           The
    STANDARD
         BEARER
f- A REFORMED SEMI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE                                         .





    . . . We see at the same time what a start
 God's Son enjoyed, what a cradle received
 Him. Such was His manner of birth, for He
 had put on our flesh to the end that He might
                 7.'
 empty Himself for our sake. So He  vvas
 pushed into a stable and lodged in a manger,
 denied a place of hospitality among men, that
heaven may lie open to us, not only as a place
in  which to  lodge, but as an eternal home-land
and inheritance, and `that angels should re-
ceive us to dwell with Him.

                                            John Calvin


                                       Volume LVI, No. 6, December 15,1979  -


122                                                          THE STANDARD BEARER


                                                                                                          THE STANDARD BEARER
                          CONTENTS:                                                                             ISSN 0362-4692
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MEDITATION



                                            The Shepherd's Visit
                                                        To Bethlehem
                                                                   Rev. H. Veldman



                  "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass which the
              Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and
              the babe lying in a manger. "
                                                                                                                                  Luke 2: 15-16


 How wonderful, generally speaking, is the birth of                              the birth itself is wonderful. Jesus is Immanuel, born
Jesus Christ, our Lord! It was announced throughout                              of a virgin. How wonderful, too, are all the
the ages, and then by an angel out of heaven. Besides,                            circumstances accompanying this birth. The birth is


                                                THE STANDARD BEARER                                                123



announced, first by Gabriel and then presently by an.          ever will be; in the midst of the world we must always
entire heavenly host, singing the most wonderful,              expect Mary's Great Son as lying in a manger and
harmonious song ever heard upon the earth. But, this           wrapped in swaddling clothes.
birth announcement by Gabriel and  .this song by the             How amazing that these shepherds ever went to
angelic chorus are brought unto a group of shepherds,          Bethlehem! To see this! To be sure, many today love
of all people, and that in the dead of night, not in           to speak of this babe as lying in a manger. Many
Jerusalem, but in the silent and lonely fields of              anthems of praise are sung in His honour. But, of
Ephratah. And, is it not also wonderful that this Babe         course, according to the world this babe did not
Immanuel should be lying in a manger and wrapped               remain there. Soon he attained unto a place of
in swaddling clothes?                                          honour and power in the midst of the world. One may
  Wonderful is also the incident to which we now               compare him to Abraham Lincoln in this respect; he,
call attention. It is wonderful that these shepherds           too, had a lowly birth. However, we must remember
ever went to Bethlehem. It is wonderful that they saw          that these signs belong to Him, characterize Him  -
what they saw. It is wonderful that they, returning,           remove them, and you have no Saviour left. And
glorified God. And it is wonderful if we, today, are           presently the world will also take them away from
also able to go to Bethlehem.                                  Him, when they kill Him upon the cross of Calvary.
                                                               But, who would care to visit such a king? Is this
                         AMAZING                               Israel's Hope? Would we not expect these shepherds
                                                               to become indignant and furiously angry to be told of
  Jesus, the Hope of Israel, born in Bethlehem!                such a birth in the city of David?
  Bethlehem, the city of David, was the "house of                But there is more. These shepherds left their flocks
bread." This is the literal meaning of Bethlehem.              behind them. These sheep constituted their living,
Indeed, Bethlehem was to become  the  House of                 their all. They simply left them behind them. They
Bread, the place where the Bread from heaven would             did not leave them in the care of a caretaker. They
see the light of day, where He would be born, Jesus            simply left them, in the midst of the night, exposed
Who declared of Himself that He is the Bread of Life.          to all the dangers of the night. And, they were in a
  Throughout the ages believing Israel had longed              tremendous hurry. This is emphasized in the text. We
and prayed, had waited, impatiently and straining at           read, on the one hand: let us go even  lzow unto
the leash, had looked forward to the coming of this            Bethlehem, or: let us go unto Bethlehem right now, at
Jesus, Saviour, their mighty Messiah, Who would be             once. There  ,was no time to lose. And, on the other
born of the seed of David, ascend His throne, lead His         hand: they came with haste. How amazing is this visit
people to new and unprecedented heights of glory               of the shepherds!
and power and salvation. Yes, unto you is born this              Does this also characterize us? We understand what
day in the city of David a Saviour Who is Christ, the          it means for us to go to Bethlehem. It means that we
Lord. Could it be that these shepherds were                    go spiritually, that we contemplate and meditate
discussing this wonderful prophecy of the Lord this            upon this thing which is come to pass. And we must
very night  while they were watching their sheep by            hasten to Bethlehem, proceed in great haste. It must
night?                                                         constitute the one great desire and longing of our
  Is it not an amazing thing that these shepherds ever         heart. We must fill our hearts and minds with that
went to Bethlehem, yea, that they came with haste?             mystery of godliness, God in the flesh, Immanuel,
  On the one hand, what did they see? It is true that          that Jehovah God has come into our flesh and blood.
"unto you is born this day in the city of David a                How difficult this going to Bethlehem is for us!
Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord."                              how difficult it is today to go to Bethlehem, really, in
  But, please notice His sign, the sign of His birth: ye       the midst of all the bustle and earthliness of our
shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and           modern day celebration of the day of Christ's birth!
lying in a. manger. The King of kings and the Lord of          Indeed, to celebrate this day, truly, we must cut
lords lying in a manger, in abject, utter poverty! And,        through so many things, to see this thing that has
mind you, this is  His  sign, peculiarly fitting to Him! If    come to pass, the Christ of God in swaddling clothes
only this manger and these swaddling clothes were a            and lying in a manger.
temporary "helpout," because Mary and Joseph had
come too late into the city of David, and that they                                 GLORIOUS
would soon be replaced by earthy royal splendour                 "Let us see this thing which is come to pass." We
and glory, one could overlook this rather inauspicious         do not read: "Let us see this baby which has just
entrance of Israel's King and Hope into the world.             been born," but: "Let us see this word which has
But this is His sign, God's sign; thus it is and thus it       come to pass." The shepherds, of course, refer to the


124                                                           THE STANDARD BEARER



word of the angel, Gabriel, in the verses 10-12. This                            He is the Saviour and He alone.
word of the angel, this divine announcement of the
birth of Jesus Christ, the Lord, this amazing thing                                                    POSSIBLE
that God has fulfilled His promise of the ages, the                                The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see this
birth of Israel's Hope, this thing has happened. And                             wonder of God. How was this possible for them?
now, let us go at once and see it.                                                 This was possible, first of all, by divine revelation.
   Indeed, let us not fail: to understand these signs.                           The Lord, we read, made it known unto them. This
They are essential. They belong  with.this Child. God                            refers to the message of the angel. God revealed to
willed them. First, they are prophetic of this Babe's                            them, not only that Christ had been born, but also
position in the midst of the world. All He has is a                              that He was lying in a manger and wrapped in
manger and the swaddling clothes. This, of course,                               swaddling clothes. God revealed to them that these
was not caused Him willfully by the world. The world                             were signs of His birth. And, secondly, before this
was unaware of His coming. God willed this sign, this                            message was conveyed to them by Gabriel, another
sign of poverty. In fact, presently, at the cross, the                           thing has already occurred. The glory of the Lord had
world will even attempt to take this manger and these                            shined round about them, and they had been sore
swaddling clothes from Him, will hate Him and kill                               afraid. They had been convicted of their sin in the
Him. Secondly, Christ is born in this abject poverty                             presence of the glory of the Lord. To them, afraid
because of you and me. He became poor in order that                              and stricken, the  inessage of the Christ Child, lying in
we, being poor, might become rich. He was born, in                               a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, had been
abject poverty, as symbolic of the extreme poverty                               conveyed.
and misery which characterize us. And He was born
without worldly or earthy glory and splendour                                      Do we understand?
because His kingdom' is not of this world, is not                                  Shall we go to Bethlehem? Shall we look at this
earthly but heavenly. :                                                          wonder of salvation which the Lord has wrought?
   How glorious, then, is our visit to Bethlehem!                                Shall we see these signs, be convicted anew of our sin
                                                                                 and misery, recognize in Him our blessed Saviour and
   Indeed, we must not fail to interpret these signs                             Lord, rejoice in His salvation?
correctly, and appropriate and apply them to
ourselves. They do not speak to us of the greatness                                However, this glory of the Lord must shine round
and ingenuity of man, as, for example, of a Lincoln,                             about us and we must be afraid! We must see our sin
who by sheer courage and will power was able to                                  and misery because the Glory of the Lord has shined
work his way from a log cabin to the White House.                                all around us, and in us by His almighty grace. And if
The manger and swaddling clothes tell us that His                                we then are stricken in our consciousness, realize our
kingdom is not of this world. They tell us that, as the                          hopelessness, we will long for Bethlehem and be in
w o r l d   w a s   n o t   r e a d y   t o   r e c e i v e   H i m   t h e n    great haste to see this Babe and fill our hearts with
(unwittingly), so, spiritually, it can never receive Him.                        His salvation.
We are never ready for Him, never have a place for                                 One more thing. The shepherds left their sheep
Him. Indeed, our hearts are closed to Him. He is                                 behind them. Yes, if we would go to Bethlehem,
always wholly unwanted by us.                                                    really wish to see this Child, really rejoice in His
   However, it is exactly for this reason that this                              salvation, we must leave everything behind us. Look
scene in Bethlehem is so glorious! He is Saviour, is He                          at the Child, have nothing with you except your own
not? Are we amazed that we have no room for Him in                               sin and guilt. And we will rejoice, and return even as
our `hearts? But, is He not Jesus, the Saviour? And                              the shepherds returned, glorifying God and praising
this means that we must be saved, that we are lost,                              Him for the salvation He has wrought.
full of sin and darkness. Besides, let us look at these
signs and rejoice! They speak to us of His rejection by
the world, that the world always hates Him and will                                                AN IDEAL
presently kill Him. But, is not that way, the way of
His being killed upon the cross, exactly the way                                      CHRISTMAS GIFT
whereby He saves us from sin and guilt and death?
Yes, He comes exactly as you would expect the                                     A Subscription To The
Christ of God to come. Rejected by the world, He
comes as the Son of God in our flesh and blood,
struggles through the enmity of the world and of the                                          STANDARD
wrath of God into the everlasting glory of the
Kingdom of Heaven, makes room within our hearts                                                    BEARER
where there was no room, that it may be known that


