rations on `dogma.                                          trated their attention on irrelevant' matters. and have
   This it seems,, was going a bit too far. The attack failed to-state clearly their own positions on the funda-
against Kung has begun. For one thing, several other mental questions at issue. They have spoken loudly
Roman theologians, in some cases personal friends of about heresy-hunts. They have attempted to make con;
Kung, some of whom are. considered as liberal as he in servatism and fundamentalism onerous terms to be ap-
their views, have attacked his book and have warned plied to those who refuse to be "scholarly" in their
him that he is on a collision course with the Church. study of Scripture. They have made appeals to pro-
The German Conference of Catholic bishops called him cedural. matters and attempted to stop or derail the
to appear before them for an "intense but friendly investigations with these types of tactics. But thus far
exchange of information" about his book. These it seems as if Preus is determined to push ahead-with
bishops have the power to decide that Ku.ng is teaching the investigations.
heresy, and this would bring quickly into the picture         There is overwhelming evidence which has already
Vatican authorities who could and probably would appeared in the public Press and in countless books
summon him to appear in Rome to defend  his, and magazine articles which points to the correctness
position.                                                   of the charges. It seems completely obvious that heresy
   What the outcome will be `has yet to be seen. It is      abounds in Concordia. From this point of view the
significant that this question of papal infallibility is investigation is bound to substantiate the charges.
central to Roman Catholicism and is one point on              The one real question is whether the Church as a
which the Church has refused to budge even the slight- whole will have the spiritual strength to cope with this
est in all her contacts with Protestantism.                 matter. Already there are many in the Church who
                                                            apparently do not think so. Several congregations
 DISCORD AT CONCORDIA                                       throughout the country have already severed their re-
   Concordia Theological Seminary is the largest Semi- lationships with the denomination, convinced that re-
nary in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. It has form and repentance is hopeless.
also been in the center of bitter controversy in this         While surely there are important doctrinal differ-
denomination between liberals and conservatives. ences between Lutheranism and the Reformed faith,
There are many in the Missouri Synod-Luthern Church we hope and pray that this denomination will still have
who have gone the way of so many other- denomina- the spiritual strength to purge itself of those who deny
tions in denying the infallible inspiration of the Scrip- the Scriptures. And if this is not the case, we hope that
tures, in teaching evolutionary hypotheses concerning there are many who will have the courage to leave this
the religion of -the nation of Israel, in denying the once staunch Church which is now on the verge of
Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, and in denying going the sad way of so many denominations in our
the literal interpretation of the first eleven chapters of day.
Genesis. But there. is also in the Missouri Synod Church
a large number of conservatives who wish to remain SATAN WO RSH IP
faithful to the Scriptures in these key areas and who         The secular and ecclesiastical Press has recently re-
have fought long and vigorously in the defense of the ported a startling growth in Satan worship. Especially
faith. Their chief voice is the newspaper size periodical in this country, although also abroad, many new
"Christian News," in which they have in a very calm groups are being formed which openly adopt as their
and searching fashion joined battle with the liberals religion the worship of Satan.. In some instances such
and exposed a great deal of false doctrine in the Satan worship has been associated with terrible sexual
Church. Their attacks have focused chiefly on Concor- aberrations, with a revival of witchcraft and the black
dia Seminary since many of the heretical teachings of mass and with oaths and ceremonies which make the


                                              THE  STANDA ,RD BEARER                                                251



blood run cold. But this is not true in every instance. In of tendencies which have long been present in this
many instances the sole purpose is to deny all religion, country. For many- years there have -been increasingly
to  desecrate all that is holy and to mock the most strong pressures to give to women a place which is
sacred truths of God. Besides, there seems to be a very equal to that of men. It began presumably with woman
real but unutterably terrible desire on the part of those suffrage. It continued as women occupied a position in
who follow this path to sell their souls to Satan so that life which had, for centuries, been reserved for men.
they may become complete instruments. of his power Women went to work in the shop. Women became
and complete slaves of his will. As one leader of all this independent as wage earners. Women demanded a
put it: "I'd rather rule in hell  (on. earth) than be a voice in every area of life. Women chafed at the monot-
servant in heaven. . . . Everyone likes to have a certain ony- of household chores. Women became.  office-
amount of power and with the help of Satan, you can bearers in the Church. And now we have a movement
do anything."                                                 dedicated to the principle that women must be equal
   There is something frightening about all this. It is in all respects to men. _
true, of course, that the wicked in the world are com-           There is something wicked about this. It runs con-
pletely depraved. They are, in a very real sense; slaves trary to all that Scripture says about the role of
of sin. They are servants of the.devil, allied with him to    women in life. It is a denial that the-man is head-of the
accomplish his wicked goals of destroying God. Basi- ' home and that the position of autbority in every area
cally and fundamentally this is true of all who are not       of life belongs to men. It is against the ordinance of
`saved by-the power of grace. Jesus called the Pharisees creation. It is a violation of what God intended women
of -his day children of their father the devil whose to be.
works they do.                                                  When the ordinances of God are violated; this can
 -. But in this kind of thing there is something differ- -have (and will inevitably have) serious consequences.
ent. Perhaps not anything essentially different, but dif- In a way `it is, I suppose, understandable. Sin disrupts
ferent nonetheless. Something more terrible, more all the relationships of life. Sin also disrupts the rela-
depraved, more frightening than the current wicked- tionship between man and woman. Sin so corrupts
ness of the world in which we live. It seems to be these relationships that, in the  -world of wickedness,
possible, and the Scriptures seem to suggest this in man who is supposed to be head and king becomes
various places, for a .man deliberately and wilfully to dictator and tyrant. He rules, not in love, but in selfish-
go beyond the "normal" depravity of the human race ness. He rules cruelly, abusing women and seeking only
and give himself over in a special way to the power of his own pleasure..That  women rebel against this at last
Satan. He can, if so he chooses, sell his soul to Satan; is not strange, But such rebellion simply creates worse
put himself with his heart and mind and will and body problems. For one sin cannot be corrected by another.
in the service of the devil and his hosts; become delib- The result is that the home disintegrates, and society at
erately a special kind of instrument of the fallen angels large goes to pieces.
of hell, so that the terrible powers of darkness conquer.       But what is so extremely distasteful about all this is
him so completely and utterly- that Satan's power is that when women step out of their God-given role and
unleashed in the world in a special kind of way. These try to occupy a role that is not their's according to the
people have Satan loo-king through their eyes and the ordinance of God, they lose their own femininity and
smell of hell about  .them. But they become in some become monstrosities. If anyone has ever looked only
special and awful way instruments of Satan's terrible at the photographs of the leaders in the women's liber-
power in this world. In His letter to the Church of ation movement, one cannot help but be struck with
Smyrna .Jesus speaks of those who "say they are Jews, the fact that these women have lost `all their feminin-
and are not,. but are'the synagogue of Satan." Rev. 2:9. ity, all their attractiveness, all their beauty sacrificed
  As history draws to its close we may expect that the on the altar of equality. They are not what God
powers of darkness grow stronger under God's direc- created them to be; and when they become something
tion, and forces of evil are unleashed in the world such God has not intended them to. be, they become some-
as history has never seen. These -things too speak of the thing ugly and repulsive.
coming of the Lord.                                             It is all rooted in some sort of wicked notion that
                                                              the God-ordained role of women is undesirable `and
WOMAN'S LIBERATION                                            distasteful. How terribly wrong. How often Scripture
  The women's liberation movement is growing exalts the role of women who occupy their God-given
rapidly. There is -something very silly about it, which place. How often have not these women been the
even the world recognizes; and it is the butt of'innu- strength of the home, the strength of the Church, the
merable jokes. But there- is also something very. serious strength of the nation when Israel occupied a central
about it - and surely those who are taking the lead-in place in the drama of history. To despise this is to
the movement are in deadly earnest in their efforts.          despise all that is beautiful.
  In a way this whole movement is the natural result            It is by grace that the proper role of women can be


252                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



fulfilled. It is beneath the cross that women are the          Perhaps the world cannot understand this. But
attractive and beautiful creatures God intended them surely the Church can. May God give the daughters of
to be. It is in a home, in the Church, in life when the Sarah grace to occupy their rightful place according to
spirit of God rules that women occupy a place in life the ordinance of grace in Christ.
which is so important that without it life disintegrates.


