                                                                                                _.
                                                                                       :. I  2..
                                                                                            ,s  5  "



                                  he



                                         earer

A  REFORMED  SEMI-MONTHLY  MAGAiINE



In  This  Issue

      Meditation
         The Hope of God's Children

      Editorial:
         The RES, The GKN, And The WCC- Fizzle!

      Convocation Address:
         Walking in The Old Ways

      Beginning:

         Divorce and Remarriage
                    (see: The Strength of Youth)


                                             Vohme XLIX, Number 2, October 15, 1972


26                                                           THE STANDARD BEARER




                              CONTENTS :                                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER
                                                                                  Semi-monthly, except monthly during June, July, and August.
                                                                                   Published by the Reformed Free Publishing  Association,  Inc.
Meditation -                                                                         Second Class Postage Paid at Grand Raprds, Mich.
      The Hope of God's Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26            Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Homer C. Hoeksema
                                                                                Department Editors:  Rev. Robert  Cl. Decker, Mr. Donald Doezema, Rev.
Editorials -                                                                    David J. Engelsma, Rev. Cornelius Hanko. Prof. Herman Hanko. Rev.
                                                                                Robert C. Harbach, Rev. John A.  Heys, Rev. Jay Kortering, Rev. Dale  l-j.
      Editor's Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29    Kuiper, Rev. George C. Lubbers, Rev. Marinus Schipper, Rev. Gise J.
                                                                                Van  Baren. Rev. Herman Veldman. Rev. Bernard  Woudenbers
      The RES, The GKN, And                                                     Editorial  dffice:   Prof. H. C. Hoeksema
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       The WCC - Fizzle! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :29                          Grand Rapids,  Mich. 49506
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Meclitation

                                       TheHope of God's Children
                                                                  Rev. M. Schipper

                "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but tie
                know that, when he shall appear,. we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And
                every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselx even as he is pure. " - I John 3: 2,3.

      "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath seriously this great love of God. And when he says,
                                                                                                                                                     1
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons                             "what manner of love the Father hath  bestowea  upon
(or, the children) of God."                                                     us," he is reflecting both on the quality and the
      Thus the apostle begins to unfold what lies in the                        quantity of this love.
astounding fact that we have been born of God. We,                                 What glorious, sublime love!
who by nature are nothing but poor sinners, we have                                 If you see it  aright, you will sink down in humble
been born of God Who is righteous!                                              adoration and awesome wonder before it. It is beyond
      And make no mistake about it! When the apostle                            comprehension. And the marvel of it is, that neither
writes, "Behold," he is using no mere interjection, but                         we ourselves nor any one else in the world can find in
an imperative. He means to say: "Be sure that you us anything that could in any wise have called forth
take a very good look at it, that you consider very                             such love. It is a love which freely and sovereignly has


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  27



  been bestowed and given to us. Therefore also the very the true nature of sin. Sin, beloved, not only of our
  nature of that love is that it remains; it abides forever. first parents, but all sin, has as its basic element the
    That we should be called sons (or better, children) will to be as God. And that means, to be God's equal.
  of God!                                                     And it follows that if it were possible to be God's
    To be called children of God implies, of course, that equal, God would no longer be God. Man would be his
  we are after Him Who is the Only Begotten of the own god. He would be sovereign. He would sit on the
  Father, Who is the Son. Implied also is the truth of throne, while God would be dethroned. But to be as
  spiritual adoption. For you understand God has but God in this sense is nothing more than the devil's lie.
  one Son. Shall God have any other children, they must         God only is essentially God!
  be obtained through the legal process of adoption.            He only has being in Himself. He is the being that
  Also implied in this truth is the fact that we as God's must bring forth`all other beings and sustain them, or
  children in a creaturely measure partake of His life, they cannot continue to be. Never could it ever be
  glory, and love. That God calls us His children implies possible that the creature becomes the Creator, or man
  a certain fellowship between the Father and us; which becomes God.
  the world cannot know. And it cannot know this                Man must remain forever creature! Less than
  because it does not know the Father.                        nothing, in comparison with Him Who is God alone.
     In our text the apostle further develops this Forever there remains an impassable gap between God
  marvelous truth by setting forth the following facts: and man. Though it is true that God becomes man in
  We are the children of God NOW. It does not yet the incarnation, He never lost His essential nature as
  appear what we shall be. We know that when He shall God, nor did the human nature become divine. Very
  appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He carefully the Word of God teaches that the two natures
  is. That if this is our expectation, then we will be are never mixed or interchanged. As the church has
  walking in sanctification.                                  always believed and expressed it: in the incarnation the
     Really the apostle is speaking of: The Hope of God's unity of Person in two natures existed, which is
  Children !                                                  unmixed, unchanged, undivided, and inseparable.
    Pay close attention, first of all, to the rich contents Again, we say, nay, God says, that He ever and alone is
  of this hope!                                               God.
     What is it that the children of God hope for? What is      To be like unto God, therefore, can mean only in a
  it that they expect and constantly long for more than creaturely sense. Man was created in the beginning in
  anything  else? Is it perhaps that they may be this sense in the image and likeness of God. And that
  completely delivered from sin and death, from the meant that in a creaturely way man resembled God
  suffering of this present time, from the devilish and reflected His image. This image man lost
  howling of this present evil world? Oh, indeed, this completely. Fact of the matter is that after the fall
  constitutes a part of his longing; and of this there can man took on the image of the devil. In the place of
  be no question. Yet this is all so negative. There is true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness,. came
  something much more positive to the Christian's hope. wilful ignorance, according to which man held the
  And that is that he may be near unto God, and be like truth under in unrighteousness; an unrighteousness
  Him!                                                        according to which man in wilful disobedience
     And when we say this, let us be very careful that we transgresses all of God's commandments; and
  do not understand this in the sense of essential unholiness, according to which man is inclined to all
  likeness. You remember that in the beginning, when evil and incapable of doing any good. Oh, indeed, man
  the devil approached our first parents in the did not become another creature. He remained a man
  temptation, he posited the idea that should they and image bearer; but he bore the image of his master,
  transgress the divine commandment by eating of the the devil.
  forbidden tree, they would be as God? Having denied           And here is the wonder of grace, and of the eternal
  the very Word of God which had forewarned them that love of God - God would have children! Children, too,
  in the way of transgression they would surely die, the that would reflect in their creaturely way His likeness!
  devil then said unto Eve: "For God doth know that in          Glorious prospect!
  the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,       To which, of course, must be added the glory of the
  and ye shall be as God knowing good and evil." Besides new creation! A creation that, negatively expressed,
  the implication suggesting that God had a sinister shall be delivered from all sin, misery, and deathyand,
  purpose in forbidding the eating of the fruit of the positively, reflecting the very glory of God. Wherein
  tree, this statement also implies that man would righteousness shall dwell. And in the very center of
  become God in the way of transgression. Here we have which shall be the glorious God with His glorified
  not only a clear indication of the essence of the devil's children. Children, in whom God shall behold His own
  own sin and fall, namely, pride (see in this connection image, as it has been given unto them by HisSon, Who
/ I Timothy 3:6); but at the same time an indication of is the exact and essential image of the Father.


     28                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER


           This is the highest good!     *                             short-comings, I believe nevertheless, on the basis of
           This is the object of the Christian's hope!                 Christ's work for me, in me, and through me, that I am
           Hope here, and throughout the Word of God, is that a child of God."
     grace in the children of God that expects and therefore              It is also true that this knowledge we have while we
     longs for the unseen. According to it, they wait for look through a darkened glass. That is, we cannot yet
     something in the full confidence that they shall attain see ourselves as standing actually before the face of
to it. Hope is realized in them now as a certain tension, God and reflecting His likeness. Because Christ is not
a drawing power that pulls them ever closer to the yet manifested, we have to look at ourselves in the
                                                                       ___^.
     object of their hope  - when they shall be like unto mirror of His Word. But looking into that mirror, as
     God!                                                              the apostle Paul expressed it, "we are changed into the
           When He is manifested! That is, the God of our same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of
     salvation in the face of Jesus! Whom we see now, as in the Lord."
     a darkened glass in the Scriptures; but Whom we shall                What sanctifying influence this must  ,have on our
see then face to face. When He shall be manifested, lives !
that is, when He shall break through the clouds of our                    So the text also expresses it: "And every man that
present time, yea, when He shall come on the clouds hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as. he is
and every eye shall see Him as He is.                                  pure."
           This hope of God's children is a certified possession!         This can .only mean that when we are the children of
           Already principally true!                                   God, children of hope, then we will walk like that,
           For now are we the children of God! It is a present even  how.11t means that everything in us as we now
reality !                                                              appear in the world that smacks of darkness, we hate.
           Not only have we been juridically adopted, and the Every inclination to sin, every motion of our corrupt
adoption papers have been written with a pen of flesh, we will despise, and crucify, - put it to death.
blood, the blood of God's only Begotten Son our Purification, it should be remembered, is the link
Lord. But we have also already been spiritually born .between the present and the future, between what we
again by the Spirit of regeneration/Not only are we are now and what we shall be.
declared to be the children of God now in the legal                       The only way sonship  blossoms into perfect likeness
sense of that term; but we are already the children of is purification!
God by the new birth. Born we are from above. Oh,                         And Christ, God manifested in the flesh, is the
indeed, it does not yet appear what we shall be, for standard!
none of us can possibly know all the implications of                      Pure as He is pure we must be, and we must
the  final glory of the children of God. But this we become!
know, that now, even while we are in the present                          This purification, you understand, is not our work.
world and we still dwell in this sinful flesh, that right Not so is it, that God would like us to become His
now we are the children of God. Were this not true, we children, and now we must see to it that we become
could never hope. The fact that we hope is the His children. Nor is it so that God would like very
evidence that we are the children of God now. And it much that we should look like Him, and so we must
is the very nature and activity of the hope in them to see to it that we change. Oh, no! Salvation is of the
long with confidence for the moment when, in body Lord, from beginning to end!
and soul, they shall be like God.                                         We are the children of God! Don't change that to
           But this we know. . . !                                     read: We must become such children!
           And that knowledge, how great and wonderful it is!             God has redeemed us, and we therefore live and
           Not only has God known all His children in love walk as children of God. And God saves us unto the
from before the foundation of the world, but He was uttermost. The good work He has begun in us, He
pleased to reveal to them that knowledge; and in such finishes it unto the end. But He does it in such a way
     a way that they also know, with the certain knowledge that we hate what He hates, we crucify what He
     of faith, that they are the children of God.                      ordered dead, we love what He loves, we long for what
           Oh, indeed, there may be moments when sin seems He has promised. We work out what He works in us,
to have the upper hand over us, and doubts may rise both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
up in the soul whether it is true that we are the                         Hope is not a cold expectation!
     children of God. But those doubts are our infirmities.               It is a living, vibrant activity in the child of God,
Doubt never speaks the language of faith. Faith that moves him to walk in the way, of sanctification,
     says,"In spite of all my weaknesses, sins, and without which no man shall see the Lord.
!

                              No one is so intolerant as a liberal advocating CHANGE in the name of tolerance.


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                          29


Editorials

                                       Editor's Notes
                                                 Pro5 H. C Hoeksema

Correction. A rather serious mistake crept into one of this time we have no-further progress report, except
my editorials in the October 1 issue. The last sentence for one item. Recently our Building Fund Treasurer
in the first full paragraph in column 2 on page 7 should reported to me that he received a contribution of
read: Does he not know that long before they returned $500.00 from a sister who is not a member of our
to the CRC, we predicted that they would do so not denomination and who does not live in the vicinity of
because of a doctrine of particular grace that could not a Prot. Ref. Church, but who loves the truth which we
be preached, but because of a doctrine of grace which preach and teach. Gifts of this kind carry with them
was principally Arminian, on account of which De their own, special message of support and
Wolf was disciplined and for which his group left the encouragement; and, needless to say, they are
PRC?                                                           welcome! For any who may be of a similar mind, here
                                                               is the address: Theological School Building Fund, c/o
Question  Box. I beg the patience of a couple of Mr. R. H. Teitsma, 1659 Shangrai  La Dr., S.E., Grand
questioners who have already waited for some time. In Rapidsy Michigan  4g508.
the next issue Question Box will appear, D.V.                                              ***
                           ***                                 It is not too late to take advantage of the combination
Theological  SchooZ  Building.  Your editor takes this book-and-subscription offers which appeared in the
opportunity to join with Prof. Hanko (see his September 15 issue. Responses have begun to trickle
Convocation Address) in expressing gratitude for the in. Check the green sheet in the September 15 issue for
overwhelming response, thus far, to the Fund Drive. At these bargains!