                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                  125



EDITORIALS
Prof H.C. Hoeksema




                                  James Daane on Decretal
                                  Theology -- Dead Wrong!


  It is rather ironic, I think, that in the current        Hoeksema and to maintain the First Point of 1924.
discussion of reprobation in the Christian Reformed        Now again, although there has not been much direct
Church the late Herman Hoeksema and his view of            reference to the common grace controversy, there is
predestination functions as a kind of catalyst. After      repeated reference to Herman Hoeksema's (alleged)
all, for by far' the greater part of his career Herman     views. All of this serves to point up again the crucial
Hoeksema was not Christian Reformed. And the               importance of 1924 and its doctrinal deliverances.
reason why he was not Christian Reformed was                 Meanwhile, though there is considerable paper and
certainly closely connected with his view of sovereign     ink expended in a discussion of the doctrine of
predestination, and more specifically with his view of     reprobation, thus far no one has addressed the crucial
sovereign reprobation. Yet in the current discussion       subject of Harry Boer's complaint against the Canons,
of reprobation in connection with the Boer Gravamen        the subject of the Scriptural proof for reprobation
against the Canons of Dordrecht, both from the left        and the exegesis of the texts cited by the Canons.
and from the right there is reaction against
Hoeksema's view in the form of an attempt on the             In two successive issues of The Banner (Nov. 9, pp.
part of both to put distance between their views and       9, 10; Nov. `16, pp. 16, 17) Dr. Daane presents some
that of Hoeksema. From the left  - and we have             reflections on an earlier article by the Rev. Jelle
grown to expect this of him  - this effort is made by      Tuininga on "Boer and Reprobation." As usual,
Dr. James Daane. But now also from the right we            Daane cannot refrain from referring to the views of
observe a similar phenomenon: while they seem to           Herman Hoeksema. However  - also as usual  - Dr.
wish to hold on to a kind of reprobation, they do not      Daane misrepresents the views of Herman Hoeksema
want those on the left to impute to them Hoeksema's        and presents instead a caricature. This is not only a
view of predestination. A recent article by Dr. Fred       very serious wrong on Daane's part, but it also very
Klooster in  The Banner  is an example of this (see        seriously weakens his case against so-called decretal
below).                                                    theology. Daane sets up straw men and then proceeds
  Strange, is it not?                                      to take potshots at them, meanwhile imagining that
  And yet it is not so strange after all. We saw           he is shooting down true, Reformed, decretal
something of the same phenomenon during the 1960s          theology. In so doing, Dr. Daane misleads many
in the so-called Dekker Case, concerning limited           readers who accept as gospel truth what he writes
atonement versus universal atonement and particular        about Hoeksema and other Reformed theologians
love versus universal love. Both in writing and- in the    without checking up on Daane's accuracy.  1' have
synodical debate, as I recall, there was repeated          written about this before, both in these columns and
reference to 1924 and the debate concerning                in our Protestant Reformed Theological Journal. This
common grace and the well-meant offer of salvation.        is a very serious breach of ethics on Daane's part, and
From the left again it was recognized that Herman          I admonish him that he ought to repent of this!
Hoeksema represented consistently the Reformed               Daane claims to have an aversion for decretal
view, and the left really completely disavowed             theology "because `decretal theology' is not the
particular love, particular atonement, and  - already      innocent term many people think it is. It does not
then  - sovereign reprobation. But it was almost           merely indicate a theology that acknowledges and has
amusing how from the right men strove, while they          room for God's decree. It refers to an unacceptable
were struggling somehow to maintain limited                theology of such a decree." He then refers to Herman
atonement, to put distance between themselves and          Hoeksema's theology as follows:


126                                                      THE STANDARD BEARER


          To illustrate: the late Herman Hoeksema used to           heard (and he did hear a few in his day). I dare say,
       say "our God is an electing God." That sounds                too, that I am rather thoroughly acquainted with
       innocent enough, for God does indeed elect. But
       what Hoeksema meant by that statement was that               Herman Hoeksema's writings. But frankly, I cannot
       God elects - and no' less reprobates - because it            recall the statement Daane puts in quotation marks. I
       belongs to His very nature or essence to do so. God          heard and read such statements as, "The decree of
       must elect and reprobate; His very nature requires           God is the decreeing God," or, "The counsel of God
       Him to do both. What God does in electing and                is the  counselling God,"  - statements made by many
       reprobating is  dictated  by His nature. Indeed,             a Reformed theologian. But let Dr. Daane cite
       Hoeksema contended that God cannot elect to save             chapter and verse. Otherwise let him keep such
       some people unless He also reprobates others. God's          statements in his pen.
       nature determines that both occur.                             2. And what about Daane's serious contention that
          In this view, Hoeksema was only reflecting the            Hoeksema meant by the above statement and that he
       view of Francis Turretin, the best-honed theologian          taught (as also allegedly  Turretin  did) that  God's
       of seventeenth-century Reformed scholasticism.
       Turretin heartily endorsed decretal theology. He             decree belongs to His very nature or essence?  The
       contended that God's decree  is  God. God, in                truth of the matter is that Hoeksema contradicts this
       Turretin's theology, does not have a decree but He is        very idea so often that I had no difficulty turning to
       His decree. God's decree is what God's essence               his  Reformed Dogmatics  off-hand and finding a
       necessarily wills; it is the volitional expression of the    passage in which he contradicted it. On pages 86 and
       divine essence. Thus both the fact of the decree and         87 (the very chapter "On The Nature Of God") he is
       the content of it (which is said to govern everything        discussing a distinction made by theologians between
       that happens) could not be other than it is. Our world       the "necessary or natural knowledge of God  (cognitio
       is thus the best possible world, being the necessary         Dei naturalis or necessaria)" and the "free knowledge
       and unavoidable determination of that divine decree          of God  (cognitio Dei  libera  or  visionis).  " After
       that is, in the strictest sense, an essential element of     discussing a further distinction ascribed to Abraham
       God Himself.                                                 Kuyper, he writes as follows:
   At this point Daane accuses Louis Berkhof of
teaching the same thing: "He does not explicitly say                      This distinction has its merits within certain limits,
God's decree is God's essence, but he  implicity says                  in so far, namely, as it presents the knowledge of God
the same thing when he attributes divine attributes to                 concerning all things outside of Himself as the result
the decree. He says, for example, that  in the strict                  of a sovereign determination of His will. Even as the
sense  Godjs eternality characterizes the divine                       world does not necessarily and pantheistically
                                                                       emanate from God's essence, so the knowledge of
decree."                                                               God's decree is not inevitable effluence of His
  Now all of this is rather amazing. One begins to                     Self-knowledge and Self-consciousness, but the result
wonder sometimes whether Daane has ever carefully                      of a sovereign determination of His mind and will. It
read the theologians whom he is so free to criticize,                  is, therefore, scientia Zibera (free knowledge, HCH).
or whether he simply sucks things out of his thumb.                    And, on the other hand, the knowledge God has of
One also begins to have increasing doubts as to                        Himself is not in the same sense determined by His
Daane's orthodoxy with respect to any aspect of                        will, but is spontaneously given with His essence, and
                                                                       is, therefore, in this sense necessaria. However, it may
God's decree whatsoever. Is it now also wrong to                       be well to add that in another sense the  scientia
attribute eternality to God's decree? Then I submit                    necessaria  or  naturalis  (necessary or natural
that Daane plainly does not agree with the Reformed                    knowledge, HCH) is also Zibera (free) in the highest
doctrine of election any more than with the                            sense of the word: for God wills to know Himself as
Reformed doctrine of reprobation  - just as I have                     the Triune God, and with perfect and infinite delight
suspected and maintained for a long time. And then                     the Father gives life to and objectifies Himself in the
he had better submit some more gravamina: for the                      Son, the Son wills to be generated by the Father, and
Canons speak of an eternal decree and an eternal                       the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of
election,                                                              God. There is no other necessity in God than that
                                                                       which flows from His own infinitely perfect Being;
  But let us consider specifically his misrepresenta-                  and that necessity is freedom in the absolute sense of
tion of Hoeksema.                                                      the word. God's will and His Being are one. And, on
  1. Daane claims that "the late Herman Hoeksema                       the other hand, even though the decree of God is
used to say `our God is an electing God.' " I ask:                     absolutely sovereign, and although in the abstract it
when and where? That statement itself can be                           may be granted that God could have determined
                                                                       upon an infinite number of other universes, nor did
understood in a perfectly sound sense, of course. But                  He by reason of necessity or need determine upon
Daane should not be so loose with his quotation                        any world at all, yet, the world as decreed is
marks. I dare say that I have heard more of Herman                     nevertheless the full and bigbest revelation of Himself,
Hoeksema's sermons and lectures than Daane has                         and His decree is characterized by highest wisdom.


