                                   he
                              tandard


~
  A  REFOjiiMED  ,SEMI-MONTHLY  MAGAZINE



     IN THIS ISSUE

               Meditation
                  Afflictions Working Glory
                                          .

                Editqrial
                      Others View The Kuitert Decision

                Question Box
                      o;me Pertinent Questions About Our
                i  &formed Position

                All Around Us
                  Some `Thoughts On Being Led By The Spirit





                                               Volume XLIX/Number  11 /March 1, 19 73


242                                                        THE STANDARD BEARER



                            CONTENTS:                                                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER
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Editorial -                                                                    D a v i d   J .   Engelsma.   R e v .   C o r n e l i u s   H a n k o .   P r o f .   H e r m a n   H a n k o .   R e v .
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  Others View The Kuitert Decision . . . . . . . . . . .245                    Kuiper,   R e v .   G e o r g e   C .   L u b b e r s ,   R e v .   Marinus   S c h i p p e r .   R e v .   G i s e   J .
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Meditation

                           Afflictions Working  Gllory
                                                                 Rev. M. Schipper

               "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding
               and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
               which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not
               seen are eternal. "                                                                                                 II Corinthians 4:17,18.

   Difficult it would be, indeed, to find another'                                   And the purpose of this passage of Scripture is
passage, in Holy Writ containing more contrasts than                           undoubtedly to show by way of contrast the exceeding
this one.                                                                      greatness and glory of the things unseen; while at the
    Note how the apostle describes the main contrast in                        same time it brings into focus the oft forgotten
the text, between our present affliction and the glory                         relation of the temporal to the eternal.
which is to follow. To set this contrast in sharply                                  Would those, who  find themselves under the
defined lines, he uses several other opposites: that                           providence of God in the midst of  .depressing
which is light, and that which is weighty; that which is                       afflictions, find comfort, they will do well to lay hold
for the moment and therefore temporal, and that which                          on the Word of God here in this text.
is eternal; that which is seen, and that which is                                    How blessed are they who can direct their lives in
unseen.                                                                        accordance with the true wisdom divinely designed and


                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  243



 set forth by way of contrasts in this text and see the           is evident, it seems to me, from the preceding context,
  proper relation between the seen and the unseen,                as well as from the rest of the epistle. And he feels
  between the now and the future!                                 deeply that he also shares in this affliction, for he
    True and solid comfort is not merely to believe that          informs us that he is "troubled on every side, yet not
  after we have suffered a while, we are going to be              distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted,
  delivered from all suffering. When one is writhing in           but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." He
  pain upon a bed of affliction,: and I tell him he ought         was conscious of "always bearing about in the body
  to keep his chin up and never lose hope, for the time is        the dying of the Lord #Jesus," - and he continues, "we
  coming when all suffering will cease and every tear will        which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus'
  be wiped away  .from our eyes,  - that may be a                 sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest
  pleasant thought and something to look forward to,              in our mortal flesh." And in the verse immediately
  but it will not give him the comfort he needs for the           preceding  .our text, he mentions the "outward man
  moment. When one loses a dear one, and he feels that            which perishes" as well as "the inward man which is
  his whole world has collapsed about him,  - it may              renewed day by day." In the eleventh chapter of this
  throw a ray of light into his darkness to speak of the          epistle at great length the apostle mentions the
  glory of the resurrection in which we shall be united           sufferings he had to endure as the apostle of Jesus
  again with our loved ones; but this cannot give him the         Christ. He was beaten many times with rods, stoned,
  solid comfort he needs in his present loss.                     and ship-wrecked. He endured the perils of his
    True comfort consists in that consideration of the            journeys on land and sea, maltreated by his own
  sanctified mind and heart whereby one is able to                countrymen, and false brethren. He suffered pain,
  understand that the present trouble he experiences is           hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness. And besides all
  necessary and that it works unto the attainment of the          this, he was weighted down with the care of all the
  great good he expects.                                          churches.
    This is precisely what the apostle is saying in the             Yet, though the afflictions are chiefly those.related
  passage under consideration.  :                                 to his connection with Christ, there is no reason, we
    Afflictions work glory!        :                              believe, to limit the afflictions of the children of God.
    And when the apostle speaks of affliction, note               When the apostle speaks of "our affliction," this
  carefully that he is not speaking of affliction merely in       undoubtedly includes all the suffering of this present
  general.                                                        time. Besides the affliction that is imposed on us for
    There is; indeed, universal affliction. Unless one is         Jesus' sake, there is also the affliction common to all
  like the proverbial ostrich which hides his head in the         mankind. The children of God are not immune to
  sand, there is no one who does not observe this truth,          vicissitudes of life directed to them in the providence
  that the world is full of affliction. It is safe to say that    of God. They also often lie upon beds of pain. They
  the world has never seen so much affliction  ,as is in          experience also the ravages of disease. Their loved ones
  evidence in our time. In spite of all the modern                are torn from their side. Their sons also die on the
  advancement in the science of medicine, and all the             battlefields of the world, or, as we say, by accident are
  technology to relieve the pain and suffering, our               they brought to an early grave here at home. In his
  hospitals are the grim evidences that sickness and              letter to the Romans (8: 18, 28), the apostle writes of
  disease are still bringing the multitudes into pain,            the same truth as stated in our text: "For I reckon that
  suffering, and death. In spite of all the attempts to           the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to'be
  collar- peace and impose it upon the nations of the             compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us
  world, our daily newspapers along with other news               . . . And we know that. all things work together for
  media loudly proclaim wars and rumors of war. In                good to them that love God, to them who are called
  spite of all the modern technology to curb crime and            according to his purpose." Also here, it is plain, the
 its devastating effects, our government and all the              sufferings are all the afflictions of this present time,
  police agencies fail miserably to stem the tide, so that        not only those we experience for Jesus' sake.
  our populace can relax and walk on our streets without            But notice now what appraisal the Word of God
  fear that danger is lurking in every dark corner. Indeed,       makes of these ,afflictions!
  from every direction on our globe one hears the                   They are light, and for the moment!
  heart-rending cries of suffering' and affliction. One can         Is not the apostle beside himself when he speaks
  find no paradise of tranquility, but all the world is cast      thus concerning the affliction of the children of God?
 into a caldron of affliction, of suffering and death.            Is he not altogether too superficial in his judgment of
    But the apostle, although fully aware of this                 them? Is it so, perhaps, that the apostle did not know
 universal affliction, does not have only this in mind.           what it means to sit long weary hours in a funeral
    Rather, he has' in mind the affliction which is               parlor listening to the many friends and relatives
 peculiar to the children of God. In the deep sense he is         reminding you of your awful loss? Did he not know
, thinking of the affliction which is for Jesus' sake. This       what it means when the war department sends you a


244                                            THE STANDARD BEARER



little telegram: "We are sorry to inform you that your have entered into the heart of man, the things God
son or husband  was! killed in action"? Didn't the hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath
apostle have any understanding of the heart-rending revealed them unto us by his Spirit."
experience of having a precious husband or wife or               Here he speaks of the exceeding and eternal weight
child torn from your side? Was he completely oblivious of glory!
of the gnawing pain of cancer that eats away your                It is exceeding great!
flesh, and destroys your brain, so that all that is left is      Unto that glory the affliction works! That means
a vegetable, a dwarfed, stack of flesh and bones?              that affliction has an end purpose, all, of course, under
   0, make no mistake about it! It is not so that he did the direction and according to the plan or counsel of
not know how to appraise the sufferings of this present God.
time. He knew full  ,well how that the suffering of              This is precisely what is so difficult for us, who are
God's people is not for a moment, but often for weeks,         in affliction, to comprehend. We often take God into
months, and evenyears. He knew also of the bitterness judgment, criticizing His way with us. We ask: Why did
and the disappointments of life, and the pains of this have to happen to me? Rebelliously we often
death; and that these are not light by any stretch of complain that the way of the Lord is not right. I am
the imagination. The fact that the apostle in his own          thinking of that saint of the Old Testament, Asaph by
case could enumerate in detail all the afflictions he name, who stood in rebellion against God when he saw
endured, proves beyond doubt that he knew they were the wicked prosper, while he experienced suffering
not light and momentary experiences with him.                  every day. When he went into the house of God, he
   But when he compared the affliction with the glory discovered two things: on the one hand, he observed
that awaits the children of God, then the affliction that the prosperity of the wicked was working for their
loses its weight, becoming exceeding light; and when condemnation; while his own affliction was working
he compared the  eternal  weight of glory with the glory; and all this under the providence and according
affliction of this  present  time, then affliction is only to the counsel of  .God. But when he did not
momentary. And when he understood how that glory understand this, he was terribly rebellious.
cannot be attained in any other way than through                 What we must discover, if we are to find any
affliction, and that the affliction is absolutely              comfort in the midst of our afflictions, is that which
necessary to the attainment of that glory,  - then, of happened. to Christ; that is, His experience must
course, the affliction as it appears in the scale with become ours. We all know that Christ Jesus could
glory, becomes exceeding light.                                never have attained to the crown of glory if He had not
   Our affliction, which is light, worketh for us!             first gone the way of the cross. And the affliction He
   It works a far more exceeding and eternal weight of endured under the providence and according to the
glw!                                                           counsel of God were absolutely necessary to the
   Eternal glory! That is, the future, heavenly glory,         attainment of the glory IIe received. The same is true
the glory of the new Jerusalem! The heavenly city              for every child of God. Though it is true that our
which is gloriously perfect. There is no night there. No affliction is nothing, when it is compared to His
suffering  ,and death! The streets of it are  paved            affliction endured in our stead, and it must be said that
with pure gold. Into it nothing shall enter that is of the     His affliction was unique; there is, nevertheless, a
lie!                                                           comparison in this sense, that, as His affliction worked
   But there is much more!                                     for glory, so our affliction works for the glory He now
. As beautiful as heaven is and shall be, it is empty prepares and gives unto all His own,
and meaningless unless in the very center of it is the           While we look not on the things which are seen!
presence of the great and glorious God!                          But at the things which are not seen!
   Glory, in the Scriptures, is always the effulgence,           That is when our. affliction works glory!
the radiation of perfection! God is the all-glorious             0, to be sure, from a purely objective point of view,
God, the radiation of Whose perfections are reflected afflictions always work glory, because the counseling
throughout the heavenly city!                                  purpose of God cannot be frustrated. The rule which
   It is the glory which the Lord Jesus merited for God has set cannot be changed.
Himself and all His own, as reward for having first so
deeply humbled Himself in the way of perfect                     Yet, from our subjective point of view, that is, from
obedience on the cross. Of this glory He was given a the point of view of our experience, it is also true that
foretaste prior to His death, on the mount of you and I can never truly experience the wonder of
transfiguration. Into that glory the resurrected Lord this truth, if all that we see is the things that are seen.
entered when He ascended to the Father's right hand.           These are  .the things which are the objects of our
*And that glory He now prepares for all His saints. So         physical perception. That means, if all that we see in
great is this glory that the apostle in another place the midst of our affliction is the suffering, the loss, the
declared: "Eye hath  <not seen, nor ear heard, neither         anxiety that our  .loss brings us; then subjectively


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                   245



  speaking, we cannot experience the truth that our                Then, affliction works glory!
  affliction works glory.                                          How blessed then are they who can look past the
    On the other hand, if while we are in the midst of          seen things that contribute to all your present
  affliction, we look at the unseen, then our affliction        affliction, and with longing hearts keep your eye of
  works glory.                                                  faith on the unseen! They experience the solid comfort
    Looking at the unseen!                                      they need! In the midst of their tears, they can and
    Marvelous grace!                                            w i l l   r e j o i c e !
    The unseen is, of course, the things of God's                  More than conquerors they are!
  heavenly kingdom, the glory of His presence, the house           For even what they often suppose is their enemy'is
  of His covenant, the reserved inheritance of His saints,      become their servant!
  the new heavens and earth wherein dwelleth
  righteousness.                                                   And their affliction is the divinely appointed means
    To see these unseen things is, of course; possible only to bring them to everlasting glory!
  through the grace of faith. And to see them means also           Amen!
  to set your heart on them, to hope for them with your
  whole being.