Come Ye Apart . . . And Rest A While

                            Something About WIleddings
                                                     Rev. C. Hanko

  Before long we again have our June weddings. True, that were more painful to me than many funerals. And I
there are also weddings throughout the year; but June        mean that. But those were weddings of young people
seems to be the time when most wedding bells ring.           who made themselves guilty of a mixed marriage. I
  Did you know that our Church Order has an article          don't like that. But we all enjoy sharing the happiness
about weddings? In Article 70 we read: "Since it is          of those who are united in the bond of  holy  matri-
proper that the matrimonial state be confirmed in the mony, in the Lord.
presence of Christ's Church, according to the Form for         But our weddings are open for improvement. There
that purpose, the Consistory shall attend to it."            is, for example, the music that is sung and played at
  This article does raise a few eyebrows. For example,       weddings. I do think that the choice of music has un-
is it correct to say that the matrimonial state shall be     dergone some improvement in recent years, but that
confirmed in the presence of Christ's Church? Should does not mean that we cannot improve that still more.
that not be: That the matrimonial state shall be solem- Well do I remember the time when it was rather com-
nized  in the presence of Christ's Church? It should.        mon for the  solist to sing, "0 Promise Me," "I Love
Those who know about the historical background of You Truly," and the like. We are well rid of those. But
this article also know how this word `confirmed' crept we must remember that the music sung and played at
in. But it still is not correct. We may also ask: Why is weddings must give expression to the real, spiritual sig-
this proper? and: What is meant by "the presence of nificance of our marriages and must add the necessary
Christ's Church?" And even: To what must the consis-         solemnity to the occasion. Also the wedding marches
tory attend?                                                 must be stately, solemn, entirely in harmony with the
  It is not my purpose to discuss these questions this entire service. The music that is often used, along with
time. Since I hope to write about marriage in the near       "Here Comes The Bride", hardly does justice to the
future, 1'11 save some of these matters for a later date.    occasion and often detracts from the reverence that
  Right now we all understand, I think, that a private       should pervade it. And the fast, loud recessional that
wedding in a church auditorium is not a church wed- sends the bridal party scampering out of the church is
ding. A church wedding, according to this article of the entirely improper. I had occasion once to attend a
Church Order, is a wedding in a regular worship serv- wedding in a Congregational Church where the church
ice, with the entire congregation present, under the organist was the accompanist. He played nothing but
supervision of the consistory, and with an appropriate the most solemn music throughout the service, even in
sermon for the occasion. Although the ideal time for the recessional. Maybe he was not even aware of it, but
this would be on Sunday, there is no serious objection       some of the music he played was the same tune as a
to holding service during the week, properly an-             few well known Dutch Psalms. I thought it was very
nounced on the church bulletin, approved by the con-         impressive. That does not mean that we have to espy
sistory, and with the entire congregation present. This that, but suitable music adds much to a proper atmos-
our Church Order recommends.                                 phere for solemnizing the holy marriage state of believ-
  Without going into the  why and the  wherefore, I ing young people.
simply present you with the fact.                              But even that I want to mention only in passing. I
  What I had in mind at the outset of this article was have in mind something quite different. This has both-
to comment on some of the practices at weddings ered me for many years, especially because it is some-
which should be discussed by all of our young people         thing so obviously adopted from the world. We did it
and also by their parents. You understand, of course, I without realizing what we were doing. Actually we
like weddings. That is, I enjoy weddings of young cou- have robbed our weddings of the beautiful, rich, spirit-
ples who marry in the Lord. I have attended weddings uai  significance by a seemingly innocent, yet very


                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                               253


wrogg  practice.                                                 picture of Christ and His Church also at their wed-
  By this time you may be wondering what this is all             dings. The virgin bride adorned in white as representing
about.  Well, I'm talking about the strong emphasis              the church which is presented to Christ without spot
upon the bride instead of upon the bridegroom.                   or wrinkle. The groom must realize that in him Christ
  You understand I am not jealous. I also know that expresses His love for His Church, even as He lays upon
the bride should have her day. This is a big event in her the groom the responsibility of caring for His wife as
young life, which she has been looking forward to for a flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. The groom
long time. It is usually the bride who has the whole becomes the head of a family, a friend-servant of
wedding planned before the happy occasion arrives. Christ in the home as husband and father. Isn't that
She is the one who gives the orders during rehearsal.            calling high enough to be respected at our weddings?
She is the one who is  so deeply concerned that things And shotild  not the bride gladly assume the position of
are not going to run smoothly. Yet when the big mo- being a help to her husband; For Adam was first made,
ment arrives, she is as cool as a cucumber, while the and then Eve.
groom is so jittery that he hardly remembers his lines.            You say, it is not easy to change customs. I grant
No, I would not want to deprive her of the joy of the            you that, especially because we are often bound to
occasion.                                                        traditions which are hard to break. We hesitate to be
  But why must the groom be the forgotten man?                   different. And we should not want to be different just
Why  must her name be mentioned first? Why is she on for the sake of being different, as so many in the world
the foreground throughout the entire ceremony, and do today. But Rome was not built in a day. A drastic
even  at the reception, while,  a8 so often happens, the         change of this kind probably cannot be introduced
groom seems but to trail along?                                  without some discussions, and especially without some
  You say, "But what is so serious about that? The advanced planning. But will you think about it? Will
groom can be the head of the family long enough after you strive in your weddings to emphasize the spiritual
they are married."                                               and the heavenly, as we should?
  But then we certainly must remember that marriage                Someone told me a short time ago that a wedding
is a symbol of Christ and His Church. The wedding                was "solemnized" with only the bridegroom and the
ceremony is used in Scripture to symbolize Christ as bride with their attendants standing before the assem-
He takes His Bride unto Himself in everlasting com- bly. There was no minister to be seen. The groom and
munion of covenant love and fellowship. The world the bride spoke their vows to each other, and only
wants nothing of that. She prefers to corrupt that holy after that did someone arise to declare them husband
marriage state into a legalized fornication. She mocks and wife. That is a far cry from what the fathers were
with the very idea of joining in marriage. But as church         talking about in the Church Order, isn't it?
of Jesus Christ we want our covenant youth to be a


Cantending jar the Faith


                                             THIRD PERIOD  - 730-l 517 A.D.
                                                              ANSELM

                                                       Rev. H. Veldvnan

  In our preceding article we were quoting from Rev.                    the same time we must not overlook the fact that it is
Hoeksema's notes in which he presents the views of                      not quite clear what Aquinas means by mystical
Aquinas in the atonement of Christ. And Rev.                            union. The imputation of the merits of Christ cer-
Hoeksema's  first observation was that Aquinas denied                   tainly does not rest upon the mystical union as we
that atonement was absolutely necessary, as Anselm                      understand it, but rather upon the Headship of Christ
had strenuously argued. We ndw continue with these                      in the juridical sense. (To this the undersigned would
                                                                        add- the following: the imputation of the merits of
quotations from Rev. Hoekiema's notes.                                  Christ certainly does not rest upon this mystical
      2) Aquinas emphasizes the mystical union of Christ                union, that we are spiritually united with Christ, but
    and the church as an explanation of the fact that the               this mystical union with Christ, that we spiritually are
    merits of Christ can be imputed to the believers. This              one plant with Him certainly rests upon the imputa-
    is an element which Anselm failed to emphasize. At                  tion of the merits of Christ, that as our Head in the


