                                   he

                             tandard

                                           earer

A   R E F O R M E D   S E M I - M O N T H L Y   M A G A Z I N E



IN THIS ISSUE


          Meditation:

            Jesus' Sheep

          New Theology and Old
           (Graduation Address)

          Obeying Parents

            (see: The Strength of Youth)

          Jamaica Mission Report





                                               Volume XLVI  /  Num6eT  19  / August,  19'72  1


434                                                         THE STANDARD BEARER



                                                                                                       THE STANDARD  BEARER
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Meditation  -                                                                 Editor-in-Chief:  Prof.  H.  C.  Hoeksema
   Jesus' Sheep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434    Department   Editors  Mr. Donald Doezema, Rev. Cornelius Hanko, Prof.
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Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436     Van Baren. Rev. Herman Veldman, Rev. Bernard Woudenberg
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Meditation

                                                    Jesus' Sheep
                                                                Rev. M. Schipper
             "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them
             eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
             My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of
             my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. "                                                          John 10: 27 - 30.

   Directly these words of Jesus were spoken by the                           we observe in the preceding context. Then it seemed that
Lord to the Jews who had gathered about Him during                            the Jews had been greatly divided in their opinion of
the feast of the dedication as Jesus walked on                                Him. But now, two months later, Jesus is talking to
Solomon's porch at the temple in Jerusalem.                                   them on the same subject. Only this time the
   Interesting it is to note that in substance the Lord                       conversation is occasioned by a direct question as to
had spoken the same truth on an earlier occasion, as Jesus' true identity. They say: "How long dost thou


                                                THE STANDARD  BEAR,ER                                                435



make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us              such a way that they respond.
plainly." Jesus answered and said unto them: "I told             0, indeed, there were many who heard His voice;
you before, but you did not believe. But ye believe           even the Jews to whom He was now speaking. But they
not, because ye are not of my sheep."                         responded not, except antithetically. They did not
   On this dismal background Jesus paints as it were          believe, because they were not of His sheep; but they
the picture of the Good Shepherd and His sheep.               heard His voice. That very voice evoked in them all the
Particularly concerning the latter He speaks in our           antipathy, hatred, which they were presently to heap
text.                                                         on Him when they would bring Him to His cross.
  Blessed is he who is incorporated in the threefold          Always the voice of Jesus has this twofold effect: it
description Jesus gives here of His sheep!                    either arouses in the hearers the murderous cry:
  First of all they are the called ones!                      Crucify Him, Crucify Him!; or, it gently persuades the
  "My sheep hear my voice!"                                   true sheep to seek His face, and to follow Him
  The voice of the Shepherd calls them!                       whithersoever He will lead them.
   He is the Good Shepherd!                                      My sheep hear My voice, and I know them!
  And that means, in the first place,, that He is the            Implicit in these words is the truth, first of all, that
divinely appointed Shepherd. God has set Him, Who is          the sheep are the Good Shepherd's peculiar possession.
His only begotten. Son, to be the Shepherd of His             They were given unto Him by the Father from
people. It is this that the psalmist David, also a            everlasting. He makes them His own through the
shepherd, recognized when he declared: "The Lord is           ransom price of His own precious blood. And
my Shepherd, I shall not want." And of Whom the               consequently He knows them. He knows them all, and
prophet Isaiah wrote: "He shall feed his flock like a         each one, by name. Not you understand, by the name
shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and         given them by their parents; but by their spiritual
carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those          names: pure in heart; poor in spirit, the merciful, and
that are with young."                                         those who are hungry and thirsty after righteousness,
   That He is the Good  Shepher.d does not reflect so         etc.
much on His ethical perfection and virtues, though He            By these names He calls them, and these hear His
is, indeed, the sinless and perfect Son of God in the         voice!
flesh; but the term evidently reflects on the truth that         And they follow Him!
the fullest realization of the idea of the shepherd is to        The Lord's description, therefore, in the second
be found in Him. All the qualities of the real shepherd       place, describes His sheep as obedient sheep!
are found in Him. At the same time, He is the antitype           To hear, in this instance, has more in it than merely
of all shepherds that preceded Him, while they all were       to understand intelligently what has fallen sensibly
simply imperfect figures of Him that was to come.             upon the ear drum, so that it is known what is spoken;
   The Good Shepherd calls, and the sheep hear His            but implicit in this hearing is also response, obedience.
voice!                                                           The sheep hear His voice, but the voice of strangers
   He calls by His Word and Spirit!                           they will not hear. This was what was so apparent now
  In another Scripture (John  l:l), that Good                 as the Lord spoke to His adversaries. They had in their
Shepherd is called the very Word of God. God calls,           leaders set themselves forth as the shepherds of Israel.
and He is pleased to do this through the voice of the         Ruthlessly they had imposed upon the sheep of Christ
Good Shepherd. That voice of the Good Shepherd was            commandments too grievious to be borne, but which
heard in all the prophets that appeared before His            were intended to make the sheep follow them. Vainly
incarnation. That voice was heard of Him when He              they called to these sheep to follow them. But these
appeared in the flesh and walked among men. At the            blind leaders would only lead them astray, and by their
very moment He uttered the words of our text to               endeavors seek to blot out the very image of the true
contemporary Jews, His sheep heard His voice and His          and Good Shepherd. But the sheep would not follow
call. And they still hear it in the faithful preaching of them! And this truth obtains still today. Many there
the gospel. Fact of the matter is, that the highest point     are who would beckon Christ's sheep with gracious
of all true preaching is for the sheep to hear the voice      offers, and a watered down gospel in which the sheep
of the Good Shepherd speaking to them. And that               can find no semblance of the Christ of the Scriptures.
they do when that Word is graciously applied to them          Indeed, these false shepherds have a following, and in
by the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of Christ.                  the time to come this following will increase, for there
   That the sheep are called is the result of the             will indeed be a great falling away. Scripture makes
efficacious working of grace in them, whereby they            very plain that many shall follow their pernicious
not only hear with all their senses the saving call of the    doctrines and ways, but this is only the falling away of
Good Shepherd, but His call reaches into their hearts,        unbelievers, - those who have lived in close proximity
into the very center of their spiritual being. So they        to the church and her preaching, those who have tasted
hear His voice, and that very voice works in them in          of the heavenly gift, been made partakers of the Holy


436                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


Ghost, and have tasted of the good word of God, and             This eternal life the sheep experience already now.
the powers of the world to come. These shall fall away, It was merited for them by the Good Shepherd. It is
that is, follow after the doctrine of the false leaders. wrought in them by His Spirit and grace. Their hearts
But not so the true sheep of Christ!                          are filled with it in regeneration, resurrection life. They
    Only the voice of Jesus they will hear! Not of taste the peace of it in justification. They walk in the
themselves, you understand, but because of the hope of it in way of sanctification. And presently in
efficaciousness of that voice and that call. That voice body and soul, with their whole being, they shall
they love. To that voice they will respond, and obey. experience it when death and the grave have prepared
When He calls them, they will come!                           them for everlasting glory.
    That they follow Him, is due therefore, first of all,       Negatively, the Lord says: "And they shall never
to the drawing power of their divine Shepherd. But, in perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
the second place, to the very nature of His Word and hand."
 Spirit that works in them. Subjectively they must              0, indeed, like natural sheep, they may wander
respond, join themselves to Him, cleave unto Him, and sometimes far from the fold, they may go astray, and
become His disciples. With confident trust they even fall when their eyes are not constantly stayed on
implicitly rely on Him, and follow Him whithersoever their Shepherd. And the Shepherd may allow His
He leads them. They are not afraid of Him with the sheep, which for a time imagine they are independent,
fear of fright, but they fear Him with the knowledge of self-sufficient, rebellious, and sinful, to go astray to
. love.                                                       their hurt. But they shall never perish! And no one
    And, in the third place, the Lord describes His sheep shall be able to pluck them out of His hand!
as those who are perfectly safe!                                The reason? "My Father, which gave them me, is
    Positively, the Lord says: "And I give unto them greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out
eternal life!"                                                of my Father's hand,. I and the Father are one."
    And, according to Jesus in another place in John's          Double security, therefore!
gospel (17: 3), "This is eternal life, that they may know       What is not of God and of Christ, perishes!
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou             What belongs to Christ, Who is the God of our
has sent." In other words, eternal life consists in the salvation, is eternally blessed!
perfect, spiritual, intimate knowledge of God Who is            What solid comfort in these words of the Shepherd
Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent. Accordingly, this for all the sheep of Christ!
eternal life is the constant adaptation of the life of the      They are eternally safe!
eternal God which is in them. As the fish lives, when it        With the hymn writer I will sing, "When at last by
constantly adapts itself to the water; and as the tree His grace, I shall look on His face, that will be glory for
lives when it constantly adapts itself to the soil; so the me!"
 sheep of Christ live as they are constantly adapted            Will you sing it with me?
unto Him, the God of their salvation.                           Amen!


Editor's   Notes
TEN for TWO Progress Report.  From our Business staff a "breather." In September we will return to our
Manager comes the information that our TEN for TWO regular schedule of two issues per month.
introductory offer of 10 issues of our Standard Bearer                                  ***
has thus far brought us 161 new readers, the 16 1 st          Staff Changes.  Speaking of returning to our regular
being from Hawaii! A remarkable response, far beyond schedule,, our Staff has made a couple of changes for
our expectations, for which we are thankful! Oh, yes, I the new volume-year which begins in October. Rev.
should also mention that among our new readers are            Dale Kuiper, who contributed several guest articles this
15 from the far away land of New Zealand. To all our year, will take the department In His Fear on a regular
new readers, welcome! We also invite your comments basis. Rev. Jay Kortering will divide his efforts
and OpiniOnS. We invite you, too, to take an active part between The Strength of Youth, for which he has been
in  our  Question  Box. In due time, you will also be writing in the past, and Voice of our Fathers, in which
invited by our Business Manager to become regular he will comment on our confessional heritage. Rev.
subscribers.                                                  Robert Decker will share the exegetical department,
                          ***                                 From Holy Writ,  with Rev. Lubbers in the coming
Only One Issue in August.  Following our usual                year. And Rev. David Engelsma will begin a series of
publication schedule, we will publish only one issue          doctrinal studies.
during the month of August. This gives all of us on the                                 ***


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  437



Question Box. Questioners, please have patience. As your questions. Meanwhile, keep the questions coming,
soon as time and space permit, we will try to answer please!