  Editorial

                        Others View The Kuitert Decision
                                                  Prof: H. C Hoeksema

    While on this side of the Atlantic the religious press      Gereformeerde Kerken,  and that, in fact, this time
  has thus far been strangely silent about the significant      bomb has already begun to explode, marking the
  and far-reaching decision of the  Gereformeerde Kerken        destruction of the Reformed, Scriptural character of
  (by the Synod of Dordrecht-Lunteren) in the Kuitert           those churches. There was no pacification at Lunteren,
  matter, the same has certainly not been true in the           but a capitulation of the entire synod to the new
  Netherlands. In De Reformat& (Dec. 16, 1972) in the           theology.
  Press Review department, the Rev. F. de Vries writes             We, of course, agree, as the reader will remember
  about some of the Dutch reactions to that decision            from our earlier editorial.
  under the heading, "The Pacification of Lunteren?"               Of greater significance, however, are the attitudes
    What is reported in this article is rather enlightening;    assumed by various leaders in the  Gereformeerde
  and therefore we will pass on to our readers some of Kerken  themselves. The article referred to calls
  this information in condensed form                            attention to some of these. Mention is made of the
    First of all, the Rev. de Vries disagrees with an           Rev. P.  van  Til, one of the  Verontrusten.   He had
  evaluation by a certain G. Alb. van Dongen in                 fought long at synod for the maintenance of the
  Hewormd  Nederland.   The latter had termed the               historicity of the fall. But he was satisfied with synod's
  decision a pacification  ,between Kuitert and  .the           decision  - in fact, he voted for it; and he was of the
  Veron  trusten (Concerned). He had even characterized         opinion that the threatening danger of a schism in the
  the decision as a time bomb under Kuitert. He                 GKN was removed, presumably not at the expense of
  predicted that at future synods there will be more            the truth but on the basis that the conflicting parties
  p?otests against .Kuitert  by the Verontrusten, and that      actually had "found one another?' in synodls decision.
  these will lead to the exploding of that time bomb. de        Also Prof. Dr. Herman Ridderbos justifies the synod's
  Vries believes nothing of this. He points out that the        decision. He characterizes the decision as "an
  Synod has relegated the questions involved in Kuitert's honorable conclusion that in this tension-full relation
  views to the realm of theological science, has declared       between truth and unity she (synod) could make no
  them to be matters on which there can be no                   further progress." He considers it advisable that at least
ecclesiastical declaration, that in effect the churches         on an ecclesiastical level the discussions on this matter
  have been silenced by Synod's decision. Hence, de             be ended for the time being. Apparently he is content
  Vries is of the opinion not that there is a time bomb         to leave these matters to theology and the theologians,
  under Kuitert, but that there is a time bomb under the        but to let the church keep silence. In other words, the


246                                         THE STANDARD BEARER



theologians (including Kuitert) may go their merry         others at synod they would continue the old course,"
way; these are not matters which concern the church        and would be unacceptable to him. He goes on to
and her Reformed confession.                               point out, too, that it was not his idea to bind
   Most surprising of all to the Rev. de Vries (but not    everyone else to his views, but that he only wanted
to us who are acquainted with the history in Australia     synod to create room for everyone to think about
and New Zealand) is  : the attitude of Prof. Dr. Klaas     these matters as he pleased. And that, according to
Runia, who declares  in  Centraal Weekblad  that he is Kuitert, is what synod did. For at the synod that
"very happy with this clear, evangelical declaration." unacceptable concept-declaration was withdrawn, with
How such an evaluation is possible in the light of the the express statement that they did not want that.
fact that Runia himself recognizes that one of the Moreover, Kuitert points out that the synod purposely
questions at stake was that of the historicity of the used ambiguous language in order to create room for
fall, and in light of the fact that the synod exactly did various views. Kuitert even points out that Synod
not maintain that historicity of the fall, is a question refused to use the word  gebeurtenis  (event) with
which the Rev. de Vries raises, but does not answer. To    respect to the fall. Further, Kuitert points .out that he
me, the answer is obvious: Runia does not consider the plainly declared to the Synod at least ten times that
historicity of the fall to be an essential element of that Adam and Eve never existed as historical persons, and
which is "evangelical,l' i.e., of the gospel. This is the then confronted them with the question whether he
only conclusion one can reach.                             might be  in  or might not be  in  the  Gereformeerde
   For the Rev. de Vries also refers to Dr. Kuitert's Kerken.
 evaluation of Synod's decision. He quotes from an           It is evident, therefore, that Kuitert conceded
interview with Kuitert, which appeared in VU-magazine nothing, that he retracted nothing  - in fact, that he
(Free University magazine). In this interview Kuitert very  .boldly  and forthrightly maintained, even on the
 expresses himself in  j his usual forthright and bold floor of synod, all that he taught concerning Adam and
manner. He very definitely does not feel chastened by `Eve and concerning the fall. But synod did not penalize
 Synod's decision whatsoever. Nor does he feel limited him. In `fact, Synod rejected a proposal which would
by it. In response to one question, he points out that it have shut out Kuitert's views; and it deliberately took
 was without any doubt the express purpose of the a decision which created room for Kuitert's views
 Synod to "create room, " that is, room for his views as alongside the views of others.
well as for the views of his opponents. He very boldly       The new theology won the day at the Dutch synod.
points out that anyone who denies this speaks contrary It now has an open field. There is, in principle,
 to better knowledge. And he furnishes grounds for complete liberty of doctrine in the GKN.
 what he says. He points out that before the decision        De Reformatie is correct on this score: a time bomb
 was adopted, there `had been another proposal, a under the Reformed and Scriptural character of the
 concept-declaration "which was full of things of which GKN has already begun to explode!
 a child could understand that for him and for many


Question Box

                 So!me Pertinent -Questions About Our
                                      Reformed Position

                                              ProJ: H.  C  Hoeksema


   From a Canadian reader I received the following beginning with answering the questions. Here is the
letter which contains some questions which touch letter:
 directly on our Reformed position and witness. I shall
 quote the entire letter, both because it furnishes Dear Editor:
 background for the questions and because of its             For some time now I have been a reader of your
 significant observations; and in this issue I will make a paper, the Standard Bearer. Let me say that I like your


                                                          THE STANDARD BEARER                                                     247


paper very much for its exposition of sound,                                 Lord from eternity has loved His own - with this I can
Reformed, Biblical truth. As a member of the Christian                       agree  - but also that the Lord  hated  those who are
Reformed Church I must say that our church "stood" rejected, from eternity? I know that the Bible says:
for the same truths at one time, but not any more; and                       "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
I know from the  Standard Bearer  that you are well                            On the other hand, is it not so that the atoning work
aware of this.                                                               of our Lord and Savior is "sufficient" for all men? See
   Since our church  has: begun to debate the                                Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 15, Answer 37;
infallibility of the Word of God, it has gone down very                      Canons of Dordt, II, 3; and I Tim. 2:6, where we read,
fast; and according to human reckoning it has gone                           "Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in
past a point of no return. This all is so very sad. How due time."
did our Christian Reformed Church and also the                                 These things are deep, and we seem to be on the
Gereformeerde Kerken  in Holland bask in the sunshine verge of going beyond-the Lord's revealed will, and our
.of God's favor, and how much light did He give us                           finite minds will not be able to grasp and reconcile as a
ffrom His Word!                                                              rational whole (what is for us rational) the Lord's
   In spite of all the heresy going on in our church, I absolute sovereignty in electing sinners to salvation,
still believe that our creeds dozrepresent  an explanation                   and our responsibility on the other hand; and therefore
of Bible truths in their present form. Especially the                        we must tread very carefully here, and with the
doctrine of the sovereignty of our God "who worketh                          greatest reverence, or so it seems to me.
all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph.                                                    Yours sincerely,
1: 11) is so very dear to us who are still truly Reformed                      P.S. To my consternation I see that I have asked
by the grace of God. Is it not,so that a sinner "dead in                     you three questions instead of two; I hope this will
trespasses and sins" needs a sovereign God to pull him                       not deter you from answering all three.
out of his misery from beginning to end?
   Since I began reading the  Standard Bearer, I have                        Reply
also read "Therefore Have  I' Spoken" and  "Door  U                            Let me begin with your postscript. There is no need
Alleen, Twaalf  Leerredenen" door Ds. H. Hoeksema. It                        for consternation. I will gladly try to answer your
has all been very refreshing, and I thank my God that                        questions  - and ten more besides, if they are of this
in His grace He has given us this, that we may once calibre and if they arise out of a sincere concern about
again steer a straight course  ,&rough all the "tossing the truth of God's Word and our Reformed
waves" of our present "leadership" (?) in our Christian confessions. But you will have to be a little patient; I
Reformed Churches.                                                           cannot very well. answer all these questions in one
   But there remain a few questions. This is not meant issue.
as criticism, not at all. I only like some clarity on a few                    In the second place, let me not forget to thank you
points, two to be exact.                                                     for your kind words about our magazine and our other
   Number one is: the common grace question.                                 publications. Nowadays responses like this are coming
According to one of your contributors  - I think the                         to us rather frequently and often from altogether
Rev. G. Van  Baren  - all our present troubles in the                        unexpected sources. This is encouraging, not only to us
Christian Reformed Church are because of our views                           who write, but also to those who sponsor and publish
on common grace. But there are so many churches our literature. Would to God that we could reach many
which never heard' of common grace, and they are                             more of His people who have a heart for the Reformed
going the same way as our churches. How do we have                           faith and who are concerned about modem trends in
to see this?                                                                 the Reformed community. This is an important part of
   I am well aware that at the present time the                              our aim in sending forth our Reformed testimony
A.A.C.S. is playing havoc with what Dr. A. Kuyper through the printed page. I am convinced that there
called "common grace"; and especially when they are many more of such "concerned" people of God in
preach their so-called "cultural mandate." I have                            many places. Our problem is how to reach them. And
written something about these things which I will send if you, my questioner, or our other readers, can help us
you; I do not think for a moment that what I wrote is                        with this problem, by all means do so!
the final word in this matter, but I felt something had                        But now let me make a beginning with these
to be done; and since very little was forthcoming, I put questions.
in some of my "farmer latin" in the hope that the                              How can we say that the present trends to apostasy
Lord may open the eyes of some.                                              in the Christian Reformed Church (and I may add: in
   In view of I Tim. 4: 10, can we not say that there is the  Gereformeerde  Kerken)  are due to "common
common grace, or a favor from God for all men,                               grace" when many other churches "which never heard
believer and unbeliever alike?                                               of common grace" are going the same way?
   I n   t h e   s e c o n d   p l a c e ,   .when  w e   s p e a k   o f      This is a perceptive question, and well worth
.predestination,  must we go as far as to say that the                       consideration. For the present issue, I will limit myself