             The RES, The (iI@,. And The WCC-- Fizzle!
  Judging from the Agenda of the Reformed Challenges
Ecumenical Synod, Sydney, Australia, 1972, one                   The  RES News Exchange  mentions the fact that
might expect that there would be some ecclesiastical there were six communications which had placed this
fireworks on an ecumenical scale. For, as we shall see, matter on the agenda. Of these six, three appear in the
there were before the RES some serious challenges to printed Agenda; and these three alone are serious
the right of the  Gereformeerde `Kerken  of the enough to have precipitated a crisis.  .Let us look at
Netherlands to membership in the RES. These these communications. I shall not comment on them in
challenges were based in part on the doctrinal detail, though various remarks could be made about
liberalism which has swept the GKN like an irresistible them. But I shall let these communications speak for
tide, and in part on the fact that the  Gereformeerde themselves, so that the reader can see just how clearly
Kerken  are members of the World Council of and simply the issues were brought before the RES.
Churches.                                                        The Reformed Churches of New Zealand took the
  Judging, however, from the decision taken on this following decision:
matter by the Reformed Ecumenical Synod when it                      That me following motion be conveyed to the
met in Sydney during August, the fireworks never got               Interim-Committee of the Reformed Ecumenical
off the ground. True, the RES News Exchange speaks                 Synod tb be acted on at the 1972 meeting of the
in its report (Special Issue, Sept. 5, 1972) about the            R.E.S.:
RES passing a "crisis in membership."                                a. That the Reformed Ecumenical Synod consider
                                                                  whether the resolutions adopted by the Synod of the
  But the decision is a complete "fizzle"  - like                 Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, in its meeting of
fireworks which fail to detonate. In fact, as we shall             5 November 1970, regarding the teachings of Dr. H.
see, a reading of the decision fails to indicate that there       M. Kuitert and others, who share his convictions, do
even was a crisis. For the decision fails completely to           not conflict with the requirements for membership as
face any issues whatsoever.                                       set out in Art. IV of the Rules and Standing Orders of


30                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER



       the R.E.S. (or art. V of the Constitution, &ould it be    unequivocal stand. My only criticism of this overture is
       adopted), and                                             that it is too lenient in proposing that churches which
          b. that the Synod should it find that there is         are members of the W.C.C. be given two years to make
       conflict, request the Gerefbrmeerde Kerken to             up their minds. I call this "too lenient" in the light of
       withdraw from the R.E.S. or alternately make              the fact that this question of W.C.C. membership has
       provisions for the exclusion of these Churches from       been before the RES previously more than once. In
       the membership of the R.E.S. in order  that a             196 8 the RES-Amsterdam decided "that Synod
       situation in which the basis of the R.E.S. becomes
       ambiguous be avoided.                                     reaffirms the advice which previous Synods have given
      We may note that  .the above resolution does not ask to member churches `not to join the W.C.C. in the
for definitive action. It asks only for  consideration  of present situation.'  " (cf. Articles 95, 105) Nevertheless,
the question whether the GKN are in conflict with this Overture of the OPC is a solid one.
Article IV of the Rules and Standing Orders of the                 From the same denomination came a more extensive
RES, though.it may be granted that it surely suggests communication dealing specifically with the question
that there is ground for suspicion. And it makes a whether the  Gereformeerde Kerken  are faithful to
conditional  request for termination of membership: their confessional commitment and are in harmony
". . . should it find that there is conflict. . .  ." Hence, with the confessional Basis of the Reformed
the resolution is a weak one; but it does indeed bring Ecumenical Synod. This, too, is a sound and forthright
up the issue.                                                    communication. It mentions specific deviations of the
      The Orthodox Presbyterian Church brought two Dutch Churches. If the RES had forthrightly faced up
communications to the RES on this matter of to the matters mentioned in this communication, it
membership, especially the membership of the might have accomplished something worthwhile. We
Gereformeerde Kerken.  (We may note, incidentally, quote this Communication No. 7 in its entirety
that the issue of membership in the World  Council of (Agenda,  pp.  130-132), and we urge the reader to pay
                                                                 careful attention to it:
Churches involves not only the GKN, but also the
Reformed Churches of Ceylon and of Indonesia.) The                                                        August 21,197l
first communication  (Agenda,  p. 107) from the                       The Reformed Ecumenical Synod
Orthodox Presbyterian Church is as follows:                           The Rev. Paul G. Scbrotenboer, General Secretary
                                              May 20,197l             1677 Gentian Drive, S.E.
       To the Reformed Ecumenical Synod                               Grand Rapids, Michigan 49508
       Meeting in Sydney, Australia 1972
       c/o Dr. Paul G. Schrotenboer                                   FATHERS AND BRETHREN:
       General Secretary                                                The Thirty-eighth General Assembly of the
                                                                      Orthodox Presbyterian Church, meeting May 24-29,
       BRETHREN:                                                      1971, in Wilmington, Delaware, determined to
         .The Thirty-seventh General Assembly of the                  address the Reformed Ecumenical Synod as follows:
       Orthodox Presbyterian Church, meeting in Portland,               In view of the deviations from the apostolic
       Oregon, July 6-10, 1970 determined by vote of the              teaching cited in the letter from the Orthodox
       Assembly to submit the following Overture to the               Presbyterian Church to the Reformed Churches in the
       1972 Synod of the Reformed Ecumenical Synod:                   Netherlands dated April 6, 1971 and appended
          That this General Assembly overture the Synod of            hereto, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
       the Reformed Ecumenical Synod, meeting in Sydney,              respectfully requests the Reformed Ecumenical
       Australia in 1972, to declare  &at its Rules and               Synod to determine whether the Reformed Churches
       Standing Orders, especially its articles on Basis,  :          in the Netherlands does, in fact, substantiate its
       Purpose, and Membership, make membership in the                contention that it still maintains its confessional
       World Council of Churches and other religious                  commitment and thus submits to the authority of
       organizations which allow unbelief to be uncensured            Christ through his Word. In making such a request,
       incompatible with membership in the Reformed                   we call the attention of the Reformed Ecumenical
       Ecumenical Synod, and to provide two years from                Synod to the statements concerning this matter in the
       the 1972 meeting of the Synod for Reformed                     Rules and Standing Orders of  the Reformed
       Ecumenical Synod member churches which are in                  Ecumenical Synod to which all member churches are
       such fellowships (1) to decide in which they wish              committed. The section on membership indicates that
       their membership to remain, and (2) to notify the              all denominations of the Reformed Ecumenical
       Reformed Ecumenical Synod secretariat of their                 Synod "profess and maintain the Reformed Faith"
       decision.                                                      and "therefore subscribe to the Basis as expressed in
       Cordially yours in Jesus Christ,                               Article II" of said document. And the Basis itself
        Robert E. Nicholas                                            states as "a fundamental requisite" that Reformed
        Stated Clerk                                                  Churches stress "the headship of Christ and the marks
      This Overture is very forthright and to the point. It           of the true Church: the pure preaching of the Gospel,
requests the RES to take a stand, and that, too, an                   the Scriptural administration of the Sacraments, and


                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                  31


the faithful exercise of discipline." It is difficult for        Assembly, 1969  (Minutes  pp.  104 and 112) to
us to understand how the Reformed Churches in the                indicate its intention of bringing to an end the
Netherlands can on the one hand declare that Dr. H.              sister-church relationship between our two churches.
M. Kuitert's "negation of the historicity of the fall of             4. The Doctrine of Scripture  - Exception has
man" is not in agreement with the confessional                   been taken by the Reformed Churches in the
statement of the Scriptural truth which "must also be            Netherlands to the declaration of the  .Reformed
maintained as authoritative by the church as having              Ecumenical Synod of Potchefstrom (1958) (See
importance for the proclamation of the Gospel" and               especially, The Acts and Reports of the Refomzed
then on the other hand proceed to resolve that "the              Ecumenical Synod, 1968, pp. 60 307f),  stating that
unity of the confession of the church is not (niet) so           your Synod cannot itself' provide that which the
much threatened that special decisions would be                  Reformed Ecumenical Synod of Grand Rapids, 1963
necessary."                                                      asks for because of "a number of questions
   The Assembly further determined that a copy of                concerning the scope and nature of this authority
this letter be sent to each member church in  the                which are still very much in discussion." (p. 308).
Reformed Ecumenical Synod.                                       The communication from your Synod refers to
Your brethren in Christ,                                         several writings of your professors on the Scriptures
 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE                                     which seem to us to contain repudiation of the
 ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH                                    historic Reformed view of the inspiration and
 Richard A. Baker, Stated Clerk                                  infallibility of the Scriptures. The Thirty-Seventh
                                                                 General Assembly, 1970 (Minutes, pp. 123ff.) has
Attachment                                                       asked your Synod to clarify its original objection and
                                          April 6,197l           has at the same time briefly declared our own
The General Synod of the                                         commitment.
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands                                 These are examples  .that can be officially
c/o Rev. K. J. Schaafsma,                                        documented from actions of our Assemblies. In
Prof. v. Bemmelenlaan la                                         addition the Christian Reformed Church in North
Utrecht-5, The Netherlands                                       America has specified more in length and in detail
                                                                 these serious differences. Acts of Synod, Christian
Esteemed Brethren: -                                             Reformed Church in North America, 1970 Art. 99,
   The General Assembly of the Orthodox                          pp. 50-53.
Presbyterian Church instructed its Committee on                      A more recent example is the declaration of your
Ecumenicity and Interchurch Relations to                         .General Synod of Sneek, November 5, 1970,
communicate with your Synod providing examples of                concerning the letters of protests against Dr. H. M.
the serious differences between our two churches and             Kuitert's views in Genesis 1-3 and Romans 5.
indicating further our continued conviction that the                 The Synod acknowledged Dr. Kuitert's "denial of
difficulties of the sister-church relationship require           the historicity of the fall into sin, as man's turning
this termination.                                                away from God at the beginning of human history"
   This action was prompted in part by your gracious             and at the same time declared "that the unity of the
letter to us in response to our indication of intention          confession of the church is not (niet) so much
to end the sister-church relationship. In particular, we         threatened that special decisions would be
noticed that you indicated that you were aware only              necessary." The Synod acknowledged that one had
of our difference with referenceto the World Council             denied the apostolic teaching but then took no
of Churches, and stated that no other objections have            disciplinary action. We regard this as a serious failure
reached you. The following items are an attempt to               to follow the Scriptural demand that the church must
provide examples of those serious differences.                   discipline those who deny the apostolic teaching.
   1. The World Council of Churches - The action                     For the sake of the cause of the Gospel of our
of the Thirty-second General Assembly, 1965                      Lord Jesus Christ, we' pray that you will heed the
(Minutes, pp. 93-100) in response to your earlier                admonition of your sister churches throughout the
decisions, now put into action by your application               world and thus demonstrate that you are truly
for membership.                                                  catholic and'reformed in your subjection to the Lord
   2. Women in the Teaching or Ruling Office - The               and his Word.
action of the Thirty-fourth General Assembly, 1967               Fraternally yours,
(Minutes, pp. 100-102) in response to your report                The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
The Place of Women in the Ministry of the Church,                per The Committee on Ecumenicity
which views of yours have now been put into practice             and Interchurch Relations
by the admission of women to this office.                        LeRoy B. Oliver, Chairman
   3. The decision that the declaration of the special
general synod held in  Assen from January 26 to                F o r   t h e   r e s t ,   I   d o   n o t   k n o w   w h a t   o t h e r
March 17, 1926 respecting the interpretation of              communications were on the docket of the RES
Genesis 2 and 3 is no longer in force in the churches.       concerning this matter. I do know that the Christian
It was an overture on this matter which served as the        Reformed Synod of 1972 gave instructions to their
occasion for the decision of the Thirty-sixth General        delegates to the RES on this matter. In Article 46