Graduati0.n   Address

                                 New Theology and Old
                                                Prof H.C Hoeksema

         [The following is a transcrint  of an address delivered at the commencement mopram of the
         Theological School of the hotestant  Reformed Churches. Those present at the-time of the
         program will notice that some parts of this address which were abbreviated, for lack of time,
         when the address was delivered. are here represented in considerably expanded form. /

Mr. Chairman, Fathers and Brethren of the Synod,             I wish to limit myself and this address to what
Class of 1972, and Friends gathered with us:               belongs to the very essence of the world-and-life view
  That we live in times described by the chapter which     of that so-called new theology. As I suggested, we are
our chairman read this evening, II Timothy 3, is all more or less acquainted with various aspects of that
becoming increasingly and more emphatically clear new theology, such as its critical doctrine of Scripture,
today. There are the times in which men have "a form its so-called "new hermeneutics," its emphasis on
of godliness, but (are) denying the power thereof' (vs.    de-confessionalization, its denial of sovereign
5). They are the times described in verse 13, in which     predestination, its support of revolutionary activities in
"evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,          society and in the state, its emphasis on the new
deceivingj and being deceived." It is in.this connection morality. Undoubtedly, too, there is at the basis of the
that I wish to speak to you  - particularly to you of new theology an entirely radical approach to all that
the graduating class of 1972 at this last opportunity belongs to the six loci of dogmatics - though I am not
for me to instruct you  - about the so-called "new aware of any complete "dogmatics" of the new
theology." I have not chosen this subject because we, theology having been written as yet. But at this
as Protest ant Reformed Churches, are internally           occasion I want to call attention to two specific
concerned with this new theology. Thankfully, we are aspects of that new theology which are at present
not: none of us is a disciple of it. We are one of the     receiving attention in the Netherlands in the
very few today who have no internal denominational Gereformeerde Kerken. In our own country, too, there
concern and problems with that new theology. But this are adherents of the new theology in Reformed circles;
new theology has made rapid inroads into the but there is not' much original development of
Reformed community. And we are called to take theology here; most. of what is taught is borrowed and
position and to testify and warn against it. Moreover, it imported. But in the Netherlands, especially in
is my conviction that we must take position and testify connection with the views of Dr. H. M. Kuitert (and
against the new theology not merely on generally others like him), attention is being paid (also
orthodox grounds, but from the viewpoint of and on synodically) to especially two items. The first is "a
the specific ground of our Protestant Reformed consistent horizontalization of faith." And the second
theology, that which, according to my sincere is "the latent kingdom as fruit of the anonymous word
conviction, is the "old theology" in its pure form.        of promise." (I may insert here that the question has
                                                           been raised synodically concerning the viewpoints
  In order to take position over against the new "whether this conception does not need correction and
theology and in order to testify and warn against it, we deepening because it does not bring to sufficient
must understand that theology. There is much vague expression the incomparably greater work of God's
and general discussion about it and its evils, And in a salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.") In these two
general way, I suppose, many of us are acquainted items, as I hope to explain, there is embodied a very
somewhat with its errors. But there is need of specific definite world-and-life view of the new theology. It is
definition. We must understand clearly what this new in this connection that I address you on the subject
theology in the Reformed community stands for; and "New Theology and Old."
we must understand its works. We must know the                               The New Theology
enemy and his position in order to do battle against The World- Wide Significance  of Salvation
him.                                                         It is strongly emphasized by the new theology, first


438                                                THE STANDARD BEARER
.

of all, that God's salvation which has appeared in Jesus reconciliation-act of Jesus Christ should be worked out
Christ is of universal significance. Believers are                and verified by us.
concerned in this salvation in a particular way. But                 T h i s   i s   w h a t   i s   m e a n t   b y   a   "c o n s i s t e n t
God's salvation embraces much more than personal horizontalization of faith." God's work of salvation is
salvation. It concerns no less than the liberation of the directed horizontally toward the future of this earth.
whole world from the strangling grasp of sin. The In this we with our human responsibility of faith are
atonement and reconciliation of Jesus Christ also has wholly concerned and involved. It comes down to this,
to do with the whole world.                                       that we go along with our God and Savior in the
     Now the above could be understood in a good sense.           exciting adventure of faith, together on the road to
There certainly is a proper sense in which it may be              heaven on earth. Too often the church defaults when it
said that salvation is universal. But this is not the idea        comes to this horizontal action. This is especially true
of the new theology. The new theology emphasizes with respect to political and industrial and social
that this salvation which is of universal significance has relationships, It can hardly be seen that the church
reference to this present world and this present earth.           goes along with our God and Savior in the ministry of
God in Jesus Christ through His Spirit is busy renewing           His healing grace for human society. It is asserted that
society on this earth and causing this world to                   many of the younger generation see this clearly, and
correspond to the purpose which He has with it. that their attitude is that "whoever is married to the
Salvation, therefore, must not be sought "above." It              church experiences the disappointment of his life."
comes, indeed, from above, from God; but the New                  And this same younger generation maintains that the
Jerusalem comes down upon the earth. When the Bible non-Christian world is after all not so bad.
speaks of a  "new earth," then  this earth  is meant,             The Anonymous Word of Promise
which is renewed and becomes new under God's hand.                   The third element in this world-and-life view of the
God's salvation, therefore, is earthly salvation. His new theology is the very strange idea of what is called
promises have reference to this world, and here below God's anonymous word of promise.
those promises will be realized. On the horizontal                  It is claimed that at the same time that the church
plane of our earthly reality God is busy making His preaches this gospel of this worldly salvation, she
salvation-history.                                                comes into contact with fragments of human reality
     In close connection with this notion of a universal which, in greater or smaller measure, already
salvation is the idea of on-going history. Indeed, all correspond to this salvation in the world outside of her
salvation that is realized here and now is still imperfect influence. This, it is claimed, is the present day
because of the remaining power of evil. But God's discovery: a kind of reality of salvation such as the
liberation-work - the reconciliation-ministry of Jesus church preaches is apparently called into being outside
Christ - progresses. Jesus Christ is busy coming again.           of and apart from the church. In this connection it
In world history sin shall be conquered. God's should be stated that the new theologians proceed
continuing saving concern with this world will from the oneness of God's grace and salvation. (In
eventually triumph over all opposing forces. Finally, other words, there is no distinction between a saving
we will have in our midst the triumphant Savior, and a non-saving, a special and a common grace of
plainly visible here on earth; and that will be cause for God.) They claim that they do not want to weaken the
great joy. In short, not in a world above this world, absoluteness of God's revelation of salvation in Jesus
and not in a world after this world, but out there in Christ. On the contrary, they exactly want to point
our own world lies the full salvation for the taking.             out how from out of the revelation of Christ the
History is not characterized by a level course of window is opened toward salvation for the whole
development; but the history of God's saving activities world. In Jesus Christ have appeared the goodness and
moves in the direction of the liberation, the the love of humanity of our gracious God, bringing
reconciliation, the renewal of our world.                         salvation for all men. And in that one salvation for the
Horizon taliza tion                                               world is involved at the same time the phenomenon of
     Horizontalism emphasizes that the expectation of true humanity outside of the church.
our faith properly concentrates entirely upon this                  It is in this connection that these new theologians
earth and its future. As God's allies, we are called in refer to the `operation of what is called "the
faith to devote ourselves unconditionally to the anonymous word of promise." They claim not to deny
livability and inhabitability of  this  world. As the unique value of the preached gospel; but they
administrators of the gospel of reconciliation, we will point to the fact that the value of the preached gospel
be active in social and industrial and political activities depends on the promising God. "I Am That I Am" is
in which the rights of the poor and the oppressed are itself the promise for man and the world. And in the
asserted and whereby liberty and brotherhood in the appearance of Jesus Christ God has once and for all
world are served. In such healing conduct on the proved Himself as such, II Corinthians  1:20. From
h o r i z o n t a l   p l a n e   o f   e a r t h l y   r e a l i t y   t h e thence also God's created word of promise proceeds,


                                           THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  439


born forth by His Spirit going out into the world for      revealed. Hence, this expression of a "latent kingdom"
good, bringing salvation. In the church this powerful means that the God of all salvation is also operative
word of promise asserts itself with the name and outside of the church in order to bring the world under
surname of our promising God, who stands behind it.        the domination and rule of His message and mission of
But also in the world which does not know His name         salvation. The emphasis in this connection is said to be
this word of promise is operative, but it is not so much on the idea of individual and personal
anonymously  operative. And also in this namelessness salvation. The idea is not so much to say that
- with the sender unknown!  - this mighty word of everyone, as a fruit of this anonymous promise, is
promise makes use of men, men in whom it arouses involved in this latent kingdom is saved. It is true that
faith and expectation. It is through this that it comes everlasting salvation may not be excluded here. It is
about that men in the Spirit of Christ whom they do        also true that in the order which we have, the order of
not consciously know offer a cup of cold water, devote the preaching, conscious personal union with Christ is
themselves to the needs of others, go through the fire necessary. Nevertheless, outside of the reach of the
in behalf of the miserable and the oppressed, declare preached gospel, the anonymous can also take hold of
their solidarity with those who are deprived and           men for good and cause them to participate in Christ's
discriminated against (Matthew 25:3 l-40). It is by this reconciliation. But the emphasis is on the salvation
anonymous word of promise that these men of the which the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
world are also inspired to help in building the future     brings into being in the world along the hidden ways of
world of righteousness and peace in which God's            His anonymously operative promise of salvation and
salvation receives shape.                                  through the employment of non-church men. And the
  Thus it is that the new theologians explain the true emphasis is upon seeing this salvation in unbreakable
humanity, the beneficial, wholesome activities, and the unity with the salvation that is worked out through the
active expectation which, they claim, can also be means of our preaching and our faith. And the new
discovered in the world. With emphasis it is claimed theology stresses that we must have an eye and a heart
that this active expectation that can be discovered in for this. Thus it is, too, that the new theology
the world outside of the church must be understood as emphasizes that as church we must not live for the great
a response to the powerful, saving word of promise of future of the completed kingdom of God without the
God which goes forth into the world anonymously, world, but in and with the world.
that is, without God's name attached to it. Not only in      Such, briefly, is the world-and-life view of the new
                                                           theology. [I am indebted for the above description to
the  ,preached gospel, but also in God's anonymous Dr. F.L.  Bos, of Vlaardingen as reported by 
promise Christ is presently operative with His Spirit                                                       Friesch
                                                           Dagblad, April 20, 1972.1
and with the power of His resurrection. And thus it
comes about that also men outside of the church are                 I. The New Theology and Old Error
captivated by a new expectation of life and are also         That all of the above is error I hardly have to argue.
included in the advance of God's salvation for mankind One cannot recognize the truth of our Reformed
and the world.                                             confessions in the above presentation. It is universalism
                                                           of the rankest sort. It is post millenialism of the
The Idea of a "Latent &ingdom"                             crassest kind. It embodies a denial of all of the
  It follows, therefore, that all salvation that is precious truths of the gospel which Reformed believers
realized through the service of men who are outside of have always held dear. One can only stand amazed at
the church here in this world must be recognized as the the fact that  views  such as those described can be
proper work of the same God Who through the gospel promulgated  in  the  Gereformeerde Kerken,  and that
and under a plain name calls the world to His salvation. then those churches allow themselves to' become
The same triune God and Savior Who through the involved in long and dilatory discussions with those
means of the call and the action of the church is busy who advance them.
establishing the kingdom of His grace also asserts His       And. that the presentation described above is  old
gracious dominion without the church and outside of error is also hardly in need of demonstration. There
the church; and in the latter instance He does so may, indeed, be some new facets. But anyone who is at
incognito. The men concerned in this do not all acquainted with the Social Christianity which came
acknowledge Him. They miss the believing into vogue about the beginning of this century will
self-consciousness which makes the church church. recognize in the above presentation a close facsimile, if
Nevertheless they stand in a hidden relation to the not an absolute identity.
salvation-bringing God. Without knowing it, they             One may, of course, mention several influences
participate in His saving dominion.                        which are factors in the development and rise of such a
  To denote this idea the term "latent kingdom" has theology - if, indeed, it may be called a theology - in
been used by Dr. Kuitert. The term "latent" means Reformed churches, particularly in what used to be the
"hidden," in contrast with that which is manifest, or citadel of the Reformed faith, and specifically in what