                                                   THE STANDARD BEARER                                              127


    Moreover, it must never be forgotten that the decree        the time to check up on Turretin,  but I would dare
    of God is eternal, and that decretum Dei est Deus           guess that Daane misrepresents  Turretin in the same
    decernens (the decree of God is the decreeing God,          way as he does Hoeksema. And if Daane's grounds are
    HCH). God is eternally a decreeing God. Although,
    therefore, the decree is the free determination of His      the same as those which he uses to indict Berkhof,
    mind and will, God can never be conceived without          then there is certainly not a Reformed theologian of
    His decree; and in this sense the scientia or cognitio     note who could not be similarly accused.
    Zibera   (free knowledge) is also necessaria, this time       Plainly, however, soundly Reformed theology has
    with a necessity that flows from the perfection of His     become so utterly. foreign to Dr. Daane that he
    cwn will.                                                  cannot even fairly represent those whom he attacks.
   Plainly, Hoeksema here teaches exactly the  op-             And sometimes I begin to doubt whether Daane
posite of what Daane imputes to him. I don't have              understands his own theology.



                                            Daane the Scholastic

   Dr. Daane is rather free to characterize theologians        scholasticism. In the first place, it is not at all
and their theology as "scholastic." When he does so,           "Biblical thought;" as Daane contends. I would be
he uses the term in a pejorative, i.e., unfavorable,           interested to know what slightest Biblical proof
sense. Scholasticism is a bad word. Thus, for example,         Daane can adduce for this description of God's
he refers in the quotation above to  Turretin as "the          freedom. God could have not created or decreed not
best-honed theologian of seventeenth-century Re-               to create? Where does Daane find this? God could
formed scholasticism." Along the same lines, Daane             have or might have not redeemed or decreed not to
maintains that one may not conclude logically from             redeem? Again, where does Daane find this in
the truth of election to the truth of reprobation.             Scripture? In the second place, as is suggested also in
   Now I do not share entirely that aversion for               the quotation from  Reformed Dogmatics  above, this
scholasticism. Principally, yes. In so far as the              notion of Daane is  abstract. The  simple fact is that
principle of scholasticism is the principle of ra-             God  did  decree to create, and He  did  decree to
tionalism, scholasticism was and is a bad thing. In so         redeem. This is the concrete expression of God's
far, too, as scholasticism engages in abstract reasoning       freedom of which Scripture tells us. This is Biblical
and abstract distinctions, it is arid and unproductive.        thought. To say that God also  might have decreed not
                                                               to create or not to redeem is pure speculation about
  And certainly I do not maintain that the only way            which we know nothing. In the third place, the
in which one can arrive at the truth of reprobation is         question is not one of what God  must  do over against
by way of a logical conclusion from the truth of               what God  might or might not  do. It is a question of
election. I believe that Scripture itself teaches the          what God  did  from eternity. Neither is the question
truth of reprobation, and that the conclusion to the           the abstract one of whether this world is the best
truth of reprobation is a Scriptural conclusion, a             possible world. And certainly not whether it is the
"good and necessary consequence," as the West-                 best possible world as "the necessary and unavoidable
minster Confession puts it.                                    determination of that divine divine decree that is . . .
  But for the moment I wish to point out that when             an essential element of God Himself." As Herman
Daane calls others scholastics, this is a case of the pot      Hoeksema puts it in the paragraph quoted above, the
calling the kettle black. For Daane himself is guilty of       question is whether the world as decreed is the full
a piece of scholastic abstraction in the very article          and highest revelation of God, and that, too, in the
from which I quoted above. He writes:                          light of the fact that God's decree is characterized by
      In my book The Freedom of God I argued that              infinite wisdom. But to speculate about "what ifs"
   God's decree is an act of His freedom; God was free         and "what might have  beens" is abstract and scho-
   to decree to create or not to create, and free to           lastic. In the fourth place, this speculative and
   decree to redeem or not redeem a fallen world . . . In      abstract type of reasoning on Daane's part is exactly
   Biblical thought, God is free not to do what decretal       typical of the Schoolmen of the Middle Ages, when
   theology contends God  must do.                             scholasticism had its origin and its golden age.
                                                                 But in so-called decretal theology God is free. "Our
  Now this bit of reasoning by Daane concerning the            God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he
nature of God's freedom is plainly a piece of                  hath pleased." Ps. 115: 3


128                                            THE STANDARD BEARER





                                     Klooster on Hoekselna's
                                                      Views


   It seems that  The  Barzner  tries to maintain some-      and references, Klooster offers no footnote and
what of a balance between the pro-Boer and anti-Boer         reference for the above characterization. How did
articles. At any rate, the November 23 issue contains        Klooster's church see Hoeksema? Indeed, the CRC
an article by Dr. Fred Klooster entitled, "Predestina-       saw him as a denier of common grace and the
tion  - A Calvinistic Note."                                 well-meant gospel offer to all. At the same time,
   As I remarked earlier, Hoeksema's view seems to be        however, "this church" saw him  officially  as "funda-
the catalyst in the debate. From the left, they say:         mentally Reformed." I have a reference for this: the
Hoeksema is the most consistent representative of the        Acts of the Synod of 1924.
decretal theology of the Canons, and we repudiate               In the second place, Klooster speaks of Hoeksema's
that theology. But from the right, they seem to be           "supralapsarian reading of the Canons." He writes:
afraid to have anything of Hoeksema's theology               "Berkouwer, Daane, and Boer seem to take Herman
imputed to them. And so they say: the left is wrong          Hoeksema's supralapsarian reading of the Canons as
in saying Hoeksema consistently holds the view of the        normative. In my judgment this has thrown the entire
Canons, and we repudiate Hoeksema but want some-             discussion and the criticisms offered into hopeless
how to hold on to the doctrine of reprobation.               confusion."
   Fred Klooster's article seems to be somewhat in             In my mind I can almost hear Herman Hoeksema
that spirit. He says several good and true things about      laugh, "Oh-boy, oh-boy! My supralapsarian reading of
the Canons of Dordrecht. Yet he is at pains to put           the Canons! I wonder what that means;" For Herman
distance between himself and Hoeksema at all costs.          Hoeksema would be the first to admit that the
  one example of this is Dr. Klooster's reaction to          Canons of Dordrecht were thoroughly infralapsarian.
Berkouwer's characterization of Hoeksema's views.            After all, he wrote (Reformed Dogmatics, p. 164):
Klooster writes: "Hoeksema was once a Christian              "The Canons, therefore, present very decidedly the
Reformed minister. This church saw him as a  hyper-          infralapsarian viewpoint. However, it must not be
Calvinist, a strong supralapsarian, a logicistic thinker,    forgotten that the Reformed fathers never con-
a denier of common grace and of a well-meant gospel          demned the supralapsarian standpoint, and that they
proclamation to all."                                        certainly did not regard it as inconsistent with
                                                             Reformed theology." And Herman Hoeksema  -
  Well, now, that ought thoroughly to discredit              because he subscribed to the Canons of Dordrecht,
Hoeksema in the eyes of any reader  - especially any         after all  - would also say, "I'll shake hands with a
member of the Evangelical Theological Society, to            good infra any day, provided, of course, that he's a
which Klooster's paper was originally delivered. Once        true infralapsarian."
upon a time Hoeksema was a Christian Reformed
minister, but he did not remain such. That church              No, the question is not one of supra- and infra-.
saw him as a hyper-Calvinist! Terrible! Still more, a        And the escape from the criticism of Berkouwer,
strong supralapsarian! Watch out! A logicistic (not:         Daane, and Boer is not by way of saying they are
logical) thinker! By all means, be careful! And if that      criticizing only Hoeksema's supralapsarianism. They
is not sufficient, keep in mind that he was a denier of      are criticizing the Reformed doctrine of election and
common grace and of a well-meant gospel proclama-            reprobation, whether supra- or infra-. And if Klooster
tion (should be: offer) to all! Hence, no one must           and others need some help and support in the battle
take Hoeksema's views as normative when it comes to          against Boer's gravamen, they could do worse than to
the doctrine of predestination as set forth by the           consult Hoeksema's writings.
Canons and maintained by Reformed churches.                    But Hoeksema is still a pariah to the Christian
  And in an article which is replete with footnotes          Reformed conservatives.