32                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER


(Acts, 1972, p. 61) the following was adopted:                         every member of that body, demand an abiding
          4. That synod counsel our delegates to the %S to             interest in one another's wellbeing.
       oppose `any definitive action by the  RES re                        As an advisory ecumenical body the RES itself is
       termination of the membership of the Gereformeerde              concerned with `the spiritual welfare and the
       Kerken at RES Australia 1972.                                   Scriptural government of the Churches.' Certainly
       Grounds:                                                        this includes the duty to encourage and admonish
          a. The situation is still in flux in the churches of         member churches where matters of concern to other
       the Gereformeerde Kerken, and the matter is being               member churches are involved.
       dealt with by the Synod of Dordrecht (1971-1972).                   The  RES expresses its deep concern about the
          b. An evaluation of trends cannot be completed               theological views of Dr. H. M. Kuitert and some other
       until it is clear which trends will prevail and which           theologians, and accepts the assurance. of the
       positions will finally be adopted.                              delegates of the Reformed Churches in the
                                                                       Netherlands that their churches are giving their
      The contrast between this decision and that of the               serious and continuing attention to these views. The
Orthodox Presbyterian Church can hardly be missed.                     Reformed Churches in the Netherlands are assured of
Moreover, one has to be blind in order to think that                   the prayers of the other member churches in these
the above Christian Reformed motion is true.                           days.
Certainly, the situation is not "in flux" as far as the                    The RES also  take2 note of the fact that
World Council is concerned in the GKN. They have                       correspondence between the Reformed Churches in
made up their mind long ago; and they did so in                        the Netherlands and at least some of the churches
flagrant disregard of the warning of the RES itself. Nor               that have expressed their concern in overtures and
is it difficult to evaluate trends in the GKN: all the                 communications, is being continued. (RES NE
trends are plainly liberal. And besides, positions have                wm
already been adopted one after the other. About the
only difficulty there is with respect to the GKN is that COMMENTS
of keeping up with the rapid changes which are taking                This decision I described as a "fizzle." A complete
place.                                                            failure! A disappointment!
                                                                     Please do not misunderstand my figure. It is not that
RES Decision                                                      I desired fireworks in the sense of controversy and an
      As we mentioned, the decision of the RES is ecclesiastical explosion at Sydney merely out of a
reported by Dr. Paul Schrotenboer in the  RES News delight in such things. There is always a distasteful
Exchange of September 5. In this report, the decision aspect to such controversy and a sad aspect, certainly,
is introduced by the following comments:                          to any ecclesiastical explosion  - even though
          Seldom if ever since the RES was established in         ecclesiastical controversy and explosions may be both
       1946 has there been such a thorough and basic              necessary and salutary.
       discussion on qualifications for membership as was            But this is not my point in using the figure of a
       held in Sydney in connection with the developments         "fizzle."
       within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands.               Fireworks are supposed to produce. Any boy knows
       Six communications had placed the matter on the
       agenda and some had called in question whether the         that when you light the fuse on a "cherry bomb," you
       Reformed Churches still qualified for membership.          wait a few seconds in tense expectation for it to go
          In the discussions within the advisory committee        "ka-boom!" If you light the fuse, and that fuse
       which included representatives of the churches which       sputters and sizzles and finally goes out, and no
       had sent the communications as well as the Dutch           explosion comes, then you have . . . a "fizzle." The
       Churches, the issues were thoroughly explained and         "cherry bomb" did not produce as it was supposed to
       considerable clarification and some drawing together       p r o d u c e .   A n d   a   "f i z z l e " i s ,   o f   c o u r s e ,   a
       of minds was reached. Although the advisory                disappointment, a big let-down. Or if you light a
       committee submitted two reports, neither report            rocket and send it whistling into the air, you excpect it
       suggested that the Dutch church be placed before the       to explode in a brilliant and vari-colored star-burst. But
       ultimatum of withdrawing from the WCC or                   when the fuse is lit, and the rocket whistles into the
       becoming ineligible for continued membership in the        air, and all you behold is darkness - then you have a
       RES.                                                       "fizzle," witnessed by the disappointed "aw's"  of
And then follows the decision on this matter:                     those watching the display.
                                                                     Well, that is what happened at the RES - Sydney.
          The RES welcomes the concern of member
       churches in the spiritual welfare of, and theological         From all over the world the delegates of many
       developments within other member churches, since           denominations  - doctors of theology, ministers, elders
       the unity of the body of Christ, the witness of the        - gathered in  the  land "downunder" in the interest of
  RES in the world, and the Scriptural truth that the             Reformed ecumenism, according to their own avowals.
       welfare of the body depends upon the welfare of               There was a matter of great importance laid before


                                           THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 33


them. It concerned the largest and most influential of      The RES is even able to decide that "Certainly this
the member churches of the RES, one of their own includes the duty to encourage and admonish member
sisters. Regardless now of whether the charges were churches where matters of concern to other member
true  - and they were, of course  - sisters of the churches are involved." Notice, by the way, that bland
Gerefovmeevde  Kerken, fellow members in the family "matters of concern." There is no reference to heresy,
of the RES, were saying (with documentation) that no reference to departure from the confessions, no
their sister was erring spiritually. Moreover, the matter reference to break-down of doctrinal discipline, no
was one of the utmost importance. Not only did it reference to the forming of ungodly alliances with
concern the flouting by the GKN of a repeated unbelieving churches. But if the RES knows so well
warning sounded by the RES, but it also concerned the that this concern includes "the duty to encourage and
very foundation, the very confessional  Basis  of the admonish member churches," where is the word of
RES.                                                      encouragement and/or admonition, pray tell? It is
  Here was a golden opportunity for the RES to nowhere to be found in this decision!
produce!                                                    "The RES expresses its deep concern about the
  Here was a crucial point at which the RES could theological views of Dr. H.M. Kuitert and some other
show that it is indeed interested in, vitally concerned theologians. . . ." What is the nature of that concern?
about, being REFORMED, and genuinely interested in And why speak of "theological views" instead of
helping all its member churches to be Reformed and to heresy? Is the RES in doubt about this? And why
practice genuinely Reformed ecumenism.                    single out Dr. Kuitert and some theologians? Is it not
  Should not the RES have called to the GKN loudly much greater cause of concern that the Dutch Synod
and unequivocally and unambiguously: "Repent! has failed to exercise any kind of doctrinal discipline?
Return from the unholy way of liberal error in which Why not mention the Gereformeerde Kerken and their
you are walking"? Should not the RES have sounded official decisions? Why fiat express concern about the
to the GKN with respect to her membership in the reversal of Assen, about the Laodicean decision of
W.C.C. the prophet's word of warning and reproof to Sneek, about the repudiation of reprobation, about the
Jehoshaphat, "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and replacement of the Formula of Subscription  - all
love them that hate the Lord?" Should not the RES official decisions of the GKN?
have done exactly what the overture of the OPC asked,       ". . . and accepts the assurance of the delegates (of
namely, to warn the  Gevefonneerde  Kerken  that two the GKN) that their churches are giving their serious
cannot walk together, except they be agreed?              and continuing attention to these views." Translate'd,
  Or if - God forbid - the RES was of a mind that this means that the RES is satisfied with the manner in
the  Gereformeerde Kerken  were not guilty of serious which the GKN are handling affairs by the method of
error and misconduct and that the serious charges dialogue and failure to take definitive and disciplinary
made against them were unjust, should they not have action.
expressed this?                                             "The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands are
  But what did they express?                              assured of the prayers of the other member churches in
  Substantially, nothing!                                 these days." What kind of prayers? Prayers for what?
  The decision is a fizzle!                               That the churches may repent of all their evil deeds?
  The mountain labored, and brought forth a mouse! That they may be delivered from their false teachers?
  Not even the advisory committee dared suggest that That they may have grace to return to the Reformed
the RES stand behind its own previous warnings faith which they have forsaken? That they may put off
agai.nst membership in the W.C.C.                         the unequal yoke with the W.C.C.? You see, God is not
  And the decision itself has no substance. It is mocked! Nor is He fooled by pious words about
nothing but an aggregation of bland truisms and pious prayers! And wicked prayers are an abomination to
mouthings.                                                Him. If prayers are to be offered for the GKN in the
  "The RES welcomes the concern. . .  ." Well, one present situation, they certainly must be `prayers for
would hope so! If not, why should there be any RES? repentance and reformation!
But if the RES "welcomes" the concern of member             Finally, "The RES also takes note of the fact that
churches, where is the evidence of that welcome? Did correspondence . . . is being continued." Now there is a
not the OPC express such concern very definitely and decision worthy of an ecumenical synod! Men must
concretely? And how does this decision evince welcome travel thousands of miles at an expense of thousands of
of that concern - concretely now? Well, frankly now, dollars to take note of continuing correspondence
by ignoring it and by not even giving the OPC a when the very Basis of the RES is threateiied and
specific answer to its communications.                    fldu ted? By all means, make a ponderous
  "As an advisory ecumenical body the RES itself is pronouncement about on-going correspondence, but
concerned. . . ." Again, where is the concrete evidence say nothing about important issues, and especially not
of this concern?                                          about anything offensive to the GKN!


 34                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER


       What a fizzle!                                          of the Gereormeerde  Kerkerz.
       And how do you explain it?                                And as far as the W.C.C. is concerned, partly, I
       Partly, I suppose, from the fact that the Christian think, from the fact that the RES itself, through its
 Reformed delegates must have persuaded many to Interim Committee, is playing a highly dangerous game
 follow the counsel of their Synod not to take any of consultations with W.C.C. leadership.
 definitive action with the respect to the membership of          But it will be interesting to learn whether those
 the Gerefonneerde  Kerken.                                    denominations which brought overtures to the RES
       Partly, it seems, from the fact that the RES has about these matters will now be satisfied. I can hardly
 learned some lessons from the GKN about how to                imagine that possibility. But then, it seems to me, they
 conduct a  Syfio.dical  meeting without exercising any will as denominations have to take a stand as to their
 kind of doctrinal discipline. The language of this RES own continuing membership in the RES.
 decision reminds me, at least, of the ecclesiastical style      Time will tell.


 Comocation Address

                                 Walking In The Old Ways
                                                       ProJ: H. Hanko

             (Note: the following is approximately the speech delivered at the Convocation of
                         the Protestant Reformed Theological School on September 6, 1972.)