440                                              THE STANDARD BEARER


was supposed to be the bastion of Reformed learning, jongeren, " the tendency has been in the direction of
the Free University of Amsterdam. One may mention t h e   b r o a d , m o d e r n i s t i c , u n i v e r s a l i s t i c ,
the influence of Barthianism, which has undoubtedly post-millennialistic world-and-life view of the new
played a part. One may make mention of the influence theology, due to the fact that the common grace
of the entire critical school with respect to Holy theory furnished the fertile soil for the growth of
Scripture, particularly of Rudolph Bultmann. One may today's complete denial of the antithesis.
mention the influence of the God-is-dead Theology,               Parenthetically, let me explain  .- for those who
along with its new morality and its horizontalism. It think of the Three Points of 1924 in connection with
would seem to me that anyone who is acquainted with common grace  - that I am not now referring to the
the history of the  Gereformeerde Kerken  must needs theory of a general, well-meant offer of salvation in the
see the development today in connection with the long preaching of the gospel. This also is an error, and a
term influence of the movement of  "de jongeren"  in serious one. Perhaps, because of the tide of Arminian
Reformed churches. This movement arose shortly after evangelism that sweeps the churches in our day and
World War I. Its emphasis was upon the need of because of the emphasis which the well-meant offer
something new and broader. It sought a broadening of has received in connection with the controversy about
the confessions. It clamored for escape from what they the Three Points, we are inclined to think first of this
called the isolationist shell of Reformed churches.            when we hear the expression "common grace." But
  But the question is: how is the rise of this new this is not what I have in mind; neither did Dr. Kuyper
theology fundamentally possible in the very citadel of teach the error of a well-meant offer of salvation. In
the Reformed faith? How could these views ever arise?          fact, he rather strongly emphasized particular grace as
How could even the aforementioned influences  be far as salvation is concerned. But by the Kuyperian
influential? How was this possible in the light of the theory of common grace is meant a non-saving favor of
fact that the new theology is so completely foreign, so God toward men in common, elect and reprobate
diametrically opposite to the Reformed faith?                  alike, which is temporal and which pertains to the
  To phrase the question differently, was there things of this present life. We shall come back to this
somewhere some fertile soil, doctrinally speaking, later; but I want to emphasize that it is with this
which could give rise to this new theology in Reformed Kuyperian theory of common grace that the so-called
circles and which could bring forth such corrupt fruit?        new theology is connected. At the same time, I want
  My answer to this question is Yes. The fertile soil in to emphasize that I am increasingly of the conviction
which the seeds of the new theology could germinate, that this theory of common grace has proved to be a
take root, spring forth, and blossom. out is the very dangerous and insidious and devastating error. I
Kuyperian theory of common grace. The so-called fear that we tend sometimes to forget this and to
"new theology," I am saying, is the logical ignore this aspect of the whole subject of common
development and outgrowth of the old error                     grace, or at least to under-estimate its importance.
introduced into Reformed theology by Dr. Abraham Arminianism and the Arminian theory of general grace
.Kuyper, Sr. I am not saying that this development took        and the Arminian notion of a general, well-meant offer
place necessarily in a conscious way. I am not asserting of salvation embodied in the First Point of 1924 is also
that men have consciously built upon and appealed to a very serious  error. There is no question about that;
Dr. Kuyper's common grace theory in rearing the today one looks almost in vain for a Reformed view of
structure of the new theology as described above. I the preaching of the gospel even in the Reformed
have found no evidence, thus far, to make this claim.          community. But the common grace theory is also a
Twice in recent months I have seen journalistic very serious error, though its influence is felt in a
references to common  grace in connection with the different area than the influence of the general grace
views of the new theology. In fact, the very article by theory of a well-meant offer. The common grace
Dr. F. L. Bos to which I referred above speaks at theory makes its influence felt in the area of the
length of Kuyper's views in connection with the new world-and-life view of the Christian, and therefore in
theology. Besides, it is rather commonly recognized the area of sanctification and of our antithetical
that a so-called neo-Kuyperian party m the                     calling to be a separate people. The common grace
Gereformeerde Kerken  is responsible for and largely theory serves as a bridge between the church and the
influential in the development of the new theology.            world, with the result that the world and its evil
Nevertheless, I have no specific grounds on which to influences is brought right into the church. The
base a  _ claim that this development- is a conscious common grace theory serves to blur, and eventually to
development from the philosophy of common grace. eradicate, the lines of demarcation between church and
But if not consciously, then at least in a subconscious world, between light and darkness, between Christ and
way the new theology has sprung forth out of the soil Belial. For this reason I want to emphasize  - or
of the old error of common grace. That is, over a re-emphasize, if you will - the importance of opposing
period of years, especially since the rise of the  "de the error of common grace and of holding to the truth


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   441


that God's grace is always particular. But this only in        least consistent in this respect also: for it holds that
parentheses.                                                   God's grace brings, or is at least capable of bringing,
   Permit me briefly to point out the doctrinal                salvation to the whole world, to all mankind, both
connection and similarity between the common grace             within the church and outside of the church. This is
theory and the new theology.                                   plain in the description which I gave in the first part of
   Dr. Kuyper's theory, in brief,_ is as follows. In the       this address. In the third place, common grace is said
fast place, Dr. Kuyper taught that with a view to              to make it possible to develop the potential given with
eternity and the eternal blessedness of the kingdom of         creation to a certain degree, and that, too, only
heaven, God is gracious only to the elect. But, in the         temporarily. Also the positive influence of common
second place, he taught that there is a restraining            grace is limited, and ultimately fails. But the new
influence of common grace, operative ever since the            theology stresses that through God's one, universal
fall of man, upon the physical and the ethical                 grace, salvation is worked out in this world, also among
corruption of the world and upon the heart of man, so         those who are beyond the church and her preaching.
that the principle of total depravity cannot work              At least in a certain measure that universal salvation is
through. In the third place, Dr. Kuyper taught that           made a tangible reality here and now. The dream of a
there is a positive influence of God's common grace           heaven and earth  -  not  in  the  hereafter,  but in the
upon the mind and will of fallen man whereby he is so         here-and-now - is the mirage of the new theology.
improved that he can still live a positively good                What has been the motive power of this
world-life. By this positive influence of common grace,        development?
it is alleged, the development of the human race is              Via the bridge of common grace and in response,
made possible; but also a positively good world-life on       over a period of years, to the clamor of "de jongeren, "
the part of the fallen human race and in connection           the church has more and more come out of her
with all created things is guaranteed. In all the progress    isolation. She has come into contact with the world.
and civilization of mankind, in science, art, industry,       And today on a far greater scale than ever before she
commerce, as carried on by the world - in a word, in          has come into contact with the non-Christian world.
all the mighty works of the natural man, there is good.       The result has not been that the church has influenced
By virtue of common grace fallen man accomplishes             that world. On the contrary, as is always the case, the
many good things and performs many good works.                result has been that the world has influenced the
Through the alleged covenant of common grace, fallen          church. That world, viewed through the spectacles of
mankind even becomes the ally of God over against the         the common grace theory, has made a favorable
devil. Thus, finally, the common grace theory holds           impression on the church. That world and its evil
that to an extent and for a time God's original creation      influences has been brought into the church. More and
ordinance is carried out.                                     more the church has discovered that she can cooperate
  It is very plain that the new theology, as described        with the world. And today the church - also in large
above, goes farther than the common grace theory. But         measure the Reformed church - has "discovered" that
it is also very plain that the new theology is simply a       she can cooperate with the non-Christian world toward
further development of the common grace theory of             the realization of salutary ideals for human society.
Dr. Kuyper. In a way, though it is totally wrong,             And the new theology with its world-and-life view
certainly even more wrong than the theory of common           simply spells out this possibility for the church, and
grace, it is more consistent.                                 thereby gives it added impetus.
  Let us make a comparison, and thereby see the                          The Old Theology Versus New Error
relation and the development. The new theology also             The old theology stands fundamentally and
denies that God's grace is only particular, in the first      diametrically opposed to this new error, even as it
place. It teaches that God's grace is common, universal.      stands opposed to the error of the common grace
The difference, however, between the new theology             theory.
and the common grace theory lies in the fact that the           What do I mean by the "old theology?"
former teaches that God's grace is ONE. It no longer            It is not my purpose to outline for you the old
posits any difference between special grace and               theology in all its ramifications and details. That would
common grace, but holds that God's grace is always            be a complete course in Reformed dogmatics.
saving, bringing salvation to the whole world.                  But permit me briefly to emphasize the cardinal
Parenthetically, I may remark that it is no wonder,           points of that old theology in this particular context.
then, that the new theology is also characterized by a And then I would call attention to the following:
denial of reprobation. In the second place, common              1) God is God, and always He performs all His
grace is said to furnish only temporary relief and good pleasure. He proceeds directly to  His goal,
enlightenment for fallen mankind. It restrains sin            according to His counsel; and all things - also Satan
temporarily; but ultimately common grace comes to an and sin and the ungodly world  - serve Him in the
end and fails. The new theology goes farther, and is at achievement of this goal. All things are moving toward


442                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER



their final consummation in the parousia of our Lord                  the new theology, and the latter is a development of
Jesus Christ, when the wicked world shall be                          and an improvement upon the former. It is only on the
destroyed, and when the new and everlasting kingdom basis of the strict line of sovereign predestination and
of glory shall be ushered in - not post-millennially and              sovereign, particular grace and the absolute antithesis
in this present time, but through the wonder of grace that the new theology can successfully be resisted.
and in the new creation.                                                 If I may apply all this personally for a moment to
   2) God's grace, which is indeed one and always                     our three graduates at this, my last opportunity to
saving, is directed toward the organic whole of the instruct them and to warn them, then I would
church, in Christ as its `Head, and in connection with                emphasize their calling to stand in the truth, and from
the organic whole of all creatures of the entire cosmos. that stance in the truth to do battle in all their
The ungodly reprobate are never the objects of this                   preaching and teaching and exhortation against the
grace.                                                                increasing error and the growing apostasy of our day.
   3) Besides the operation of God's drawing, saving,                    Does that mean that as future Protestant Reformed
glorifying grace toward the elect kernel of created ministers of the gospel you must fight the battle of
things, there is an operation of God's rejecting,                     1924? By all means! Should you fail to do that, you
repelling wrath on the reprobate shell.                               would be unfaithful!
   4) All things of this present life are means which                    But does that mean that you must fight that battle
God uses - either in grace or in wrath - as means to                  as though you live in 1924, or in the immediate
fulfill His counsel. In so far as man uses those things of post-l 924 era? That is neither possible, nor necessary!
this present life, they constitute so many obligations We do not live in 1924. You graduates stand two
whereby man is placed before the demand to thank                      generations removed from 1924. You have not
and serve God with all his heart and mind and soul and                experienced it. Even I myself belong to the post-1924
strength.                                                             generation, though in the nature of the case I stand
   5) Sin develops in this world and in the course of                 much closer to that struggle than do you . But we live
history as rapidly as possible through an operation of in 1972, and we must tight the battle as living in 1972.
God's wrath upon the lusts of the flesh; there is no And remember, there has been development - both on
restraining and improving operation of the Holy Spirit the side of the truth and on the side of the lie.
on natural man apart from regeneration.                                  In order to fight that battle in 1972 you must have
   6) The Christian does not separate himself understanding of the times. You must understand the
physically and locally from the world. Neither is it the times theologically; and you must understand the
calling of the Christian to improve this world, which is              times practically. And in order to understand the
impossible. It is his calling to be in the world, but not             times, you must understand history, specifically our
of the world. Positively, it is his calling to live from the          own history. You must understand the history of
principle of regeneration and according to the Word of doctrine and the development of the truth. You must
God, and thus to represent the cause of the Son of understand the history and the roots of the lie. You
God here in the world as being of the party of the                    must understand new theology and new error in the
living God.                                                           light of and in connection with old error and old
  It is on this basis of the old theology - and I insist theology.
that Protestant Reformed theology is not something                       And therefore, my concluding word to you at this
new, but is indeed the old, Reformed theology - I say occasion of your graduation is: Remember the rock
that it is only on this basis of the old theology that whence you have been hewn y also the rock whence
you can successfully resist and oppose the new error.                 you have been hewn ecclesiastically and theologically.
He who would reject the new theology, but fall back And exercise yourselves in the old theology, in order
only to the position of the old error of common grace                 that you may be well-equipped to fight the new error
will fail. The theory of common grace brings the and to lead the church in the old, but ever new and
church right into the world; or rather, it brings the glorious, paths of the truth.
world into the church. Common grace has produced




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                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                       443



Question  330x

                             About Infant Baptism
                                               Pr0.f H.C. Hoeksema