                254                                                      THE  STANDARD BEARER



                        juridical sense He suffered and died for us and there-           of Christ's death. The opinions of Robert Pulleyn and
                        fore merited for us thisunion with Christ.)                      Peter Lombard were still more closely allied with
                          3) Aquinas made a distinction between the mere                 those of Abelard, though the latter combined with it
                        satisfaction of Christ and His merit. He emphasized              -other aspects of the atonement. The later scholastics
                        that the Lord not merely made satisfaction -for our              returned to the doctrine of Anselm, and developed it
                        sins, but also-merited eternal life for us. In this way          more fully.Thus  Thomas Aquinas brought the priestly
                        he originated the distinction between the active and             office of Christ prominently forward, and laid great
                        passive obedience of Christ.                                     stress upon the superabounding merit of-his death.
                          4) He taught that the merit of Christ is super-.               Duns Scotus went to the other extreme, denying its
                        abundant in value. This must -not be confused with               sufficiency; but he supposed a voluntary acceptance
                        the view of Anselm that the sufferings of Christ have            on the part of God. Wycliffe and Wessel attached
                        infinite value. Anselm taught that there is an infinite          importance to the theory of satisfaction in its practi-
                       demerit in sin, because it is the rejection of the in-            cal bearing upon evangelical piety, and thus intro-
                -
           :            finite majesty of God and of the highest good. There-            duced the period of the Reformation. The mystics
                - fore the merit must also be infinite. There is, there-                 either renounced all claims to doctrinal precision,
                        fore, according to Anselm no superabundance, but an              and, abandoning themselves to the impulses of feeling
                        infinity of value in the satisfaction of Christ. Aquinas,        and imagination, endeavored to sink into the depth of
                        while denying the infinite demerit of sin, taught that           the love dying on the cross; or they thought to fmd
           .            there was a superabundance of merit in the work of               the true principle of redemption in the repetition in
                        Christ. This laid the foundation for the Catholic                themselves of the sacrifice once made by Christ, i.e.,
                        doctrine of supererogation, that is, of the store of             in literally crucifying. their own flesh. Those of a
                        good works, of superabundant good works, which the               pantheistic tendency annulled all that was peculiar in
                        church dispenses.                                                the merits of Christ. The external and mythical inter-
                          5) Finally, Aquinas taught that forgiveness depends            pretation of the doctrine, as a legal transaction, led
                        to a degree upon the merit of the person as the pro-             to offensive poetical exaggerations and distortions of
                        curing cause. Atonement alone is not sufficient unto             the truth.
I                    justification; The individual must first be conformed
                        to Christ; then he procures forgiveness. This is done                    THE REFORMA  TION PERIOD
                        first in- baptism, then in good works and penal suffer-        We prefer to speak of this period of the develop-
                        ing for sins committed after baptism, either here or in      ment of the doctrine of the -atonement as the "Refor-
     -.                purgatory.                                                    mation Period." We thought of designating this phase
                     I am  sure that we all recognize in this-last view of           of the history of this doctrine as the "Reformed
                Aquinas  the  teaching  as set forth today in the Roman              View." How-ever, the Reformed view of the atonement
                Catholic Church. And this, we also understand, is flatly stands over against other views of the cross of our Lord
                in contradiction with the Scriptures, as we shall pres- Jesus Christ, such as, e.g., the Arminian presentation of
                ently see as we set forth the Reformed view of .the it. And we would rather speak of the "Reformation
                atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved Period" because it gives us the opportunity to show
                purely by grace, only because of the merits of Jesus that the Reformed view of the atonement is indeed the
                Christ, and never because of any good work- we might view as set forth by the `Reformation. The Reformed
                do. The merits of our Lord Jesus Christ are surely                   conception certainly is in line with the principles as
                quite sufficient unto the forgiveness of all our sins and proclaimed and set forth by the Reformation.
                unto our everlasting life.                                             When we set forth the doctrine of the atonement as
                     Concluding our discussion of the doctrine of the set forth by the Reformation, we instinctively turn to
                atonement of Christ `as set forth in the third period, Calvin'. Calvinism is certainly more Scriptural in its
                730  - 1517 A.D.,.we would quote from Hagenbach's view of the atonement than Lutheranism. The Lu-
                History  of  Doctrines, Vol. II, 46  - 47:                           theran Augsburg Confession does not devote an article
                         -The contemporaries and immediate successors of             to the doctrine of the atonement. The same is true of
                       Anselm were far from adopting his theory in all its           the Lutheran Formula of Concord, drawn up in 1577,
                        strictness. On the contrary, Abelard, taking in this         some sixty years after Luther nailed the ninety-five
                        case, as well as inmany others, the opposite side of         theses to the church door of Wittenberg. However, the
                     the question, attached principal importance to the              Formula of Concord does have an article on the sub-
                       moral aspect. of the doctrine, and declared the love of       ject of predestination. Now we must bear in mind that
                        Christ the redeeming principle, inasmuch as it calls         the formulation of this doctrine of predestination in
                        forth love on our part. Bernard of Clairval, on the          the Formula of Concord was under the influence of
                        other hand, insisted upon the mystical idea of the           the teachings of Melanchthon, Luther's co-worker in
                        vicarious death of Christ. Hugo of St. Victor adhered
                        more nearly to- the doctrine of Anselm, but modified         the Reformation. And Melanchthon was certainly not
                       it so far as to return to the earlier notion of a legal       as pure as Luther. -Concerning this Schaff, in his His-
                       transactiqn  and struggle with the devil; at the same         tory  of  the Creeds  of  Christendom,  Vol. I, 308-309,
                       time he asserted (with Abelard) the moral significance        writes: "Next to him, and at a later period, Martin


                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER                                                            255


Chemnitz (1522-1586), the greatest pupil of Melanch-                 have heard the Word, make it of no account, and cast
thon and the prince among the Lutheran divines of his                it away. Neither God nor His election, but their own
age, and Nicholas Selnecker (1530-l  592), originally                wickedness, is to blame if they perish (2 Pet. 2: 1 sqq.;
likewise a Melanchthonian, took the most important                   Luke 2:49,52; Heb. 12:25 sqq.).
part in the movement, and formed with Andreae the                  This eleventh article is a subtle article. Now it is
theological `triumvirate,' which finally completed the           certainly true that the cause of the condemnation of
Form of Concord."                                                the ungodly is that they either do not hear the Word of
  Now we would call attention to Articles VII and XI             God at all, but contumaciously contemn it, stop their
.of this Formula- of Concord. Art. VII reads (where the          ears, and harden their hearts. The fathers of Dort also
Formula of Concord treats Redestination):                        declare that the blame must not be ascribed to the
       But Christ calls all sinners to Him, and promises to      gospel or to the cross of Christ but to the wickedness
    give them rest. And He earnestly wishes that all men         of the sinner. And it is certainly true that the wicked
    may come to Him, and suffer themselves to be cared           make the Word of no account and cast it away, and
    for and succored. To these He offers Himself in the          that neither God nor His election must be blamed by
    Word as a Redeemer, and wishes that the Word may            the sinner for his wickedness and perishing. The sinner
    be heard, and that their ears may-not be hardened,          must never shift the blame for his wickedness and
    nor the Word be neglected and contemned. And He
    promises that, He will bestow the virtue and operation       sinning from himself to the living God and His Christ
    of the Holy Spirit and Divine aid; to the end that we       and gospel. However, this article also states that Matt.
    may abide steadfastly in the faith and attain eternal        22:14 must not be understood as if God were unwill-
    life.                                                       ing that all should be saved, and it also states that the
  We certainly would not-ascribe to this. In this article -wicked foreclose to the Spirit of God His ordinary
it is declared that -the Lord wishes that all men may           way, so that He can not accomplish His work in them.
come to Him, and suffer themselves to be cared for              This certainly means that the sinner makes it impos-
and succored. This certainly speaks of a general and            sible for the Spirit of God to work .His ordinary way,
well-meaning offer of salvation.                                makes it impossible for Him to accomplish His work in
   And Article XI reads as follows:                             them, and this Spirit of God, according to this article,
     But as to the declaration (Matt. 22:14), `Many are         is not unwilling that all should be saved. This means
    called, but few are chosen,' it is not to be so under-      that, whereas the Holy Spirit would work in the hearts
    stood as if God were unwilling that all should be           of all men unto their salvation, these sinners make it
    saved, but the cause of the damnation of the ungodly        impossible to accomplish this work in them. And, of
    is that they either do not hear the Word of God at all,     course, we do not ascribe to this doctrine of Art. XI
    but contumaciously contemn it, stop their ears, and         either. The Lord willing, we wish to call attention in
    harden their hearts, and in this way foreclose to the       our following article to certain glaring contradictions
    Spirit of God His ordinary way, so that He can not          in this Formula of Concord.
    accomplish His work in them, or at least when they


In His Fear

                                      A Precious Jewel
                                                       Rev. John A. Heys