       It is with a deep sense of gratitude to God that we     aspect of ecclesiastical life. Changes are introduced in
 begin a new year of school work in our Seminary. God          the theology of the Church and are sought in the
 has made another year of school work possible. He has Confessions of the Church. Changes are made in the
 given us a large number of new students who, this year, liturgy of the Church  - both in the manner of the
 begin their pre-seminary training in our school. And          worship of God and in the liturgical forms. Changes are
 there is evidence of concern for and interest in our suggested for the calling of the Church as she goes
 Seminary on the part of our people both by the large          about seeking to be effective in today's world. And, to
 crowd which is gathered here tonight and by the meet these changes, changes are also made in the work
 excellent response to our recent drive for a new              of the Seminaries  - in the curriculum and in the
 Seminary building. All these things are evidences and instruction which is given.
 tokens of God's favor towards us and reason for                 I find particularly appropriate the Word of God as it
 gratitude.                                                    appears in Jeremiah 6: 16: "Thus saith the Lord, Stand
       The thought arises at a time like this that we do not ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
 begin a new year of school, so to speak, in a vacuum.         where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall
 Other Seminaries throughout this land and abroad also         find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not
 begin at this time of the year a new year of school           walk therein."
 work. Especially. in the light of the fact that we are,         Jeremiah was called to prophesy in Judah during evil
 relatively speaking, rather small and, by any standards       days. Judah had departed from the ways of Jehovah.
 of measurement, insignificant, what justification do we The text suggests very strongly that also among the
 have for opening a Seminary of our own?                       people of Judah the cry for change was in the air.
       There are various answers to this question which        Judah had wearied of the old ways and the nation was
 could be given. But there is one aspect to which I wish       looking for something new. The old ceremonies of the
 especially to call your attention this evening.               law had be come an obnoxious burden and the
       Perhaps what characterizes our times more than          complaint was made that the worship of God
 anything else is an incessant and sometimes even              according to the old ways was no longer meaningful.
 raucous clamor for change filling the ecclesiastical air.     These ways of worship were conducive to formal lip
 The password of those advocating change is                    service and stifling of any genuine worship of the
 "relevance." The church, it is said, must be relevant to      heart. These  ways were unattractive to the youth of
 the times, for only in this way will the Church be able the nation and no longer attracted them to the temple.
 to speak intelligently and effectively to our modern          New ways of worship and new methods of expressing
age. And so, the call for change touches upon every            the faith of the Church had to be discovered if the


                                             THE STANDARD  BEARER                                                  35


nation was to be relevant to the youth and to the shone through all the prescriptions of the law; and in
heathen surrounding Canaan. And so the nation had the hope of that promise Israel and Judah were called
struck out into new paths, experimenting and blazing to walk.
new trails through uncharted lands, attempting to find       In these paths Israel had walked in ancient times.
different paths to walk in their worship and faith.          There is a comp&son here to our own life which we
  To them the Word of God came with force and ought not to overlook. The ancient paths for us are
power: "Stop! Stop walking in the way you are going. still the paths prescribed by God Himself and
Pause for a moment and consider what you are doing. expressive of His will for us. These paths are clearly
Take inventory and examine the course you have and unmistakably defined in God's infallible Word.
chosen to follow. Inquire concerning the ancient paths. They define the fundamental principle; which govern
Learn anew of them. And, having learned of them, walk all our life and conduct. They define the truth which is
in them."                                                 the content of our confession. They define the manner
  Obviously, the text uses a figure of speech. It is a of our worship of God both as individuals and as
figure of speech which is quite common to Scripture. Church. They define all our life and walk in the world
The text describes the life of the people of Judah in as we are called to be children of our Father in heaven.
terms of a "way" and a "path." The former word is            But these paths are also ancient because we have
more or less a general word which is often used to spiritual fathers who have walked in these ways before
describe either the whole of man's life or one us. Today, too, the path is well-defined because it has
particular aspect of it. It defines man's life or an aspect been trodden down by the feet of countless thousands
of it in terms of a journey which begins at a certain who have come this way before. They are therefore the
time and continues on until death. Here this general paths of our Confessions and liturgical forms drawn up
word "way" is used to describe that aspect of man's in ancient times, defining the ways  -in which our
life which is particularly characterized by his worship fathers have walked.
of God.                                                     The command which came to Judah is very sharp
  The latter word, "path," denotes rather a well-. and contains even an awful indictment. Judah had
trodden and deeply worn path clearly marked because begun to walk in new paths  - uncharted and
many people have walked that same way in times past. unmarked - experimenting with new forms of worship
  The latter word is of particular concern to us. This and new theologies. But, the text suggests, Judah
"path" is defined in the text by the word "ancient."It had forgotten the ancient ways. This is quite obviously
is called "ancient" for various reasons. In the first the implication of the command:  "Ask  for the old
place, the word "ancient" literally means "eternal." paths." Such asking presupposes that there was a need
And the word suggests that this path is above all to know. And this could only be because the ancient
marked by God. It is the path prescribed by God from paths had been forgotten.
all eternity which God defines that His people may          This is usually the way it goes. It is true, of course,
walk in it. Secondly, it is called "ancient" because it is that the longer one pursues new paths, the more he
not a new path, recently discovered or made, but it is, forgets the ancient paths. But the fact remains that the
as a matter of fact, very, very old. And, thirdly, it is clamor for change, the incessant appeal for something
called "ancient" because many people have walked new most often arises out of appalling ignorance of the
that way before. This is why it is so well-worn and so ancient ways. There is something ironical about this.
deeply beaten.                                            Those who shout the loudest for changes in theology
  No doubt, this is also why the text calls this path and worship scarcely know what the ancient paths are.
"good." It is good because it has been defined by God The, plea for change arises out of ignorance of both
Himself; and many, having walked this path, have Scripture and the Confessions of the Church.
found it good.                                              Judah had forgotten the old paths. This was
  There is no doubt about the reference as far as the reminiscent of the days of the judges when a
nation of Judah was concerned. These paths were the generation arose which knew not the Lord nor the
ways prescribed by the Law of God which was given to wonderful works He had performed for Israel. It was
Israel through Moses, God's servant. The body of an echo of  Hosea's bitter complaint: "My people  are
Mosaic legislation prescribed precisely for the nation of destroyed for lack of knowledge." These were the days
Israel how Israel was to walk as God's people in a way when Josiah and his workers found the book of the
pleasing to Him. It described particularly the whole law in the temple, and no one in the whole of Judah
way  `of the worship of God in the temple with the even recognized what it was.
ceremonies and types which set Israel apart from all        To this Judah comes the command: "Stop in the
the nations under heaven.                                 ways you are going! Look about you. Take inventory.
                                                          Examine the matter of your way. And inquire
  Nevertheless, these paths were essentially defined by concerning the ancient paths. And once you have
the promise of the coming of Christ. That promise learned of these paths, walk in them!"


36                                                    THE STANDARD  BEAPER



      No less does this command come to the church paths given to them by the Spirit of Christ always
world of today - and, to us tonight.                                 present in the Church.
      We may be thankful that the clamor for change has                 But no less does this command come to all of us. It
not yet found a ready ear among us. But the danger is is said sometimes, and correctly, that when heresy
always there. And we must be on our guard. There are                 comes into the Church it usually comes from the top
always those advocating change, and their arguments down. I.e., it comes from the Seminaries and schools.
can sound very persuasive. Besides, who will deny that And from there it filters down into all levels of Church
the new and untried always has its own unique appeal? life. I do not mean to dispute this. But we must not
      Nevertheless, the calling comes to all of us here forget that the opposite also is true. No Seminary can
tonight to inquire concerning the ancient ways. That be any stronger than the Church which cherishes it,
implies, first of all, a constant searching of the loves it, supports it, and prays for it. That is true of
Scriptures to learn the will of Jehovah God: for the our Seminary too.
ancient ways are His prescription for us. But it implies                What was Judah's response to this command? Coldly
also a thorough acquaintance with our Confessions and they said: "We will not walk therein." They would not
Liturgical Forms. These are the ways that are of old.                even stop in the way they were going. They would not
They are hallowed by the feet of countless thousands even pause to consider their way. They would not
who have gone this way before. They are not ways inquire concerning the ancient paths. They were
different from the ways described by the Scriptures. indifferent and profane. Hoiv characteristic of our own
.They are the ways of Scripture itself, marked by our times!
fathers as the way the church is called to walk. Over                   But in these "new ways" there is no rest.
the centuries, since the time of the apostles, the saints               There is something terrible about this. But it is also
`of Jehovah have trodden these paths until they are paradoxical. New ways are never satisfying. They never
hard-packed, well-trodden paths, clearly visible for all bring peace. They never have an end. Always the one
who want to see. And they are paths even upon which who sets his feet upon these ways is driven on by the
much blood has fallen: for those who have walked this restless desire for something else, something new again.
way heretofore have done so at the price of their lives. The new, once tried, becomes old and stale. Its
      We who are called to engage in the work of attractiveness is soon gone and its allurement soon
instruction solemnly pledge to you all that we shall                 turned to ashes. And so, to tickle the fancy, to satiate
heed this admonition and command. We shall, in the craven lust for that which was new, yet other new
#humble dependence upon God and by the power of bays must be devised and new paths explored. And t6
His grace, inquire into the ancient ways and walk in t.his there is no end. There can be no end, for the wrath
them.                                                                of God abides on those who depart from his Word.
      But I take this opportunity &o to press home upon The new is always old.
you who are studying in our school this same truth.                     But, the opposite is also true: the old is always new.
Some of you will be studying part of the time in local The ancient paths are always new paths, and they
colleges. You may be sure that you will meet with this remain such. They are new because they are the paths
clamor for change. You may be sure, too, that the of God. To the hungry and thirsty heart of the child of
arguments will sound sometimes persuasive and God, they are never old. To the guilt-burdened soul
convincing. You may be sure that the temptatiod will they can be nothing but new - every time he walks in
be strong to change your theology, your Confession, them. For they are the paths of God and His Christ.
your way of worship in the name of relevance. I urge They are the paths of the age-old and yet ever-new
upon you this truth of God's Word. It is Jehovah God truths of the Scriptures. And they never cease to thrill
Who commands it. "Thus  saith Jehovah. . . . Inquire anew the hearts and souls of God's people though he
concerning the ancient ways, where is the good way, should walk in them all his life.
and walk therein." Let the Word of God be your rule                     In these ways God's people find rest for their souls.
and guide always. Honor the paths which your fathers "Our souls can find no rest," Augustine said, "till they
have trod. For the paths they have marked out are rest in thee."




       There are those who speak of a "less absolute antithesis." "Less absolute" is obviously not absolute at all, but relative.
       And "relative" and "antithesis" are contradictory terms. Those who use such terminology actually mean "synthesis."



L                                                                                                                                    I


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                     37


From Holy Writ

                        Pure And Undefiled Religion (2)
                                       An Exposition of the Epistle of James

                                               Rev. Robert D. Decker

Verse 1, James, a slave of God . . . (continued)             is saying to believers in the dispersion, "greeting,
   James, the slave of God through the Lord Jesus            rejoice, or be glad." And, when God Who "speaks and
Christ, addresses the Word to "the twelve tribes it is done, who commands and it stands fast," says,
scattered abroad." A better translation would be: "to        "rejoice," we rejoice! His Word is a powerful, creative:
the twelve tribes which are in the dispersion." There        life-giving and life-changing Word; it fills us with the
are two possible interpretations of this. Some take it to joy of salvation in Jesus Christ.
mean literally the Jews who had been converted and           Verses 2-4, "The Joy of Temptations" . . .
were now dispersed throughout the world. Others                With that brief introductory greeting James gets
understand this to be a reference to "spiritual Israel,`: right down to the first need of the saints of God
children of God of both Jew and Gentile. The former          scattered throughout the world. "My brethren, count
explanation is no doubt correct for several reasons.         it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing
There is frequent reference to Old Testament                 this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
examples: not only to saints such as Abraham, Rahab,         But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
Elijah, Job; but also to such things as the early and        perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
latter rain, the husbandman, the synagogue. There is           What are these "divers temptations"? We should
the absence of any reference to the many problems            understand that James means the temptations of the
encountered by the church when the Gentiles were             devil. Some commentators would translate "divers
called into the fellowship. of the body of Christ  -         trials," pointing to verse 13, where the Scripture
problems concerning circumcision, for example.               clearly states that God tempts no man. Besides, those
Finaliy, the fact that the readers are described as being    of this opinion argue that Jesus taught us to pray,
"in the dispersion" strongly argues for our position.        "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
These are no doubt the Jewish Christians who were            evil." How then could the scriptures admonish God's
forced to flee Jerusalem as a result of the persecution      children to count it all joy when they fall into divers
which followed upon Stephen's martyrdom (cf. Acts            temptations? In order to understand clearly the
8 6% 9).                                                     meaning of the text it is well that we pay attention to
  This, of course, does not mean the Letter has no           the distinction between temptations and trials. While
significance for us today. There is no cleavage between      the means may often be the same, temptations are not
Jew and Gentile; all are one in Christ. And, the eternal     the same as trials. They are different, first, as to their
Word of God speaks to the church in every age. Still         source. Temptations always come from Satan and
more, the dispersed Jewish Christians picture vividly        never come from God (cf. vs. 13); while trials always
the Church of Jesus Christ scattered throughout the          come from God and never from the devil. The motive
world, the "elect strangers" to whom the inspired            of the two differs. Satan, that old deceiver, tempts us
Apostle Peter writes, (I Peter 1: 1, ff.) who are "born      because he hates us; and he hates us because he hates
again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus          God. Because he hated God and desired the
Christ, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled,      destruction of God's cause, the devil tempted our first
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for             parents (Gen. 3). The devil has been busy doing the
you. . . ." These are  in  but not  of  the world of sin.    same ever after. God, however, tries His people because
Therefore they are hated, persecuted; friends of God,        He loves them in Christ and desires that they enjoy the
and thus enemies of the world. To these, the Jewish          blessings of salvation. Thirdly, trials and temptations
Christians in the dispersion in the first century, and to    differ as to their goal. The devil's goal in tempting us is
the believers dispersed in the world today comes the         to cause us to sin. His purpose is to destroy us and
Word of God through His slave, James.                        ultimately to destroy God's cause. God tries us, on the
  That word is very simply, "greeting." The word             other hand, to save us. His purpose is always to draw
really means "rejoice, be glad." It was a form of            us into deeper fellowship with Himself.
wishing one happiness. Now, this is not just the wish of       James is saying here that we are to count it all joy
James for the church but the living Word of God. God         not when we fall into divers  trials,  but most