248                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



to a few observations about this.                            among the non-church people in the world, - all these
  First of all, of course, the mere fact that there may      are the outgrowth and the development of common
be other reasons and occasions for apostasy in other         grace. Even the latest and most miserable decision in
denominations does not affect the fact that in the           the Kuitert affair still made reference to the so-called
Christian. Reformed Church (and the  Gereformeerde           good of the natural man. Is this not striking?
Kerken)  "common grace" has been at the root of the             In the second place, I think investigation will show
problems.. Each denomination has its own history, its that "common grace" is not nearly so uncommon in
own course of development, and its own specific              other denominations as is sometimes imagined. We
reasons and occasions for development in a certain know, for example, that already at the time of the
direction. But that ?&nmon grace" has played a key           Synod of Dordrecht the Arminians held to common
role will be evident to anyone who has an eye for the        grace; in fact, the only time our confessions refer to
history of doctrine and the history of the church. I do      common grace, it is put in the mouth of the
not recall at the moment to what article of Rev. Van         Arminians. Besides, you will find many churches where.
Baren my questioner refers; perhaps it was the articles the idea of common grace has long been present as a
on the Father Groppi incident? But that makes no real        matter of traditional doctrine which no one exalted to
difference; I agree with this evaluation and want to         confessional status or even to tremendously prominent
underscore it. First of all, there have been in-             status. It did not become a controversial issue. This
stances in which direct appeal was made to the               does not mean, of course, that the idea did not bear
doctrine of common  :grace as justification for some         fruits; it did so indeed, but in a more gradual and
stand. Think, for example, of the Film Arts decision         unnoticed manner. And the same is true of (related)
and of the devastating results of that decision for the Arminian ideas: they have often been present and
Christian life. Today they even plead for the                borne their fruits without being matters of much
introduction of all the corruptions of the movie             controversy. This is true, for example, of many
industry (even to films involving nudity) on the             Presbyterian groups. This accounts in part also for the
campus of Calvin College. And to what did the Film           fact that the drift in doctrine and life in many of the
Arts decision appeal? Common grace's restraint of sin.       other churches has been considerably more gradual.
Or, to mention one more development, think of the              In the third place, I believe that the explanation of
involvement of the First Point of 1924 in the Dekker         the apparent difference to which you refer in your
Case. My questioner himself makes mention of the             question lies in part in viewing these things in the light
A.A.C.S. And I think that organization itself  would-        of broader trends and underlying principles of
claim that they emphasize much more Kuyper's idea of         doctrine. If you look for a common denominator in all
the antithesis than Kuyper's common grace. And yet,          the drift in doctrine and life of our present age, then I
the more I study what the A.A.C.S. -produces and the         would suggest that this is at least one common factor
more I study the Dooyweerdian philosophy, the more in all of it: a favorable, or optimistic, view of the fallen
convinced I become that the root of the problem is           world and of the natural man. In other words, a denial
common grace. Nevertheless, let no one think that the        of total depravity. This, you know, is the philosophy
maladies of common grace are limited to the                  at the basis of the world's welfare state. But it is also at
A.A.C.S.-ers. Here is a, thought to ponder: perhaps no       the basis of social gospelism Man and the world are
one in the Christian Reformed Church can successfully        good. Yes, there are problems. And there are some bad
combat the A.A.C.S. exactly because they all stand on        trends `and bad habits. But the main problem is his
the basis of common grace. Secondly, I would remind          environment. Clean up the slums. Get rid of the ghetto
you that prophecies are being fulfilled. How often--- if     districts.  Exorcize the devil of racial segregation. Put
you go through their earlier writings - men like the late    him on his feet financially. Give him an education. Get
Revs. Herman Hoeksema and G.M. Ophoff (and,                  involved in social improvement. And you can build a
originally, the Rev. Henry  Danhoff) predicted and           good world of good men, and even bring in the
warned that the common grace theory would have               kingdom of God.1 Church and world, light and
devastating results with respect to the antithetical walk    darkness, believer and unbeliever, Christ and Belial can
of the Christian. And how often they warned that the         even cooperate. Out in the world there are even men
consequence of the "well-meant offer" theory would           (who do not articulate this in terms of the Christian
be that some day someone would teach general                 faith) who are even interested in and working for the
atonement (as Prof. `Harold Dekker did). Is it not           same kingdom of heaven for which westrive. And there
striking, and does it not speak loudly to us, that these     is even an anonymous word of promise from God
predictions are being fulfilled today? Thirdly, I would      (whatever that may mean?) - some kind of favorable
point you to the fact that also in the Netherlands the       word and operation of God - which goes out to that
i d e a s   o f "medembnselijkheid"  (co-humanity),          world of men outside the church. Yes, believe it or
horizontal&m, social involvement, an anonymous               not, this is the new theology! Do you not see that at
"word of promise," and a "latent kingdom of God" the basis of all this is the old Pelagian notion of a good


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                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER                                              249



man? And principally, this is also the man of common decline been so terrifyingly rapid, both here and in the
grace. Sin is restrained in him by the Holy Spirit. He is Netherlands? For after all, the over-all decline has
able to do good. He is the object of God's favor. taken place in approximately the last fifty years  -
(Along with that, God also well-meaningly offers him roughly, since the end of World War I. And indeed, in
salvation, desires to save him  - even though He has the past decade or two the decline has been even more
predestinated him to destruction, mind you!) You see, .rapid! In fact, when one looks back over the past
this is the principle. It is the, age-old conflict: God? or ten to fifteen years, .the pace of the decline is
man? Now different-churches may have arrived at the simply frightening! Can we say anything about the
wrong view of man in different ways and through reasons for this? I think we can. But this and some
different courses of development. But the underlying answers to the other questions must wait for the next
principle is the same. And, of.course, when you see all issue.
this development in terms of God-or-man, then you                 I hope you will excuse me for the length of this
can readily understand, too, that the more loudly the little excursion into the history of doctrine. But the
church begins to say "MAN" the more the age-old question raised is a pertinent one, the subject is close
Reformed doctrines of: sovereign grace and to my heart; and I did want to furnish a thorough
predestination and the antithesis are silenced.                 reply. Till next time: think about it!
  But there is another aspect to all this. Why has the



Contending for the Faith

   The Doctrine of Atonement (Reformation Period)
                                 _
                                                   THE SYNOD QF DORDT
                                                        THE CANONS

                                                        Rev. H. Veldman

  In our preceding article we were calling attention to all within their power to leave the impression that they
Article VI of the Rejection of Errors of Head II of the are doctrinally sound. And we concluded our last
Canons. It may not be  amiss! to quote this article once article by calling attention to the Three Points of
more :            `.                                            1924. These statements of 1924 are characterized by
          Who use the difference `between meriting and          the same thing: the attempt to deceive the imprudent
    appropriating, to the end that they may instill into        and inexperienced.
    the minds of the imprudent, and inexperienced this            What is the error of the Arminians as exposed and
    teaching that God, as far as He is concerned, has been      set forth by our Reformed fathers in this sixth article
    minded of applying to all equally the benefits gained       of the Rejection of Errors of Head II of our Canons.
    by the death of Christ; but that, while some obtain
    the pardon of sins and eternal life, and others do not,     We must notice that the Arminians speak of a
    this difference depends on their own free will, which       difference between meriting and appropriating or
    joins itself to the grace that is offered without           applying. The fathers do not deny that there is a
    exception, and that it is not dependent on the special      distinction between meriting and applying. That `this
    gift of mercy, which powerfully works'in them, that         distinction exists is obvious.. It is certainly true that
    they rather than others should appropriate unto             Christ merited for His people all the blessings of
    themselves this grace. For these, while they feign that     salvation when He died for them upon the cross of
    they present this distinction, in a sound sense, seek to    `Calvary. And the God of our salvation applies all these
    instill into the people the destructive poison of the       gifts of salvation to His elect by the irresistible power
    Pelagian errors.                                            of His grace and Spirit. We may, therefore, certainly
  In our last article we were $alling  attention to those distinguish between meriting and applying. The
designated by our fathers as imprudent and Arminian, however, did not merely distinguish
inexperienced. And the people  -of God must not be between them, but he separated them. The meriting,
imprudent, incautious and inexperienced. This warning we understand, was of God and by Christ. He could
is all the more urgent because the Arminians are very not very well deny that. In fact, he would maintain
clever and subtle. They feign to be reformed. They do that God so loved the world that He gave His only


250                                            THE STANDARD BEARER



begotten Son. This was a work in which the Lord was the meriting as well as the application is all a matter of
engaged, all by Himself. The work of meriting is God's grace.
exclusively the Lord's, He could hardly deny that.
After all, Christ was all alone when He suffered and             We would conclude our discussion of this article by
died for His people - ,even His own disciples forsook calling attention to one more matter. This Arminian
Him and fled. However, when the Arminian speaks of heresy can creep into the church in more than one
"meriting," he is deceiving the imprudent and way. The Remonstrant can instill into the minds of the
inexperienced. You see, really, he does not believe in people of God this Pelagian error by proclaiming it
this meriting at all. Christ, as far as the Arminian openly and boldiy. But there is also another way by
conception of the atonement is concerned, did not which the church of God is exposed to this pernicious
merit salvation when He suffered and died. Had He heresy. And this other way can be terribly effective.
really merited salvation when He died upon the cross, We refer to the danger to which the church of God is
then it would surely follow that all those for whom He exposed when the Arminian errors are silenced in the
merited this salvation would surely be saved. But this preaching and teaching in the church of God. The
the Arminian did not `believe, could not believe. We undersigned is convinced that this was the case at the
understand, he believed that Christ died for  .all men, time of the split in our churches in 1953. More and
head for head. This means that He also died for those more, in those days, the emphasis was not laid upon
who perish. Then it cannot be true that Christ merited the fundamental truths of the Word of God. Did we
salvation for them. According to Art. II of this not hear in those days that man's responsibility must
Rejection of Errors, it was not the intention of the not be denied but proclaimed and emphasized? Did
death of Christ that He should confirm the new not people complain because of the emphasis upon
covenant of grace through His blood, but only that He God's decree of election? Divine election, the heart of
should acquire for the Father the mere right to the church, was more and more relegated to the
establish with man such a covenant as He might please,         background. Less and less the emphasis was laid upon
whether of grace or of works. And according to Art. III,       the strictly divine and unilateral character of the
Christ by His satisfaction merited neither salvation promises of God which are Yea and Amen in Christ
itself for anyone, nor faith whereby this satisfaction of `Jesus. 0, it is true that errors were not necessarily
Christ unto salvation is effectually appropriated; but proclaimed. What, however, happens when the
                                                                                       ._
                                                               emp-hasis is'no longer laid upon the fundamental truths
#rat He merited. for the Father only the authority or `- of the Word of God? This, that the church of God,
the perfect will to deal again with man, and to particularly the young people and the children, are
prescribe new conditions as He might desire, obedience weaned away from these fundamental truths, become
to which, however, depended on the free will of man, less and less accustomed to them What a danger this
so that it therefore might have come to pass that either is! People complain, then, because the preaching of the
none or all should fulfil these conditions. So, when the Word is too distinctive. They complain that all they
Arminian or Remonstrant speaks of this meriting on hear is election. Of course, this charge is not true. It is
the part of Christ, he is deceiving the simple, the simply not true that all they hear is election. They say
incautious and inexperienced.                                  that all that is necessary is that the preacher present
  And, of course, he makes separation between this             the truth positively. He should not busy himself with
"meriting" and applying. God wills to bestow all the           calling attention to the various errors and corruptions
blessings of Christ upon all who hear the gospel. Grace,       of the truth. He must be positive, not distinctive. I
then, is offered to all by God without distinction. But        pray that we may never cater to these sentiments.
whether anyone also, actually receives grace, that             They are so dangerous.r The result will be that the
depends upon man's own free will. This will of the             church of God will be hilled to sleep as far as the
sinner must join itself to the grace that is offered to all    heretical departures from the Word of God are
without distinction. This, according to the fathers, is        concerned. They will no longer be able to discern these
the destructive poison of the Pelagian errors. This            devastating errors and corruptions. Their senses will be
simply means that everything, in the fmal analysis,            dulled! How important that our churches remain
depends upon the free Iwill of the sinner. What if God         distinctive, not only in all our preaching and teaching,
did all He could! What if Christ suffered and died upon        but also in. all our societies! We can never be too
the cross of Calvary!: Neither God nor His Christ              vigilant. Besides, this is our calling, This is exactly what
determines the salvation of a single sinner. Presently         we have promised. We promised this as according to
God has His gospel preached. In that preaching of the          our Church Order, as stated in Art. 55, and we quote:
gospel salvation is offered to all without distinction.        "To ward off false doctrines and errors that multiply
And man's salvation is : dependent upon his acceptance         exceedingly through heretical writings, the ministers
of this offer. Everything revolves about the free will of      and elders shall use the means of teaching, or
the sinner. However, the Reformed presentation is that refutation, or warning, and of admonition, as well in