                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 129



THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES



                                         The Last Time:
                                   How Ark We Living
                                                   Rev. R. Flikkema




  That we live in what the Bible calls "the last time"       comes, before  w.e have to think about living our lives
there simply can be no question. The signs of Christ's       as Jesus would have us live them." Oh, no! It is
coming about which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke to            crucial as to how we live in this last time, so crucial in
us in a passage such as Matthew 24 are all being             fact that our very salvation is dependent upon it. Our
fulfilled: wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up         very salvation, for Jesus Himself says in Matthew
against nation, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes.       10:32-33, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me
All these are occurring today in ever greater measure.       before men, him will I confess also before my Father
With respect to Jesus' statement that in the last time       which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me
"false prophets" would arise, and that those false           before men, him will I also deny before my Father
prophets would "deceive many," one does not have             which is in heaven." How are we living in the last
to think too hard or too long to realize that what           time?
Jesus said is indeed true. There are many false                That we may answer that question in a right way, I
prophets today, yes, even in what is called Reformed         have decided to use the space that is allotted to me in
circles. Indeed, we, you and I, live in the last time.       the  Standard Bearer, not only in this issue, but also in
  I say once more, we live in the last time. We know         the following issues, to call our attention to the Word
that. But the question, the question which is so very        of God as it comes to us in the book of Daniel. Yes,
crucial, is: how are we living in the last time? How?        Daniel! And I have decided to do that exactly
Are we living our lives as befits a Christian? Are we        because the book of Daniel has so very much to say
living our lives as pilgrims and strangers as our father     to us as to how we are supposed to live in the last
Abraham of old, who sought a better country, that is,        time. In this issue we consider together the first seven
an heavenly? Are we keeping our lives  unspptted             verses of Daniel, chapter 1.
from the world? In short, are we living our lives in           From Daniel, chapter 1 we discover the fact that
this last time as Jesus would have us live? That is the      one King Nebuchadnezzar, of Babylon, had come to
question. Or is it the case that we so easily confess        Jerusalem, and having come, he conquered it. As a
that we live in the last time, but, when it comes right      mighty conqueror, he returned to Babylon with all
down to it, do not live as though we live in the last        the spoils of war, including the vessels of the house of
time. Do we find ourselves giving in to the world? Do        God. But that, however, is not all that Nebuchad-
we find ourselves loving the pleasures and treasures of      nezzar brought back to Babylon. For Nebuchad-
this life? Do we find ourselves seeking what this            nezzar also brought back to Babylon "certain of the
world has to offer, instead of zealously seeking first       children of Israel, and of the king's seed." That is,
the kingdom of God and His righteousness? How are            Nebuchadnezzar brought back to Babylon none other
we living in this world in the last time? That is the        than the royal seed of David, of which Daniel,
question.                                                    Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were a part.
  And as I said, that question is so very crucial for us       Oh yes, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
today. Do not say to yourselves, "Oh, it  .really            the royal seed of David, God's children, Nebuchad-
doesn't matter how we live. We can enjoy the                 nezzar took from Jerusalem, the city of David, to
pleasures and treasures of this life for a season. The       Babylon. And there he subjected those four children
end is not yet. We have plenty of time before the end        of God to a most horrible plot. I use that word


130                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



deliberately. Nebuchadnezzar subjected those four           confident that if he subjected them to a-man-centered
children of God to a most horrible plot. A plot             education, and took them away from their covenant
according to which Nebuchadnezzar attempted to              parents, and changed their names, which names
cause those four children of God to forget about the        reminded them of the Lord their God, that they
Lord their God, and to forget about their love for the      would then be fit servants of Nebuchadnezzar. And
Lord their God, and to forsake the worship of the           not God!
Lord their God.                                               Well, you say to yourself: "What a horrible thing.
  What was that plot? It was this, namely, that King        What a horrible thing Nebuchadnezzar did. How
Nebuchadnezzar instructed one of his servants to take       could he do such a thing? But that will never happen
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the             to us. We teach our children. We have Christian
king's palace, and there to instruct them in all the        schools where the fear of God is taught to our
wisdom, and in all the learning, and in all the             children. Our government has not closed our schools'
knowledge of Babylon  - and to do that, mind you,           and taken away our children. Such a thing will never
for three years. For three years Daniel, Hananiah,          happen to us."
Mishael, and Azariah were to be subjected to a                Be not deceived. I assure you, that sort of thing
thoroughly man-centered education  - not a  God-            that happened to those four children of God can, and
centered education, but most emphatically,. a  man-         not only can, but will happen to us. And  -it- will
centered education. But that was not the end of it.         happen to us exactly because Nebuchadnezzar  .and
For the subjection of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and        Babylon is in Scripture a type of this antichristian
Azariah to his thoroughly man-centered education,           world: this antichristian world which hates Christ,
necessitated that Nebuchadnezzar take those four            and which opposes Christ and which does everything
children of God away from their covenant parents.           in its power to stop the cause of Christ's kingdom and
And he did! Nebuchadnezzar took those four                  covenant. And we live in that world. There will come
children of God away from their covenant parents at         a time when we will wake up in the morning to find
the very early age of fourteen or fifteen years. Imagine    that the doors of our Christian schools will be shut.
that, at the very early age of fourteen or fifteen          There will come a time when we will look in our
years! No longer might they be instructed by their          children's bed, and our children will be gone! They
covenant parents. No longer might they be instructed        will be snatched away by the hands of wicked men.
by their covenant parents in all the knowledge of           And by the hands of wicked men they will be
Scripture. No longer might they be told by their            subjected to a man-centered education. No longer will
covenant parents about the faithfulness of Jehovah          we be able to tell them about Jehovah our covenant
their covenant God, the God of their salvation, and         God and about His faithfulness and wondrous ways.
about the fact that they must love and serve and            That will all come to an end. And by the hands of
worship only and solely Jehovah, their faithful             wicked men the names of our children will be
covenant God. That had all come to an end. Imagine          changed, changed from the name "covenant children
that! No more covenant instruction! But, once again,        of God" to the name "children of the devil."
that was not the end of it. For not only did
Nebuchadnezzar subject them to a thoroughly  man-             Be not deceived. But I am afraid sometimes that
centered education, and not only did Nebuchadnez-           we are. I am afraid sometimes that we take so very
zar separate them from their covenant parents and           much for granted. We have a tendency to take for
the covenant instruction that they had received from        granted our covenant schools and our covenant
their parents, but he also had the audacity to change       education. I ask you: how often do we think about.
their names. He changed their names! Their beautiful        our covenant schools? If we are at all honest with
names which their covenant parents had given to             ourselves, we will have to admit that, more often than
them  - those names Nebuchadnezzar changed.                 not, the only time we think about our covenant
Daniel's name, which means literally "God is my             schools is when we complain about how high the
Judge," became Belteshazzar. Hananiah's name,               school tuition is, and about how much we have to
which means `literally "Jehovah is gracious," became        sacrifice to maintain them.
Shadrach. Mishael's name, which means literally
"Who is what God is," became Meshach. And                     Do not do that. Do not take all of that for granted.
Azariah's name, which means literally "Jehovah is my        And, most of all, do not take for granted our
Helper," became Abednego. All of these names had at         children, the covenant seed which God has given to
least something to do with the heathen idol worship         us. Instruct them. Teach them. Fill them to over-
of Babylon. To be sure, Nebuchadnezzar, in his              flowing with the knowledge of the Lord our God. Do
horrible scheme to remove and root out forever the          that, for it is as Paul says in Romans 13: 12, "The
memory of Jehovah from the minds of these four              night is far spent, the day is at hand:" We live in the
children, so to speak, did not miss a trick. He was         last time. But how are we living?