  From a Grand Rapids reader I received the following       position and hold to infant baptism. He is not far from
interesting questions about infant baptism. I will at       the kingdom in that respect. In the second place,
least begin to answer them in this issue; but perhaps       Calvin himself insisted very strongly on infant baptism
this answer will have to be in two installments. Here       - over against the Anabaptists of his day. He devotes
are the questions:                                          an entire chapter of his Institutes (Book IV, Chapter
  "Some time ago my wife and I had the opportunity          XVI) to an exposition and defense of infant baptism;
to visit with a Baptist Minister who prided himself in      and in the introduction to this chapter he makes it
the fact that he was truly Calvinistic, that he believed    plain that he considers infant baptism a matter of
in the sovereignty of God and all it implies, that he       "purity of doctrine in a capital point." Now while I am
believed in the Covenant, and yet he insisted on the        personally not fond of the term  Gzlvinistic,  it will be
baptism of  believers  only and not the baptism of plain that one who disagrees with Calvin on what that
infants.                                                    man of God called a matter of "purity of doctrine in a
  "His point of argument was as follows: during the         capital point" can hardly be 100% entitled to the name
Old Testament institution of the Passover, the young        of Calvinist. This chapter of Calvin's Institutes, by the
children were instructed to partake of the institution,     way, contains much worthwhile and Scripturally
and when they asked their fathers `Why do we observe        founded instruction.
this ceremony?' the fathers were to teach them about          Before I deal directly with the matter of baptism
their deliverance out of the land of Egypt, Exodus 12:      taking the place of circumcision, I must make this
24-27. We believe that in the new dispensation the          remark. The argument that baptism has come in the
institution of the Lord's Supper has taken the place of     place of circumcision is only one link in $he chain of
the Passover, and yet only  believers are  allowed to       Scriptural argumentation in favor of infant baptism.
partake of the Sacrament and not their children (as in      That argumentation is: 1) That there is but one
the Passover). Because ONLY believers are to partake        covenant of God both in the old and the new
of the elements of the Lord's Supper, so also ONLY          dispensation. 2) That there is essentially but one sign
believers are to receive the sign of the covenant. In       of that covenant both in the old and new
other words, although `. . . God formerly commanded         dispensations, though that sign takes different forms.
them to be circumcised, which was a seal of the             3) That God continues His covenant, both in the old
covenant, and of the righteousness of faith . . .' now,     and in the new dispensation, in the line of continued
because the infants are excluded from the Lord's table,     generations.
so are they to be excluded from this `seal of the             And also this remark I must make. The argument
covenant.'                                                  which the Baptist makes that he holds to the baptism
  "This minister also stated that nowhere in Scripture      of believers, thereby implying that those who hold to
are we told that Baptism has taken  the place of            infant baptism do not hold to baptism of believers but
Circumcision, and therefore we  may not draw this           of non-believers, is a specious argument. This will be
conclusion  ,nor may we do anything that is not             dealt` with in the quotation I am about to make. But I
specifically taught us in Scripture.                        want to emphasize this. I also hold to the baptism of
  "I would like to have you answer these arguments in       believers! And I do so, too, when I hold to and engage
the  Standard Bearer."                                      in baptism of infants!
Reply                                                         As far as Scriptural evidence is concerned, this is not
   Permit me to answer the second argument first: it is     difficult to produce. Of course, if *you are looking for a
the more important of the two, even though the first        literal statement that baptism has come in the place of
argument raises some interesting questions. I will          circumcision, you look in vain - even as you look in
by-pass the question as to just how  Calvinistic  this vain for a literal statement that the Lord's Supper has
Baptist minister is. I only want to make two remarks        taken the place of the Passover. But that it is. the clear
about that. In the  f=st place, if this minister truly      teaching of Scripture cannot be doubted.  And I find
holds to the truth of God's covenant as well as to the      the Scriptural evidence marshalled on pp. 691-694 of
truth of God's sovereignty, and if he understands that H. Hoeksema's Reformed Dogmatics, a section which I
truth of God's covenant thoroughly, then I would say        here quote in full:
that before long he will have to forsake his Baptist             But there is more. Not only are the people of God


444                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER



       in the old and new dispensation the same, but also            circumcision was a sign. In this respect circumcision
       thesign of the covenant, though different in form, is         has the same significance as holy baptism. In
       the same in both dispensations. Those that maintain           Deuteronomy 10: 16 we read: "Circumcise, therefore,
       the baptism of infants have always called attention to        the foreskin of your heart and be no more
       this truth, and correctly so, for it is an important and      stiffnecked." Here too it is evident that circumcision
       necessary link in the chain of the Scriptural argument        was a sign of a circumcised, that is, of a sanctified
       for infant baptism. The objections which Baptists             heart. Circumcision and baptist, therefore, have the
       love to make against the baptism of infants is not a          same  significancei Confer also Deuternomy  30:6:
       Scriptural one, but rather one which they draw from           "And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart,
       their own mind. It' is that baptism is a sign and seal of     and the heart of the seed, to love the Lord thy God
       the righteousness of faith, of the forgiveness of sin, of     with all thine heart, and with all they soul, that thou
       regeneration, and that therefore it may be                    mayest live." Circumcision, therefore, was a sign of
       administered only to those whom we know to be                 the work fo God's grace in the heart, whereby the
       believers, that is, to those that confess their faith;        heart is faed with the love of God, and therefore it
       that it is an established fact that many of the infants       was a sign of the same grace that is signified in
       that are baptized in later life prove to be no children       baptist. Again, confer Jeremiah  4:4: "Circumcise
       of God at all, and are lost; and that for this reason it      yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins
       is certainly wrong to administer the sign of baptism          of your heart, y men of Judah and inhabitants of
       to children of believers before they have come to             Jerusalem." It is evident that in the language of the
       years of discretion. Against  +&is argument many              New Testament this is the same as saying: "Put off
       couterarguments may be adduced, such as, the fact             the old man of sin, and put on the new man, which is
       that faith can be, and is, in fact, in the hearts of          renewed after the image of God in true righteousness
       infants, implanted immediately by the Holy Spirit.            and holiness." Circumcision and baptism, threfore,
       Although they do not yet actually believe, yet they           are essentially the same in meaning. And finally,
       have the faculty or power of faith. Moreover, if              confer Romans 4:ll: "And he received the sign of
       Baptists argue that one must be sure that faith               circumcision, a seal of the righeousness of the faith
       is present in the heart of anyone before he can               which he had yet being  uncincumcised." In this
       be baptized, the Baptist himself cannot baptize on            passage circumcision OS presented as a sealing of the
       that ground either, for the simple reason that there          righeousness which is by faith. God seals in the sign
       may be, and are in fact, hypocrites among them that           of circumcision that He justifies the believers by faith
       are baptized. But the chief argument which the                and counts their faith for righteousness. Again, the
       Baptists here produce turns against themselves. For           same is true of baptism.
       what they here argue against baptism holds in its                That this last is true will be evident if we compare
       full force against infant circumcision. Yet circumcision      with the above passages those that speak of the
       is directly enjoined by the Lord upon the seed of             significance of holy baptism. Acts 2:38: "Then Peter
       Abraham in their generations.                                 said unto them, Repent and be baptized everyone of
          Also circumcision was a sign of the righteousness          you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
       which is by faith, of spiritual circumcision, of the          sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
       circumcision of the heart, of regeneration and                Baptism, therefore, is a sign of the remission of sins,
       sanctification, of the cutting away of the old man of         or, if you please, of the righteousness which is by
       sin, of the love of God in a new heart. In all these          faith. The same is taught in Acts 22:16:  "And now,
       respects the significance of the old covenant sign is         why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash
       the same as of the sign of baptism. The identity of the       away thy sins, calling on the name of  the Lord."
       two signs, though they differ in form, can be very            Again, in Romans 6:4 we read: Therefore, we are
       clearly proved from the Word of God.                          buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
          This is proved from those passages of Holy Writ            Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of
       that refer to the sign of circumcision only: Thus, for        the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
       instance, in Leviticus  26:40,  41 we read: "If they          life." Baptism, like circumcision, is a sign of renewal,
       shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their       that is, of the renewal in Christ. In baptism we die
       fathers, with their trespass which they have trespassed       with Christ, and we arise with Him in newness of life
       against me, and that also they have walked contrary           and walk. The same is expressed in Galatians 3:27:
       unto me; and that I also have walked contrary unto            "For as many of you as have been baptized into
       them, and have brought them into the land of their            Christ have put on Christ." Baptism, therefore, is a
       enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be                sign of putting on Christ, that is, of being renewed in
       humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of            Him. These passages may easily by multiplied, but the
       their iniquity." It is evident here that an uncircumcised     above texts may suffice.
       heart is the same as a heart that will not confess sin           Finally, I want to call your attention to the
       and iniquity. To be uncircumcised in heart is to be           passages in Scripture that simply identify the two,
       unconverted. By implication this means that a                 circumcision and baptism. Thus we read in Colossians
       circumcised heart is a regenerated and converted              2:11,  12: "In whom also ye are circumcised with the
       heart, from which there arises sorrow over sin and            circumcision made without hands, in putting off the
       confession of iniquity. Of such a heart, therefore,           body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of


                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                              445


     Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye                be more evident from the Scriptures. It is simply an
    are risen with him through the faith of the operation               historic fact that baptism forced circumcision must
    of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Here                    be discarded. For a time they existed side by side,
    the apostle plainly identifies the sign of baptism and              especially in Jewish Christian communities, and
    circumcision with respect to their  signiticance. He                circumcision tried to maintain itself alongside of
    writes to the church of the new dispensation that                   baptism. But  this proved to be impossible, and
    believers are circumcised in the spiritual sense of the             circumcision was forced to surrender its place in the
    word, and that this spiritual circumcision took place               church. And what is the reason? The reason is that
    when they were buried with Christ in baptism A                      the Word of God plainly teaches, as we have shown,
    more direct proof that circumcision and baptism are                 that essentially baptism has the same significance as
    essentially the same in meaning, the change of form                 circumcision, that the two signs with the same
    being due to the transition from the old into the new               meaning could not exist side by side, that
    dispensation, that is, from the dispensation of the                 circumcision belongs to the time of the shadows and
    shadows to that of the fulfillment, could not be                    therefore must make room for baptism as being the
    given. At the same time this passage also implies that              sign of fulfillment. Hence, if one would still insist
    baptism is come in the place of circumcision, as all                that circumcision were necessary for the Christian
    our Reformed fathers always taught. The same is true                church, he could only do so because he attached
    of Philippians 3: 3: "For we are  the circumcision,                 significance to it as an element of the law, sought the
    which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ              righteousness which is of the law, so that Christ had
    Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Here the               become of none effect to him. And surely, baptism as
    apostle does not mention baptism neither does he                    being the same sign essentially, and having the form
    refer to it. But nevertheless he maintains that not the             proper to the dispensation, has come in the place of
    Jews, but the church of the new dispensation in Christ              circumcision. So true this is, that the apostle can
    are the circumcision. Essentially, therefore,                       write that we are the circumcision, which are
    circumcision has not be discarded, but is continued in              baptized.
    the church of the new dispensation in the sacrament
    of baptism.                                                   Thus far the quotation from Reformed Dogmatics.
       The Baptists, of course, deny that baptism has             To the other argument raised by this Baptist
    come in the place of circumcision, as is plainly            minister to my questioner I will try to answer next
    expressed in our Baptism Form. Yet, nothing could           time, the Lord willing.