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 251



the ministry of the Word as in Christian teaching and      the truth and of the church of God! And we do well .to
family-visiting." And then there is the liturgy of our     keep this ever in mind. The price we pay for not being
churches. Think of the questions which are answered vigilant is too great! We cannot afford to expose the
by our young people when they make public                  sheep and the lambs to these heretical preachers and
confession of their faith before the face of God and in    teachers. And, finally, does not the Word of God come
the midst of the church! Or, think of the questions        to us with the same urgent warning? Are we not
which are answered by our parents when they present        warned, in Matt. 7: 15: "Beware of false prophets,
their children. for baptism! Do they not declare before    which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly.
the face of God and in the midst of the church that        they are ravening wolves?" Do we not read of them
they will maintain the doctrine as taught in this          that they prophesy in the name of the Lord, cast out
Christian church and fight: every heresy  repugnant        devils in His name, perform many wonderful works in
thereto? Or, what about our. forms for the installation    the name of Christ? Yet, the Saviour declares in this
of ministers and elders and deacons? Do we not read in     same passage of Matt.  7:21-23 that He will declare
these forms that the church of God is likened              unto them in the day of days that He never knew them
to a sheepfold and that every effort. must be put          and that they are workers of iniquity. Does not the
forth to keep the wolves: out of the sheepfold?            apostle Paul warn his spiritual son, Timothy, to preach
A wolf is a very dangerous animal. A wolf in               the word, as in II Tim. 4:2, to be instant in season and
sheep's clothing is a doubly dangerous animal. The
               _                                           out of season, to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
 Saviour calls them ravenous wolves, desperately-hungry longsuffering and doctrine? Does not the same apostle,
wolves, desperately dangerous animals who are driven in Eph. 4: 14-l 5, exhort the church of God at Ephesus
 by  -the desire to devour the flock of God. And these and the church of God throughout the ages: "That we
ravenous animals are surely dangerous within the fold!     henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
In our installation forms the church of God is warned carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
to watch over the church of God as the sheepfold of sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
Christ and to put forth every effort to keep these lie in wait to deceive?" So, let us not only be positive,
 devouring wolves out of the sheepfold. Remember, but also distinctive, never failing to warn the church of
these heretical teachers are very clever and subtle!       God against these winds of heresy and always alerting
They feign. themselves to be sound in doctrine, do all the people of God to their danger. That is our calling,
within their power to deceive the simple and also and particularly as Protestant Reformed Churches
imprudent and inexperienced.-But, they are enemies of in our present day and age.



Taking Heed To The Doctrine

 The Importance of the Preaching of God's Word (2)

                                              Rev. David Engelha

   Through the preaching, Christ saves the Church. The     That faith in turn leads to a calling upon God so that a
Reformation itself is one great instance of this in        man is saved. Secondly, by the preaching we are
history. The Scriptures teach this in many places. For justified, that is, through the preaching we have our
example, in Romans. 1: 15,  :16, Paul says that he is      sins forgiven and we receive that righteousness which
ready to preach the Gospel everywhere, for he is not       alone will give us a standing before God. Many know
ashamed of the gospel. For itis the power of God unto      that the formula that expresses the very heart of the
salvation to every one that believeth. In I Corinthians    message of the Reformation is the word: "The just
1: 21, Paul says that it has pleased God by the            shall live by faith alone," or "Justification by faith
foolishness of preaching to! save those that believe.      alone." What is not so widely known is that the
.Through the preaching, Christ saves the Church in         Reformation insisted that this justification by faith
several respects. First, by the preaching the elect of takes place through the preaching of the gospel. The
God are called powerfully by Christ, so that they are      Church forgives sins. The Church opens to men the
converted, repent, and believe. This is the teaching of Kingdom of Heaven, not by some power that the
Romans 10. It takes preaching in order to work faith.      Church has, not by some arbitrary pronouncement of a


252                                              THE STANDARD BEAREW


priest, but by preaching the gospel. The gospel justifies preaching, but. it is also essential that the Word of God
men, and the gospel opens the Kingdom of Heaven to be preached, that the  truth  be preached. Christ does
men when they. believe. This is Romans 1: 17. In the not speak in any and all preaching. The Church is not
gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith saved by any and all preaching. God is not honored by
to faith, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." every address that claims to be preaching. So far is this
Therefore, we have peace and comfort from the from being true that the Scriptures warn us of a
preaching. Apart from `the preaching no man can have preaching that is not the voice of the shepherd, but the
peace and no man does have peace. In the third place, voice of wolves; of a preaching that does not gather
by the preaching the people of God are sanctified, that and save the Church, but that scatters and destroys the
is, by the preaching we are made holy, so that we shun Church; of a preaching that does not praise God, but
evil works and perform good works. Christ Himself that demeans and dishonors God. It does this even
taught this in John 17, where He said in his prayer:             though it is found in the Church and even though it
"Sanctify them by thy: truth: thy word'is truth." This           alleges to be preaching. It hardly demands to be proved
particular aspect of the work of the preaching includes that this is the case. The Scriptures are replete with
the preserving of God's people even to the end. This is warnings against false doctrine and false preaching. In
what the Lord emphasized in John 10, where he said Galatians 1, Paul speaks of another gospel that is no
that our following Him  and. our never perishing are gospel and that must be repudiated. In I Timothy 2, he
due to our hearing His voice. He keeps us by His Word.           warns of words that are spoken in the Church that are
All of this makes clear that the importance of the like a canker and that overthrow the faith of some
preaching is that it is essential for salvation. The men, and he even names two heretical preachers,
Christian and the Church cannot live without the Hymeneus and Philetus, and names the false doctrine
preaching of the Word.                                           that they preach, a denial of the resurrection of the
   Yet, the importance'of the preaching of the Word is           dead. In Acts 20, in his farewell address to the elders
still greater. Through the preaching of the Word God is of the church at Ephesus, Paul warns of wolves that
glorified. It, was this consideration that impelled the shall arise even out of their own number who shall
Reformers and that drove those people that embraced speak perverse things and shall draw away men to be
the Reformation to continue faithful to the principles their disciples instead of being the disciples of Jesus
of the Reformation in the face of great opposition.              Christ.
The Reformation was a struggle. It involved the                    The Reformation opposed the form of the existing
Protestant Christians in bitter suffering. It led to Church because of the fact that that Church preached
martyrdom. It was fraught with disappointments.                  another gospel than the apostolic Gospel. The Church
There were times when the strongest wearied and when             at that time preached false doctrine. This was the cause
the most courageous cried out on the brink of despair,           of the Reformation. Our doctrinally indifferent and
"Is it worth the cost, 0, Lord?" Then they were ignorant age cannot understand this. Our age does not
motivated to continue, not only because of the                   understand that men would dare all  - for doctrine.
pastoral love that they had for the sheep of God, who            Our age does not understand that men would risk
must be fed by the Word at all cost, but also because            plunging the entire civilized world into turmoil - for
of their conviction that God must be glorified by the            doctrine. It does not understand that men would turn
preaching. This above all drove the Reformers and the their backs on the imposing institute of a church that
children of the Reformation to persevere. So necessary had existed for hundreds of years and that was vested
did Luther see the preaching to be in regard to the with the pomp and authority of centuries  - for
glory of God that he declared that although the                  doctrine. Our age does not understand that men
preaching of the gospel would turn the whole world               would, in the words of Luther's famous hymn, "Let
into an armed camp and cause the world to become a goods and kindred go, this mortal life also"  - for
sea of blood, the gospel must be preached. God is                doctrine. Today, for many, many even who are
praised by the gospel : inasmuch as His glory is the             nominally children of the Reformation, nothing is less
ultimate goal of the salvation of the Church, which important than doctrine. The most wicked heresies can
salvation is accomplished by preachirig. God is praised flourish in the Church, and it leaves them untouched:
by the preaching inasmuch as the message of the                  denial of the infallible inspiration of the Bible; a
preaching is the greatness and the glory of God. The message of the dependency of salvation upon men that
preaching proclaims the name of God, that name                   would have made even that old hawker of indulgences,
concerning which every Christian prays in the Lord's Tetzel, blush with embarrassment denial of the literal
Prayer: "Hallowed be `Thy Name." Not only is the                 resurrection of Christ; the denial of a literal heaven
message that is preached from God, but it is also about and hell; and many, many more. This shows how far
God.                                                             the Protestant churches by this time have fallen away
  Now, this message of the preaching,  what' is                  from Christ and have departed from the truth of the
preached, `is vital. Not only is it .essential  that there be    Scriptures, the truth that they once knew and


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                    253


confessed. But the Reformation took place because of also denied by the anabaptists of that time, who
false doctrine, and it was concerned centrally with          disparaged and downgraded the Scriptures and exalted
sound doctrine. It was not. mainly a matter `of the the Spirit and a certain inner revelation of the Spirit.
abominable practices of the Roman Church at that But the Reformation insisted that the Scriptures are
time. These practices abounded and they were the only authority in the Church. Because it is the
atrocious: the scandalous lives of the Popes and the         inspired Word of God, it is reliable in all its parts. It is
other ecclesiastical leaders, the superstitious worship of trustworthy in everything that it teaches. Because it is
relics, and many more evil practices. But as Calvin once     the inspired word of God, Scripture determines the
wrote to Cardinal Sadolet: "there are many examples          message of the preaching. The preaching may only
of cruelty, avarice, intemperance, arrogance, insolence,     explain and apply the Bible. This does not mean that it
lust, and all sorts of wickedness, which are openly is sufficient to sit at home and read the Bible, for the
manifested by men of your : order, but none. of those Bible must be preached. Now, the message of the Bible
thmgs would have driven us ,to the attempt which we          and, therefore, the content of the preaching is this:
made under a'much stronger necessity." What was that God's gracious salvation of His people through Jesus
much stronger necessity that drove the Reformers to Christ crucified and risen from the dead. What must be
Reformation? Calvin continues: "That necessity was           preached? The gospel of grace! There are certain basic
that the light of divine truth had been extinguished,        elements of this gospel of grace to which I briefly
the word of God buried!" The superficial view that           direct your attention. First of all, an element of this
prevails today that the Reformation took place only          message is that man, every man, is lost and ruined in
because of certain extreme abuses in the practice of         sin. The preaching of the gospel exposes and condemns
the Roman Church is wrong. That superficial view             man as the sinner. Such is our ruin that we are totally
fosters close co-operation with Rome, which is really        depraved. We possess no good and no ability for good.
impossible, and it is also leading many to an eventual       We are inclined to all evil by nature, dead in trespasses
return to the Roman Church. On the contrary, the             and sins, as Paul says in Ephesians 2: 1. We are lacking
Reformation was concerned with the truth of the              in a free will, an ability to choose salvation. We are,
gospel. The false teaching of the Roman Church in            therefore, totally unable to save ourselves or to
summary was this: man can and man must save                  co-operate in God's salvation of us. Our plight by
himself. Salvation takes place by man's own works and        nature is still worse. We are exposed to God's wrath so
effort. The error against which Luther battled already       that unless we are delivered by Christ we shall certainly
in the ninety-five theses was really the same error that     perish in eternal hell. The second element of the gospel
Paul condemns in the entire epistle to the Galatians,        is the truth that the Holy Spirit raises the elect of God
the error that says that man can and man must do             from their spiritual death by the power of almighty
something, in addition to the work of Christ, to obtain      grace and gives us faith in our hearts, as we learn from
the forgiveness of sins and a righteousness which is able    Ephesians 2: 8: By grace are ye saved through faith and
to stand before God. That error was put into                 even that faith is not of yourselves, it is the gift of
expression in the evil of indulgences in which men           God. Thirdly, an element of the gospel is the truth of
could buy forgiveness of sins for themselves and for justification by faith alone, that is, the forgiveness of
their departed loved ones for money, but that gross          sins and righteousness with God only by believing in
evil was only the expression of a fundamental error in       Jesus Christ. This is the very cornerstone of the gospel
doctrine, the error of teaching that a man's salvation       which is preached. We sinners need pardon, we need
depends upon ,what he himself does, upon his choosing        our guilt removed, we need a righteousness that will
Christ by his own free will, and upon his own good           enable us to stand before the Holy God. For-
works, which merit righteousness.                            giveness and righteousness are in Jesus Christ. They
  Over against this, the Reformation restored the true       become ours only through faith in him. By faith,
message of the preaching. What must be preached? The         the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us by God.
Scriptures must be preached. The Bible and the Bible         Fourthly, the message of the gospel is the perfect
alone must be the content,' of the preaching. The            satisfaction that Christ made for His people on
Scriptures are in their totality, the Word of God to us.     Calvary's' cross. That is the -basis for the justification
Besides them there is no Word of God, only words of          that we receive in the gospel. The message of the
men. The preaching is shut up to the Word of God and         gospel is Christ and Him crucified. Christ by his
that means to. the Scriptures. The Scriptures are the        suffering and death paid in full the debt that they
Word of God because they are inspired or, as II              owed to God in whose place Be died. Because of His
Timothy 3: 16 literally states, "breathed forth of           death, our punishment was completely borne away and
God." Because they are the inspired Word of God, the         none of it remains for us to suffer. Fifthly, an element
Scriptures are our only authority. This was denied by        of the gospel is the truth of eternal, sovereign,
Rome, who placed the authority of the Church                 unconditional predestination. This is part of the
alongside the authority of the Scriptures, and this was      message of the preaching. This is the fountain of all of