  They were neighbours.                                         between their yards.
  In fact, they had lived next door to each other for              They did, however, carry on all these years a verbal
over forty years.                                               battle - let us call it a controversy - in which neither
  It could in truth be said that they got along quite           one would budge an inch, and in which neither one
well, even during those years when the children did the         could be said to have bested the other and to have run
usual damage to lawns and gardens - and to an occa-             away with the victory.
sional window. They settled the quarrels of their                  You see, Mr. Noel was a science teacher in the local
children without becoming personally involved. Their            high school. He had a keen mind, was well educated,
respective pets, a dog and `a cat, had various exciting         and was wholly dedicated to his work. He lived in the
confrontations; yet this did `not spill over to build the       fifteen-room house which his father had built; and he
barrier between them. In fact, neither one of them at           was living there as a college student when Mr. Adams
any time even thought of building some kind of fence- bought the smaller house next door and moved in with


256                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



his blushing bride. This being a university city, Mr.        with those which Mr. Noel held to and defended with
Noel was at home all through his years of education.         all his ability. He tried in every way apart from quoting
And though his father died the year before Mr. Adams the Scriptures to show the impossibility of Mr. Noel's
moved in next door, there was plenty of money for the        position and theories about the universe and the origin
full education of this only child. Upon finishing his        of the creatures.
education and upon obtaining this teaching position,           When Mr. Noel spoke so freely of the billions of
Mr. Noel moved in with his attractive bride into the years it took for this to form and that to happen, Mr.
home where he had been living all these years with his Adams would insist that a half-billion-year period of
mother. After all, a fifteen-room house of this type         darkness would with its freezing, sub-zero cold kill off
could accommodate three conveniently and give pri- all life that had begun to form in the half-billion-year
vacy. Mrs. Noel, Sr. died shortly after the second birth- period of the lighted part of that day. But Mr. Noel
day of the first grandchild. And now Noel and Adams          would remind him that he was going back to Scripture
were family men living next door to each other.              which spoke of six days, and of an evening and a morn-
  Mr. Adams was a certified public accountant, a man ing for each of these days. He, Mr. Noel, claimed no
quick with numbers, but a man also quick with his            such one-day and one-evening period in that billion
mind in other matters, possessing a clear and logical        year stretch of time when things began to evolve. He
mind. He had always wanted to go to law school; and          preferred a gradual warming up or cooling off through
his ambition had been that of a trial lawyer. But there      all the billions of years.
never were funds to make this possible; and he settled         One argument that Mr. Adams kept bringing up did
for his present position. He did delight in debate and irk Mr. Noel and gave him trouble, even though he did
did not hesitate to vie with his educated neighbour in       not want to admit it. It was the question as to where
this verbal battle, or contest, whatever you want to call    that first cell, or that first gaseous vapour came from.
it. In fact, they both seemed to enjoy these sessions of     From what did it evolve? Mr. Adams did note, though,
controversy, which they kept on a high level, never          a bit of hesitation, no matter how slight it was, in Mr.
parting with any harsh words or ridicule of each other.      Noel's  defence and counter-question as to where his,
  We must point out, however, that there was a tre- Mr. Adams', God came from.
mendously important difference between these two               Mr. Adams pressed his point at a later friendly ses-
men. Mr. Adams was a believer, and for years he served       sion on the edge of their lawns and asked Mr. Noel
in an office in the church across the street and half        whether it was really scientific to maintain that dead
way up the block on the corner. He was not just a            matter can produce life. Living matter dies. But what
member. He was a very active and zealous member,             has science to show that dead matter can produce life?
never ashamed of defending the position of his church.       And that first cell, or gaseous vapour, that was there,
Mr. Noel was an unbeliever and had never in his life         how could it change without something else being
entered a church to hear as much as a Sunday School          there to feed it or to exert influence upon it? There
lesson. His god was science; and he worshipped his           must have been something more to feed that cell.
god with a fervent devotion. His Sundays were spent          There must have been something more to cool off or
out in the field, on some scientific research, or in         heat up that gaseous vapour.
sports. He was not a lazy man who would use that day           Mr. Noel boasted of the latest achievements of
to lie around and waste time. He was far too energetic       science to create life in a test tube. But Mr. Adams
for that.                                                    pointed out that this was not a case of dead matter
  Their verbal battlefield almost always was                 bringing forth life and that he, Mr. Noel, was over-
Darwinism, evolution, the origin of this world, and its      looking the fact that living men were combining chemi-
development. But there was no victor in this "battle",       cals to produce what seemed to have life. And so the
and really could not be because they could not agree         controversy went on from year to year, assuming
on a common set of rules. Mr. Noel would not accept          different forms, but always about this difference of
the Word of God; and Mr. Adams would not put stock           beliefs of the two men.
in the "findings" of men who contradicted anything in          Shortly after one of the most heated discussions on
Scripture. Mr. Adams often would appeal to the flood         this subject of dead matter moving toward life - and
for his proof; but Mr. Noel would remind him that the Mr. Noel did not like the way the matter was going -
Bible was nothing more than a beautiful piece of             the funeral of Mrs. Adams was held in the corner
human literature. His "proof" was the words of men           church. Out of courtesy and sincere sympathy Mr.
whose breath was in their nostrils, and who so often         Noel went to the funeral service. The text was those
contradicted each other.                                     words of Jesus to Martha in John 11:25, 26, "I am the
  Mr. Adams, wishing to continue the debate that             resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me,
carried on through all these years, sought to undermine      though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever
Mr. Noel's claims by scientific reasoning. He did much       liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest
research also to find scientists whose "findings" varied     thou this?" The pastor explained that the dead believer


r                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 257

will rise again to glory. But he also took time to em- We both believe that God created all things in six suc-
phasize that there is a worse death than this physical cessive days of twenty-four hours each."
death. He quoted Ephesians 2: 1 to point out that there       "O", replied, Mr. Noel, "I did not mean that he
is also a spiritual death wherein people who are physi- believes that the earth and the universe came into be-
cally alive may be. He pointed out that God told Adam ing by the process of evolution. I never heard him
that the  day he ate, he would die, and that this did speak anything about that in the sermon. But I have
happen. Adam died spiritually that day. And when my answer now to your question about dead matter
Jesus says, "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall producing life; and your pastor gave it to me. He told
never die," He is not giving a promise to the believer us that men are born spiritually dead but that they can
that he will never die physically, but that the spiri- become spiritually alive by an act of their own. He also
tually alive will never experience the eternal death of spoke of a change of species: the sinner can change
hell. The man who dies physically while spiritually himself into a saint by an act of his dead will. The dead
dead dies hopelessly. The man who is spiritually alive have in themselves the power to reach out for life."
when he dies physically shall never lose his spiritual        "Adams", he said, "either admit that the Bible is
life, nor enter the lake of fire.                           fallible and that the man who wrote Genesis chose the
  Seeing Mr. Noel in his audience the pastor "pulled        wrong word and should have said, `God said, In the
out a couple of extra stops," and, looking right at him,    day thou eatest thereof thou shalt become very weak
stated, "The spiritually dead are not without hope as and sick'; and that the man - I believe it was Paul -
long as they still live physically. You still have a who wrote that man is  `dead  in trespasses and sins'
chance. Let God have His way with you. Tell Him right should have been more careful and written that man is
now that you want to become spiritually alive; and He spiritually weak and sickly, and therefore, he trespasses
will give that life to you. He will make you spiritually    and sins; or tell your pastor to preach that dead matter
alive. Just ask Him. He is waiting."                        cannot desire life and cannot make the movement unto
  Even in the midst of his deep sorrow Mr. Adams was life. Otherwise you are not consistent. You speak of
grateful for those words of the pastor to his neighbour creation by an almighty God; but in the realm of salva-
and hoped that they were well received.                     tion you hold on to an evolutionistic process whereby
  Days later, knowing that Mr. Adams was lonely, Mr. the dead initiate the act toward life. You speak of a
Noel went one evening to visit him, not intending to        sovereign creator, but you also hold to a sovereign sin-
introduce their controversy. But Mr. Adams brought ner who can hold off your sovereign saviour. You
up the matter without really intending to do so. He teach that God calls all the creatures into being, but
began by thanking Mr. Noel for his presence and con- you also teach that spiritually dead creatures call God
cern to take off from his teaching to attend the service. into the act of saving. I find it hard to follow, and very
He added that he hoped that the message was well unscientific ."
received by Mr. Noel.                                         Indeed, we must be consistent in our defence of the
  Mr. Noel's answer startled him so much that he truth of creation. But consistency is also a  .precious
jumped right out of his chair. "Adams", he said, "I did jewel in our defence of the truth of salvation by grace,
not know that your pastor was an evolutionist, or I and as the work of a sovereign God Who creates us in
might have visited him long ago." "He is not", almost Christ Jesus as HIS workmanship (Eph. 2:  lo), and
shouted the shocked Mr. Adams, "he and I both hold          does not wait for the spiritually dead sinner to step
to the infallibility of the Bible, and believe the first    forward to obtain life. There is no more evolution in
eleven chapters of Genesis to be fact, undeniable fact.     salvation than there is in creation.