Contending   for  the  Faith

                               The Doctrine of Atonement
                                             THE REFORMATION PERIOD
                                                 THE SYNOD OFDORDT
                                                        THE CANONS

                                                         H.  Veldman

  The ninth and final article of Head II of our Canon                   which may steadfastly love and faithfully serve Him
of Dordt, calling our attention to the death of Christ                  as their Saviour, Who as a Bridegroom for His bride,
and the redemption of men thereby, reads as follows:                    laid down His life for them upon the cross, and which
                                                                        may celebrate His praises here and through all              ~
      This purpose proceeding from everlasting love                     eternity.
   towards the elect, hath from the beginning of the
   world to this day been powerfully accomplished, and             When the fathers speak of "this purpose" in the very
   will henceforward still continue to be accomplished,
    notwithstanding all the ineffectual opposition of the       beginning of this truly wonderful article, they
    gates of hell, so that the elect in due time may be         undoubtedly refer to the Lord's sovereign counsel, also
    gathered together into one, and that there never may        called the most gracious will and purpose of God the
   be wanting a church composed of believers, the               Father at the beginning of Article VIII. rThis refers to
    foundation of which is laid in the blood of Christ,         that purpose of the Father according to which the


446                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious heel." The very first child born, Cain, slays his brother,
death of God's Son should extend to all the elect,           Abel, because Abel was righteous and Cain was wicked.
saving them even unto the uttermost. And the fathers Think of the struggle of the church in the ages before
begin this ninth article by calling attention to the fact the flood. The Scriptures speak of proud and wicked
that this purpose proceeds from God's everlasting love Lamech, the father of Jabal, Jubal and Tubal-Cain. He
towards the elect. This we read literally in Isaiah 44: 1    has two wives, and boasts of the fact that he had slain
- 2: "Yet now hear, 0 Jacob My servant; and Israel, two people, probably people of God. We also read of
whom I have chosen: Thus saith the Lord that made Enoch, a preacher of righteousness. They sought him,
thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help which means that they looked for him in order to kill
thee; Fear not, 0 Jacob, My servant; and thou, him, but found him not because the Lord has
Jesurun, whom I have chosen." And this is also set translated him. And when the Lord destroys the world
forth in Romans  8:29-30: "For whom He did with a flood, only 8 souls were saved in the ark. How
foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to fierce the struggle had been!
the image of  His Son, that He might be the firstborn          The struggle becomes more intense after the flood.
among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did Shortly after the flood, the wicked, disobeying God's
predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called command to scatter over the earth, under the
`them He also justified: and whom He justified, them leadership of Nimrod, the mighty rebel, are determined
He also glorified." Indeed, the love of God toward His to organize into one mighty world kingdom, and build a
elect is a sovereign, everlasting love.                      city, with a tower that would reach up into heaven.
   Notice, in the second place, that the foundation of But the Lord confused their speech and compels them
this Church of God, powerfully preserved throughout to scatter over the earth. And how the "gates of hell"
the ages, is laid in the blood of Christ, and that this      fumed and raged against the Church of God in the land
church, always preserved throughout the ages, will love of Egypt! After forcing them into slave labor, a
and faithfully serve Him as their Saviour, Who as a maneuver which failed utterly, the king of Egypt gave
bridegroom laid down His life for His bride upon the         the commandment that all the male infants should be
cross. This church, therefore, is anchored in the cross      cast into the River Nile, thereby attempting to choke off
of Calvary. It is the blood of the Lamb of God which         the life of the nation of Israel and to prevent the birth
guarantees the everlasting life of all the elect. This is a of the Christ-Child. Indeed, all these attempts of the
far cry from the Arminian conception of universal powers of darkness throughout the Old Dispensation
atonement. This Arminian presentation, we have seen, are held before us in Rev. 12:3: "And there appeared
guarantees nothing. According to it, everything de- another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red
pends upon the free will of the sinner. According to dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
the fathers of Dordt, however, the foundation of the crowns upon his heads." Then, we may also recall the
church is laid in the cross of Christ. Because of this efforts of the powers of darkness to destroy the people
death of the Son of God, the salvation of all the elect of the Lord while they were in the wilderness. Amalek
is assured, resting in the unchangeable love of God.         comes forth to wage war against them, is defeated by
   Thirdly, God always powerfully accomplishes His the hosts of the Lord, and Moses receives command-
counsel of the salvation of all the elect. This article ment from the Lord to record this in a book, in order
speaks of the "gates of hell." The expression, "gates of that Amalek may be utterly destroyed, Saul receiving a
hell," refers to all the evil powers which issue forth out commandment from Samuel to accomplish this. Then,
of the power of darkness. These are the powers of think of the time when Israel dwelt in the land of
persecution and reproach, of suffering and death, of Canaan. How the people of the Lord were harassed
fire and sword and prison, the temptation of vain from within and without! In this connection, we may
philosophy, of the treasures and pleasures of this world, recall the period of the Judges, when heathen nations,
the dominion of sin and of the flesh. The devil will         time and again, invaded the land of Canaan to molest
reveal himself either as a devouring lion or as an angel and harass the people of the Lord. How often did it
of light. Sometimes he uses the power of the sword not happen that wicked kings would sit upon the
whereby he kills the body, and at other times he resorts throne of Israel, leading the people of the Lord away
to vain philosophy and to the undermining of the             from the statutes and precepts of Jehovah! The ten
truth, the very foundations of the Church of God. tribes rebelled against the house of David, set up their
And always these "gates of hell" seek the destruction own kingdom of the ten tribes, and only Judah
of the Church of God in the midst of the world.              was left as a remnant of the covenant God. But
  How true this is throughout the Old Dispensation!          also the kingdom of Judah would be led, time and
This struggle of the ages is set forth by the Lord           again, by wicked kings. Always the great red dragon is
already in Gen. 3: 15: "And I will put enmity between        standing before the Church of the Old Dispensation
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her             (Rev. 12), eager to present her from bringing forth the
seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his    ChristChild.  Finally, the people of the Lord are taken


                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  447


into captivity. Seventy years they spend in the heathen overcome with his violent passions, and remembering
land of Babylon, and we listen to the complaint of the what he had suffered during the siege, he compelled
Church of God, in Ps. 137: l-3: "By the rivers of the Jews to dissolve the laws of their country, and to
Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we keep their infants uncircumcised, and to sacrifice
remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the swine's flesh upon the altar. Terrible cruelties were
willows in the midst thereof. For there they that inflicted upon the people of the Lord by this monster
carried us away captive required of us a song; and they of iniquity. But never did the "gates of hell" prevail
that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one against the Cause of God in the midst of the world.
of the songs of Zion." After returning out of the land Always did the Lord preserve a church and watch over
of their captivity, the people of the Lord were in His covenant people. And always the Lord accomplished
imminent danger of destruction because of wicked His counsel not only over against all the gates of hell,
Haman, as narrated in the book of Esther. That but also thus, that the powers of evil had to serve this
diabolical plot did not merely concern the Jews who accomplishment of His counsel.
were living in Persia, but it was directed at all the Jews      And thus it also was during our Saviours' earthly
throughout the world. Indeed, how unique is the sojourn. All we need do is recall all the attempts to
history of the people of God throughout the ages!             destroy Him and keep Him from the way of the cross.
Upon what people has so much hatred and enmity been As soon as He was born His life was threatened by
directed for so long a time and by so many nations and Herod the Great. Learning of the wise men that the
peoples of the earth! This has been continuing King of the Jews had been born, and also learning
throughout the ages. The world never tires of heaping upon inquiring of the scribes that the King of the Jews
all its ridicule and hatred upon the people of the Lord. was to be born in Bethlehem, the city of David, he
Haman, too, would destroy this people of the Lord, and instructs the wise men, after they had brought their
also here we have an attempt by the great red dragon homage to this king of the Jews, to report to him in
to destroy the Man-Child, Christ Jesus. And finally, in order that he, too, might worship the newly born King
the Old Dispensation, there are the fearful times of the Jews. And thereupon he commands all the
experienced by the Cause of the Lord after Israel's children that were in Bethlehem to be slain, and all the
return out of the captivity. Well might Israel lament as children in all the coasts thereof. How the devil, when
we read it in Ps. 129: l-3: "Many a time have they he tempted Christ in the wilderness attempted to
afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say: keep the Saviour away from the cross, proposing to
Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: Him that He take a "short cut" to fame and honour,
yet they have not prevailed against. The plowers rather than to follow the tortuous way of the cross,
plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows." the way of Divine obedience! And, finally, the attempt
How true is this lament especially in the days when the was made by the prince of the powers of the air to
people of the Lord were oppressed by Antiochus destroy the Son of God by nailing Him to the cross of
Epiphanes. This Antiochus Epiphanes, Old Testament Calvary. There he gathered all the forces of hell, and
type of the Anti-Christ, was a monster of iniquity. It made the Christ of God an object of public ridicule
was he who came upon the Jews with a great army, and shame. But all these effects were in vain, inasmuch
took Jerusalem by force, and slew many of the Jews. as the Lord raised Him from the dead, lifted Him up
And, also according to Josephus, not satisfied either into the highest glory, and gave Him a place in His own
with his unexpected taking of the city, or its pillage, or right hand. The Lord willing, we will continue with
with the great slaughter he had made there; but being this in our following article.


Studies  in  Election
                              Its Resistance (Continued)
                                              Rev. Robt. C Harbach

  In our last installment we showed how this truth a cursory study of the matter. What little scrutiny he
meets with bitter protestations and the methods of may have given it has been darkened by the veil of
attack against it. Very frequently, the one who prejudice which blindfolds him. It makes no difference
opposes this truth is almost wholly ignorant of what it to him whether you can prove that election is the
is all about, hardly knowing what he is up against. fountain of holiness and good works. He only wants to
Usually, his ignorance is the result of failure to            do away with it. For it throws too strong a searchlight
enlighten himself on the subject. He has made not even on his inferior, humanistic gospel.


448                                                THE  STANDARD  BEARER


  Among the bitterest and most unrelenting enemies 11 is out of date. The implication is that the covenant
against the doctrine of election are the Romanists. God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not the God of
They are among the oldest protagonists of "free the living, but of the dead, hence that God, too, is out
willism," and salvation by works and human merit. of date. The meaning is also that our later and
The Roman Catholic Church with its Dogmatic Reformed fathers of Dordrecht are long out of date.
Decrees of the Council of Trent has never ceased to Their doctrine belongs under glass in the museum. To
oppose sovereign grace and divine predestination. Not go on: "If archaic theological methods still dominate
by the gracious power of a preached. gospel, but by the Seminary, that is too bad  - too bad for the
power-politics and by humanistic, even secularistic, Seminary and too bad for the denomination." If
ecumenism, Rome strives to be the one-world church. anything, this means that Calvin, Calvinism and the
Then the liberal, modernistic and radical so-called Reformed Confessions are passe, defunct and "too
Protestant ecumenists, themselves deniers of bad" to be maintained in this enlightened (?) age. With
predestination and sovereign grace, lead their dead, such a modernist spirit in the seminary, it will soon
apostate churches to ultimate union with Rome. She, pervade the churches. It is an old saying, but it hits the
compared to other church bodies in the world, has nail on the head, "As goes the seminary, so goes the
both political and ecclesiastical power uncomparable, church."
and, in addition, enjoys more prestige than any other                "Perhaps systematic theology was meaningful once;
organization in the world. Her power increases when so and perhaps it will be meaningful again some day. But
called Protestant pulpits preach the things which give now it is harmful. We Christian Reformed people are
her aid and comfort and advance her interests. She is so used to thinking in terms of election and
d e l i g h t e d   w i t h   t h e   m o d e r n   p r o p h e t s   o f reprobation, predestination and free will, redemption,
mass-evangelism and of the charismatic movement, justification, providence, and all the rest that our
who preach fallen man's power to accept Christ and r e l i g i o n   h a s   b e e n   r e d u c e d   t o   t h e o l o g i c a l
believe, rather than God's eternal purpose which He fence-tending." In the Belgic Confession we have what
purposed in Christ Jesus before the world began. we may call systematic theology. But it is all
Pretenders to Protestantism attack or undermine the meaningless now, and detrimental. It is a positive
doctrine of election, using the same objections against threat to the existence of the church - it is dangerous.
it that came from the ultramontanist church back in This sounds much like the Dewey-philosophy, inimical
counter-Reformation days.                                         to divine authority, regarding it as an alien standard,
  So the enemies of this truth have always raged along with all "structured" or "organized religion."
against it, and regard the proclaimers of it as downright This is also a deliberate attack on what the Reformed
wicked. When such ire and epithet fall upon you for have always called  COY  Ecclesiae,   the heart of the
the truth's sake, take it as an indicator that you are on church, which is the central dogma of predestination in
the right track. As the book, The Holy War, describes its positive and negative aspects of election and
them, modern election-doubters are Diabolonians who reprobation. Here, too, is a slur against the heart of the
know how to misrepresent the truth, but are unable to gospel, namely, redemption and the foundation truth
disprove it with evidence and argument. They can of justification by faith. Also here is insult to all
caricaturize the truth, but they are unable to debate it. Reformed ministers and ofticebearers who sign the
Also, as already shown, for years in the past there has Formula of Subscription and so swear in the name of
been an underground movement in the Presbyterian, God that they will preach, teach and defend these
Reformed and Calvinistic churches to subvert this doctrines against every lie repugnant to them. Such
truth. Arminianism in the churches has always led oath-bound men are thus branded "harmful." But the
underhandedly to Modernism. Now, today, we see brazen, anti-intellectual striplings go on: "With our
openly how Modernism leads to socialism, and, it thought gone sterile, strait-jacketed by remote abstrac-
should be equally plain, to communism. More and tion, each with its own parcel of proof-texts,
more, the opposition comes out into the open. Read our moral behavior has become legalistic and
Ernest Gordon's The Leaven of the Sqdducees, where fundamentalistic . .  ." Years ago, Arminians and
you will see how Modernism and Socialism ruined the liberals accused believers in the three great Reformed
originally Christian colleges and universities by Confessions as being hyper-Calvinist. But now if you
infiltration. Now these evils are much more. out into still hold the confessions, you are legalistic. Now you
the open. We need not go very far afield to prove this.           are not "hyper" any more, but quite a bit less,
  Recall, for example, the publication put out by "fundamentalistic." Theological thinking, of the
students of Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan,               Reformed calibre, according to these adolescent
known as  7'he  Chimes,  in its April 22, 1966 issue.             experts, is sterile and strait-jacketed. Why? Because
There it is stated, "The faith of our fathers . . . is            there is a lack of fresh presentation in the preaching?
plainly out of date." This means that the faith of Or because of a failure to develop the Reformed truth?
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is out of date; that Hebrews You know that's not their meaning, They mean that