254                                             THE STANDARD BEARER



salvation! We are born again, we believe, we have the marvelous a grace. This gospel, friends, never becomes
pardon of sins, Christ satisfied for our sins, because outdated; it is never replaced by a new message for
God eternally chose us in love. So Paul teaches in II "modern men." This is a particularly silly and
Timothy  1:9: "God hath saved us and called us with dangerous presumption of our age. We "modern men"
an holy calling, not' according to `our works, but think that we need a new gospel. That is the same as
according to his own' purpose and grace which was saying that we need a new Christ or that we need a
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." What new salvation. The Reformation would have been
magnifies this grace is : that God did not choose all, but horrified to have been told that they were inventing a
reprobated some no worse than we are. In one word, new message. The Reformation insisted that it only
the message of the gospel is grace! Therefore, the restored the old message of the apostles and the ancient
preaching is good news, gospel; therefore, it comforts Church. The need of us "modern men" is the need of
despairing sinners; therefore, it glorifies God the the old gospel that is never new. We need to hear that
Saviour; therefore, it also certainly causes the believers we are sinners, unable to save ourselves; we need to
to be zealous for good works, to confess the truth, to hear of the great grace of God in Jesus Christ, the
suffer for Christ's sake, to understand their Redeemer; we need to hear our calling to live before
responsibilities, to obey God's law, to love and forgive His face in gratitude.
each other - in gratitu,de  for so great a salvation and so                       (to be concluded)



The Strength. of Youth

                        Divorce and Remarriage (5)

                                                   Rev. J. Kortering

  In our study of the Biblical teaching of divorce and the practice of eating in connection with the making of
remarriage, we have considered what God intended with a covenant, see Gen. 15. It was a sign of friendship, not
marriage from the very beginning. We now consider only, but the intimate friendship of the home.
what we can learn from the Old Testament period.                 When Israel became a nation, this truth was brought
This knowledge is important to this subject for two forth to them more forcefully. The prophets spoke of
reasons.                                                       this. God said, "For I will betroth thee unto me for
  First, it seems that during the Old Testament period, ever.; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness,
a great deal of leniency was  ~manifested  toward the and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in
sanctity of marriage. This was evident in two ways: the mercies," Hosea. 2: 19. God informed Israel, "For thy
practice of polygamy and concubinage and the putting Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name;
away of a wife that didn't please. Both of these and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of
practices would seem to contradict God's purpose of the whole earth shall he be called," Isa. 54:s. Because
marriage as divinely instituted.                               of this, should Israel fall into sin, they would make
  Secondly, the Jews of Jesus' day looked back at this themselves guilty of spiritual adultery, "They say, If a
"leniency" and used it to justify their own practice of man put away his  wife,~ and she go from him, and
divorce, see Matt. 19. If it was "allright" to have more become another man's, shall he return unto her again?
than .one wife or divorce one that didn't please a man shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou has
in Old Testament times, why is this not allowed in the played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to
church today? We must consider these important me, saith the Lord," Jeremiah 3: 1.
questions as they relate to our understanding the                This spiritual covenant of marriage was the
Biblical teaching of divorce and remarriage.                   prevailing influence on the life of Israel. This separated
GOD, THE HUSBANd OF ISRAEL                                     them from the other nations. It impressed upon Israel
                                                               the spiritual direction of their whole life; they were
  Basic to anything the Old Testament may have to consecrated unto Jehovah and their life had to show it.
say to us concerning marriage is the spiritual truth that Jehovah was their husband!
.God emphasized for His people during this time: viz.,
He was their husband and they were His wife.  In- PRINCIPLES FOR MARRIAGE IN ISRAEL
principle, this was revealed to the patriarchs through           One practical application of this may be seen in the


                                              THE STANDARD BEARER                                                255


influence this had on marriage. In trying to understand in bondage under the elements of the world; But now,
the attitude of the people of God toward marriage in after that ye have known God, or rather are known of
Old Testament times, one encounters so much God,. how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly
emphasis by commentators upon their having more elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in
than one wife and the practice of divorce that one gets bondage?"
the -impression that this was so common that the              The point that Paul is making in helping the
average Israelite must have had a very low idea of Galatians to understand the role of the law as it
marriage and love, that he could get rid of. his wife if applied to Israel, and how that had `bearing on the
she so much as raised her. voice against him. This whole life of Israel, is this: Israel was a child. After the
however, is hardly the picture:                             creation, man fell into sin. The inner workings of grace
  God specifically designated His relationship with had their beginning in Israel during the Old Testament
Israel as a marital relationship to emphasize for them times. Spiritually, they were children, they had a great
the sanctity of marriage. Surely, there were other deal of growing up to do. God gave the law of types
relationships which described God's dealings with and ceremonies to assist them as object lessons for
Israel, e.g. He was their King, He was their Father. children. As children, they also had much "hardness of
Among such lofty concepts, `God also emphasized He heart," Matt.  19:8. They acted childish and
was their husband. This certainly impressed upon Israel consequently brought themselves into bondage, Gal.
the importance of the marriage relationship. Their 4: 3. In their spiritual childishness, they often looked at
earthly marriage was to reflect this divine marriage.       the othernations and wanted to be like them, I Sam.
  There is plenty of evidence in the Old Testament 8:5. They wanted to have the pleasures of sin as the
that this happened. Consider how Abraham sought a heathen enjoyed, as  at. Sinai, Exodus 32. This also
wife for Isaac, not from the daughters of the land, but applied to their attitude toward marriage.
from his own seed, Gen. 24. He wanted Isaac to "marry         When does the change to maturity come? According
in the Lord." Similarly, Samson's parents were to Gal.  4:9, it comes with the presence of the Holy
concerned when he asked them to arrange his marriage Spirit of Christ to liberate us from the law of bondage
with a Philistine, "Then his father and his mother said and elevate us into the liberty wherewith Christ sets us
unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters free. The people of God today are more spiritually
of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou mature, not because they are inherently better, but
goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?" because Christ has given His Spirit to the church, and
Judges 14: 3. Then it is added as an explanation that His presence makes the difference., This maturity will
they didn't understand that the Lord intended this as become perfect when we finally arise beyond the
occasion to attack the Philistines. Certainly, the laws present life into the perfect glory of God in heavenly
of God given at Sinai emphasized God's will to guard splendor.
the sanctity of marriage. Think of the explicit laws for      Keeping this in mind, we are able to evaluate the
sexual purity of Lev. 18-20. .Adultery was forbidden, Old Testament times. God "suffered" with His people
Lev. 18: 20, and even the death penalty was fixed upon much like parents have to "suffer" with their slowly
the violator, Deut.  22:25,26, Lev.  2Q: 10. God even maturing children. There are certain things which are
prescribed a test for determining guilt, to satisfy the forbidden; some things are tolerated, and parents need
jealous husband, Numbers 5: 18ff. Add to this the fact the sanctified wisdom to distinguish which is which.
that the prophet exhorted Israel to "separate God practiced this wisdom with Israel.
yourselves from the people of the land, and from the
strange wives," Ezra 10: 11.                                  Take polygamy and concubinage. God forbade
  In the daily life of Israel, effort was made to           adultery in every form Yet, we do not expressly read
conform their marriages according to the lofty              that God forbade his saints in certain instances to take
standards God, had set forth in His marriage to them.       more than one wife, e.g. Jacob. This does not mean
                                                            that God approved and blessed it; He suffered it. In
M O S E S   S U F F E R E D                                 most instances the practical consequence of this sin
  When the Pharisees came to Christ and tried to get brought much heartache and pain in the lives of the
Him to take sides in their dispute over the proper patriarchs. God let them learn the hard way of
grounds for divorce, Christ said, "Moses, because of experience. He was dealing with them as children.
the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away         We must apply this same thing to Deut. 24: l-4. In
your wives, but from the beginning it was not so," trying to understand this passage (look it up) we
Matt. 19: 8. How could Moses "suffer" this? This has a consider the following:
direct bearing upon our question, why could Israel            First, God did not instruct a man who was married
practice polygamy and we cant?                              and had a wife in whom he did not continue to find
  The clue to this idea of "suffer" may be found in favor (because he had found some uncleanness in her)
Gal. 4:3,9, "Even so we, when we were children, were to put her away and give her a writing of divorcement.


256                                              THE STANDARD BEARER



Calvin correctly points: out, "Some interpreters do not          we certainly must not look at them and envy them in
read these verses continuously, but suppose the sense            their polygamy or divorce. This is exactly the opposite
to be complete at the  end. of the first, wherein                point of view of Christ in the New Testament. Christ
the husband testified  I that he divorces his wife for           answered the Pharisees who had come to Him asking
no offense, but because her beauty does not satisfy              Him for what grounds they might put away their
his lust. If however, we give more close attention, we           wives, whether for adultery alone or every cause. His
shall see that it is only one provision of the law, viz.,        answer was that they might not put their wives away
that when a man had divorced his wife, it is not lawful          for any cause, Matt. 19: 6. This answer surprised them
for him to marry her again if she have married another.          and they asked what about Moses and the law of the
The reason of the law is, that by prostituting his wife,         Old Testament. Jesus referred them to the beginning
he would be, as far as in him lay, acting like a procurer.       and said, from the beginning it was not so. How could
In this view, it is said that she was defiled, because he        He say that? Because He was instructing the grown up
had contaminated her body, for the liberty which he              church. He was about to redeem them from the curse
gave her could not abolish the first institution of God,         of the law and pour out the Holy Spirit upon them. No
but rather, as Christ teaches, gave cause for adultery           wonder the disciples reacted and said, who then would
(Matt. 5: 3 1, Matt.  19:9). Thus the Israelites were            want to get married if divorce is only for adultery and
reminded that although they divorced their wives with            remarriage is out? Jesus said, "For there are some
impunity, still this license was by no means excused             eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's
before God," Commentary on Deut. 28. What the law                womb; and there are some eunuchs, which were made
forbade was the remarriage of acouple once divorced.             eunuchs of men, and there be eunuchs which have
  Secondly, Moses suffered this divorce. Here, too, we           made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's
must not imagine that Moses suffered more than God               sake. He that is able to receive it let him receive it,"
did. That is not the idea of Christ in Matt. 19:8. God           Matt.  19:11,12.
suffered this practice  :in Israel and therefore Moses             God created marriage as an institution within which
suffered it. The law simply recognized a thing that was          He reveals Himself as the covenant God. Sin affected
practiced in a limited ;way in Israel; only God placed           this, and during the Old Testament times, God suffered
this restraint upon it, that if a husband thus put his           with His infant church, bearing with their hardness of
wife away, he  might not imagine that he could ever heart. Now, this is different and the church today has
have her back again if she remarried. This was                   the privilege to live within the sanctity of marriage in
forbidden in the law of Deut. 24. The priests were also          the highest possible way, even as God intended with
forbidden to marry such a divorced person, a clear               creation. In Christ, we are renewed in the image of
indication of God's rejection of such a thing, Lev.              God and by our marriage to Him, possess power to do
21: 7. The Levites were to be examples of holiness, and          that which by nature is impossible, live holily within
therefore they could have nothing to do with such a              marriage and never forsake the marriage partner, so
"putting away."                                                  long as both shall live. This is not bondage; it is
INSTRUCTION FOR THE GROWN UP CHURCH                              freedom. We will examine this next time D.V.
  Viewing the events in Israel from this point of view,