Feature

                         The Concern of the Reformation
                                     for Christian Education
                                               Rev. David Engelsrna

  We have been considering the immediate and strong         these schools, as proposed by the leading Reformers,
concern of the Reformation for Christian schools. In        Luther and Philip Melanchthon.
this article, we will take note of the curriculum of           First among the subjects to be taught in the  Chris-


258                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



tian Schools was Scripture itself, according to Luther. every subject that is taught. The Bible is not a subject
This would include instructing the students in the alongside the other subjects, but it must be at the
gospel, in Biblical history, in doctrines, in the law, and center of the instruction of every subject in the cur-
in prayer. Luther demanded this teaching of "Bible" in riculum, so that they all are taught in the light of the
the schools in his  An Open Letter to the Christian Word of God. This does not merely mean that nothing
Nobility of the German Nation (A.D. 1520): "Above is taught which contradicts the Scriptures, although it
all, the foremost and most general subject of study, ,does mean this also. It means that the truth of  Scrip-
both in the higher and the lower schools, should be the iture sets forth the truth of every subject, the real, full
Holy Scriptures, and for the young boys the Gospel. itruth  of history, of geography, of science, of arith-
And would to God that every town had a girls' school metic, of literature. To attempt to teach any subject
also, in which the girls were taught the Gospel for an apart from Scripture and apart from what the Word of
hour each day. . . ." The Christian schools which the God says about that subject is to preclude the possi-
Reformation established did include "Bible" as one of bility of teaching the truth about that subject and is to
the subjects. The man mainly responsible for directing engage in teaching the lie about that subject. This is
the Christian schools in Germany was Luther's  .col- the wickedness and the folly of the public schools in
league, Philip Melanchthon, who is for that reason the United States. Teaching every subject in the light
called the "Preceptor of Germany." He set up the of Scripture and in its connection with the Word of
Christian schools in such a way that the first class God is the essence of the Christian school. This makes
studied, among other things, the Lord's Prayer, the a Christian school Christian, and not the fact that
Apostles' Creed, and other prayers. The second class of "Bible" is one of the subjects taught. It betrays a
older students was required to learn "the Lord's wrong understanding of the Christian school, there-
Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and to fore, when a parent says that he does not care what
commit (to memory) a number of psalms. They must marks his child gets in the other subjects as long as he
study the Gospel of Matthew, the two Pauline Epistles gets an "A" in "Bible."
to Timothy, the First Epistle of John, and the Proverbs        If the Bible occupies this rightful place in the Chris-
of Solomon." (Melanchthon, Saxon Visitation Articles tian school, there will be in the school the living aware-
of 1528).                                                    ness that the whole creation, and every marvellous
  This partially explains the concern of the Reforma- facet of it, is the handiwork of God the Creator, Who
tion for the establishment of Christian schools. These is revealed in the Bible. This awareness will include the
schools had to perform the task of teaching the chil- understanding that the whole creation reveals the
dren of believers the knowledge of God, as it is re- praises of its Creator, that its chief end is the praise of
vealed in Scripture.                                         God by His people, and that the main purpose for
  We believe that this was a mistaken view of the func- learning about the creation is that we may better know
tion of the Christian school. It is the duty of the and praise that God.
Church, not the school, to give instruction in the Bible       In this concrete and vital way, the Bible is present in
itself. The Church carries out this duty, through the the Christian school. It is the foundation of the in-
minister or elders, in the catechism classes. It is even struction. Therefore, the Christian school is not guilty
questionable whether "Bible" should be included in of the basic sin of fallen mankind: Going about its
the curriculum of the Christian school as an academic business, leaving God out.
course. Scripture must, of course, be present in the           Let us see how this will affect the actual instruction.
Christian school. If Scripture is not present, a school is Because the Bible is at the center of every subject, the
not and cannot be Christian. But its place in the Chris- Christian school teacher will quote, explain, and apply
tian school is not that of a subject alongside the other to the present subject passages of the Bible. He will do
subjects in the curriculum.                                  this often. He will do this at crucial points in the teach-
  What then is the place of the Bible in the Christian ing of a subject. He will read and explain Genesis 1-3,
school? The Bible should be present in two ways. First, not only at the beginning of the science course, but
its presence should be a devotional one. That is, the also at the beginning of the history course. This and
teacher should begin each day's work in the school by other Biblical passages on the origin of all things in
reading the Bible and making a few  applicatory re- Divine creation will be fundamental for the whole
marks to the children. This shows the children, and development of the courses. Time and time again, the
reminds the teacher, that the work of the day must be teacher will come back to them, overtly. In connection
done to God's glory and in harmony with His Word. In with the American Revolution and in connection with
addition, the Holy Spirit will use this devotional read- the revolutionaries now destroying our country, the his-
ing of the Bible to stir up teacher and children alike to    tory teacher will have the students read Romans 13, so
seek God's honor by faithful work throughout the day. that the teacher can explain, and all can discuss, that
  Secondly, the Bible must be present in the Christian       revolution by citizens against the authority of their
school as the light, the foundation, and the rule for        rulers is rebellion against the authority of God. Refer-


                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  259



ence to Ephesians 1 will make clear that such revolu-        of the Christian school, we do not disagree with their
tion is rebellion against the authority of the exalted       underlying concern. We lay the duty of teaching the
Christ. The teacher will let the light of the Scriptures     Bible upon the Church and, of course, upon the
shine on all the subjects that have to do with reading,      parents in the home. But we fully agree with the
writing, and speaking, such subjects as spelling,            Reformers' insistence that the Word of God reign in
phonics, grammar, and literature. He will point out          the Christian school.
that all these fascinating, wonderful subjects are             It was not the case, however, that the Reformers
grounded in the fact that the God of the creation is a       limited the curriculum of the Christian school to the
personal God Who knows, Who speaks, and Who has              Bible, and thus conceived of the Christian school as a
communication with Himself in the Trinity by speech          Bible school, a Sunday School, or a catechism class.
(in the Word).                                               They required many other subjects to be taught in the
  Although we may disagree with the early Reformers          Christian school for the welfare of the children of
when they make the Bible a subject in the curriculum         believers.                            (to be con timed)


From Holy Writ.
                         Exposition of Hebrews
                                                  Rev. G. Lubbers