                                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                       131



THE LORD GAVE THE WORD




                                        News From Birmingham
                                                               Rev. Ron Van Overloop                        ---




                                                  November  1, 1979              attending our services.
                                                                                   Also, we are meeting together in various homes for
   Prof. R. Decker, the editor of this rubric, asked me                          mid-week Bible study. As was-being done prior to our
to write an article for his rubric. His request was that                         arrival here, we have been doing this Bible study in
I give a report of the work we have begun in                                     the light of the Heidelberg Catechism.
Birmingham.                                                                        Having been in Birmingham for so short a while we
   Personally, I am glad for this opportunity. It is                             can tell you only of our first impressions. And these
needful for me to report not only to the South                                   first impressions have been more about the nature of
Holland Church and council and to the Mission                                    the work than about the area in which we are
Committee, but also to all who through their                                     working. I believe that it is important that the readers
synodical assessments and prayers support the cause                              of  The Standard Bearer  go through some of these
and work here. Reports of the actual work being                                  impressions of the nature of the work with me. Some
done can arouse and educate the God-commended                                    might be obvious to all. Others-of the readers might
interest in missions. Besides, the more one knows of                             be conscious of all of these items already. Regardless,
the various fields of labor, the better one can "pray                            I believe it very important that we all consider again
for us, that the word of the Lord may have free                                  or for the first time what is involved in missionary
course, and be glorified, even as it is with you" (II                            work.
Thessalonians 3 : 1).                                                              I think what  has- impressed us most is the
   Having been in Birmingham for a period of time                                difference between the work of a missionary and that
not yet filling three months, we can only give the                               of a pastor. Within an established congregation, things
beginning details and first impressions.                                         are just that: established. Almost everything that
   The visible facts of the work are easily told.                                must be done is laid out before the pastor. There are,
   Two worship services are conducted on the first                               besides the two worship services, a certain number of
day of the week. Thus far we have been holding these                             catechism classes which meet on such and such a
services in a meeting room of a centrally located                                night and some societies which meet at their
motel. The centrality of this location is determined                             traditionally designated time. In contrast, the
not by the residences of the people who are presently                            missionary finds nothing set and established. He must
attending these services, but by the shape of the city                           learn the community rapidly in order to find a place
of Birmingham. This was done so that the services                                for worship. He must set the times for worship and
would not be far from anyone in this area. However,                              obtain Psalters and a pianist (if the latter is available).
we are currently putting forth efforts to find a                                 He must set up the meetings as far as subject, time,
meeting place which would be more suitable and                                   and place. He must seek out the best means of
more stable than a meeting room of a motel. These                                advertising and then do it.  Qf course, all of this is
efforts, which have been going on almost from the                                under the supervision of and with the approval of the
beginning of our stay in Birmingham, have not met                                calling Church and of the Mission Committee, but the
with positive success yet. This is a matter of much                              missionary must do it, for if he does not, it will not
concern and prayer for us because another and more                               be done. It is impossible for the two supervising
suitable meeting place would put us in a better                                  bodies to do such work.
n e i g h b o r h o o d   a n d   w o u l d   g i v e   e v i d e n c e   o f      Concurrently, the missionary must find and learn
permanency to those who might be interested in                                   the nature of the community. Every group of


 132                                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER



believers has its own character as a unique part of the                                   the people one might be or is working with is
Body of Christ. Not only is each member of Christ's                                      necessary because the missionary must know whether
body unique, but also each group of members is                                            to bring the milk or the meat of the Word (Hebrews
unique. For example, the hand with its members is                                         5: 12). It is important that one knows what is
different from the ear and its members. In part, the                                      essential to the truth and what is not, what is a
unique character of each group or congregation is                                        matter of Christian liberty and what is not. The truth
determined by the community in which the group                                           of God's Word is an organic whole, each part
lives. A farming community is different from a city,                                     connected with every other part. Because of that it is
and the churches in these varying. locations will                                        possible for a little leaven of error to leaven the whole
manifest this difference. Just as a pastor must, so the                                  lump (I Corinthians 5: 16; Galatians  5:9). In this body
missionary must learn this unique character so that he                                   of truth some parts are more important than other
can bring the Word of God in the best possible way.                                      parts. For example, in our human bodies our heart is
    Also, the missionary must get to know the spiritual                                  more important than a finger or a toe. Each member
pulse of the community. A pastor must concentrate                                        is important, but while my toe can be stepped on
on learning the spiritual pulse of the congregation,                                     without permanent damage, my heart may not be
but a missionary has a whole community as the                                            crushed. On the mission field, it is very necessary and
object of his work. Therefore, he must concentrate                                       important to know what is the heart of the truth and
on making as tangible as possible such an invisible                                      what is the little toe of the truth  - what may be
thing as the spiritual pulse of the community. Again,                                     stepped        o n   f o r   a   w h i l e   w i t h o u t   e l i c i t i n g   a n
this is necessary so that the work may be done most                                      immediate and very vocal response; and what parts of
effectively.                                                                             the body of the truth are the "first principles of the
                                                                                         oracles of God" (Hebrews 5: 12) and must receive
    Then, of course, he must get to know the people                                      immediate defense.
who worship with him.                                                                        Such a knowledge is necessary for obedience to
    Let me try to be more concrete as to why such a                                      Romans 14: 1: "Him that is weak in the faith receive
knowledge is necessary. First of all, I think this                                       ye, but not to doubtful disputations." Think about
knowledge of the community in which he works-and                                         this for awhile. How does one become obedient to
of the people with whom he works is necessary for                                        this command of God?
the missionary in order that he might know how to
"be ready always to give an answer to every man that                                         And on the mission field it is necessary to learn
asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you" (I                                       compassion. When Jesus "saw the  <multitudes,  He was
Peter 3: 15). Most important in this ability to give an                                  moved with compassion on them" (Matthew  9:36).
answer to those who ask for a reason of one's hope is                                    This must be not a natural response, similiar to that
a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. A knowledge                                      which an unregenerate man experiences when he sees
of doctrine is necessary for an overall view of the                                      the hunger of the Cambodian refugees or of the
truth of the Scriptures. But the Biblical basis for all                                  Vietnam boat people. Nor must it be a condescending
of that doctrine- must be on the tip of the tongue.                                      love. Rather this compassion must be of the highest
Strangers do  notwant to hear the position of a Dutch                                    spiritual quality for fellowsaints who have needs,
or English theologian to convince them of the truth.                                     which needs you can supply because of the unmerited
It is only the Scriptures themselves which are able to                                   gifts God has given you.
make one wise unto salvation through faith and are                                           I have mentioned the knowledge which `must be
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,                                    gained for effective mission work. There is a very
for instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3 : 1.5,                                    great need for this knowledge on my part. But the
16). Therefore, especially a missionary must be an                                       greatest and highest gift necessary is wisdom. One
avid student of the Bible. If someone should reject                                      does not learn wisdom, it is a gift of God. It is for
the words of a missionary, let it be a rejection of                                      wisdom more than for anything else that  I,pray. Pray
God's Word and not a rejection of a man.                                                 for our missionaries that they may be given wisdom.
    Sec$ndly, .a  t h o r o u g h   k n o w l e d g e   o f   t h e                          I apologize for the personal nature of this article.
community is necessary that the missionary, though                                       But I found it unrealistic to write of that which I am
he be free from all men, yet he makes himself servant                                    learning and which has become such an intimate part
u n t o   a l l ,   t h a t   h e   m i g h t   g a i n   t h e   m o r e .   P a u l    of my life in an objective manner. Also, please
summarizes it in I Corinthians  9:22b, "I am made all                                    understand that I do not present these things as if
things to all men, that I might by all means save                                        they are the final answer. I am just learning. And as
some." I pray that I might learn more and more what                                      anyone who has just discovered something, I am eager
this means.                                                                              to talk about it. I would, therefore, welcome any
                                                                                         c o r r e s p o n d e n c e   o n   t h e s e   t h i n g s   f o r   m u t u a l
    Closely related to the above, such a knowledge of                                    edification.