38                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER



emphatically when we fall into divers  temptations.                from evil." But, we do fall into temptations; i.e., we
When the devil tempts you, count it all joy. That this is          fall among divers temptations, or into the midst of
true will become evident as we proceed to listen to                divers temptations.        That's bound, to be, merely
what the Spirit says to the Church in these verses.                because we are the slaves of God in the dispersion.
       These temptations are said to be divers. This word          Through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ we have
means of all sorts of colors or many different shades.             been taken out of the misery of sin and translated into
Very simply, then, the temptations of the Evil One are             the Kingdom of God. Hence we are in, but not of, the
of a host of different forms and variations. All of                world of sin. We are already raised  up  to newness of
them, contrary often to appearance, are vicious                    life by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; and
attempts on the part of Satan to destroy us. Today the             therefore our citizenship is in heaven, whence also we
devil is busy using the wealth and ease of the world to            look for the Savior (cf. Remans 6, Philippians 3). What
tempt. His aim is to get us all wrapped up in what the             the Scripture is saying, then, is: when because you live
Bible calls in Hebrews 11, "the pleasures and treasures            by faith out of Jesus Christ and seek the Kingdom of
of Egypt." Cunningly the devil works, tempting us one              heaven as God's slaves, when you fight the battle of
step at a time; gradually our spiritual senses become              faith against Satan, the world, and your own sinful
dulled, and we become lax and apathetic. The end of                flesh, when, as a result of that, you find yourselves in
the process is reached when our entire life is consumed            the midst of divers temptations, and the way is very
by things earthly, so that the focus of our living                 narrow, and you suffer for Jesus' sake, what must your
becomes the job, the beautiful home, the vacation, the             attitude be? How must you regard this?
ball game, or whatever, while the affairs of Church and               The answer is: "Count it all joy"! We are to consider
Kingdom become secondary. We worship on Sunday                     or judge those divers temptations into which we fall all
but have no time for Bible study. If there is time left joy, i.e., pure or unmixed joy.
over we may squeeze a few moments to work for                         That is a difficult Word to receive! If the Scripture
evangelism or attend an occasional society meeting or              admonished us to bear those temptations, submit or be
work for the Christian School. Satan bombards us with              resigned to them, we could understand it. Or if James
enticements which appeal to our sinful flesh. He uses              had said we are to trust in the Lord Who will never
the means of television, radio, and printed page to hold           suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, we
before us the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the              would not find it so difficult. If the Word here were
eyes, making it almost impossible to shield our                    that we should be thankful even in temptations
children and bring them up in the fear of God.                     because someday we will be in glory, we would
       The Tempter also appears on the pulpit and in the           understand. Or if we were reminded of reasons to be
classroom through false preachers and teachers. Very joyful even in our sorrows, we would understand.
subtly he chips away at the truth of the Word of God.              While all this is true enough, the text goes a step
He calms the uneasy by assuring them that these                    farther and exhorts us to count it all joy when we fall
preachers and teachers are sincerely pursuing the truth.           into divers temptations. Count it all joy that you have
After all, the sixteenth century creeds cannot possibly            to battle the devil on so many fronts and in so many
s.peak to the needs of the Church in the twentieth                 ways. When you have to struggle against the Evil One
-century. The Church must keep on reforming, and                   day in and day out and you grow weary as it becomes
there must be freedom for theologians to discuss and               increasingly difficult to be faithful, count it all joy.
develop our understanding of the truth.                            Consider it all joy when you are scorned because you
       And when all else fails, Satan will scorn and ridicule      refuse to compromise the faith. There is in all of this
and even kill the faithful. The history of God's Church            absolutely no reason for grief. The divers temptations
from the very beginning (witness the murder of Abel)               which result in the great struggle of the Christian and
testifies to this in the clearest of terms.                        in his suffering for Christ's sake are reason for great,
       Thus the slaves of God through the Lord Jesus               unmixed, whole joy. As difficult as that may be to
Christ, scattered abroad in the world, fall into divers            understand, that is the Word of God. And the
temptations. Note: James does not say we are to put                Scriptures are full of this; Matthew 5, Romans 5,
ourselves' into divers temptations. Always we are to               I Peter 1 and 4 and many other passages all speak of
flee temptations, and never are we to seek tempting                essentially the same truth.
situations. We tie instructed precisely for this reason                                                       (to be continued)
     to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us


              The Standard Bearer's  witness goes to many overseas addresses; your continued generous support will help
            expand this witness.

1                                                                                                                             ,


                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER                                                        39



     u&es in Election

                                         Its Resistance,
                                                 Rev. Robt. C Harbach

   15. Its Resistance, (Continued)                               Christ hath made us free." The reality of "the  tith
     We continue with our examination of an article              shall make you free" is a freedom  in  the truth, not
1 which appeared about six years ago in  The Chimes,             freedom JLom the truth.
  published by students of Calvin College. The article             Then we have this: "We say we believe the Spirit in
  put down the doctrines of predestination, election and         us, but we close the canon with Paul. Did the
1 reprobation as "harmful." To go on, the article avers,         outpouring of God's grace end with Paul, or are we
  "There is no such thing as heresy." Then it is added,          afraid of what the Spirit might say in the Twentieth
  "There are only Christians and non-Christians." Are            century?" More vilificatiqn of Reformed doctrine! But
, not non-Christians, who either consciously or                  we do not close the canon with Paul; we close it with
  unconsciously reject the Christian faith, to the extent' John. As for the canonical Scriptures, "we receive all
  that they do reject it, involved in heresy? Deny there is      these books, and these only as a sufficient and only
  such a thing as heresy, and you may as well deny there         rule of faith and life," (Belgic Conf., V, VII). We are,
  is such a thing as darkness. There is no black and             not afraid of what the Spirit might say in the twentieth
  white. Everything is gray. This is a denial of the             century, for we know that He "witnesseth in our
  antithesis, and so, really, a denial there is such a thing     hearts that the canonical Scriptures and they only are
  as truth. For heresy is always antithetically posed to         from God, that the  evidence  of this they carry in
  the truth. The next step would be to deny that there is        themselves,  and that the very blind ca,n perceive that
  such a thing as Reformed Truth. But it is Reformed to          the things foretold in them are fulfilling" (ibid., V).
  call the false church heretical (Belgic Conf., Art. 29). It      With deep chagrin this snippety editorial hopes an
  is Reformed to call Pelagianism a poisonous, proud             infinite chasm will be added to the already vast gap
  heresy (Canons I.R.IV; II.R.III,IV: III-IV, 10; V.R.VII,       between yesterday's Christian and today's. There must
  IX: Belgic Conf. XV,  XXXYI), Socinianism wicked               be not only no living irz the past, but neither any living
  (C.II.R.IV), Anabaptism a heresy (BC XVIII), and               fvom  the past. Here is a "gap theory"  toto coelo
  Epicureanism and, Manicheism error (ibid., XII, XIII).         different from the bizarre "gap theory" o f
, It is Reformed to put down `as heretics the Jews,              Dispensationalism. For Modernism reveals its
  Mohammedans, Marcionites, Sabellians and Arians                underlying severance from the true church. The false
  (ibid., IX). It is not only un-Reformed, it is                 church hates anything that smacks of "orthodoxy," as
  anti-Reformed; in fact, it is devilish to paint the            if that were a sort of "spiritual virginity" hardly worth
' Reformed doctrine of predestination as an opiate of            protecting. The false church is the harlot church which
  Satan, or as Stoicism, Manicheism, Libertinism and             wants to be free to commit physical and spiritual
  Turcism (Canons, Conclusion). But the contention,              fornication with the daughters of men and the sons of
  "There is no, such thing as heresy" is, on the part of         Belial. That church which has turned "Modernist" is
  "insolent sophists a pretext for violently assailing and       certainly a false church. Isn't there a real, dangerous
  vilifying the doctrine of the Reformed churches"               trend that many of the Reformed churches are going in
  (ibid.).                                                       that direction? and isn't it a fact that some of them
     This they do in the remark, "When one sees how              have "arrived"?
  Christian Reformed people multiply the Ten                       Let us consider another line of resistance to this
  Commandments into thousands, proscribing everything            truth. God is the only one with a sovereignly free will.
  from a glass of whiskey to a Sabbath swim, one                 Has He not the right to exert it as He pleases, to do
  wonders what has become of the truth that was to               what He will with His own, to predetermine the
  have made us free." Here lurks a latent hatred for the         destiny of all His creatures? But proud, self-assertive,
  Ten Commandments which springs out of a secret                 would-be autonomous man objects to this. By nature a
  longing to be free to sin undisciplined and                    rebel, he pickets the Lord, carrying his little placard,
  uncondemned, a secret longing for the "new morality"           "God is unfair!" This because God hath mercy on
  (the old immorality in sophisticated disguise) and the         whom He will and whom He will He  hardeneth. He
   "God-is-dead" fad. Vocation-doubters insult the               reasons that God should create all men equal, and give
   Reformed churches which confess "the calling                  everyone the same opportunities for life, liberty, and
   wherewith ye were dalled" and the "liberty wherewith          the pursuit of happiness, as well as for salvation. It is