THE CALLING TO REMEMBRANCE OF THE DAYS here this same battle, this intense contest is enjoined
OF A FORMER TIME (Hebrews 10:32-34)                          by reminding them of the one great, supreme contest
  The elect of God shall never perish; nothing can take which they waged in the past, the days when they were
them out of the hand of the heavenly Father. The first enlightened. These were days when the grace of
truth stands, "My Father is greater than all," God was manifested very signally in them; they were
(John  10:29). Those whom the Father has predesti- days when God placed the seal of grace upon them,
nated to eternal life shall surely be saved. For this is that they were counted worthy to suffer in the behalf
the will of the Father, that all which He gave to Christ of Christ, yea, as those of whom the world was not
should be saved, and that Christ should raise them up worthy, (Hebrews  11:38). Thus the writer calls the
again in the last day! (John 6:39,40)                        Hebrews to spiritual sobriety to press on to the obtain-
  In view of bringing about that salvation the Lord ing of the salvation of their souls, walking in faith and
comes in the preaching with His threatenings, exhorta- patience as did Abraham the father of believers!
tions, and commands. He comes to Israel with His law           Truly, these former days were remarkable days. The
(Exodus 20). And here in the book of Hebrews we Hebrews were then "first enlightened." This does not
have the exhortations. The writer has held before the merely refer to their seeing that Jesus is the Christ, the
eyes of the Hebrew Christians the dire consequences of "MESSIAH" of the Old Testament Scriptures; but it
unbelief and of total back-sliding from the confession refers to their fundamental, basic rebirth. They who
of the hope. He pointed out what happens to repro- had walked in the darkness of sin and unbelief, who
bate, unbelieving Israel. He referred to the judgments had been children of darkness, are now become light in
of the Lord whereby He makes a separation between the Lord. The light of the glory of Christ as revealed in
the two seeds, to wit, the Israel after the flesh and the the gospel had shined upon them. Now they have
Israel after the promise. And thus he would spur them fellowship with God and walk as children of light.
on to greater effort and fidelity in running the race Once they were blind, but now they see! Yes, they had
which is set before them.                                    also seen that Christ was the end of the law for
  Perhaps there is no greater incentive unto further righteousness to everyone that believeth. This enlight-
patience and faithfulness than to remember past enment had been once and for all: it could not be
mercies, of the Lord. For, let it be remembered, the repeated. A man is reborn but once. This is evident
past fight of afflictions which the Hebrews endured from the tense employed in the Greek. Immediately
was pure grace. It was givenunto them in the behalf of following upon this enlightenment and their confession
Christ not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer of the Name of Jesus, a great fight of afflictions had
for Him, (Phil. 1:29). For to the church at Philippi  too    fallen upon them. They were now of the party of the
it is enjoined that they walk worthily of the gospel of living God in the world. Because God and Christ are
Christ; that they stand in one faith, in one spirit and hated of the world, these are hated for their Name's
one soul, striving for the faith of the gospel. Thus also sake.


260                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



   This suffering in those days must have been very in this. They were a theatre-spectacle at best  *from a
trying. Satan makes his fires hot; he hath short time natural point of view. They shed tears which the Lord
and hath great wrath. And the instruments which caught in His bottle. But they saw the end. They saw
Satan used were evil men who hated the cross of that they had a better and more abiding substance to
Christ, evil men who clung to the shadows but denied themselves. Yes, this would be the promised inheri-
the very content which these shadows portrayed. tance in`heaven. And seeing this, they rejoiced in hope;
Clinging to the shadows, they denied the Son of God they smiled through their tears. In the aching pain of
Who came to fulfill the shadows and to perfect all imprisonment, confiscation of goods, they had the
things. Thus it became a "contest" between God and sweet solace that their better and abiding inheritance
Satan, a "contest" of which the outcome could not be could not be taken from them. That possession thieves
uncertain. In this contest the contestants of faith could could not steal, and moth and rust could not currupt
only be more than conquerors; nothing could separate it. They possessed their souls in patience and obtained
them from the love of God in Christ.                        life! It is the boldness which has great recompence of
   Being upheld by the power of God, through faith, reward!
unto the grace to be revealed in the last day, they had
stood. They had gone through a two-fold test. In the THE HOLDING FAST THE BOLDNESS WHICH HAS
first place, it had meant for these Christians that they G R E A T   RECOMPENCE   O F   R E W A R D
had been made a public reproach and gazing-stock in (Hebrews lo:3539)
the world, before God and angels (I Cor.  4:9). They          The Hebrews must not "cast away" their boldness,
had been made a theatre spectacle here on earth; earth their utter other-worldliness. The term in the Greek for
was the stage, and the spectators were, on the one "cast away" is  apobaleete.   It is the aorist subjunctive
hand, evil men, and, on the other hand, God and the with the negative particle. The meaning is that the
holy angels. All had watched the outcome! The contest Hebrews must not ever begin to throw away this confi-
was real! Faith is the victory that overcometh the dence as a worthless thing. Here is the highest value. It
world! The two-fold means were reproaches and afflic- is losing one's life to gain it. It is thus in the eyes of the
tions. Scorn and contempt were heaped upon the head Judge of heaven and earth. The boldness here spoken
of these chosen saints for Christ's sake. And they had of is the sufferings which they endured by faith and
also been afflicted. The road for them had been made hope in the former days, when they were first en-
very narrow. They had a very small circle in which to lightened. The inference here is the one which the
live. And had God not protected them,  they would Hebrews also must draw from their former glorious
surely have been utterly destroyed! Such had been the experience of the grace of God in their sufferings.
great contest of afflictions; it had entailed for them        For this boldness of the sufferings of faith has a
`cruel sufferings, the sufferings of Christ, filling up the great recompence of reward. And it ought to be under-
.measure of the sufferings of the Son of God, scored that the one who recompences here is the Lord.
(Col. 1:24). In the second place, the contest included It is a recompence from Him in this life and in the life
their proven loyalty to those who were thus cruelly to come.
entreated. Not all were directly thus despised. But the1      The recompence is inseparably connected with the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace had asserted boldness revealed in the sufferings of Christ: they are
itself powerfully in them. They had not been ashamed connected as cross and crown. If we suffer with Christ,
to ally themselves with those who were thus shame- we shall also be glorified together with Him. Such is
fully made a theatre before God and angels. They the blessedness of this suffering. It has a reward, a
claimed these as their fellow partakers of the grace of recompence in it for this life. It is the reward of the
life.                                                       day of Christ as this is now experience in hope of a
   Those were the glorious days of faith!                   conscience cleansed from sin to serve the living God.
   And of this wonder-work of the power of God these Wherefore we have need of patience. Patience is not
Hebrews are reminded. They must call this all vividly weakness, but power. It is the power which endures
to remembrance and must, as it were, recount the suffering in hope while the final reward is not yet in
mighty power of the grace of God in them. The Lord sight, (Rom. 8:24).
had done great things for them!                               This teaching concerning the need of patience is
   The meinory of these great deeds of God must spur bolstered by an appeal to the sacred Scriptures of the
them on to persevere unto the end, that no one take great prophets Isaiah and Habakkuk. Both are written
their crown. The same God can still break prison bars as comfort for the Israel of God in their sufferings
and set the captives free in the future! They must re- when they shall be removed from their land of inheri-
member the great strength of faith and hope which was tance to a far and foreign land, Babylon.
theirs in those former days. At that time they "`took         God will bring the invader from afar. He will be very
joyfully the spoiling of their goods." This must not be cruel and relentless and will conquer the land. It is
understood as though the Christians did not suffer pain then that God's people need to be comforted and need


                                                        THE  S-iANDARD  BEARER                                                    261



a place of refuge, a shelter in the time of storm. Then                    most emphatically with conduct which was enjoined
they must know that this calamity is "for a little                         upon the Israel of God in the darkest night of her
moment." It will not be long, although it will last for history.
seventy years. Yet, even so, it is true that "soon the                       And likewise is also the case with the prophet
indignation will be overpast." For the Lord will recom-                    Habakkuk. It seemed to him that it was time that the
pence His people. For the Lord cometh forth from.His                       Lord purified the land. Yet, when `the Lord will use a
holy habitation. The Lord is in His temple; let all the                    cruel and evil nation as the Chaldeans to execute this
earth keep silence. For the Lord will punish the inhabi- judgment upon the land, then Habakkuk complains
tants of the earth for their iniquity of robbing the                       that now the Lord is using those who are more evil
saints of their land. Such is the burden of the passage                    than Judah to chastise her. It is then that the Lord
f r o m   I s a i a h   26:20,  2 1   a s   q u o t e d   h e r e   i n    gives the solution to this problem. Habakkuk receives a
Hebrews 10:37. And it is a very apt and proper quota- vision; he climbs in the watchtower to await the divine
tion, applicable in every instance also here for the                       reply. He is told to write it upon tablets, that he may
Hebrews. The Hebrews are here given to compare                             run that readeth it. The vision has the revelation: my
themselves not only with their former days, but also just one shall live by faith!