The Day .of Shadows

                    Every... . .Only.. . .Csntinually
                                                     Rev. John A. Heys


  Men strive for mastery. But God IS King.                       either to be king, or to maintain Himself as king. Nor is
  When men strive, one must always be defeated. Both             He caused any distress to any degree.
in a conflict cannot win. And even when they fight to              God has enemies. He has those who hate Him and
a standstill, or there is `a tie, a draw, then there still is    fight against Him. He has those who say that He is dead,
failure. The man who  <attacked did not attain to his            and who want Him dead. But God does not strive as
goal; and the man attacked failed to destroy his                 men strive. He does not have enemies as men have
adversary. But God  is  King, and He does not strive             enemies, and `God, as the Almighty, is never hurt by


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                              257


those who attack Him His  ;enemies have no strength says is right according to His law. It is then a deed
apart from him In Him they live and move and have which contains in it love towards God. For the whole
all their being. And though, according to His own law is summed up in one word: that we love God..
sovereign, eternal counsel, men do deeds which Anything less than this God does not call
displease Him, they never hurt or embarrass Him, or righteousness. He does say of Jehu that he did well, for
even for a moment frustrate Him They give Him not he did all that which God commanded him to do to
the slightest moment of worry. That is why Paul in his the house of Ahab. And in that sense it can also be said
epistle to the Philippians can speak of the peace of that the devil did well in that he did nothing more to
God that passeth all understanding. For God Job than that which God said he might do to him. But
constantly not only has perfect peace in Himself, as a at once Scripture declares in the very next verse that
triune God, but He has perfect peace of mind in regard "Jehu tookno heed to walkin the law of the Lord God
to all that which takes place in the world. He planned of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from
it all. And as the Almighty He is constantly executing the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin." II
that plan without frustration or delay, without being Kings 10:30,31.
forced to change that plan, :or to be one split second       It ought to be evident to anyone who will approach
behind in the execution of the smallest detail in that the matter with an open mind that if Genesis  6:3
p l a n .                                                  means that the Spirit strove to convert men, He failed
  All this we had better bear in mind when we read in miserably. And we have to go back and rewrite our
Genesis 6: 3 and 5, "And the' Lord said, My Spirit shall first few lines, and confess that God can be defeated.
not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet 0, He gains a little bit. It is not an utter disaster and
his days shall, be an hundred and twenty years. And complete rout. He manages to convert one man and his
God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the family. But the vast majority have frustrated Him and
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of made it necessary for Him now to drop the bomb of
his heart was only evil continually."                      the flood to save His face and to escape unspeakable
  There are `three elements in particular that we shame, both before these men and the fallen as well as
should note here. The Spirit of God is said to be righteous angel world, who likewise witness the
striving with man. God declares-that His Spirit will not up-to-that moment defeat.
always do so, and at the end of one hundred twenty           It ought also, then, to  be'evident that if the Spirit
years He will `bring an end to man's days. The evil of were striving only by a "common grace" to restrain
man is pictured as being so great that every "the unimpeded breaking out of sin" so that "human
imagination of the thoughts ,of his heart are only evil life in society remains possible," this "common grace"
continually. Thus, to state it differently, we have the was a total failure, and today likewise reveals itself'
three elements of the Spirit striving, the Spirit ceasing wholly inadequate to stem the rising tide of crime,
to strive, and a thoroughly corrupt man with whom even in our streets, and of lawlessness and disorder.
that Spirit has been striving and with whom that There seems to be something about that "common
striving will at a set time come to an end.                grace" that, although it seems to work for a while, it
  Two interesting questions arise. What did the Spirit suffers severe defeat at the polls of man's choosing. It
strive to do? Was He for one hundred twenty years failed at the time of the flood. It is failing today; and
striving to convert the world ,before the flood, and did bigger and bigger sections of our cities become
He succeed only in having the mastery over eight dangerous even in broad daylight. It cannot cope with
souls? Or was He by a certain "common grace" seeking the growing drug addiction. It has failed to stem the
only in "the individual and  :in the community" and desire to kill the helpless infant before it is born, while
that "without renewing the, heart" to restrain "the with crocodile tears men cry of the thousands of
unimpeded breaking out off sin, by which human life in women and children killed in the path of war. That,
society remains possible?" The other question is, "Did too, shows that  every  imagination of the thoughts of
God find, aft& the Spirit had been striving for some man's heart, as he is by nature, is only evil continually.
time, that NOW every imagination of the thoughts of Killing by war is brutal, that heart of man says, but
man's heart were only evil continually? It was not so killing the defenseless babe, before it has seen the light
the moment. that Adam fell, and depravity is total in of day, is one of the advancements of our civilization
the sense that ,it is carried down to every human being, whereby we are improving our society.
but it is not absolute in that there is still by that        The other truth is that Scripture makes very clear
"common grace" and  byr\striving  of the Spirit some here that the doctrine of total depravity is a doctrine
glimmerings of  natural  light' that enable man to do of absolute depravity. And after all, to try to
some  spiritual  !  good?" For make no mistake about it, distinguish between a total and an absolute depravity is
when you speak of "civil  @ghteousness,   " you  are quibbling with words, and against this Paul warns
speaking of that which is spiritually good, that which is Timothy when he says, "Strive not about words to no
right in God's sight and judgment. It is that which He profit, but to the subverting of the hearers." II


258                                         THE STANDARD BEARER



Timothy 2: 14. There is nothing relative in this every     convert that world that in one hundred twenty years
. . . 0nZy . . .continuaZZy   of Genesis  6:5. Men subvert would be destroyed by .the flood, nor to restrain their
their hearers when they try to teach a total depravity sin in order to make life. possible for these wicked,
which simply means `that every man is depraved, but whose lives God is going to take away after those one
every man is not completely corrupt. It is not, we hundred twenty years. Had either been the aim of that
insist, a case of every apple being spotted, but of every striving, the world would, to the last man, have been
apple being thoroughly corrupt. Read it once! Every converted, and it would not have been said that "every
imagination  of the  thqughts  of the heart  - that gets imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only
down to the heart of the matter, does it not? - is only evil continually.?' There would instead of a flood have
evil and that continually. And not every  man,  but been the most wonderful reformation this world ever
every imagination of the thought of his heart is evil. saw.
Not most of these imaginations of his heart are evil,        The S&it testified to these ungodly through Noah,
.but every one. His heart is only evil. The Hebrew word and before that through Enoch. He opposed their
is an adverb of limitation and restriction. There is wickedness by the preaching of the Word. There was no
nothing relative in it. The "every" is so all-inclusive unsuccessful attempt to convert them, or to restrain
that it excludes no imagination of the thought of them from further development in sin, but it was to
man's heart. The "only" is restrictive declaring that leave a witness concerning Himself that He is God.
you will not find any imagination in that heart that is Over against the ungodly speeches which they ungodly
anything but evil. `It declares that a righteous spoke, He spoke to them of His sovereignty and their
imagination of the thoughts of the heart cannot be calling to serve and love Him
found therein, its actions are restricted only to those      And the "always" in "My Spirit shall not always
of imagination of its thoughts that are evil. The strive" simply means that God is going to bring an end
"continually" indicates that this is a constant process. to this witness by the preaching which His Spirit gave
Not for certain periods of time, not at certain Enoch and Noah to proclaim and instead He is going
moments are the imaginations of the thoughts of man's to witness in a different way. He is not going to cease
heart evil so that only these are found therein, but striving in the sense of bringing an end to the
always, at any given moment you will find in the testimony that He is God and must be obeyed. He is
natural heart every imagination to be evil, and to be going to do it in a different way, not by words but by
nothing but evil.                                          the work of the flood. And thus, instead of being an
  This is not something the Spirit found after striving act of God's grace to these ungodly, it is an act of
`with man. This is what happened to man the moment wrath when God strives by His Spirit with man. And
he fell in Adam We come into this world that way. the evidence is that His new way of striving, namely,
And as history unfolds, man receives more and more with that terrible flood, reveals His attitude also in the
opportunity to develop in sin, driven by his evil nature striving by the Word. It was His declaration of His
and the leadership of Satan. Every imagination is evil, righteous indignation and unchangeable intention to
and his heart .never beats even once with the desire`to destroy the wicked.
love and serve God. But even as a poisonous plant that       In this He succeeded, for He destroyed every last
- as the poison ivy, for example - can only make life one of those who would seek no refuge in Christ and
miserable for man by its touch, can grow from a small His cross, would have nothing to do with the ark and
plant which does not reach above your shoe line to one the building of it. Nor do we read that either Enoch or
so big that you are sure to be touched and to be Noah urged these ungodly to come into the ark. The
poisoned when once again you walk that same way, so Spirit strove with a preaching of judgment upon the
evil men with evil natures not only grow themselves in evil doers.
their own personal sins, but coming in contact with
other sinners, develop in their combined efforts to
defy God and to seek to rob Him of His glory. There
comes a time, then, when the measure of iniquity is
full, and God comes to destroy, not because He has to
come with something, stronger to maintain Himself
over against an enemy growing more  -.and more
powerful, and becoming more of a threat to God
himself, but because they have reached the point He
decreed, to come to the line which He has drawn as to
where and when He will show them that all along He is
Ring.
  The Spirit strove through the preaching of Noah.
And He strove not in the sense of seeking either to


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                            259