                                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                               133


 TRANSLATED TREASURES



                                  A Pamphlet Concerning the
                                 Reformation of the Church
                                                                   Dr. A. Kuyper




 (In the last installment Kuyper has spoken of the authority                 respect to the question of whether the magistrate is a
 which belongs to the office of believers in the church and the              believer or an antagonist of the truth. 2) The
 authority which belongs to the special offices in the church.               ,magistrate as magistrate can never exercise any
 He has discussed this question in a very general way and                    eccelsiastical authority in the church. The obligation
 reserved particular discussion of it for future paragraphs. He              which rests upon the magistrate to maintain the honor
 now turns his attention briefly to the relationship between the
 authority of the church and the authority of the magistrates.)              of God in the state is not an ecclesiastical but a
                                                                             political obligation which continues to exist even if
                                                                             the church should fall away, and which, in the
 21. How This Authority of the Churches Is Related                           abstract, applies for a William of Orange as well as for
        to the Authority Of the Magistrate.                                  a Philip, for a Nero as well for a Constantine. He,
    The authority of the church and the authority of                         under whatever title- he may hold, who rules by the
 the magistrate are entirely distinct in origin, essence,                    grace of  God,2 is bound to seek the honor of God in
 nature,  and, purpose. They are distinct in origin                          his entire. rule. Also the limitation placed upon this
 because the authority of the magistrate flows directly                      obligation, viz., never to -overstep its purpose nor
 from the authority of the Triune God, while                                 oppress the conscience, requires that one never make
 ecclesiastical authority proceeds from the Mediator as                      a compromise between church and state. One must
 Head of His church.' They are distinct in essence                           recognize these limitations' as placed by God Himself
 because the authority of the magistrate concerns the                        in His bestowal of sovereignty. This is true because
 external life of a man with respect to his body, his                        these rights are granted to the magistrate to rule not
 personal right, and his possessions; while eccle-                           over the internal, but, in an absolute sense, over the
 siastical authority is related to the inward man                            external man only.
 and has regard to his spiritual existence., They are
 distinct in nature because the authority of the                                Thus, no more than the church may ever exercise a
 magistrate is an authority of rule and constrains by                        civil authority, may the civil magistrate ever assume
 force, while the authority of the church is never                           to itself an ecclesiastical authority. Both spheres are
 anything but an official or ministering authority. The                      completely distinct. There is indeed an area in which
 relation has to do with Christ and the believer. And,                       both powers overlap and meet each other because the
 finally, they are distinct in purpose because the                           member of the church is at the same time a citizen of
authority of the magistrate aims at the preservation                         the state. This can give rise to conflict because the
 of righteousness and the honor of God in this life,                         church assumes to itself what is Caesar's, or because
 while ecclesiastical authority has as its goal the                          Caesar demands for himself and takes what belongs to
 bringing of the elect to their heavenly blessedness.                        the church. Meanwhile, it by no means follows from
                                                                             this that both spheres should not be sharply
    Two conclusions follow directly from this. 1) All                        distinguished, but only that they are not always
 members of the church are subject to the authority                          mutually successful in seeing sharply this distinction.
 which rules over them as citizens of the state without
                                                                             2. That the magistrate rules by the grace of God is an idea of Kuyper
 1. We do not agree with this conception of Kuyper because it is our            which arose out of his theory of common grace. However, even
   conviction that Christ, in His exaltation, has been appointed by God         before the idea of common grace was introduced into the thinking
    to be Lord over all. For this reason, the authority of the magistrate       of the church, the idea of the magistrate as ruling by grace was a
    is also from Christ.                                                        common idea held in the church.


 134                                                                THE STANDARD BEARER



 In such cases, alas, there is not one arbiter, and the                                 church, men permitted these civil councils, for the
 struggle which then breaks out cannot be resolved                                      sake of expediency, to serve a double purpose. On the
 except through reconciliation and compromise.                                          one hand, they looked after the civil interests of the
    Nevertheless, one ought not to understand this as if                                people in the political sphere. And, on the other
 there should not be implied in the obligation of the                                   hand, they looked after the spiritual concerns of the
magistrate also the obligation to protect the true                                      people in the ecclesiastical realm. This was a merging,
 church. Just as each sovereign is called by the grace of                               s o   t o   s p e a k , of the electoral college and the
God to maintain all that is true and godly, so also the                                 congregational council. This is still possible in villages
magistrate must support the true church. This                                           where nearly all the inhabitants hold to the same
obligation rests on her also when she chooses for a                                     confession of the truth. And it is not rare for them to
false church, yes, also when she rises as persecutor of                                 choose the same set of people to represent first the
the true church of God. The question as to how she                                      church under the name of deputies and afterwards to
best acquits herself of this task is a question of                                     represent the citizenry as council members.3
application which in earlier times was solved only                                         If this can take place without injuring the
through the way of much trouble, but now is solved                                      conscience and if it actually furthers the well-being of
in the way of complete separation of church and                                        the church, it certainly is the responsibility of the
s t a t e .   T h i s   s o l u t i o n   i s   b e c a u s e   o f   t h e   s a d    magistracy, as nurturing lords, to support the church
consequences to which these troubles led. The true                                     of God with monetary means. If, on the other hand,
church of God never thrives more luxuriantly than in                                   after this is put to the test, it becomes apparent that
that place where she receives opportunity freely to                                    the magistrate, through that monetary support,
build herself up out of her own spiritual power.                                       strengthens and maintains the false elements in the
Moreover, the discharge of this obligation shall                                       church of God and neglects the consciences of the
naturally take on different characteristics according                                  citizens, then it is better to abandon this monetary
as in a certain land nearly all, or the most, or but a                                 support. This must be done in such a way that the
part of the inhabitants, or only a few, belong to the                                  magistracy always assumes her financial obligations in
true church. And, no less, the discharge of this                                       a just way.
obligation shall take a different form according as the
magistrate himself is inclined to the truth and                                           The magistracy must never have a seat in  synodical,
confesses it publicly, or if, indifferently, he lets the                               classical, or presbyterian gatherings as an ecclesiastical
truth alone or publicly rejects it. But this does not                                  power. Where the magistrate does appear at an
essentially alter the obligation of the magistrate to                                  ecclesiastical gathering, he never belongs to the body
protect the true church. It does, however, introduce a                                 of the gathering but stands outside it. The gathering
noteworthy difference in the execution of this                                         must not let the magistrate's interference extend any
obligation. The difference is broadened when a                                         further than to see that no political questions are
believing magistrate is a church member. As such he                                    treated or to see that anyone's rights are curtailed.
naturally holds a more influential position. In this                                   The magistrate must honor the church's right of
case the majesty of God with which he is clothed is to                                 existence by its presence.
be the more respected. Yet the church must, even
though the magistrate is not a believer, maintain the                                     And, finally, concerning the approbation of
magistrate's authority in such a way that his position                                 ecclesiastical appointment, the magistracy can never
of public right is recognized. The church must not                                     have a part in appointing or granting ordination. The
rest content with being classified with other                                          appointment of an ecclesiastical person is entirely
gatherings as if the authority in her midst is merely a                                ecclesiastical by nature, and no ounce of ecclesiastical
matter of partnership. The church is set in the state                                  authority can ever be granted by the magistrate to an
by almighty God in order to make ready the eternal                                     ecclesiastical office bearer. But there can be a certain
kingdom of God. It is  therelure  divino,  i.e., by God's                              approbation. This approbation,  .however, can extend
institution. And each magistrate who does not give                                     to the determination of the amount of the salaries of
honor to this church as possessing a civil right, a right                              the ministers when these salaries are paid by the
which is the right of the church which she has                                         magistrate. Further, it is the business of the national
received from King Jesus, falls short in its devotion to                               magistrate to decide concerning aliens; and it is the
duty and commits sin.                                                                  business of the local magistrate to decide concerning
                                                                                       persons who move from one city or village to their
   Concerning this, a distinction must be considered                                   city or village. They must decide whether they will
between the influence of representative bodies which
are not the magistracy. In Geneva and elsewhere, e.g.,
the citizens were represented in civil councils.                                       3. This actually took place in our own country in smaller Dutch
                                                                                          communities where practically all the members of the community
Because the same citizens were also members of the                                        were members of the Reformed church.


                                                          TWE STANDARD BEARER                                                   135


 recognize these people as office bearers in the                           be very firmly held, but the principle must be very
 church.4                                                                  sharply and strongly distinguished from the
   The seignorial rights of calling or assigning to an                     application. Undoubtedly the obligation to promote
 office, on the other hand, which, under the name of                       the honor of God rests upon the magistrate; and,
rights of patronage, or right of taxation, leave behind                    most of all, the magistrate is obligated to abolish
 such sad memories that they are to be condemned                           idolatry. But in no sense does it follow from this that
 out of hand as in conflict with the pure ecclesiastical                   every means is to be considered lawful and effective
 principle.5  Even though one pretends that the church                     to accomplish this end. If history had taught that
is then regarded as having lost or having given to                         violent extermination of idolatry and heresy actually
someone else her right to call an office bearer, it must                   bore fruit and held high the honor of God, this
still be maintained that  this~ transfer of power is illegal               extermination would then certainly be a matter of
because the ecclesiastical authority of calling a                          obligation. Now, on the contrary, the nature of man
minister is by its very nature inalienable.                                is such that violence against moral evil is of no avail.
   Finally, concerning the magistrate's calling "to                        The `nature of idolatry and heresy is of such a kind
root out all idolatry and false worship in order to                        that it is rather stimulated, by opposition, to new
destroy the kingdom of  anti-Christ and to promote                         manifestations of strength. And, above all, the
the kingdom of Christ." Here also the principle must                       magistrate, as appears from the testimony of history,
                                                                           has almost always made a mistake in considering
                                                                           truth for heresy so as to condemn what is truth as
4. This  souqds strange. to our ears, since we are accustomed to the       idolatry. Thus it is convincingly proved that heresy is
   separation of church and state. But it must be remembered that          itself immune from the violent extermination of it
   Kuyper is writing in the context of the Netherlands and an              because of the evil of human nature and because the
   established church, and it must also be remembered that Kuyper is
   making this statement in connection with the custom of the              magistrate is, at the same time, powerless and
   payment of ministerial salaries by the magistracy.                      incapable of accomplishing this.' This is the reason
                                                                           why the practice of the church in ancient times in
5. The Dutch is somewhat obscure here but the idea is that Kuyper is
   referring to practices both in the Netherlands and in other lands in    this respect must be condemned and the magistrates
   Europe where wealthy land owners who had many families working          warned to avert heresy in no other way than to grant
   for them took to themselves the right to appoint ministers for their    the true church freedom. It thus equips the true
   workers. These wealthy land owners established churches within
   their own communities and themselves appointed the ministers who        church for the further unfolding of her spiritual
   would serve in these congregations.                                     powers.