Studies in Baptism

                                                 Various  Baptisms
                                                         Rev. Robert C. Harbach

   Writing to the Hebrews, many of whom lived very simple and easy symbolism for" the church in
through that transitional period between the end of every clime. Neither the Lord, nor His Word, makes it
the Old and the beginning of the New Testament, it                         any more difficult to administer baptism in Baffin
would come to them as no surprise to read the author's                     Land, or in Death Valley, than it is to do so in our
words to the effect that "the first tabernacle . . . stood                 moderate climes, or lands of perpetual summer, or
only in meats and drinks, and divers washings," (Heb.                      comfortably and conveniently, as we do, thoughout all
9: 10, KJV) i.e., in various washings, or more literally,                  of our churches. The Word of God speaks of baptism
"various baptisms." No surprise was it to them that the in terms of "various washings." Paul testified, in keep-
Old Testament dispensation was milestoned with "vari- ing with this, that he was commanded, "having arisen
ous baptisms." No surprise, because they, from the (Gk.), be baptized, and wash away thy sins. . -. ." Then
time of Moses, were quite conversant and familiar with                     occurred another of the "various baptisms" recorded
the tabernacle and its many baptisms. Therefore, when in Scripture. Washing is a simple and easy matter. Even
on the day of Pentecost, three thousand Jews from in countries where water is scarce, the body is washed,
sixteen different nations were converted, it was not the                   cleansed and mollified with olive oil. In fact, oil had
proclamation of some strange, new thing to hear Peter been a proper and suitable element used in baptism,
exhort them, "Repent and be  baptized,  every one of particularly in the anointing of the priests.
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of                       This is not difficult to prove. Some, who would
sins . . . for the promise is to you and to your chil-                     make the subject a controversial one, question that
dren." They knew very well what baptism was,                               statement, the more knowing of them dropping the
namely, a cleansing, and who were to be baptized,                          challenge to prove our point from our own confessions
namely, a people who were priests unto God and their and liturgical standards, as though confident that faced
seed. Nor did they fear that now in the New Dispensa-                      with them we shall run into difficulty. First of all, they
tion the change would be such that their infant chil- point to our baptism form, where "the doctrine of
dren would have nothing to do with baptism. From holy baptism" is described in its sacramental action as
both the Old Testament and Peter's words they knew                         "This, the dipping in, or sprinkling with water." (Ital.
better. This we intend to prove from the Law, the added). Here the charge is that we Reformed cannot
Prophets, and the Psalms.                                                  make up our minds whether baptism is dipping or
   Baptism, like the gospel, is intended for God's                         sprinkling, or perhaps we even imagine it is, or could
people in every region, whether of polar or tropical                       be, both. The fact and truth of the- matter are, that
zone, whether for arctic or Saharan peoples. Baptism,                      when such a disjunction is made, with dipping set over
just as the gospel, exactly suits the one region as much                   against sprinkling, you do not have two contempor-
as the other. For in baptism the Lord has appointed a                      aneous or almost equally ancient methods of baptism.


  262                                              THE STANDARD BEARER



  What you have is rather an instance of custom subtly dip  his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand,
   blending with biblical institution,                             and sprinkle of the oil." Eighth, in wr 26 and 27 it is,
     In the printing of our Reformed standards certain             "the priest shall pour of the oil . . . and . . . sprinkle"
   typographical errors became evident. Some, not all of it. Ninth, in v. 5 1, there is the baptism of a house
   these, have been corrected. One such error appears in a         where it is again "dip and sprinkle." Tenth, in Mum.
  place containing the Apostolic Confession, omitting              19: 18-21, "a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it
   the word "begotten" from "and in Jesus Christ, His in the water and sprinkle it" on the tent of an Israelite,
   only begotten Son, our Lord." Also, there are certain           his household articles, and the persons with him, so
   expressions in the Confessions that we prefer not to            baptizing and thus purifying them. Underscore also in
  use, such as in Canons V, 7, where reference is made to          this chapter the words "sprinkle" (6 times), "wash" (5
   "a reconciled God." We prefer to think that God never           times), "bathe" (3 times), "purify" (4 times) and "be
  needed any reconciling, that man, the sinner, is alone           clean," all of which point. directly to the central mean- '
  the reconciled, that "God was in Christ, reconciling the         ing of baptism, which is purification.
   world unto himself"; that Israel's love was estranged             From these ten passages, it is abundantly evident
from God, never God's love from Israel. Also the                   that Scripture Does not allow for two methods of bap-
  Canons speak of God's "permission" of falling into               tism, providing for either a dipping in water, or a sprin-
  - evil, whereas we rather agree with Calvin that the idea        kling  with water. Nor does Scripture use its preposi-
   of a divine permission is a denial of divine provi-             tions in such an indifferent manner with respect. to
  dence and is a heathen -dualism. At these points in our          baptism. Further, if the word "or" must be understood
  standards we make mental corrections (not mental in the referred to liturgical phrase in our baptism form,
  reservations), still having throughout their extent the then so must the word "either." This makes it, "either
  most perfect expression and declaration of the truth as the dipping in water, or sprinkling with water teaches
  humanly can be. These minor points in no wise mar us. . . ." But the phrase in the baptism form is not a
  the perfect .doctrine  of salvation there so indisputably        combination of either early or gradually adopted cus-
  declared with the utmost perspicuity. So, too, the tom  and  plainly evident biblical practice as divinely
  phrase, "This,' the dipping in, or sprinkling with               commanded. The biblical weight of evidence is heavy
  water," this writer prefers to read (however it may              for "This, the dipping in and sprinkling with water."
 - read in the original), "This, the dipping in and sprin-           "Various baptisms" are also on record as not only
  kling with water." For the latter alone accords with its         performed by washing with water, as in Exod.  29:4,
  conte.xt  in the baptism form, with the Belgic Confes- but also with oil poured on the head, (v. 7) and by
  sion,, and with the abundant, constant and repetitive            sprinkling the oil and the bloodupon Aaron's sons (20,
  emphasis of Scripture.                                           21). Here, too, baptism was performed by merely
     First, look at Exod.  12:22, where the command is smearing the blood on the lobe of the right ear, on the
  "take .a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood . . . thumb of the right hand, and on the great toe of the
  and  strike (or sprinkle, according to Heb.  11:28) the right foot. The priests were regarded as covered from
  lintel and the two side posts." Notice: infallible Scrip- head to foot with blood, without any necessity of dip-
  ture has it, "dip  and  sprinkle.." Second,. you have ping or plunging their entire body into it. So they were
  Exod.  24:6-,8, the passage referred to in the "various viewed as covered with the blood of the cross. The
  baptisms" of Heb. 9, where Moses "took the blood . . .           blood on the ear signified the consecration of all the
  with water . . . and sprinkled both the book and all the believer's intellectual, mental and spiritual faculties.
  people. " "Moreover, he sprinkled with blood both the The blood on the thumb reminded him of the dedica-
  tabernacle, and all the vessels," which baptisms (9: 10) tion of all his works to God, while the blood on his toe
  or sprinklings (9:  13,19,21) signified purging and denoted the sanctification of his walk. It is to be
  purifying (9: 13,14,22). Moses effected all these bap- noted, in v. 12, that there is a baptism of the brazen
  tisms by the  dipping  of hyssop in the blood  and  the altar by pouring of the blood. This same washing,-
  following sprinkling action. Third, in Lev.  4:6, "the pouring and sprinkling is treated again in Lev. 8. Take
  priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle" it. note also of Lev. 16, and such expressions as "sprinkle
  The dipping action of the finger was not the baptism.            the blood . . . because of the uncleanness of the chil-
  The priest so doing did not baptize his finger! The              dren of Israel," as "wash," "bathe" and "atonement
  dipping was merely preparatory to the baptism which for the holy sanctuary . . . for the altar, for the priests
  was. effected by the sprinkling. Fourth, in the 17th and for all the people." All these persons and things
  versed-of this chapter the same idea is expressed; "dip mentioned were baptized. To cleanse them the water
  and sp'rinkle." Fifth, in Lev.  9:9, Aaron  "dipped  his of purifying was ordered to be sprinkled upon them
  finger in the blood  and  put (smeared) it upon the (Num. 8:7). When any dipping is mentioned, it is not
  horns of the altar." Sixth,  .in Lev.  14:6-7, it  is':  "dip    of the person or thing baptized, but an act performed
  them . . .' in the blood . . . and sprinkle upon him` that by the baptizer to administer his baptism.
  is to be cleansed." Seventh, in. v: 16, "the priest shall          It must be now quite clear that all these "various