40                                                THE STANDARD BEARER


partiality to show mercy to one and severity to                   and man becomes a stock (a log) and a (concrete)
another. It is partiality to bring one man into the               block. So the Arminian contention runs, also insisting
world into the midst of poverty, while another is born            that man's will must be free to choose good or to
amidst riches. There should be equality. But the                  choose evil, otherwise man's moral agency is
demand for equality originates not with equity, but               destroyed. That is why the greater masses of people,
with inferiority. It is the inferior mind which cannot            led on by their popular prophets, conclude that
escape thinking, "People have no right being different;           ultimately man, not God, decides eternal destiny. What
it's not democratic." But it should be obvious that the           is wrong with this objection is that it does not
creation did not come about democratically. Will                  understand two things, responsibility and free will. It
anyone, for that reason, be so absurd to reject it? The           presumes that responsibility is limited by ability.
universe is here to stay. Let the wise man be heard who           Nothing could be more erroneous. Ability is not the
said. "Nay, but, 0 man, who art thou that repliest                measure of responsibility. Man's responsibility was in
against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that               no way lowered by his fall. The fall left him with very
formed it, `Why hast Thou made me thus?' Hath not                 much less ability, than before, but with no less
the Potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to              responsibility. In fact, since the fall, man has even
make one vessel unto honor, and another unto                      more responsibility. Now he is responsible for his sins.
dishonor?" (Rom. 9: 2Of).                                         But responsibility is one thing and free will is another.
      The mystery of God's sovereignty will be plainer to         His responsibility is increased, since the fall; but his
God's people when they understand that "God is                    free will is not as free as it was before the fall. Now the
light" as well as "God is love." He is a just God and a will of fallen man is free only in the direction of sin.
Savior, holy as well as gracious. Both of these aspects           While there is a notable increase in his responsibility,
of the truth as seen in predestination. In the election of        there is, at the same time, a fatal decrease in his ability.
His people, God reveals the riches of His grace. In the           Fallen man suffers total moral impotency, and so a
reprobation of the rest, God proves His holiness and              total moral and spiritual inability. Yet he is still as
justice.                                                          fully responsible as sinless Adam was in the state of
      Who will maintain that God owes all men without             rectitude. The idea that his responsibility before God is
exception eternal salvation? If He does, then He must             only according to the ability he has as now a totally
also owe them all earthly prosperity. For argument                depraved sinner is a philosophical dream. The dream
from the greater to the lesser is conclusive. If God, to          interpreted is that the more wholly incapable of any
be perfectly just, must provide for the salvation of all          good a man is and becomes, the less responsible he is
men, so He is bound to make equal provision for man's             and becomes. No wonder, then, with this dream deeply
material welfare. But men have neither equal temporal             ingrained in the mind- of man, that today the criminal
or spiritual opportunities, no, not in this world where           is set free and the good man is punished. But the law
God is indisputable Sovereign. Does this, then, make              of God dispels such a dream. Every man is answerable
Him unjust? The devil himself is not that much of a               to  it,  in thought, word and act, and that personally,
fool to suggest it, except to a  cul  de sac  brain with perpetually and perfectly.
"I'm-as-good-as-you-are" thinking. The providences  of               The spiritual and moral inability of now fallen man
God are inscrutable and mysterious, unquestionably                does not cancel or annul his responsibility. Actually,
so. But these impenetrable mysteries reveal not the               the more incapable he becomes of doing any good, the
ilijustice  of the Almighty, but the superficiality of            guiltier he becomes, and, with the increase of his guilt,
finite understanding. The God of predestination and               the increase of his responsibility, We are informed of
providence everywhere reveals His infinite attributes of          sinners "that cannot cease from sin," the reason being
e t e r n i t y , i m m e n s i t y , incomprehensibility,        that they are sinners "having eyes full of adultery" (2
immutability, wisdom, power, holiness, justice,                   Pet. 2: 14). It is bad that they are not able to quit sin.
goodness, truth and love. Boundless comfort it. is to             It is worse that they cannot because (the eyes of) their
know that all things happen, not by chance, but by the            minds are full of sin. Their inability cannot excuse
fatherly hand of Him in whom all such infinite glories            them, since it only makes their sin worse, worse in the
inherently shine.                                                 sense of greater and guiltier. Yet though they "cannot
      Objectors to divine election never fail to protest that     cease from sin," their responsibility to do so remains,
it destroys man's responsibility. If God foreordains              even increases, for all men are commanded to "cease to
whatsoever comes to pass, as the Westminster                      do evil," to "learn to do well" (Isa. 1: 16f), to "awake
Confession puts it, if His decree fixes every event in            to righteousness and sin not"  (1 Cor.  15:34).
history (AC. 2: 22, 23; 4:27f), and settles the destiny of        Argument from impotency, inability and incapability
every man, then all human responsibility is destroyed,            cannot stand in the face of these commands.

                            Wanted: church members with singleness of heart and singleness of purpose.


                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER                                                       4.


  The Strength of Youth

                                Divorce and Remarriage (1)
                                                   Rev. J. Kortering

    The problem of divorce and subsequent remarriage                settlement. To others they are the inevitable cast-offs
  is becoming a subject of serious discussion amongst our           of people who have never learned to love. Separation
  young people. This is understandable. Strained or evkn and divorce is deeply sad.
  broken marriages are becoming more frequent, thereby
  bringing the problem into the passionate consideration            WHOM DO YOU BLAME?-
  of people who are directly involved in such a sad state             Liberalization of laws pertaining to the dissolution
  of marriage. Anyone personally involved in the                    of marriage is becoming more commonplace. California
  breakdown of a marriage, or closely related to                    has led the way in 1970; we quote from a United Press
  someone who is, quite naturally discusses the question            release, March 10, 1971, "Under a liberalized law
  of divorce and remarriage in a serious manner. Is                 effective Jan. 1, 1970, the word, `divorce' was dropped
  divorce, as the dissolution of marriage, unscriptural?            in favor of, `dissolution of marriage?' The traditional
  Does an innocent person, who is married to a terrible             grounds of adultery and cruelty  w&e abolished  -
  spouse, have to live all his life alone if separated from         except in cases where child custody is an issue. The
  his or her spouse? Is that what the Bible requires?               new law requires only that the judge be convinced
I Besides this, one quickly learns that our churches'               there are `irreconcilable differences,' with specifics not
  stand on divorce and remarriage is certainly the `required." With this new approach it is not necessary
 minority stand; and one  has little difficulty finding        to establish guilt or innocence. There is no lawsuit, one
 historical support to justify divorce and remarriage if            spouse bringing a court action against another. Both
  one's spouse commits adultery. To face these issues,              decide they can't make the marriage work and appear
' we should proceed carefully and thoroughly.                  before the court to get it dissolved. They work out a
                                                               mutual settlement and are free to find another spouse.
 AN INCREASING PROBLEM
    Two factors stand out in showing that the                  It is easy to see how this appeals to married people
  breakdown of  ma?iage is increasing. The first deals              who are having difficulty and greatly contributes to
 with the number  .of marriages  thit end up in  the                the breakup of many marriages.
                                                               I
  divorce courts. Last year about 600,000 divorces were               We should ask a deeper question: why are these laws
  granted in the United States. This produces the                   changing? It is disturbing to the conscientious
 appalling statistic that approximately -one out of every           Christian to observe that what was once considered
 three marriages ends in divorce. The second factor is              wrong is now so often considered right. This is true in
 that this is taking place at an increasing rate. From the          the area of Sunday observance, public nudity, drugs,
  United Press report: "The divorce rate in the United              pornography, abortion, obscenity, etc. Our courts take
  States climbed sharply`in the 196Os, the Census Bureau            a lenient position on many issues that should demand
  said in a survey Monday . . . the increase was 33            immediate condemnation.  Tl& also applies to easy
 percent over 1960." In the year 1970, the rate jumped              divorces and other legal procedures that terminate
  40 percent in California. It will not do for us simply to    marriage. Why is this happening befo:e our very eyes?
  shrug this off and say, "That's the world." Indeed it is,         In our country, the judicial system reflects the
  but the church is still in that world; and what happens      character and temperament of the majdrity of citizens.
 in this world has a direct bearing upon marriage within Judicial decrees are expressions  of-the mores of the
  the church. We can see this evidence amongst us              people. Moral values change, so the courts change.
  already.                                                     They have to keep up with the times. This-is not right,
    Cold statistics do not spell out the problem fully.             of  course. Situation ethics produces  relativisti  in
  Last year one million two hundred thousand husbands morals, simply because it is not founded upon the
  and wives parted ways. The scars of failure, the din of ethics of Scripture, which never change. This should
  battle, the brawling, beating, screaming,  daggered               remind us as Christian young people that our evil
  stares, ark deeply embedded in the hearts and minds of generation will produce evil laws and will allow the
  each one. There are no victors in divorce, only losers.           citizens to do things which are immoral and contrary
  Between opposing forces one finds the bruised and to God's Holy Word. A sexually depraved age clamors
  battered lives of children. To some they become for the removal of every -vestige of  righteoustiess
  chattel to be considered in the bartering for the _ which serves as an obstacle to the pursuit of their evil


42                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER


pleasure. If marriage is such an obstacle, marriage has               divorce but compel  him to remain  single. Christ
to go!                                                                permitted divorce in case of  fornicatibn and
      We intimate that the church today has to take its               compelled no one to remain single; and Paul preferred
share of the blame in the breakdown of marriage.                      us to marry rather than to bum, and seemed quite
Books are written and periodicals are filled with a                   prepared to grant  that a man may marry another
defense of divorce as the only way out of a bad                       woman in place of the one he has repudiated,
                                                                     Reformation WritingofMartin  Luther, by Woolf.
marriage. Most will counsel that every effort must be               Feelings entered a great deal into the teachings of
put forth to save the marriage, but if this fails, we have        Luther on this subject. To illustrate this we have
to accept the inevitable and learn to live with  it. Thus a       recorded the incident of the landgrave, Philip of Hesse,
book  entitled  Marriage Counseling, a Manual for who was given in marriage to the daughter of Duke
Ministers, by J. K., Morris, states:                              George. In those days romantic love was not considered
          Divorce is a crisis for the persons involved in it.     in the least, and this marriage resulted in a miserable
       Following  a divorce  many adjustments must be             marriage for both. We quote from  Here I Stand,  by
       made. If children are involved they too face many          Bainton:
       problems of adjustment. If the parties to a divorce               There were several ways in which his difficulty
       bilong to the minister-counselor's church and both             could have been solved. If he had remained a
       continue to attend that church, there will occur some          Catholic, he might have been able to secure an
       strained and embarrassing situations. It often happens         annulment on  the grounds of some defect in the
       that one of the divorced persons may transfer to               marriage; but s&e he had become a Lutheran, he
       another church, especially if they live in a city where        could expect no consideration from the pope. Nor
       there are several churches of their denomination. In           would Luther permit recourse to the Catholic device.
       other cases a cl+ch of another denomination may be             A second solution would have been divorce and
       chosen.                                                        remarriage. A great many Protestant bodies in the
           This is just one of the many problems caused by            present day would countenance  this method,
       divorce. The minister-counselor must try to help the           particularly since Philip had been subjected in his
       divorced to continue his religious life and to find a          youth to a loveless match. But Luther at this point
       congenial church home where he feels he can worship            interpreted the gospels rightly and held to the Word
       and be active.                                                 of Christ as reported by Matthew that divorce is
          Much depends also on the congregation involved.             permissible only for adultery. But Luther did feel
       Here we would hope to see  the church as a                     that there should be some remedy, and he discovered
       redemptive agent working cooperatively with the                it by a reversion to the mores of the Old Testament
       minister in helping the divorced adjust.                       patriarchs, who had practiced bigamy and even
      The point is that divorce is not condemned, not                 polygamy, without any manifestation of divine
considered a great evil, but accepted as the lesser of                displeasure. Philip was given assurance that he might
two evils and therefore to be dealt with in "love."                   in good conscience take a second wife.
                                                                    This was, of course, contrary to the law; and it
GLEANINGS FROM HISTORY                                            necessitated secrecy. Soon it leaked out, and Luther's
      In general, we can observe that the leaders of the          final comment was said to be, "If anyone thereafter
church and also official church pronouncements have               should practice bigamy, let the Devil give him a bath in
taken the position that divorce may be granted upon               the abyss of hell." This shows that a complete Biblical
the grounds of adultery. By divorce they mean the                 conception of divorce and remarriage was not thought
complete dissolution of marriage and not "separation              through by Luther.
of bed and board." Such a dissolved marriage allows                 Our forefather John Calvin also took the position
the marriage partner, who has not committed adultery,             that adultery dissolved the marriage, and that a person
to marry someone else.                                            could immediately divorce his or her spouse and be
      Augustine, the great church father, expressed               entitled to right of remarriage.
hesitation and doubt on this matter. He writes:                     We have some quotations on this which will have to
          And in the expressions of the divine word, it is so     wait until next time.
       obscure whether he, who has the unquestionable right         Why do we spend time with these quotations since
       of putting away an adulterous wife,  ought to be           they contradict the position of our churches? The
       accounted an adulterer for taking another tiat, as far     reason is not to undermine the teaching of the
       as I can see, in this case any person may make a
       pardonable mistake.  De&se, de  fide et  opetibt&          Scriptures as maintained in our churches. Rather the
       quoted  in the book Divorce and Remarriage  by G.          reason is two-fold. We should search out the best line
       Duty.                                                      of reasoning which sets forth the divorce-remarriage
      Martin Luther, the reformer, expresses it more              position, in order that we can deal with it. It helps one
boldly:                                                           understand his own position better if he has spent
           But I marvel even more that the Romanists do not       some time with the opposing view. This we hope to do.
       allow remarriage of a man separated from his wife by       The second reason is that we have lessons to learn from


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                    43



history. Our forefathers were not infallible men, Word of God.
though many of them were giants in the faith. Their              As we do this, we trust that we may have the
weakness becomes evident when weighed in the                  conviction that the Bible allows for separation in
balance with their strength. It is not first of all what marriage only when adultery has been committed, but
opinions a man may have on any subject; rather must forbids the dissolution of marriage in any
all truth be tested by the only source of truth, the          circumstance.