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 449


there are still a faithful few who still think according    the Christian read the Scripture like any other book
to the faith of our fathers, as exemplified in the simply because he cannot deny his own faith. As a
Canons of Dordt. But creeds are sterilizing factors in      Christian, one of his basic presuppositions is that all
the church, you know. So the enemies of creeds and          Scripture is God-breathed. It is an article of his
Reformed symbols have always ranted.                        heart-centered faith to believe that they are "holy and
   What did these youthful wonders recommend to the divine Scriptures . . , they are from God . . . the
churches? "To begin with, chuck every theological           doctrine thereof is most perfect and complete in  all
abstraction  - the entire symmetrical system  - and respects. Neither do we consider of equal value any
start theologizing all over again." Here' is proof that     writing of men . . . with those divine Scriptures." They
there is an element in the younger generation that          alone are "the truth of God," and "the truth is above
wants to be rid of the Reformed Confessions. They           all; for all men are pf themselves liars, and more vain
would jettison the Reformed cargo, drop its banner than vanity itself. Therefore we reject  with  all  our
and sail under a false flag to turn the church into a hearts,  whatsoever doth not agree with this infallible
"peace corps." It is insult to the Spirit of grace, who rule, which the apostles have taught us, saying, `Try
throughout the ages led the church into all the truth,      the spirits whether they are of God' . .  ." (Belgic
to do away with the Reformed Faith and to start from Confession). The Christian cannot read the Scripture as
scratch. It is subterfuge to speak of "theologizing all any other book simply because he cannot read it as the
over again." They do not intend to theologize.              natural man. He cannot confess, "Inspired it is," and at
Theology they despise. They mean to philosophize, to the same time treat it as something purely human.
theorize, to "demythologize," to romanticize, to              "If the Old Testament picture of God shows a
hallucinate. They would turn the church into a marked change from Genesis to Psalms to Malachi, we
dreamery.                                                   ought to admit that, rather than trying (sic) to
   "Second," they go on to recommend, "learn to read reconcile the variant concepts . . ." This insinuates the
the Scripture like any other book." If we did, we evolutionary philosophy of God, the German
would not continue daily with it, as the Christian does rationalistic theory of God. In Genesis God is
and plans to do throughout his life. This inept conceived according to man's early ignorance as a
recommendation is deep-dyed Modernism. The bestial boor who demanded human sacrifice (chap.
Christian cannot read the Scripture like any other 22). In the Psalms He is conceived but little better, as a
book simply because the Scripture is not like any other vindictive imprecating tyrant. Whereas, in Malachi we
book. Any other book is a natural book. The Scripture come closest to that advanced concept that the one
is the only book that is a supernatural book. You God is the universal father, of all men (2: 10). So runs
cannot read a supernatural book like a natural book, the old Modernism, as it is taken up by the "now"
for that would be to deny the supernatural, and treat it    generation. Even where we may speak of a restraint of
like a mere natural book. You cannot read the sin, as in the case of Abimelech (Gen. 20), there is still
infallible Word of God like any fallible word of man. resistance to truth. There is more of this collegian folly
You've got to read it as it is  - the very unique, we intend to examine, but it must follow in the next
incomparable, verbally inspired Word of God. Nor can installment, the Lord willing.



The  Strength   of  Youth

                                  Obeying Parents
                                                Rev. J. Kortering

   The Holy Spirit knows human nature.                      would rather carry a big stick and a big threat, than
   He directs us in the way from which we are most          bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the
inclined to wander.                                         Lord.
   Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.           And here we have the same approach. The Holy
No wife wants that, especially in this age of women's       Spirit in dealing with young people touches them
lib!                                                        where it hurts, "Children, obey your parents in the
   Husbands, love your wives even as Christ loved the       Lord, for this is right. Honour thy father and mother,
church. Again, it is much easier to be tyrannical than      which is the first commandment with promise; that it
loving, especially when one is considered the "boss!"       may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on
   Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. We          the earth," Eph. 6: l-3. Quite obviously, children don't


450                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


like to hear that any more than wives like to be told to     in the sphere of the home.
be subject to their husbands, husbands told to love             Honoring parents is something different. It is a
their wives, or parents told to refrain from provoking       special expression of love. To honor parents is to give
their children to wrath. It isn't a question of what         recognition to their God-given position over us. Just as
we like to hear, rather a willingness to be instructed.      honoring our government means that we realize that
  Here the Holy Spirit deals with children and young         God has placed them over us to perform His will
people.                                                      through them, whether the ruler recognizes this or not,
SPECIAL CHILDREN                                             so it applies to our parents. Honor your parents means
  The fact that the Word of God contradicts human            that we see them as appointed by God to control our
nature indicates that God's Word is not directed to the      lives and that we do not resist this, but respect it.
whole human race, as if God expects all children of the         Do you want to honor your father? Understand
world to heed His commands. To be sure, the demands          clearly that he is God's appointed head of the home
of God are directed to everyone who reads the Word of        and that he is called by God to make God's demands
God. Not everyone however, will give heed simply             upon everyone who lives in the home. Your father
because they read it. To children devoid of the grace of     must exercise his calling and will have to give account
the Holy Spirit, these words are from the ancient past,      to God as to how he does this. Young People honor
which the NOW generation refuses to heed.                    their fathers, then, by co-operating and making this
  To you covenant young people there is, however, a          task easier for him, not harder. We may not resist this
difference. This is the Word of God. It is God's Word        and insist that our privacy means that our parents leave
directed to you as members of His covenant. It is a          us alone. It is not so, that growing up means that we
Word that deals with your responsibilities to your           turn our back to anything that others, including our
covenant parents. When the Word says, "Children,             parents, have to say to us. Honoring parents means
obey your parents," you realize that your parents are        that we hear them out and recognize that when they
very special. They have authority given to them by           speak to us out of the Word of God, God is speaking to
God to direct your life in a way that is right and           us through them. Thus mothers and fathers are united
pleasing to God. They must make the will of God              not only in marriage, but also in parenthood. Honoring
known to you, expect that you walk in it, and                mother means that we recognize that her position is to
discipline you when you fail to do that. This is for         assist father in the task of bringing up children. To
God's sake.                                                  honor her means that we will not try to drive a wedge
  You are special young people in that God has given         between her and father, as young people often like to
you a place in such a home. From childhood to the            do. We may not try to play one parent against the
present, you have been set aside by God as                   other. If we are to honor them, we will recognize their
His children. "Before I formed thee in the belly, I          mutual responsibility to control our lives in the way
knew thee and before thou camest forth out of the            God wants it to be done.
womb, I sanctified thee and ordained thee a prophet            Obedience is the practical result of honoring. If we
unto the nations," Jer.  1:5. That wasn't true just for      honor our parents and recognize their position is given
Jeremiah; it is true for all God's children. "For the        them by God to control our lives, it stands to reason
promise is unto you and to your children and to all          that what they demand of us will be-performed by us.
that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God          To obey our parents is a practical demonstration that
shall call," Acts. 2:39. Even though we are conceived        we honor them. If we disobey them, we cannot say
and born in sin, as children of God we are redeemed by       that we honor them.
the blood of Christ and made God's special people.             This touches much of our young lives. Our parents
  This makes us to have a profound respect for His           are called by God to guide us in our whole life. From
Word.                                                        birth on they are concerned about our physical health
  God says, honor and obey your parents.                     and safety. Proper diet, cleanliness, grooming, clothing,
HONORING AND OBEYING                                         are all their concern. Parents are to teach us the
  What must we do to honor our parents?                      management of money, to help us learn the will of
  Some young people suggest that to honor parents,           God for our future place of service. Their
they must heap all kinds of affection upon them. They        responsibility is to supervise our social life, friends,
confuse love and honor. Love is basic to honor, but          dates, places of entertainment. Parents must guide in
not the same. Love provides the proper motivation to         spiritual growth, schooling, study for catechism,
honor. Love recognizes the person for what he is. Before     church attendance, personal prayer life and
God we recognize the person of our parents, and this         meditation.
draws us closer to them, as it draws us closer to God. If      It stands to reason, then, that parents that are trying
we love our parents, we tell them how much they              in the least to be faithful to this calling, are going to
mean to us and how deeply we appreciate all they are         have a great deal to talk about with their children,
doing for us. This children do in both word and deed         especially teen-aged and growing young people. Here is