THE DAY OFSHADOWS





                                             Love at First Sight
                                                             Rev. John A. Heys





  Jacob, as we begin to follow him in his journey                          and could easily cross the borders of the lands
from his father's house to  Padan-Aram,  is on the way                     through which he had to go. Born in the land of
to his mother's family. He needed no passport or visa,                     Canaan he learned to speak the language of its


      136                                          THE STANDARD BEARER



      inhabitants and seems to have encountered no               that they will be received up unto glory. Their steps
      problem with speaking to those along the way, all the      are ordered by the Lord for the sake of His covenant
._    way to  Haran  itself. For he speaks to complete           and in faithfulness to all the covenant promises. And
      strangers at the well and is clearly understood by         therefore it is not simply a case of divine providence
      them.                                                      that Jacob arrives where God ordered his steps to
                                                                 take him, but a matter of His grace.
        His journey was a long one for that day. As the            He had spent some very lonely days and had a
      crow flies it was about four hundred miles from            great deal of time to do a great deal of thinking. It
      Hebron to  Haran. And in that day this was quite a         cannot be doubted that his thoughts did run ahead to
      distance to walk. Figuring a steady three-mile-an-hour     Haran,  and that he gave much time to the matter of
      walk and being able to do so for ten hours a day, it       thinking about his errand to get a wife. He who had
      will take him over thirteen days. And considering the      shown little if any interest in women and in getting a
      fact that he must stop to eat, and even find food to       wife, even though his brother already had three,
      eat, we may believe that it took him well over two         suddenly, in that providence of God, takes quite an
      weeks. For he could not walk as the crow flies but         interest; and one can almost feel a bit of eager
      had to go around hills and ravines; and it was rather      anticipation in Jacob, revealed in his actions and
      rugged country that lay between Hebron and  Haran.         words.
        He is going to his uncle  Laban for his life's sake,       Consider that upon hearing that  Laban's daughter
      because he is the object of his brother's fierce hatred    was coming with a flock of sheep, and thus as an
      that had issued forth the threat to kill Jacob as soon     eligible candidate to be his bride, Jacob wants these
      as the days of mourning for their father's death were      men at the well to leave and to take their sheep away.
      past. But he also went there, as sent by his father, to    He had not yet seen Rachel's beauty, for she is
      get a God-fearing wife. On his mother's part this was      somewhat in the distance yet. And when Jacob says
      no mere guise to cover up the first purpose of fleeing     to the men, "Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time
      for his safety's sake. She and Isaac had been deeply       that cattle should be gathered together; water yet the
      grieved by the fact that Esau had married heathen          sheep, and go and feed them" he revealed how much
      wives of the Canaanites. And Jacob knew both his           he wanted them out of the way when this damsel in
      father's reason, namely, to get a God-fearing  wife?       the distance would come to the well. His heart that
      and his mother's two reasons, which were to flee for       was cold and unmoved before at the sight of a woman
      his life and meanwhile get that God-fearing wife.          begins to beat rapidly and he is extremely eager to
                                                                 have a talk with this candidate for partnership for life
        Without a road map or compass, and in a land             with him as his wife. Suddenly he becomes quite
      where there were no highway markings, or for that          interested in having a wife. Was he lonesome? Living
      matter numbered houses on marked off streets, he           so close to his mother and basking in her love before
      found his uncle  Laban without any trouble. He had         this, and now having been alone and without her love,
      never been there before. A picture of  Laban's home        did he long for a woman's companionship? One thing
      had not been sent him  - and did not all the tents of      is very clear. He wanted to be with this young damsel
      that day look alike, fashioned out of the same             alone, and not simply because she was his cousin. He
      material and being of the same design? Yet Scripture       is not thinking of a cousin but of a wife.
      silently slips over the journey from Bethel where God
      had appeared to him in a dream and his arrival in the        And when she came near and he saw her beauty
      very vicinity of  Laban's home, and where his              and that she was well favoured, he fell in love at first
      daughter watered his sheep.                                sight! There can be no doubt about that. To him she
                                                                 was no more a candidate but the elected one. Note
        The providence, and the grace of God are here, and       how eager he was to make a good impression upon
      we must not, as is so often the case today, rule these     her and gain favour in her eyes. To get those men
      out or ignore them. The psalmist declares in Psalm         away and on to their feeding grounds with their
      73, "Thou shalt guide, me with Thy counsel and             sheep, but also to show his prowess before this
      afterward receive me to glory." And David sang," The       beautiful damsel, he single-handedly removes that
      steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." Psalm        huge stone that covered the well. He asked for no
      37:23. Indeed, Jacob was a good man. In himself he         helping hand. He wanted no helping hand. Those
      was a conniving man with an evil nature, for he came       eyes! That facial beauty! That well formed body!
      from the corrupt stock of fallen Adam and Eve. But         Jacob was overwhelmed; and this gave him that extra
      in Christ he was a good man, a man to whom Christ's        strength which enabled him to remove that stone,
      goodness was imputed, a saint clothed with Christ's        whereas no man ever thought of doing so by himself.
      holiness, a born-again child of God who was in Christ      They waited till all the sheep were there. It was too
      a new creature. Such God guides by His counsel so          big a chore to be doing that every now and then. Let


                                             THE STANDARD BEARER                                                 137



it be done jointly.                                           Let the truth be faced once again that apart from
  Then, too, look how he tries in every way to serve        God's grace Jacob is like Esau, and Esau is like Jacob.
this beautful woman with her sheep. He watered              Esau married unbelieving Canaanitish women  - and
them for her. He will be of service to her, and, once       no doubt because of their beauty  - and then later on
again, not because she was a woman and was his              an unbelieving daughter of Ishmael. As far as Jacob's
cousin, but because he is smitten with love at first        love is concerned he is marrying an unbeliever. Rachel
sight. He will not need to look any further for a wife.     in fact reveals anything but a life of faith. And, the
She is it! Nor can he restrain himself, but he kisses       Lord willing, we will come to these evidences such as
this woman whom he had just seen for the first time a       stealing her father's idols and speaking anything but the
few moments ago. No cousinly kiss was this, although        language of faith when her second and last son was
he quickly told her that he was her cousin before she       born. That is not the point here. The point is that
flares up  - as she was quite capable of doing  - for       Jacob loved Rachel for her beauty of face and
this liberty which he took in payment for watering          well-favoured body. Indeed, he knew that she was
her sheep. He wept, for such was the custom of the          Laban's daughter, and thus the daughter of a believer.
day. A little later on in that same day  Laban  also        He knew she was in the sphere of the covenant. But
kisses Jacob and embraces him, for that also was the        this is not the reason for his love for her. Nowhere in
custom of the day.                                          the book of Genesis, or elsewhere in Scripture, do we
                                                            find one word that would even suggest that he loved
  But love at first sight is not what the Word of God       her for her faith in God and love for Him. What we
demands of us. We are reminded of what Paul wrote           read is this, "Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.
in I Corinthians  15:46,  "Howbeit that was not first       And Jacob loved Rachel." Genesis 29:  17,18. Not one
which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and          word appears between these two statements; they
afterward that which is spiritual." Now Paul is             must be connected together to teach us the reason for
speaking about the body we shall receive in the day         Jacob's love for Rachel.
of Christ. We receive a natural body first; and then at
the resurrection a spiritual body like to that of             There is even more emphatic and definite evidence
Christ%. But the love of that natural body is first as      when we take the first statement quoted above
well, and it so often rules one so powerfully that he       together with what God connected it. The full verse
never comes to the spiritual love of God in Christ. A       of Genesis 29: 17 reads, "Leah was tender eyed; but
pretty face, natural beauty will so take hold of a          Rachel was beautiful and well favoured." Note that
young man that he wants it so badly and will seek to        "but" in between. Two sisters are presented as far as
get it even after he finds that there is no spiritual       their outward appearances are concerned. One is not
beauty in the soul of the possessor of a fair               homely but has a tender, kind look in her eye that
countenance and well-favoured body. Is that not             revealed her to be a woman who could love deeply
exactly what spelled the ruin of the first world in         and be amazingly loyal and faithful to her husband.
such a short time, so that the flood was necessary for      The other had black eyes that flashed with life and
the preservation of the church? The sons of God             beauty in a well-moulded face. Jacob fell in love with
married the daughters of men because they saw that          the latter because of that physical, outward beauty.
they were fair. Genesis  6:2. That they did not believe     Later on he will find what that flashy beauty means
in God, that they worshipped idols, that there was no       as far as Rachel's disposition and inner spiritual
fear  .of God in them made no difference. Love at first     condition of heart and mind are concerned. That,
sight is always a love  .because of the flesh. And that     too, the Lord willing, we shall see.
was the case with Jacob. 0, indeed, this was a                But does not the love of God for His own from
daughter from a family of believers. But one must           eternity shine forth here in Jacob's love at first sight?
look at the spiritual qualifications of the individual.     Before the children were born it was said of Jacob
David had a very evil son in Absalom; and Hezekiah          that God loved Him. He did. He loved him from
had ,a wicked one in Manasseh who did evil in God's         eternity as one given to Christ, and as one for whom
sight until late in life. But for a long time he            Christ would come to die. And Jacob's carnality
manifested himself to be anything but a child of God        cannot change God's love. At first sight God cannot
and revealed during this time that believers do not         love us, but catching sight of us as belonging to Christ
always bring forth children who will become                 He does nothing but love us. Jacob emulated Esau
believers. God's grace changed him in later life. Never,    here and chose a wife for carnal, earthly reasons. The
however, may we marry on the assumption that                two brothers are alike in fallen Adam. But sovereign,
because one is born in the covenant sphere, that this       eternal, unchangeable love of God in Christ makes the
one will in time become a believer. Let one be sure         difference that one is blessed and serves as a father in
that this future husband or wife is a believer before       Israel, and that the other remains outside the
marriage.                                                   covenant sphere.