Signs of the Times

                        The "Sexual Revolution"
                                                    Rev. G. Van Baren

  Much has been written about the "sexual                        One can read, almost without becoming shocked
revolution." Evidences of it have been repeatedly             anymore, of the trend toward nudity. According to a
pointed out. There is a greater freeness with "love" recent report in  Time,  this has become rather
and marriage. There is the display of the human body.         commonplace in Europe. They write, "So far,
There is greater permissiveness with respect to sexual however, only nudity has reached epidemic
deviations. And have you glanced over the magazine proportions. The monokini, which first appeared in St.
racks lately? Both the cover pictures and the titillating Tropez two years ago has spread this year to the
titles leave nothing to the imagination. The same may         beaches of tonier Antibes. . . ." (Time, Aug. 28, 1972).
be said of both movie and television.                         One has only to visit our own beaches to recognize
  Very simply stated, there is nothing that can shame         that in this country we are not very far from the above
man anymore.                                                  either.
  We, perhaps, do not notice much of what has been              Dress is designed. today to provoke lustful thoughts
taking place. The transformation covers quite a and desires. Often the schools today are forced to
number of years. The change is gradual. We tell               adopt dress codes to regulate the matter of dress to a
ourselves that history shows repeatedly periods of degree. This has become true even in some of our own
licentiousness - and what we see today will soon pass schools. (Such is not, as some might suppose, an
as one more silly fad of sinful man. We may even infringement upon our `Christian liberty,`:  ; but is
convince ourselves that there is something good in the rather a sad commentary upon the fact that we have
current "revolution."We are rid of the prudery of the not always learned to use "Christian liberty" aright.
earlier generations. We can now speak more freely of Paul warns concerning this in Gal.  5:13, "For,
sex; we can be less concerned with dress (or lack of it),     brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use
than our forefathers were.                                    not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love
  I would not maintain, as some have, that this               serve one another.")
"sexual revolution" is part of a dark communistic plot          And all of this current lust of man is glorified in
to undermine our society. Nor would I want to suggest         book, magazine, radio, television, and movie. People
that our age is entirely unique. But I do want to             "devour" all of this. Over a period of time, it does not
emphasize that we are seeing one more of the signs of appear even all that wrong.
the end of this age. We ought to recognize this.                The sad consequences of this are so obvious that
The new revolution                                            even the world takes note of it. One consequence is
  The "new revolution" involves the rapidly changing "the spiraling rate of pregnancies among unmarried
attitude toward "sex." There is the pre-marital sort -        girls. . . . Per thousand teen-agers, the number of
when the bond of marriage has little or no significance.      illegitimate births has risen from 8.3 in 1940 to 19.8 in
There is the post-marital sort  - when infidelity is          1972. Of an estimated 1,500,OOO  abortions performed
commonplace and divorce takes place in one of every in the U.S. in 1971, it is believed that close to a third
three marriage unions.                                        were performed on teen-agers." (Time, Aug. 21, 1972)
  We read of churches, even, established to administer Nor is this all. The Presbyterian Journal, in an article
to homosexual members. We hear of increasing laxity entitled, "The Sexual Jungle,", (Aug. 16, 1972), states,
with regard to punishment of all such sins: both in "Venereal diseases are now classifed as endemic - a
state and in church.                                          step beyond the epidemic stage. Over 1,700,OOO cases


44                                             THE STANDARD BEARER



of gonorrhea were reported in 1970 by the American rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
Social Health Association. Syphilis, far more serious, nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
attacked 80,000 sexual violators last year. And the miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."
ASHA says doctors report only  12-19%  of the                    It is God Himself Who exposes the shame of the
infectious syphilis cases they treat and 1 l-l 7% of the sinfulness of man by exposing his nakedness. God
gonorrhea cases. The editor of the American Journal of threatens Judah in Ezekiel  16:36-37, "Thus saith the
Psychiatry  says premarital sex has `greatly increased Lord God; Be.cause thy filthiness was poured out, and
t h e   n u m b e r   o f   y o u n g   p e o p l e   i n   m e n t a l thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with
hospitals . . . .' "                                          thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations,
      Much more could be quoted. But perhaps this is and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst
enough to show that one does not, with impunity,              give unto them; behold, therefore I will gather all thy
violate God's laws. Reports indicate not only physical, lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all
but also mental and spiritual consequences for those them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast
who follow this path of "revolt." The "new" morality hated; I will even gather them round about against
still has the old consequences.                               thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that
                                                              they may see all thy nakedness." See also passages as:
The Testimony of Scripture                                    Nahum 3:5; Is. 20:2-4; Ezek. 23:29.
      The "sexual revolution" began, in fact, at the time
of the fall of Adam. Before the fall, Scripture states:          Finally, we must remember that the growing sexual
"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and perversions of man represent at the same time God's
were not ashamed" (Gen.  2:25). Sinful, lustful judgment upon the wicked. God gives over the wicked
thoughts did not cross their minds. These two dwelt in unto the very lusts which they crave. Rom.  1:26-27,
the state of perfectness. The fact of their nakedness "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections:
was not itself sin.                                           for even their women did change the natural use into
      But immediately upon disobedience to God's that which is against nature; and likewise also the men,
command, man's entire position changed. That which leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
had been pristine and beautiful, now became the lust one toward another; men with men working that
occasion for shame. We read in Genesis 3 : 7, "And the which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that
eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that recompence of their error which was meet." God is
they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, obviously so judging the world today in giving men
and made themselves aprons." Adam later hid himself over to vile affections.
because of his nakedness (Gen. 3: 10).                        Another Sign of the Times
      Also, nakedness became associated with idolatry.
For when Israel made the golden calf in the wilderness,          It seems to me that any discerning Christian must
we read in Exodus 32:25, "And when Moses saw that recognize that what we see going on about us is
the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them another clear sign of the end. Yes, these perversions
naked unto their shame  among their enemies:). . .  ." were present throughout history since Adam's fall. But
Adultery, too, has repeatedly in history been                 never before has this corruption so pervaded the whole
associated with the worship of idols. When Israel earth by means of mass media as we see this today.
departed from their God, these sought both the idols Christ reminded His disciples that iniquity would
and the adulteries of the heathen about them.                 abound as a sign of the end (Matt. 24: 12). Peter too, in
                                                              reminding of the indications of the end, states, "But
      Nor has the situation basically changed today. The these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and
more man places his trust in present-day idols (science,       destroyed, speak evil of the things that they
medicine, wealth, learning, etc.), the more he boasts in understand not; . . . having eyes full of adultery, and
his "new" morality, the more also is seen his lewdness:       that cannot cease from sin. . . . For when they speak
nakedness, adulteries, and all manner of evil acts.            great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the
These go hand-in-hand. When man denies God, he lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those
seeks to do that which is most offensive to Him. And          that were clean escaped from them who live in error"
God, in His wrath, punishes man by giving him over to          (II Pet. 2: 12, 14, 18).
all of this corruption to his temporal and eternal               Do you see the sign? Do you see it as you pick up
condemnation.                                                  that magazine? As you listen to the radio? As you
      But Scripture also indicates that children of God can watch your television?
learn from all of this. First, Scripture emphasizes that         Beware lest we assume the attitude that all our
the adulteries and the nakedness of man is not only forefathers were prudes, and that we are of the more
sin, but itself is the sign of man's great sinfulness. We enlightened and intelligent generation. Beware of that
read, for instance, of that "lukewarm" church of ever present danger of attempting to imitate the world
Laodicea in Rev. 3: 17, "Because thou sayest, I am             in all of its lusts. We are sometimes inclined to do that.


                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER                                                45



We desire to see how close we can come to the practices understand well that they must be "covered"  -
of the world. Let us in no way seek  to be one with             covered with the garments of light and white which are
them in their godless corruption. Let us in no way the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord (Rev.
imitate them, nor enjoy their godless walk.                     16: 15).
  On the contrary, children of the light, dress and act           And, clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ,
with proper and spiritual modesty. Children of the these look up, for they know that "the  Lord is at
light take care lest they be found "naked" before the hand" (Phil. 4:5).
eyes of the Judge of heaven and earth. These



Contending  jar  the  Faith

     The Doctrine of Atonement (Reformation Period)
                                                         H.  Veldman

  How important is the doctrine of Limited or                      Gottschalk maintained the doctrine of double
Particular Atonement! How true it is that the doctrine          predestination, as applying not only to the elect but
of Particular Atonement and the doctrine of Sovereign           also to the reprobates. He boldly professed his belief in
Predestination are inseparably connected. The histpry this two-fold predestination, to life and to death.
of the development of doctrine verifies this.                   There were those who did not mind speaking of a
Gottschalk died in 868 or 869 A.D. while in prison              divine decree of election, but they rejected the idea of
after an imprisonment of twenty years. Of him we read           a divine decree of reprobation. Of course, we know
that, in reliance upon the grace of God, he also offered        that these doctrines either stand or fall together. To
to undergo the fiery ordeal before the king, the                maintain the doctrine of divine election surely implies
bishops and monks, to step successively into four               that the Lord ordained only some unto eternal life and
cauldrons of boiling water, oil, fat and pitch, and then        therefore did not ordain all men unto life eternal; on
to walk through a blazing-pile, but nobody could be             the  other hand, to teach that the Lord did not
found  to. accept the challenge. This  inan, of noble           reprobate implies a denial of the Scriptural doctrine of
Saxon parentage, strong convictions, and heroic                 divine election. Gottschalk maintained the Scriptural
courage, revived the Augustinian theory of Divine               doctrine of a double predestination. And he also
Predestination. Schaff,  in  his  History of the Christian      maintained the doctrine of a particular atonement. He
Church,  Vol. IV, 524-525, writes as follows, and we emphasized that the Son of God died only for the
quote:                                                          elect. He measured the extent of the purpose by the
          The relation of the Romanchurch  to Augustine in      extent  of the effect. God is absolutely unchangeable,
    regard to predestination is similar to that which the       and His will must be fulfilled. What does not happen,
    Lutheran church holds to Luther. The Reformer held          can not have been intended by Him. The fact that all
    the most extreme view in divine predestination, and         men are not saved must mean that the Lord could not
    in his book on the Slavery of the Human Will, against       have intended the salvation of all men. The opponents
    Erasmus, he went further than Augustine before him
    and Calvin after him (Mind you, this is Schaff              of Gottschalk, rejecting his view on divine
    speaking. H-V.); jiet notwithstanding his commanding        predestination, maintained that God would have all
    genius and authority, his view was virtually disowned,      men be saved and that the Son of God died for all
    and gave way to ttie compromise of the Formula of           men.
   .Concord, which teaches both an absolute election of           The fathers of Dordt, we have seen, were also veryl'
    believers, and a sincere call of  all  sinners to           conscious of the importance of the particular
    repentance. The Calvinistic  Confessions, with more         atonement of the cross. They not only set forth this
    logical consistency, teach an absolute predestination       truth, positively, in the Second Head of Doctrine of
    as a necessary sequence of Divine omnipotence and           the Canons, but they also devote several articles to the
    omniscience, but  confineit,  like Augustine, to the
    limits of the infralapsarian scheme, with an express        refutation of the Arminian doctrine of a universal
    exclusion, of God from the authorship of sin.               atonement. Indeed, we must not only be positive in
    Supralapsarianism, however, also had its advocates as       our proclamation of the truth, but we must also be
    a theological opinion. In the Roman church, the             distinctive; we must not only set forth the truth, but
    Augustinian system was revived by the Jansenists, but       we must also do all within our power to ejcpose the lie
    only to be condemned.                                       and denial of the $ruths of the Word of God.