All Arozind Us


           Some Tlh#ghts On Being led By The Spirit

                                                    Prof H. Hanko

   There are a number of similar exoressions which. are
                                       -                   of a particular problem which he faces. I have, for
appearing with increased frequency in the religious example, read this expression in connection with
press. Sadly enough, they are, as often as not, found people who are trying to make up their minds whether
`on the lips of conservatives; i.e., those who are or not they should leave a denomination which is
generally reckoned with the conservative side of obviously going the way to false doctrine. They stay in
religion as ever against liberals. These expressions their denomination, but speak of waiting for the Spirit
sound rather pious and leave a good impression in the to show them what they ought to do. I have heard the
minds of many as to the orthodoxy of the one who same expression used repeatedly in connection with a
uses them. They are, I  :have noticed, having a great deal of present-day liturgical renewal. We must,
considerable effect also upon people in general, for I so it is said, give the Spirit free rein in our worship
have heard the expression (or some form of it) from services. We must liberate the Spirit, for the Church
the lips of various people on more than one occasion. has too long shackled the Spirit in stereotyped forms
Yet it is all a matter of no little concern.               of worship. Again, the expression is used sometimes in
   The expressions to which: I refer go something like support of Evangelism Thrust Programs in various
this: "I am waiting for the guidance of the Holy Spirit churches where people are urged to alter radically the
in this matter." "I am ready to follow the leadership of whole political structure of the Church so as to
the Spirit." "The Spirit has laid upon my heart to . . ." give the Spirit more room to operate. Only then will
   `.`The Spirit must show us the way in this matter. the gospel be made effective and have a liberating
"Let us pray for the direction of the Spirit." You must influence on the communities about us. We are then
have heard or read such expressions. Or similar ones. reminded that the Spirit is like the wind "which
All have this in common: they speak of living and bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
making decisions by means of the guidance of the Holy thereof, but  canst not tell whence it  cometh, and
Spirit.                                                    whither it goeth."' John 3: 8.
   This sounds very pious and seems to give indication       This sort of thing troubles me greatly. And there
of a strong spiritual life.     I                          are, it seems to me, insuperable problems with it all. I
   In a recent Church paper, another aspect of this may, e.g., think and claim that the Spirit tells me to
whole matter was discussed., The author of an article remain in an  apostatizing* denomination for a while
was speaking of "sins against the Holy Spirit." He yet. But my brother who belongs to the same
claimed that there were two sways in which one could congregation and is as determined to maintain the'
sin against the Spirit. One such way was to claim that truth as I am, informs me that the Spirit tells him the
.social activism is really the work of the Spirit. One sins, time has come to leave and seek the pure preaching of
then, when one ascribes  ceitain works to the Spirit the Word. Who has the Spirit? Dare I tell him that he is
(such as the Viet Cong offensive in Viet Nam, the mistaking the leadership of the Spirit for some devilish
efforts of blacks to gain equal rights, women's influences of one sort or another? And what if he tells
liberation movements, etc.) which are not the fruit of .me that I am not being led by the Spirit in my decision
the Spirit at all. But there is another way to sin against to stay, but am doing so out of ulterior motives? Who is
the Spirit. This is to deny the presence of the Spirit in to know? Who can tell?
movements where the Spirit.  is  obviously working.          Nor will it do simply to make the whole matter a
When one denies that the Jesus Movement, Explo 72, question of conscience; for every man's conscience will
Billy Graham crusades, Pentecostal&m, etc. are not the say something different. And one is reduced to
works of the Spirit, when one sins against the' Spirit concluding that it is impossible to tell how or where
also - in the same way that the liberal sins against the the Spirit works, and impossible to know if the Spirit
Spirit when he claims for the Spirit work which the is working at all. Even if the Spirit operates as the
Spirit never does.                                         wind, does this mean then that we can never decide
   Generally speaking, when one talks about being with any certainty where the Spirit is to be found? It
guided by the Spirit or being led by the Spirit or all seems to me to lead into the morass of spiritual and
waiting for the Spirit to show the way, he is speaking theological  subjectivism and a kind of moral


260                                              THE STANDARD BEARER


agnosticism so that, with respect to central questions            When a man is intent on liberating the Spirit (it
of our calling, we have no way of determining with seems strange to me how a man who is committed to
certainty what the Spirit has to say and where He is faith in the sovereign work of the Spirit can speak of
leading.                                                        "liberating" the Spirit) by means of liturgical renewal
   This is, if carried `out to its extreme, a hopeless and alterations in ecclesiastical structures for the sake
situation.                                                      of various evangelistic programs such as Explo 72 or
   There is an answer <to all of this. That answer is a Key `73, then he had better  fust go to the Word of
principle which has been cherished by Churches of the God and bow before it and discover for himself what
Reformation ever since the beginnings of the 17th Scripture requires c  o ncerning the institutional
century when the Reformers set forth their views on structure of the Church and concerning principles of
this matter. And that answer is simply this: the the worship of God and concerning evangelistic
Scriptures are the only rule for faith                          -programs. If he so fervently wants the leading of the
                                           and life. We have
given to us of God the objective standard of the Spirit, the Spirit will soon enough show him that this
Scriptures. That is Goid's Word to us which covers all sort of thing is contrary to God's Word, and that the
our life and calling. It is something which every one Spirit will never work in such ways. In fact, if he
can understand. It is a rule and canon for us in our life. persists, he is not liberating the Spirit or following the
It is given as a lamp unto our feet and a light upon our Spirit, but defying the Spirit and going his own
path. It always shows the way.                                  boastful and proud way in the face of what the Spirit
                                                                has said in God's Word. We must, John tells us in his
  Indeed, the Spirit operates in  the. hearts of God's first epistle, try the spirits to see whether they be of
people in such a way that He leads them and guides God. There are many spirits around today which are
them Paul even speaks in Rom. 8: 14 of the fact that            called the Holy Spirit. The Word of God will tell. It
"as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the will tell to any one who will listen. It will tell to
sons of God." But it is a firm truth which must be anyone who is enlightened by the Spirit. Paul speaks
maintained and defended, that there is never any precisely of all this in I Corinthians 2: 10-l 6, a passage
guidance of the Spirit apart from that Word. The Spirit which is precisely in the context of his preaching the
always and only works in connection with that Word - Word of God to the Corinthians. He writes: "But God
never apart from it. There is direction given by the hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit
Spirit in the hearts and lives  ,of the people of God searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For
indeed. But this can never be a testimony of the Spirit what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit
divorced from the' objective testimony of the                   of man which is in him? even so the things of God
Scriptures. When the work of the Spirit is isolated in knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have
this way from the Scriptures, there is no work of the received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit
Spirit at all; and man falls prey to his own personal which is of God; that we may know the things that are
desires, wild imaginations and deceptive heart. The freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak,
Spirit works in connection with the preaching of the not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
Word above all. He renews, enlightens, restores, and which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual
applies that Word. But, when a believer subjects things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not
himself to the Scriptures and bows humbly before the the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
Word of God, then, even in his personal life, he may unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
expect that the Spirit will speak to him directing him spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all
in. his life's pathway' and calling, but always by things, yet, he himself is judged of no man. For who
pointing him to specific teachings of the Scriptures. hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
There is no inner light, no subjective revelation, no instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
personal insight which the Spirit gives which is apart             I am, of course, aware of the fact that there are
from those Scriptures. `They are a firm rock to which specific problems of life which are not specifically
our life must be moored. When the Spirit tells us what revealed to us in Scripture. I refer, e.g., to the fact that
the Scriptures say, then, and then only, do we know a young man may, in his High School years, believe
that we are on safe ground.                                     that he is called to be a minister of the gospel. He will
   When someone claims, therefore, to remain in an probably talk the matter over with his parents and his
apostatizing denomination which cannot be recalled to pastor; and they will, if they are Godly people, tell him
the ways of truth  and:righteousness;  when he knows that he must seek to know the will of God in this
,that a faithful witness `to the truth can be carried on ,matter. He may, I presume, be urged to follow. the
only by way of separation, then he may be sure that guidance of the Spirit to seek a resolution of his
the Spirit does not tell him to remain for a while. And problem. He will very quickly assure us all that there is
he must not talk about ,waiting  for the direction of the no specific passage in Scripture which has his name in
Spirit in this matter.                                          it and which objectively points out that he is called to


                                                 THE STANDARD BEARER                                                      261



the ministry. And there are more problems like this in doctrine and life has this as its evil source. But if one
life. What then? Do we not have a case here where, in abandons the objective standard of the Word of God
specific matters, the guidance of the Spirit is apart (and history shows how true this is), one has really
from the objective testimony; of the Word of God?               only two alternatives. The one is to set up the standard
   No, even this will never do. In the first place, the of reason as the final arbiter of matters of life. This is
whole. decision is made within the context of the rationalism; and the evidence is clear that the Church
Scriptures which speak of- the fact that men of God has had her share of rationalists over the centuries. The
within the Church are called by God to be ambassadors other alternative is to set up the feelings, the emotions,
of Christ in .preaching  the Word. And this is important inner convictions as a standard of the truth and of life.
and must not be underestimated. In the second place, This has been historically pietism or mysticism, or, as
such a young man must make his decision prayerfully i t   c a n   p r o p e r l y   b e   c a l l e d   i n   o u r   d a y ,
and carefully .seeking to know the will of God by an ,Neo-Pentecostal&m.  Those are the only two real
o bj e  ctive consideration of many different alternatives there are. Forsaking the Scriptures,  one'
circumstances, The Lord must give him the gifts and must fall back on reason or inner light. But both are
                                                               essentially the same - at least in this respect, that they
talents to do this work. The Lord must give him a love make man himself the final judge of truth and right -
for the ministry `and a desire, to study. The Lord must whether it be man's mind or man's inner feelings. And
open the way' for him to go to school for many years. both are subjectivism. And both are hopeless.
These things and many more `are objective evidences of
the Lord's will. But even then, when everything else is            There are many who would vehemently disavow any
said and done, no man is called to the ministry until he tendencies towards Neo-Pentecostalism in their lives.
has finally received such an objective call from the            Yet they repeatedly speak of the guidance of the
Church of Christ itself. He must answer, when he is             Spirit as divorced from the Scriptures, and become,
ordained, that he believes he is called by Christ's to the confusion of all,  Pentecostals in fact. They
Church and therefore by Christ Himself.                         may not speak in tongues; and they may not believe in
                                                                faith healing. But when they divorce themselves from
  And so it is in all of life.                                  God's Word, they fall into the same deadly trap.
  The history of the Church of Christ is a history                Let us, then, be led by the Spirit; for we are the,sons
replete with examples of efforts made on the part of .of,God. But let us be very, very sure that we know and
wicked men to drag the Church and believers away               understand that the leadership of the Spirit comes
from the objective standard of the Word of God. Every          through the shining light of the Scriptures, the Word of
heresy is an attempt to do this. Every perversion. of God.



Studies in Election

                                    Its Proclamation
                                                  Rev. Robt. C. Harbach

  How often, w h e n   i t   i s   p o i n t e d   o u t   t h a t foresee in man is nothing good. No man could  `be
predestination is so deeply imbedded in Scripture, you chosen for a good God sees in him simply because
meet with, not a denial of this fact, but an appeal to there is no good in him to be seen. He is by nature
the "foreknowledge" -of-God argument. The dead in sins, and in his flesh there is no good thing.
argument, of course, is that God has foreknowledge or Besides, God's purpose is not based on His
foresight of who. will repent of their sins and believe in foreknowledge, but just the reverse, as a comparison of
the Lord as Savior. He then chooses those He so Romans 8, verse 28 with verse 29 will show, God's
foresees to salvation. This is actually a remnant of foreknowledge is founded on His purpose. God
Roman Catholic doctrine, with its idea of human foreknows only what He has foreordained. There is
merit. Grace is not free, election is not sovereign, but nothing else to foreknow. God cannot foreknow
bound by the decision of man. This is the humanistic without foreordaining. His foreknowledge takes in
teaching that in God's prevision there is something only what  IIe has decreed shall come to pass.
good to be seen in man.`But,' actually, what God does Foreknowledge is therefore based upon the eternal