                                                     THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 451


 the most crucial area of honoring and obeying. Parents              are right with God we may. expect His blessing. True,
are going  tp make many demands of us, are going to                  this is typical Old Testament language. Added to the
 explain this to us and try their best to tell us why we             fifth commandment it is, "That thy days may be long
 must not do certain things and why we should be                     in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee." Also in
 doing others. This is called communication. If young                Ps. 55:23, "Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out
 people are going to honor and obey, they must be sure               half their days." Or in Prov.  10:27, "The fear of the
 to listen. The advocates of the new morality are trying             Lord prolongeth days." The application is obvious.
 to get their wicked notion accepted by stressing the so             During Old Testament times those who kept God's law
 called generation gap; Young people are told to                     might expect His favor upon them to be demonstrated
 distrust anyone over twenty years of age, and                       in a physical and material way. Today the typical
 consequently parents are of a different generation and              factor is done away with, but the spiritual principle is
 shouldn't be taken too seriously. The devil would like              the same; those young people who obey this Word of'
 to have you believe this lie. But you are different and             God and honor and obey parents may expect God's
 your parents are different. We are not of the world,                blessing to rest upon them.
 nor may we be part of the apostate church. We are                      How will this be expressed?
 different because God has made us members of His                       Look at it negatively first. Disobeying parents is
 covenant.  We. must honor and obey our parents by                   listed amongst those sins that demonstrate depravity,
 listening to them, and recognize that they speak with               Rom. 1:24-30. We are warned that it will increase as
 divine authority, and therefore must be obeyed for                  the end of the world comes upon us and man will
 God's sake.                                                         make himself worthy of God's judgment, II Tim. 3: 1.
                                                                     The curse of the Lord rests upon those who refuse to
      WHY HONOR AND OBEY                                             honor and obey parents. Just look about you: young
       Why should we honor and obey our parents?                     rebels causing trouble in the schools, rioting in the
       Let's be careful that we don't fall into the trap by          street, rebellion in the church, broken families,
 producing poor answers, for then we might convince                  divorce, open lawlessness in every sphere. This doesn't
 ourselves that it isn't too serious if we fail to practice          just happen. This is God's judgment upon a generation
 this, after all.                                                    of young people who break God's law and do not
       It might be suggested that we should obey parents             honor and obey their parents for God's sake.
 because that is the least we can do for all the things                 Conversely, how beautiful is the life of someone
 they have done for us. Parents do a great deal for their            who has learned to keep the fifth commandment in the
 children; it might be argued that children and especially           sphere of the home. Such young people contribute to
 young people at least show appreciation for this by                 the joy of the home; it becomes a testimony to the
 doing what they require. It might even be added that                world that only God's covenant of grace produces such
 some young people would be better off if they would                 a citadel of strength in a changing world. These kind of
 obey their parents. Disobedience strains the                        children know their place in school. They become
 relationship between parents and children; if they                  good citizens and obey those in authority. The church
 would obey, they would have things going their way.                 is to them of great value, for it is the source of their
 Sometimes we stress the need for family harmony:                    spiritual nourishment that brings them into closer
 each member must do their part if we are going to have              fellowship with God.
 peace at home. All these are true to a certain extent,                 This also doesn't just happen. This is God's blessing
 but do not afford the deepest reason why children                   upon covenant young people who by God's grace
 should obey their parents.                                          honor and obey their parents.
       And what is that? "For this is right before God."                To be sure, this doesn't come naturally.
 Thus in a brief and pointed way, Scripture tells young                 The Word of God seems to deny us what we like and
 people why. God requires this, and if we love God, we               what seems the easy way. Remember that the easy way
 will honor and obey our parents. This is the great test             leads to destruction.
 and proof of young people's love for God. Do you love                  Covenant young people are special, made such by
 your parents? Do you show this love for them by                     God.
 honoring them and obeying them?                                        He has a secret which He shares with you, "Honor
       Another reason, "This is the first commandment                and obey your parents." It makes all the difference.
 with promise." This also follows from the above; if we              The praise is God's alone.

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452                                             THE STANDARD BEARER



The  Day  of  Shadows

                               T'he Initial Generation Gap
                                                    Rev. John A. Heys

  Adam and Eve were believing parents. Let us not            Cain killed Abel  - but in the man of sin, the son of
lose sight of that fact, nor of the fact that they           perdition, the Antichrist in all his violence and
believed in Christ,                                          opposition to the cause of God's kingdom, and
  Before they fell they believed in God; and from this       development of false worship and false doctrines.
they fell. When they were restored to faith, it was faith      A spiritual gap that seemed at first only to threaten
in God as He had now revealed Himself as the God of          to become reality now showed itself as always being
their salvation in Christ. This, by the way, set them        there; and that Cain was not the continuation of the
apart from the devil and the fallen angels, who in a         line of the seed of the woman broke out into the open.
sense, as James points out, also believe in God. They          What was his sin?
believe that there is one God. They know His holiness          It was unbelief as a rejection of Christ. It was
and sovereignty, His might and His mercy. But they do        rebellion as a refusal to walk in God's way. It was a
not believe in Him as the God of their salvation, for He     further development of the Arminian activities
is not; and they do not trust in Him, nor seek His           practiced already by Adam and Eve. It was a denial of
mercy. Adam and Eve did. They trusted God as He              salvation by grace with an emphatic defense of
through types and shadows had presented Himself in           salvation by works.
Christ when He clothed them with skins of animals, and         Is all this saying too much? Consider the facts and
when He gave them to hear of the hatred against Satan        cease defending this wicked man and his deed. God
that God would place in their hearts, and of the             taught Adam and Eve (and they taught Cain) that God
ultimate victory that He would give them in the Seed         can be approached only through the shed blood of
of the woman.                                                Christ. Adam and Eve did not  Jind  that God was
  But a spiritual gap appeared between them and their        pleased to have a lamb sacrificed on an altar. We never
first-born son, Cain. It was there from his birth, but it    find ways to serve God. We learn them, and then we
did not manifest itself until much later in his life.        learn them by sitting at God's feet, listening to Him as
  Cain had a great deal of what is sometimes called          He speaks. God, by slaying the animals to provide a
Historical Faith, even as the devil does. He, Cain, saw      covering for their nakedness, taught them to come to
those cherubim there with the flaming sword. He had          Him in Christ's blood, that is, in connection with the
heard over  snd over again on father's and mother's          death of a creature in their stead. Cain broke with that
knees the story of their explusion from paradise and         truth when he came with the fruit of his garden. He
the folly of their sin of eating of the forbidden fruit.     turned his back upon Christ. In this also he simply
As a normal child he was filled with inquisitiveness and     refused to walk God's way; and in effect he said, "God
asked a host of questions. He conformed outwardly to         will walk my way." And as far as the Arminian
the worship of God that he had been taught by his            activities of Adam and Eve are concerned, Cain sought
believing parents to follow. For a time, after he came to    God's favour by his works rather than by Christ's
years of discretion, he, as they, brought his bloody         blood.
sacrifice on an altar to God. His father prayed, and he        Let us appreciate the fact that it was quite a
also went through the motions of praying. His-mother         sacrifice on Cain's part. At this point in our
and father spoke of God, and he likewise made use of         consideration of history we already begin to forget
God's name. At  fast there seemed no gap between             those words of God that man would eat in the sweat of
them, and instead he seemed to be the continuation of        his brow, and that the ground would bring forth thorns
the same family as a likeminded believer.                    and thistles. What Cain managed to obtain from the
  But there came a moment when he became bold to             cursed ground was not a gift that was there for the
reveal what was in his heart. He had been giving some        taking He had to work hard for it. Food was precious.
serious thought to all that which from a child he had        What he brought was his own hard, back-breaking
been taught. But he found that it was time to break          work. Here was the fruit of hours of toil and
with the establishment, to express himself, to do away       something that could not quickly be replaced. It was
with the old things and find a "more meaningful"             not a case of taking off the shelf a bit from a bumper
worship of God. There came a ,moment  when the seed          crop that had been stored away, or of giving that
of Adam and Eve's sin began to sprout forth and show         which would spoil anyway because there was so much
what kind of plant this seed would ultimately produce,       that it could not ,all be eaten within a reasonable time.
not only in the crucifixion of the Son of God - even as      No, this was the fruit of the field which he obtained in


                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  453


the way of hard work. The word "tiller" in Genesis           Never was there a generation more literate than the
4:2, when we read that Cain was a "tiller of the             present one. Never before was there such an educated
ground" has in it the idea of a servant. The ground is       generation as ours. Never before were children, our
the master, Cain, and with him all mankind, was the          sons and daughters, given to delving into such deep
servant who had to serve that ground in order to get         scientific and philosophicalmatters. And these need the
something out of it. (Being a keeper of sheep as Abel        truth of God's Word in simple terms that a five year
was did not require the same degree of sweat and toil.)      old can understand it!! Shame on us!
`It was his works, therefore, that Cain brought to God.        We dare to Praise ourselves for our intellectual and
   There was work involved in Abel's sacrifice as well.      educational advances, and then dare to cry of our
But the whole point is that Abel came with his lamb or       difficulty in understanding spiritual matters. Is it then
bullock because he believed that we can come to God          due to the translation, the wording, the beautiful old
only in Christ, only in the way of the blood of the English form of speaking, which in the field of other
cross, only in the way of the payment of the death           literature we laud. to the sky? Is the reason not a
penalty for us. Cain said in his heart, "Nothing doing! I    spiritual one rather than an intellectual one?
can please God by my works, and He will accept me              Let the churches teach doctrine once again. Let
because of what I give Him." Abel said by his sacrifice,     them dare to wean their constituency away from milk
"I will be pleasing to God only because of what  He          and begin to introduce meat! Let them not listen to
gave me in Christ." Cain came to God with Cain. Abel         the cries of their highly educated children that this is
came to God with Christ. Cain came in unbelief. Abel         too deep, and this is too much. Do that and you widen
came in faith in Christ. And Abel's is the "more             the gap. And each generation will widen the gap still
excellent sacrifice," the one that alone pleases God.        further until you have to water down even the milk of
   Place Cain and Abel side by side in this incident, and the word to such a point that you have to tell them
you see a spiritual gap which sets them apart as seed of     what sin is, what the word Saviour means, and perhaps
the woman and seed of the serpent. A generation              even what that word God means and has to say to us.
appears that from a spiritual point of view is quite           While we seek development in every natural sphere,
`distinct from what manifested itself in believing Adam      let us not be found disintegrating in matters that are
and Eve, and was seen continued in Abel. Abel died           spiritual. And by all means let us not teach our
before there could be generations of believers through children that you have to be a Cain before you can
him; but that sharp division of the whole human race become an Abel, that you have to begin with the lie to
into two spiritual camps began to manifest itself in the     come to the truth. You say that this is not done? Are
very first two sons born to Adam and Eve.                    you asleep? The world is full of the philosophy that
   A generation appeared that would seek its wellbeing you must tell every  one  that God loves him or you
by its own works. And alongside of it grew up a              cannot do missionary work. And that is the lie! If it is
generation that would seek salvation by grace. The the truth, then we can also do missionary work with
one, the latter generation, was Christian. The other was the devil and his fallen angels; And then we must, for
the beginning of the Antichristian kingdom. The one then God loves them too.
asked, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" The               Nay, tell man what uneducated, that is, uneducated
other did not ask. It simply stated, "I am going to do       as far as our scholastic standards are concerned, what
my thing." The one cried, "God be merciful to me the         uneducated Abel could tell you. He did not tell Cain
sinner." The other boasted, "God ought to be mighty          that God loved him, but told him that he had
thankful to me for giving Him that which cost me so          committed a terrible sin! And then the generation gap
much energy and toil." The one said, "I am an awful          becomes all the clearer; for Cain sought to wipe off
sinner." The other said, "Look what good I did!" The         this earth the generation that continued in the way of
one was the spiritual father of the  publican in Jesus his father's and mother's faith.
parable. The other was the spiritual father of the             But it also means for us that parents who diligently
Pharisee. And what a gap - even if you cannot call it a      and faithfully strive to bring up their children in the
generation gap  - there was between Jesus and those          fear of God's name to the utmost of their power, and
miserable Pharisees who found fault with His works,          then begin to see a gap between them and their
while the fault was in them!                                 children which becomes ever wider and separates them
   What does it all mean for us?                             spiritually from their children, are to bow before the
   For one thing, the truth abides that all change is not    sovereignty of God and not murmur at Ris ways. Strive
improvement. Let the churches take note!                     to train their children they must. Pray they are
  We live in a time when the churches on every side certainly called upon to do, and to do so fervently. But
are seeking change. They seek doctrinal change,              they are to do this in the consciousness of that truth of
confessional change, liturgical change, and a change in      Genesis 3: 15 that God will put enmity between seed
translation to make the Scriptures more "meaningful." and seed, and that there are going to be two seeds by
It would be laughable, were it not so serious a matter.      divine decree, the one a seed of believers in Christ, the


454                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


other of unbelievers whom it has pleased God not to          and His law. When they do believe, and do love God, it
cause to be born again, and thus not to receive enmity in is His grace that accomplishes this and not our works.
their hearts against Satan and his works.                    When they do not believe and do not love God it is
  Through the ages believing parents have found what because sovereignly He has made a gap that in eternity
Adam and Eve so painfully found, namely, that we can shall not be closed, but in eternity will by the saints
teach our children but cannot make them believe; we and holy angels be confessed to be the sovereign good
can discipline them but cannot make them love God pleasure of God.