46                                                      THE STANDARD BEARER


      In our preceding article, we were busy with Article           for all men and for every man, head for head. They
II of the Rejection of Errors of Head II of the Canons              believed in a universal love of God, a love of God for
of Dordt. Whereas the fathers taught that Christ died               everybody, that God would have everybody be saved.
as the Head of the covenant and of God's covenant                   They believed in the free will of the sinner, that the
people, the Arminians wanted none of this and taught                sinner must will to be saved. Of course, a sinner must
that the death of the Son of God only made salvation                believe and will to be saved, but the Arminians taught
again possible for all men. And the fathers of Dordt                that his salvation depended upon this free will, that the
refute this error with an appeal to the Scriptures,                 Lord could save a sinner only if and after he willed,
calling attention to the truth that Christ has become               consented to be saved. Christ, therefore, died for those
the Surety and Mediator of a better covenant.                       who would believe, and this means that a sinner's faith
      We will now call attention to Article III of this             is not a fruit of the cross, but that it stands outside of
Rejection of Errors. This article reads as follows:                 the cross.
          Who teach: That Christ by His satisfaction merited          What happened upon the cross was that Christ
       neither salvation itself for anyone, nor faith, whereby      merited for the Father the authority or will to deal
       this satisfaction of Christ unto salvation is effectually    with man again in whatever manner He wished. Of
       appropriated; but that He merited for the Father only        course, the Lord was under no obligation whatever to
       the authority or the perfect will to deal again with         enter into any dealing with the sinner whatever. Man
       man, and to prescribe new conditions as He might             had been created good and in the image of the Lord.
       desire, obedience to which, however, depended on
       the free will of man, so that it therefore might have        And he had voluntarily and wilfully deprived himself
       come to pass that either none or  all should fulfill         and all his descendants of salvation and fellowship with
       these conditions. For these adjudge too                      God. God, now, could simply leave all men in their sin.
       contemptuously of the death of Christ, do in no wise         But now Christ merits for the Father the authority or
       acknowledge the most important fruit or benefit              will to deal again with man in whatever manner He
       thereby gained, and bring again out of hell the              wished. Christ opened the way of the Father to do this
       Pelagian error.                                              by His death upon the cross. The Lord could prescribe
      We must bear in mind that the fathers of Dordt are            new conditions, upon the fulfillment of which man
speaking in this article. The Arminians are not speaking            would receive eternal life and be saved. What this new
here. I suppose that the Arminians would tell you                   condition is, is not set forth in this article. And the idea
that they  .do not conceive of the death of Christ as               is that the obedience to these conditions would then
saving none. In this article the fathers of Dordt declare           again depend,upon the free will of man.
that the Arminians teach us the possibility that none,                One may well ask the question: how is it possible
because of failure to fulfill the conditions required for           for the death of Christ, as understood by the Arminian
a sinner to be saved through the blood of the cross,                in the universal sense of the word, to merit for the
would be saved. How terrible! Imagine, Jesus suffering              Father this authority or will to deal again with the
and dying for the whole human race and for every                    sinner? How can the preaching of the cross of Calvary,
man, and failing to save a single sinner! And, yet, this            if understood in this universal sense, possibly serve as
is surely and precisely the teaching of the Arminian.               the basis for any preaching of the gospel as it generally
Besides, notice, please, that the fathers call the                  occurs in our present day and age? How can this death
teaching of the Arminians an error that has its origin in           of Christ possibly merit this for the Father? Fact is, as
hell. Strong language? Yes. But it is true! One does not            far as the Arminian presentation of the cross is
hear this language too often in our present day' and                concerned, Christ did not merit anything. According to
age. Today Arminianism and Pelagianism are                          this conception of the cross nothing happened upon
condoned, generally openly preached and taught.                     Calvary. The Arminian preacher may tell his audience
Today people will tell you that people err in good                  that the Lord offers salvation to all who hear the gospel.
faith, that they mean well, have no evil intentions. But            But the simple truth is that he really has no salvation
our fathers must have nothing of this. They tell ,us in             to offer to his hearers. How true it is that a universal
this article that Pelagianism is a heresy that has its              death of Christ merited no salvation whatever. This
origin in hell. And the apostle John warns the church               means that Christ, dying for all men and every man, head
of God not to receive those teachers of heresy into                 for head, also died for those who perish. He surely did
their homes. Let us look a little more closely into this            not pay for their sins, for had He died atoningly, then
third article of the Rejection of Errors of the Second              surely they would be saved. None can possibly perish for
Head of our Canons.                                                 whom Christ died and paid for his iniquities. But this
      First of all, according to this article, the Arminians        surely means that the suffering and death of Christ
taught that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ merited              does not bear an atoning character. He did not pay for
neither salvation itself for anyone nor faith. They were            any sin. The cross of Calvary accomplished nothing.
compelled to teach this. We must bear in mind  .that                How, then, can a death of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
they believed in a universal atonement, that Christ died            actually merited nothing, merit anything for the


I                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                    47



     Father? Also in this respect the Arminian simply does         opened the way for the Father to deal with the sinner.
     not speak the truth.                                          And so he taught that Christ earned for the Father the
       Of course, the Arminian was compelled to speak as           authority or will to show unto the sinner how he can
     he did and teach that Christ by His death merited for         be saved. `Of course, this salvation of the sinner
     the Father the authority or will to deal again with the       depends upon his free will. The Lord may now
     sinner. According to him, Christ died for all men. He         prescribe new conditions, but it is man who must
     did not actually merit salvation and faith for all men.       fulfill these conditions. This is the Arminian
     Then all men would have to be saved. But he must say          presentation of the cross, also universally taught today.
     something about the cross. If Christ did not actually         To this, the Lord willing, we will return in our
     accomplish salvation by His death upon the cross, He          following article. Then we will note how our fathers
     at least merited the possibility of salvation. He at least    answer this conception of the Remonstrants.



     Book Reviews

           The Old Testament. Its Claims And Its Critics

     THE OLD TESTAMENT, ITS CLAIMS AND ITS  us that in this volume said lectures are presented in
     CRITICS,  by Oswald T. Allis; Baker Book House,               considerably expanded and revised form. The first five
     Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Presbyterian and              chapters of the book - and the titles will indicate the
     Reformed Publishing Company; 509 pages, $9.95 contents  i are as follows:
     (Reviewed by Prof. H. C. Hoeksema)                            1. The Old Testament from Within - Its Facts and Its
                                                                     Doctrines
       Any work by Oswald T. Allis, the outstanding                2. The Old Testament from Within - Its Literae Form
     Presbyterian scholar of the Old Testament, is worthy          3. The Old Testament from Without
     of a place in the library of ministers and theological        4. The Old Testament and Its Critics
     students. This is emphatically true of this major Old         5. Comparing the Incomparable
     Testament     work,     which is     undoubtedly      the       To this reviewer, the sixth chapter, on chronology,
     culmination and fruit of much labor and study by              which was not included in the original series of
     what the dust jacket of this book calls "one of the           lectures, is very informative and helpful. Personally,
     most erudite Old Testament scholars of our generation,        because of my interest in this particular subject, I
     who has been engaged for many years in the                    found it one of the best.
     interpretation and defense of the Old Testament                 While this book will require any reader to put on his
     portion of the Holy Scriptures."                              thinking cap, its readership need not be limited to
       This is a work in the field of Old Testament                ministers and theological students. But especially to
     Introduction. The main contents of this book is a             ministers and theological students, and most especially
     series of lectures by the author which were delivered in      to those who have a special interest in Old Testament
     1952 at Fuller Theological Seminary. The author tells         studies, I recommend this book highly.


                                             Written In Blood

     WRITTEN IN BLOOD, A Devotional Bible Study of                 reading. It studies all the references to "blood" in the
     the Blood of Christ, by Robert E. Coleman; Fleming            Scriptures with the purpose of pointing to the
     H. Revel1 Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1972;              significance of the sacrifice of blood by Christ. It
     128 pp.; cloth, $3.50, Paper, $1.50. (reviewed by Prof.       includes worthwhile material on the Old Testament
     H. Hanko)                                                     Sacrifices and Passover Feast as these point to and are
       The blurb which accompanied this book reads: "A             fulfilled by Christ.
     devotional and scholarly study of references to blood
     in the Bible. Explains the symbolic and historical              The exegesis is not always acceptable and the book
     reasons for the emphasis of the blood of Christ in the        would be more valuable if the idea of the atonement
     Christian faith."                                             were described in more detail. But we recommend this
       This book makes interesting and valuable devotional         book to all who enjoy devotional literature.


                                    1
THE STANDARD BEARER
          P.O. Box 6064                                                                             SECOND CLASS
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506                                                                       P O S T A G E   P A I D   A T          i
                                                                                               GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
                                                                                                                                     I



48                                           THE STANDARD BEARER


                                News From Our Churches
      From the September 24 bulletin of First Church workshop, directed by Mr. Darrel Huisken, was
comes the following news concerning our missionary:         attended by two teachers from Hope, one from South
      "Rev. G. Lubbers reports from Jamaica that he has Holland, three from Covenant, and one from Loveland.
again begun teaching students: in English, the Canons Some idea of what transpired during those two weeks,
of Dordt, and Church History. He opened school with and of the value of what was accomplished there, can
a devotional on Ps. 78 : l-8. He continues also to preach be gained from evaluations written by the participants
in the churches. At present Rev. C. Hanko is working themselves. One of the teachers had this to say:
with him for a period of three weeks. We pray God's            "I believe that the work that we did this summer -
continued blessing upon them in these labors of the distinctive Christian principles that we set down,
kingdom work."                                              the course outlines that we suggested, and the ideas for
                           *****                            teaching writing that we accumulated  - can be an
      The students of Loveland Protestant Reformed          effective impetus for further development and
School had an unscheduled day of vacation recently.         enrichment of the writing programs in all of our
According to Loveland's bulletin, "vandals broke into schools. "
our school Friday evening and made a mess of the               From another participant's letter we quote the
classrooms. For this reason, school is canceled             following: "I was able to participate in the third
tomorrow. The Board asks that all who can help, come        consecutive workshop of this kind and once again the
ottt to school tomorrow to clean up the rooms."             experience was profitable and exhilarating. The two
                           *`****                           previous workshops were experiences which cannot be
      On Wednesday evening, September 27, the               replaced by any other experience in the field of
congregation of First Church commemorated "with             teacher education. The years which I spent as a student
Rev. Van Baren seven years of faithful service in his       in the classroom being prepared for the teaching
calling to proclaim the glorious Gospel message of our      profession were valuable, but the summers spent in
Lord Jesus Christ in our congregation." In his              workshops were the kind of experiences which one
"remarks of appreciation," Mr. J.M. Faber noted that        who has been working as a teacher needs so that he
Rev. Van Baren had preached in this congregation over       may be refueled and refortified for the arduous work
600 sermons, which were not shaken out of his sleeve,       of teaching the many areas in the teaching profession."
but "generated in his study with the open Bible at his         Concerning the rather lengthy written product
side." And,  Mr: Faber added, if with those sermons         which has come out of the workshop, a third
"he has stepped on our toes (and he has), it's because      individual submitted that, "Undoubtedly, the most
our toes were in front of our feet which were walking       distinctive feature of the workshop product is its
on forbidden paths."                                        statement of philosophy and its list of objectives. This
      Rev. Van Baren was acknowledged as "God's gift to     is unique; no patch-up job on somebody else's list, but
us." Fitting it is, certainly, that each of our churches    one based on Scripture and our peculiar view of God
with undershepherds thank the Lord for providing us         and man. . . . We have begun with these workshops to
with faithful servants. Some of our ministers have          spread our professional wings and produce material
served faithfully for many years. We learn from a           ourselves which is educationally sound and distinctive
Southwest Church. bulletin that the Consistory there        and which we can be proud to claim and defend."
arranged a program, which was to be given on October           And for an evaluation of workshops in general, we
6, to celebrate the forty years of Rev. H. Veldman's        take the following excerpt from the director's report
ministry.                                                   t o   t h e   C o m m i t t e e   f o r   T e a c h e r   Educationai
                           *****                            Development:
      For the remainder of our news column, we would           "Workshops are a success because they do what
like to pass on a little information concerning last really little else can do effectively. Workshops draw
summer's workshop for teachers, sponsored by the together teachers of like mind, spirit, and devotion.
Federation of Protestant Reformed School Societies. The mind of Christ, the Spirit of our- Lord, and the
We glean this information from the Federation devotion of God characterize these people. They are
secretary's report to the member school boards.             drawn together, they work together, and they learn
      The workshop, which dealt with "Written together for one purpose: to better.equip  the covenant
Communication Skills,?' was held at Hope School youth to take its rightful place in the kingdom of God
during the weeks of June 19 and June 25. The here on earth."                                                              D . D .