262                                          THE STANDARD BEARER


counsel of God, that is, the order of Scripture has it, drowning of all human helps and hopes. They learned
fast, His counsel,. then foreknowledge. "Him being in that never-to-be-forgotten experience that grace is
delivered by the determinate counsel and "to him that worketh not," for it is God who worketh
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked         to will and to do of His good pleasure (Rom. 4:5; Phil.
hands have crucified and slam" (Acts 2:23). Nor can        2:13).
anyone show from Scripture that %od chooses a man             There can be no place for "the praise of the glory of
on foreknowledge of  : his repentance, faith, or any His grace" if sovereign, unconditional election be not
other good in him. Foreknowledge is always of preached. For then too much is made of man. He is
persons,  never of works or qualities. Scripture says, upheld as having before God some good or some
"whom He did foreknow," not what He did foreknow.          ability in him. This is held despite the fact that
.But even so, we have not yet come to the real meaning Arminians maintain that they also believe the total
of the term foreknowledge as it is found and used in       depravity of man. They do, indeed, even rather widely,
Scripture. The meaning is always that of love, in the profess the doctrine. Yet they contradict it with their
sense of, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love, constant harping on man's ability to do good. In their
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. theological text books there may be found a rather
3 1:3). That the word `know, in this connection, means lengthy chapter where total depravity is avowed and
from all eternity a divine love is proved plainly by proved from Scripture. But then the very next chapter
comparison of, "the foundation of God standeth sure, may be on the Free Moral Agency of Man, where total
having this seal,  `The; Lord  knoweth  them that are depravity is denied in the insistence that man is free to
His' " (II Tim. 2: 19) iwith "then. will I profess unto will both right. and wrong. To speak, then, of "total
them, `I never knew you' " (Matt. 7:23). The Lord is depravity" is to use theological terminology, which,
omniscient; He "knoweth all things" (John 21: 17) and like the vocabulary of the parrot, is  not,understood;
everybody. But He doesn't love everybody. (Compare nor is it believed in its gravest implications. Thenatural
Prov. ,8 : 17a with Psalm 5 : 5-6).                        man is no more free unto good than a worm is to fly.
  Equally as often you will hear the appeal to                One blessed effect of the preaching of the doctrine
"whosoever will may come." True; but how does the of election is that it teaches us to "have no confidence
dead sinner, a "whosoever won't" by nature, become a in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3), but to abase the pride of man.
"whosoever will?" Where does he get the willingness to Where one denies or neglects the doctrine of election,
respond to such a gracious call? The natural man is an there is one who, to some degree, rests on the power of
unwilling being. He will not `come to the Lord (John man. That one who thinks that one may be saved
5:40), nor can he  (6:44), until he is made willing to without election surely must believe there is something
come (Ps.  110:3). Then, in that manner, all the elect of man in the effecting of salvation. Such a person
surely shall come to Christ (John 6:37), by the power must believe that he deoes contribute something of his
of irresistible grace (`Tis grace has brought me safe thus own to his salvation, in spite of the strongest denials to
far, And grace will lead me home!`), and this grace is the contrary. He who supposes he has in the power of
sufficient (II Cor. 12: 9) without any help from man. his will but the smallest contribution to make to his
Grace makes a member of Christ what he is, not his salvation is a Mr. Carnal Security. To that extent he
co-operation or "decision" (I Cor. 15: 10). Grace is trusts in himself and is not yet really humbled before
everything; and only where grace is everything is there God. Then the thing formed says to the Former, "I
a gospel at all.                                           made myself to differ."
  It was so with the children of Israel at the Red Sea.       Modern day mass evangelism boasts of its crusades
They were in a desperate plight. The sea was against for souls, and of its converts on an average of three
them. So was the land; they were both at its end and at thousand souls a campaign, somewhat better than
wit's end.  The. world-dominating nation of the time Peter and Pentecost! The converts of such campaigns
was against them. Theie was no place to go, no place are supposed to have been converted to Christ and
to hide. What, under  lsuch circumstances, would be Christianity, and that by a "decision" made to accept
"good news" to them? That God made  provision for Christ as Savior. Now if a "convert" will honestly
their salvation? made' possible  their salvation? No, examine himself, searching for the marks of God's
hardly that. They needed more than that to have good elect, he may find his conversion a counterfeit, since it
news. They needed the announcement and promise, his based on nothing more than his "deciding for
which was anon given them (Ex. 14: 13, 14), that God Christ." If he cannot fmd his conversion resting on
had made  certain  their deliverance! Grace not only that work of grace which we call regeneration, but
provides and proclaims salvation; it also produces it. It rather supposes that his regeneration stems from his
does so in such a way that the Dagon of free will falls conversion, then no matter how strongly he denies it,
flat on its face, that the deliverance may be of God he has some confidence in the flesh. If he feels he had
alone. Crammed up against the Red Sea as they were, the right to become a son of God because he "accepted
Israel saw in those insurmountable waters the Christ" and believed on His name (a misunderstanding


                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER                                                          263



of John  1:12,  13), and not first because he was                   some are vessels of wrath fitted  to- destruction,
predestinated to the adoption of sons (Eph. 1:5), and ungodly men, foreordained to condemnation, and
then was born, not of the will of the flesh, or of the given up to believe a lie, that they might be
will of man, but of God, he still attributes something damned. . .but these are some of both Jews and
of man to the matter of his salvation. If that is the way Gentiles, some of every kindred, tongue, people and
he was saved, his conversion came by enticing words of nation; these were chosen in Christ from eternity, and
man's wisdom, and his faith, stands in the wisdom of are the peculiar objects of the affection and care of God,
men, not in the power of God. Then he has merely a whom He calls, justifies and glorifies: and there is a
natural faith, sufficient to trust only in a human special faith that belongs to these, which is a spiritual
object, and lacks the supernatural gift of saving faith to looking to Christ, a going to Him, a laying hold and
trust in the supernatural Christ. Such a "convert," leaning on Him, and trusting in Him for salvation; and
slanted away from the truth of  ,election  as he was this faith is peculiar to the elect of God; all men have it
u n d e r   t h e   m i n i s t r y   o f   "d e c i s i o n i s m " a n d not, and those that have it, have it through the free gift
"only-believism," has not only been robbed of the of God; nor is it given to any but the chosen ones." In
heart of the gospel, but has from the outset been days to come, it will be evident that much modern
prejudiced against the truth of salvation by grace only. mass evangelism regards as gold, silver and precious
He doesn't want a salvation, including his faith and his stones is nothing but wood, hay and stubble. Salvation
believing, which is a matter of Yea and Amen in Christ is not something separate from the knowledge of the
Jesus. He wants a "yes, but:' salvation  - "Yes, but I truth (I Tim.  2:4). Truth  is<that we were chosen to
put my trust in Him" As to the truth of,  "what hast salvation (II Thes. 2: 13) and to know our election (I
thou that thou didst not receive?" (I Cor. 4:7), he has Thes.  1:4). The truth of election covers the whole of
not yet "arrived"!                                                  Scripture as the cedars of Lebanon cover the wooded
   The true convert to Christ iwants his faith to be "the mountain with an enormous forest. To fail to see, or
faith of God's elect" (Tit. 1: 1). He wants evidence in refuse to see, the truth of election is then to fail to see
himself that he is wheat distinguished from chaff. It the forest for the trees.
was John Gill who wrote,  5`There  are some persons
who are styled the elect of God; these are not all men;
                                        .-.                                              (To be concluded)



Book Review                                                            The Hope Protestant Reformed School of Redlands,
                                                                    California, has need of a Principal (Grades 5 thru.9)
                                                                    and a teacher (grades 1 thru 4) for the school term
                                                                    1973-74. All interested Protestant Reformed teachers
                  The Phil&tines                                    should address inquiries to:
                                                                                  Mr. E.B. Gritters, Secretary
        And The Old  ; Testament                                                     934 College Avenue
                                                                                    Redlands, California 92373


THE PHILISTINES AND THE OLD TESTAMENT, by
Edward E.  Hindson; Baker Book House, 1972; 184                                  RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY
pp., $3.95 (paper). Reviewed by Prof. H. Hanko.                        The Ladies' and Men's Societies of the South
   This interesting and valuable book is part of "Baker Holland Protestant Reformed Church express their
Studies in Biblical Archaeology." It is divided into four sympathy to Mrs. P.S. Poortinga and family in the
sections: 1) Historical Background, 2) Philistine death of
Religion and Practices, 3) The Phil&tines and                                      MR. PETER S. POORTINGA
Archaeology, 4) The Philistines in the Bible. While                    Our prayer is that the bereaved families may
there is considerable technical material in Sections 2 continue to experience the all-sufficient grace of our
and 3, Sections 1 and 4 are extremely interesting and               Covenant God, Who has promised to be a husband to
valuable. The book would be of considerable aid to                  the widows and a father to the orphans; and that this
understand the Phi&tines for anyone who is teaching experience may serve to energize us all in a more
Bible either in the Christian : Schools or' in Catechism zealous and consecrated service in the battle of faith.
classes. The value of the book is also enhanced by a                                                   Rev. R. Decker, President
large number of illustrations and  .maps and by an                                Mrs. J. Holleman, Secretary of Ladies' Sot.
extensive bibliography.                                                            Mr. J. Lenting, -Secretary of Men'sSociety

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



264                                           THE.STANDARD  BEAkER


                                News Fkorn Our Churches

  I received a contribution for this column, the other the States, it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
day, from a friend who signed himself "You know                 "The work has kept us busy, and we can only
who." He was right, of course, since the authorship of marvel at what Rev. and Mrs. Lubbers have done here,
the following item is unmistakable.                           and what they ENDURED. You would have to come
   He. reports that  he, has received "response to the and live with them for less than a week and you would
request for a name (or names) of potential subscribers be amazed at what their lot is. Even now when we
in the state of Rhode Island.                                 share the burden and have each other to consult, the
   "From a subscribei in Maine, the following was problems and many facets of the work simply
received:                                                     overwhelm one. The work is certainly being
   `The Standard Bearer is the best magazine available concentrated, and the field is being saturated as never
to a Christian reader, and I am happy to recommend it before, and results are bound to show one  .way or.
to others. Therefore, I irequest that a free three months another.
subscription be sent to:. . . Also, please extend my own        "We cannot really complain about the weather.
subscription for another year. I am enclosing a check From the time we came it has varied between 80-87
for ten dollars, of which the extra amount will help with a humidity of between 55-70 percent. We have
toward the free subscription.'                                had some cold, torrential rains and strong winds. In
   "We thank the reader in Maine for his interesting fact one Sunday we stayed home and had services
letter and for his regard for The Standard Bearer.            between the four of us at Rev. Lubbers' home because
   "Now let's go to Nevada!                                   of the ram and wind. It was not safe to travel along the
   "Any reader of The;Standard Bearer, submitting the sea coast because of the waves dashing on the shore
name and address of a person residing in the State of and the swollen streams rushing down the mountain
Nevada, is assured that a three months free sides creating landslides and threatening to wash you
subscription will be sent to the resident of that state." out to sea. But today is a beautiful day, and a
                   ***,*****                                  somewhat cool morning. What the afternoon brings in
                                                              heat depends on what breezes come off the sea."
  I've had occasion to' see some correspondence from                            ********
Rev. Heys, who, as you know, is currently assisting in
our mission endeavors. on the island of Jamaica. The            In a January bulletin from Isabel, we find the
intent of Rev. Heys, in this letter, was not at all to following:
define the work that is being carried on there. It was a        "Societies will hold their meetings in the basement
friendly, not a business-type letter. But it's often, I again; this time in greatly different surroundings. The
think, the homely little illustrations and anecdotes drab cement walls and hard concrete floor have been
from a letter of that kind, which give one a feel for covered with beautiful wood paneling and bright
conditions over there.  ' So . . . I'll quote a couple of Cowboy Orange carpeting. Opportunity is now taken
paragraphs, and hope  ithat Rev. Heys, who was not to thank those men who labored hard and long to
writing with publication in mind, will not object.            accomplish this task. This is another manifestation of
  "We are somewhat settled now, and I did want to how the saints can labor in and for the house of our
write before., but it takes time to get one's feet on the G o d . "
ground after flying to : this island with its frustrations                      ********
and different life. Although we have driven some 500            And from a February bulletin of Southwest we learn
or more miles on the left side of the road already since that the consistory there has "granted Rev. Veldman
arriving on the 8th of  i January, it still is hard to get permission to labor in Florida for a period of six
used to left-hand  thinking. You  have to keep on the weeks." He planned to leave for Florida on February
left side of the road not only, but to look into your 20, and, on arrival, concentrate his efforts in the
rear view mirror you `have to look to the left, the Bradenton area. We'll be interested in learning of the
steering wheel being on the right side of the front seat. fruits of that mission.
After about 700,000 miles of looking to the right in                                                             D.D.