                                                                                                                                             .-
I                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER                                                               263



       baptisms," so familiar to the Jews, really of both testa-    tism with water is a sign of it, signifying our having
       ments, are but types of the true and real baptism ac- been "washed by His blood and Spirit." So we are
       complished with the sprinkling of Christ's blood and taught that baptism is a figure of regeneration, as we
       the pouring of His Spirit. Who does not realize that were washed in Christ's blood, which He shed (poured
       Jesus taught that His death on the cross was a baptism?      out) for us by His sacrifice on the cross `and renewed us
       In fact, it is the baptism, (Mark 10:38f) of which water by the Holy Spirit (HC, Lord's Day 26). So the "vari-
       baptism is but the sign. Who does not realize that the       ous baptisms" were the Old Testament's adumbrations
       pouring out of the Holy Spirit was a baptism? In fact,       of the New Testament's "one -baptism." Eph.  4:5.
       it is an aspect of the one true baptism. (cp. Acts 2 and Thereforei  the New Testament, with its baptismal
       I Cor. 12). Our Heidelberg Catechism comports with record, we may be confident, will be found in perfect
       this, teaching that the ideal and real baptism is in "the    harmony with the Old Testament as just examined.
       one sacrifice of Christ upon the cross," -and that bap-


                                           B O O K   lREVI:EW

                                                         Pro8  H. Hanko

      CRITICAL QUESTS OF JESUS, by Charles C. Ander-                tive higher criticism is of Scripture and the faith of the
      son; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969; 208 pp.,           Church and shows how liberal hermeneutics has deeply
1 $4.95;                                                            influenced many even within Reformed circles.
         In many respects, this is a very valuable book and a
      worthwhile additional to one's reference library. The
      author surveys the whole field of modern higher criti-
       cism from Samuel Reimarus (1694-1768) to the pres-
      ent. He reviews the teachings of the Nineteenth Cen-          C
      tury critics, discusses the liberals who in this century
      discussed `the problems of the history of Jesus, treats
      Bultmann and his ideas of form criticism along with
      critics of Bultmann  on- the "left," the "right,"  and.          D -Applicable to College Tuition
      within the circle -of Bultmann. Hence, it is an excellent
      survey of the Hermeneutics of higher criticism.
         The author treats all the higher critics from the
      viewpoint of six questions the answers to which give               l Prospective  P.R. Ministers
      the teachings of these men in crucial areas of Biblical                  & Teachers  .may  ap.ply
      interpretation. These six questions are: 1) Is it possible
      to write a biography of Jesus? 2) What is the place of
      miracle in the life of Jesus? 3) How should the resur-
      rection of Jesus be interpreted? Literally or in some              l     Apply before May 1st
     other way? 4) What is the nature and place of mythol-
      ogy in the New Testament? 5) What is the historical
      value of John as -compared with the  Synoptics? 6)
      What is the central significance of Jesus?                          oObtain blanks from  your-
         It stands to reason that such a broad survey in such                  Y.  R Society secretary
      a vast field suffers from brevity and oversimplification.
      Nevertheless, for a student who is just beginning his                         . ..or your Pastor
      work in this area, the book is a welcome and needed
      guide. The author does not offer his own evaluation of
      the views of the men he treats; he promises to give this                   Sponsored by the Protestant
      in another volume to be published later. One looks for-                    R e f o r m e d   S c h o l a r s h i p   F u n d
     ward to this volume with anticipation.
         The book is well written, easy to understand and                        a n d   t h e   F e d e r a t i o n   B o a r d
      can be read with enjoyment and profit by anyone with
      an interest in this field. Without attempting to do so,
      the author clearly demonstrates how utterly  destruc-  x


 WE STANDARD  BEARER
          P.O. Box 6064
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506


264                                         -THE  STANDAdD  BEARER


                                News From Our Churches

   Rev. D. Engelsma, pastor of the Loveland congrega- Protestant Reformed Churches of Jamaica. He has
tion has declined the call from  Doon, Iowa; and made a couple of these available for the  Standard
shortly thereafter he received another call - this time Bearer news column. We'll quote a little from two of
from our church in Randolph, Wisconsin.                    them. "We, the brethren of the Protestant Reformed
                           ******                          Church of Jamaica by the hand of Rev. George C. Lub-
  The congregations of Hudsonville and Holland, bers, through our covenant God which provides for us,
Michigan, have decided to jointly assume the financial the poor in Jamaica. May we give thanks to all the
support of the Reformed Witness Hour broadcasts over brethren in U.S.A., and more than all for the three
WJBL on both Sunday and Tuesday. Since that time forms of unity. Likewise we thank God for our
we've been treated to some news "From Our Radio teacher, Rev. G. C. Lubbers."
Listeners" in Hudsonville's Sunday bulletins. Here's         The other letter read, in part: "We are grateful to
one from New York: "Dear Sirs, I heard the Reformed the Mission Committee for the help which has been
Witness Hour.on KLTR about 14-15 years ago. I have
almost every sermon except for `67-`68 in notebooks.       granted. to us for the building project." Those were
Then you went off the air, but I kept getting the ser- from Elder T. Wright of Belmont and Elder A. Wright
mons. We moved two years ago - and while I cannot of Reading, respectively. Though our quotations were
hear you, I can keep the sermons, which are better be- not word for word, we trust that we've done justice to
cause you can always go back and review.* It was be- the intent of the authors.
cause of your sermons that I. came to value and under-       The Mission Committee also received an informa-
stand my salvation and could understand the fine line tional letter from Rev. Lubbers, a summary of which
of know and know-about; and realize how little we has appeared in some church bulletins. He writes that
men have to do with salvation  - or even wanting it. he and his wife are doing well, though he, himself, is
                                                           still troubled with a persistent cough.
Knowing how much depends on God, and how little              Rev. Lubbers spends two days each week giving in-
depends on me, is a great source for peace `of mind. I struction at Lacovia to four young men who are pre-
know how strong He is and how.weak I am."
                           ******                          paring for the ministry. His instruction ranges from a
 A couple of our churches have undergone, or will course in Old Testament history (for which he makes
soon undergo, some remodeling and repair. The con: occasional use of tapes made by Rev. Heys) to a course
gregation at Hull has decided to completely rebuild the in English composition and grammar (for which he
pulpit area of the auditorium. And our Holland church makes use of a few textbooks on loan from our school
no longer has the problem of "nylon-snagging" - "all in South Holland). Rev. Lubbers noted that one of his
the seats have been reupholstered along the leading copies of the English texts was a Teacher's Edition;
edge."                                                     and he added, parenthetically, "I now know why my
                           ******                          teachers knew all the answers in English!"
  The Mr. and Mrs. Society of Hudsonville had -what          Our missionary also recounted the "considerable
must have been an interesting after-recess program a work and frustration" involved in gaining possession of
few iYeeks ago. Two Grand Rapids police officers were the clothing from the last clothing drive made in the
asked to speak to them concerning what it means to be      states. Now that he has it, he writes that his wife "un-
a Christian police officer.                                packs it, sorts it, arranges it tidily in boxes, and we de-
                                                           liver it to the various churches, attempting to make the
  Weather was a fact:: %*Mi:higan news during the          delivery coincide with preaching, and the routes taken
month of January. There were, in fact, two blizzards in for school, etc." He testifies to the very real gratitude
one week - the second of which made it necessary for of the Jamaican brethren.
Rev. Veldman to cancel his Saturday catechism classes        Rev. D. Kuiper and Mr. C. Vander Molen from Pella,
in Hudsonville.            ******                          Iowa, have recently visited the island, during which
  If you happen to be in or near Grand.Rapids on the visit Rev. Kuiper preached the Word in both  Shrew-
15th of April, you might be interested in knowing that bury and Ft. Williams.                         .,T.
there's a public lecture, by Rev. G. Van Bar&,- sched-'      Rev. Lubbers concludes by requesting, "Remember
uled for that evening in First Church.                     us in your prayers before the Throne of God that bold-
                           ******                          ness may be given us to preach the Word in the open-
  Rev. Van  Baren, as secretary of  the,Mission Com-       ing of our mouth as we ought."
mittee, has received several letters of thanks from the      Mitte Nun tium.                                     D.D.