Sketches   on  Jamaica

                            Sundry Matters of Interest
                                                  Rev.  G. Lubbers

  At the time of the writing of this contribution for          We are thankful to God for Synod's decision. We
the Standard Bearer Mrs. Lubbers and I are at home in realize that this involves more expense. However, the
Michigan. It was a real joy to arrive in the Kent County     Jamaica Mission is conducted ever with minimum
Airport on June 5th to be greeted by our family and          possible expenditures. A realistic sum of some $5000.00
friends;  it, was also most blessed to be greeted and (American) was allotted for this purpose. This should
received by the many, many brethren and sisters of the       cover travelling for two trips, the renting of a second
various churches in and around Grand Rapids. Really, I       car, and the renting of suitable quarters for the
am thinking in this sketch very much about the dear emissary minister and his wife. It would hardly be
brothers and sisters in the congregations outside of the     correct to decide that the emissary and his wife move
Grand Rapids, Michigan area.                                 in with the missionary and his wife for a period of two
  Synod of 1972 is about to come to the conclusion           three-month periods. Synod did not even suggest such
ofits important labors. I might personally attend many       a possibility as a workable solution. So a sizable
of the sessions. After many days of waiting finally the      amount of money is needed for this emissary (s) to
matters of the Jamaica Mission were brought under            Jamaica. We are most confident that whoever the
discussion. Some important decisions were taken.             Mission Committee requests to go will have the
Permit me to tell you a bit about the Jamaican               whole-hearted support from his consistory and
problems which Synod faced and on which they gave            congregation; moreover, they will receive the blessing
directives, looking for the gracious blessings of the        of the Lord for such a sacrifice of love!
King of the church.                                            Perhaps it will interest the reader to know the
  One matter of extreme importance is the matter of grounds for such "help" for your Missionary and his
giving help to the undersigned by calling a second           wife. I quote the following from one of the "reports"
missionary. Synod seriously faced this reality,              as the grounds submitted by the undersigned for a
discussed the various facets of it, the problems             helper, yes, for a second full-time missionary.
involved, the advantages to be gained by it. However,          1.  A  missionary needs the spiritual and moral
Synod was not ready to thus decide. Instead they             support of a fellow-missionary. Paul ever had such a
decided an alternate proposition, to send a man for two      man. Christ sent out two-by-two.
three-month terms to Jamaica in the next year. Of              2. The field needs more preaching, incisive
course, this will needs be one of our ministers now          preaching, inculcating the Reformed principles. Their
serving in one of our churches. There are reasons for ministers do well there, but there are not enough of
this. In the first place, one coming to Jamaica to aid in    them. There is need of more preaching in more
the work must be able to preach in Christ's Name.            churches each Sunday and during the week. And the
Then, too, one who comes. should be able to teach for        students are not yet ready to meet such responsbihties.
three months in the "Protestant Reformed Jamaica               3. The School (the students) would profit by having
Bible School." He will need to teach courses in              another minister teaching, besides the undersigned.
Hermeneutics (Methods of Bible Interpretation) and             Mrs. Lubbers and I face an immediate problem when
Homiletics (art of Sermon-making). The undersigned we return to the island of Jamaica. This is a matter for
would then continue in teaching the four students in         which we covet your earnest prayers. We will need to
Doctrine, Bible- History, Church History and English move from our home in Coral Gardens which the
Composition. Thus we will have more than one string Mission  Committee  has rented now for over three
on our teaching-harp.                                        years. The present owner bought it so that he might rent


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                      455


it out. Thus we and our interest were vouchsafed. The            Now we will need to be led by the Lord Himself to
problem now arises in that Mr. Anderson must sell, and our next place to live. May the Lord direct our
attempting to sell it to one who would rent to us limits footsteps and give us once more a suitable place to live;
his selling prospects greatly. Mr. Anderson gave us a place where we can have discussions for the
therefore the first opportunity to buy it as churches ministers, where the clothing can be stored from the
for a sum of seventeen thousand five hundred clothing-drive.
Jamaican dollars, or about twenty two thousand                   Pray for us, brethren!
United States dollars. The Synod did not decide to               There are more matters with which we would
purchase this property. They declined on the following inform you, but this must wait for a later sketch of our
grounds:                                                       labors.
    1. That the location is not good. The missionary             We would then desire to inform you concerning
should live in or around Savanah-La-Mar. This is also some of the basic church-political problems on the
lower rent community and the Missionary would live island and also concerning some important decisions
nearer to more of the churches; he would also be which were taken by the Jamaican brethren to have
thirty-five (35) miles nearer to the school.                   some more order in their churches on Presbyterial  -
  2. The price of the property is too high; it is Biblical principles.
inflation price and the roof needs repairing.

                         NOTICE                                their earthly walk.            Mr. and Mrs. Chet Haveman
  Classis West of the Protestant Reformed Churches                                                                 (Sharon)
will meet in Hull, Iowa on September 6, 1972, at                                                                Doug Prince
8:30 AM, the Lord willing. Material for the Agenda
must be in the hands of the Stated Clerk thirty days                                  ANNIVERSARY
before the convening of Classis.                                  Au gust 16, 1972 marks the fiftieth wedding
                      Rev. David Engelsma, Stated Clerk. anniversary of
                                                                           MR. and MRS. JOHN BOELEMA
             RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY                               The congregation of Hudsonville Protestant
  The Mr. and Mrs. Society of the Hudsonville                  Reformed Church, of which they are members,
Protestant Reformed Church expresses its sincere gratefully acknowledge with them the goodness of
sympathy to our members, Mr. and Mrs. Klaire Berens,           God, and His wonderful faithfulness as they might
in the loss of their father,                                   experience this in the midst of His church throughout
                 MR. BEN H. BERENS.                            the fifty years of their married life.
  It is our hope and prayer that they may receive                 As we confess with them, "Great is His
comfort in His Word and by His Spirit.                         Faithfulness," we also commend them to the grace of
   `!Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His        God, Who is able to do far above all that we can ask or
people." (I Kings 8: 56).              Rev. C. Hanko, Pres.    think.
                                Mrs. Chet Haveman,  Sec'y.        "Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid
                                                               up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought
             RESOLUTION OF SYMPA THY                           for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!?'
   The members of the Men's Society of our South Psalm 31:19.
East Protestant Reformed Church, of Grand Rapids,                 The Consistory of the Hudsonville Prot. Ref. Church
Michigan hereby express their sincere Christian                                                      Henry J. Boer, Clerk
sympathy to Mrs. Herman Dykstra and her family in                                                    Rev. C. Hanko, Pres.
the death of her husband, and their father,
                  HERMAN DYKSTRA.                                                     AMVIVERSAR Y
   Our hope and prayer is that she and her children               On July 10, 1972, the Lord privileged our beloved
will  - "Commit their way unto the Lord; and trust             parents and grandparents
also in Him. , . ." (Psalm 37:5).                                         MR. and'MRS. GEORGE JOOSTENS
                                     Rev. M. Schipper,  Pres. to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
                                       F. Ondersma, Clerk.        We thank the Lord that he has kept them for each
                     ANNIVERSAR Y                              other these past years and for the covenant instruction
                                                               we were privileged to receive from them. We pray to
   On June 19, 1972, our parents,                              God for His continued blessing upon them as they
            MR. and MRS. CLARENCE PRINCE                       traverse life's pathway together.
celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.                                                                   Their children:
   We thank our Covenant God for preserving them for                                       Mr. and Mrs. Meindert Joostens
each other and for us these many years. Our prayers                                                                  William
are for His continued blessing on them throughout                                                        and their grandchild


     THE STANDARD BEARER  :                                                                       !
               P.O. Box 6064.           1                                                                       SECOND CLASS            I
     Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506                                                                               POSTAGE PAID AT
                                                                                                          GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.



     456                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER


                                       News From Our Churches
       Classis East met in regular session on July 5, 1972                  Several of our churches have extended calls during
     and, as has been characteristic of the last few sessions,            the past few weeks. The calls from both Forbes and
     accomplished  .its business in short order. The only                 Randolph have gone to Candidate W. Bekkering. Hope
     business other than the routine business before Classis              Church has called Rev. Lanting.  Redlands has called
     was a request from a consistory to have  Classis                     Candidate M. Kamps.
     approve an increase of censure from the first to the                                              *****
     second step. This request was approved by Classis.
       Rev. G. Lubbers, missionary to Jamaica, was present                   Summertime is vacation time  L also for our
     with us and was given advisory vote. Later in the                    ministers. And with vacation time comes, frequently,
     session, Rev. Lubbers shared with the Classis the trials             pulpit exchanges. For Rev. Engelsma and Rev. Van
     and indeed the joys of his labors on the island. Rev. C.             Baren, that pulpit exchange was accompanied by a
     Hanko, chairman for this session, assured Rev. Lubbers               very convenient parsonage exchange. For Rev. Heys,
     that the prayers of the church were raised daily in                  on a week's vacation in Maine, a pulpit exchange was
     behalf of both Rev. and Mrs. Lubbers.                                out of the question; but he preached in Maine,
       After the preliminary business of reading the                      nevertheless. According to Holland's bulletin, Rev.
     credentials and the agenda, receiving the credentials,               Heys was invited to preach in the Comville Orthodox
     and the signing  ~of the Formula of Subscription by                  Presbyterian Church, a few miles north of Skowhegan,
     first-time delegates, Classis began its work.                        Maine. Rev. Heys reported that "this small but
       Rev. J. Heys and Elder J. Buiter were appointed to                 attentive congregation expressed interest in the
     the Finance Committee and later reported expenses,                   Reformed truth which we as churches have been given
     including those of the church visitors, of $23.20. The               to know and love. The pastor, The Rev. Harold L.
     Classical Appointment Committee composed of Rev. H.                  Dorman, reads eagerly all of our printed material that
     Veldman and Elder J. King presented and  Classis                     he can obtain and listens to all the taped sermons sent
     adopted the following schedule for Hope Church: July                 to him from our circles."
     16 - M. Schipper; July 30 - J. A. Heys; August 13 -                    Summertime  ,was also. vacation time for our
     H. Veldman; August 27 - R. C. Harbach; September                     missionary, Rev. Lubbers. He returned to his labors in
     10 - G. Van Baren; September 24 - C. Hanko. Elder                    Jamaica on the 19th of July. His parting words to the
     C. Doezema was appointed to thank the ladies of                      congregation of First Church, expressed in that
     Holland Church for their catering.                                   church's bulletin, are certainly of interest to all of us;
       The delegates of Classis were certainly heartened by               so we'll take the liberty of quoting them here:
     the report of the church visitors. The final paragraph               "Dear brethren and sisters in the Lord,
     of their report reads as follows:                                      Hereby Mrs. Lubbers and I wish you a fond adieu.
            And so we look back on the past year and can say              We tarried a bit in your midst and feel refreshed in our
            EbenEzer.There is reason for abundant thanks to our
-                                                                         spirits by the mercies of God. Now we look toward
            God for the blessings of grace that He pours out upon
            our churches. Our ministers are faithful in presenting        Jamaica, the work, the arduous and multiple duties once
            the riches of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that the         more. A sense of helplessness creeps over our souls; our
            positive fruit is evident in the lives of our people.         only help is in the Name of the Lord. God bless YOU
            Small as we are, our witness goes out to the ends of          and us."
            the earth. God is certainly using us to preserve the                                          Rev. and Mrs. G. Lubbers"
            truth delivered to us from the saints, even in times of
            great  apostacy.  Obviously there is still much
            imperfection among us, but divine grace abounds.                The response of the consistory of First Church,
            God's strength is accomplished even through our               which reflects, no doubt, the sentiments of all of us,
            weaknesses. To Him be the glory.                              reads as follows:
       The questions of Article 41 of the Church Order                    "Dear Rev. and  Mrs. Lubbers:
     were asked and satisfactorily answered. Rev. M.                        May you experience  God's grace and a keen sense of
     Schipper closed the meeting and  Classis stood                       His nearness to you as you again take up your labor of
     adjourned until its next regular meeting on October 4,               love on the island of Jamaica; and be assured of our
     1972 in Southwest Church.                                            continual prayers for you and His cause there."
                                             Jon Huisken, Stated Clerk                                                          D.D.