138                                            THE STANDARD BEARER


FROM HOLY WRIT




                                Exposition of Galatians
                                                  By Rev. G. Lubbers





   THE WORKS OF THE FLESH MANIFEST  Gala-                     says that "envy is the root of murder" (Ques. 106).
tians 5 : 19-2 1 (Continued)                                  Murder is the desire to obliterate a man as  image-
   Paul masterfully continues to enumerate the                bearer of God (Gen.  9:6). We do not speak of
"works of the flesh" of the reborn Christian. He              .murdering  an animal, do we? We kill, we slaughter, an
speaks of three more evil works before he concludes           animal. But murder is hatred for man as the image of
with "and such like things." All these voices fall            God (Gen. 4: 8, 14, 15). It is the sin of Cain in whom
under the breaking of the royal law of liberty. Let us        the murderer from the beginning, Satan, revealed
continue to follow them in the order given by Paul in         himself (John  8:44). Veritable children of the Devil
the text.                                                     murderers are. Haters of God and of their fellowman
                                                              (I John 3: 14-l 6). In war, a soldier fighting under the
   First, there is the sin of "envy." Paul speaks in the      banner of the king does not commit murder when he
plural:  envyings  (phonoi).  This is again really the sin    executes the will of the general. He obeys the orders
of outright hatred for the brother; it consists in not        of authority. It is not a personal vendetta that
being able to rejoice with the prosperity of the              motivates him. Perhaps he fears and trembles to do it.
brother. In Proverbs  27:4 we read, "wrath is cruel           But where we kill from hatred for the brother we do
and anger is outrageous (overwhelming, a flood: in            so from desire of revenge, so that I dishonor, hate,
the Hebrew) but who is able to stand before                   wound, and kill my neighbor, by myself or by
jealousy?" Rachel envied Leah, causing her to be              another, as did David in that awful hour of sin
cruel even to Jacob, by saying, "Give me children or I        (II Sam. 11: 14  ff.). This is how our sinful nature is
die" (Gen. 30: 14). We read that "the patriarchs,             described by God in many passages of Scripture, in
moved with envy, sold Joseph" (Gen. 37: 11; Acts              which every mouth is stopped and the entire world is
7:9). Pilate knew that the Sanhedrin had delivered            guilty before God (Rom.  3:9-l 9). Such is our sinful
Jesus into his court "for envy." He hoped they would          flesh as it wars against the Spirit in us, so that we do
be reasonable if he placed Jesus on the nomination            not do the things we would.
with Barabbas (Matt. 27: 18). Envy is really rotten-
ness of the bones; here is terrible unrest which                Thirdly, the sin of "drunkenness" is mentioned.
consumes a man's very life, his marrow and bones.             Paul employs the plural: drunkennesses. This means
Where envy is the ruling passion of the soul, peace           to be intoxicated with wine or any other alcoholic
born from a tranquil heart is not present. It is the          drink. Sometimes drunkenness is spoken of in the
fount of the deep warring and unrest of the soul              spiritual sense of the word. It then refers to a lack of
(Prov. 14: 30). All the fulfilling of the one  word  of       all spiritual soberness and sobriety; all spiritual
the law is absent: loving the neighbor as one's self          self-control is then gone. Such do not gird up the
(Matt. 7: 12). When we observe this sin of envy raging        loins of their mind to be sober, hoping perfectly for
in our members, bringing us into captivity, as new            the grace which is to be brought to us in the
born babes in Christ, we cry out, "Oh wretched man            revelation of Jesus Christ in the last day. All joy
that I am."  "I count not that I have already attained"       unspeakable and full of glory is lacking. Such have no
then comes from our sanctified lips (Rom.  7:24; Phil.        hope of seeing God as He is, and, therefore, do not
3: 12).                                                       purify themselves as God is pure (I John  3:3). They
   Secondly, Paul mentions the sin of "murder." No            are as men, who grope at the wall, and who do not
doubt the Heidelberg Catechism is correct when it             make their calling and election sure, having been


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                                               THE STANDARD BEARER                                                139



freed from deceitful and corrupt lusts (II Peter             those who oppose the Gospel, "that they shall not see
 1:8-l 0). Such walk in the night of sin, and not in the     life, but that the wrath of God  abideth  on them"
light of Christ Who gives light (I Thes.  .5:7; Eph.         (John 3: 36; Rom. 2: 8). God's holy displeasure is
5: 14).                                                      eternally upon such who are disobedient. Of such
   However, Paul here in our text speaks of literal,         Paul speaks here in Gal. 5:  19,20,21a.  He is speaking
physical drunkenness and stupor. They are over-              of those whose entire life's practice  (hoi ta toiauta
charged with surfeiting and drunkenness, who are             pvassontes)   is doing the works of the flesh, the
both drunkards and gluttons. Also such are not               transgression of the law of God. Paul does not have
watchful unto prayer at every season, making sup-            reference to conscientious children of God, who are
plication to prevail in the midst of all the woes which      led by the Spirit, but who are overtaken in a fault, in
God sends upon mankind, and finally stand in glory           a trespass. This does happen sometimes to God's elect
before the Son of man (Luke 2 1: 34). Also where this        children when in "some particular instances they
drunkenness is practiced as a way of life, it is evident     sinfully deviate from the guidance of divine grace, so
that such will not inherit the kingdom of God, yea,          as to be seduced by, and comply with the flesh"
they have no inheritance in the kingdom of glory.            (Canons of Dort, V. 4). This happened with David in
Here men live by the dictum: let us eat, drink, and be       the sin with Bathsheba, and with Peter in denying his
merry, for tomorrow we die. This is the iniquity             Lord (II Sam. 1 l:l-5; Matt.  26:31-35). Of such a
which will not be forgiven you till you die (I Cor.          saint being overtaken in a trespass Paul speaks in Gal.
15:32, Isaiah 22: 12-14; Luke 12: 19). The Bible does        6: l-3. Of these Paul is not here speaking. He is
not know of the innocence of the "social drinker" in         speaking here of those who never truly repent of their
distinction from the debauchery of the drunkard. The         sins in heartfelt sorrow, but who are unrepentant
safe rule is given by Paul when he says "it is sanctified    workers of iniquity. They are such that the spirit of
by the word of God and prayer" (I Tim.  4:4,5). This         the sons of disobedience is the only driving force in
safe rule is the narrow way which few find. The social       their life. They are the workers of iniquity (Jude
drinker walks with those who walk on the broad way           10,ll).
which leads to destruction. Many are they in our day,           Paul is speaking here of workers, practicers of
in the church, who go into this wide gate against            iniquity, who are not under the blood which speaks
which Jesus warns (Matt. 7:  13,14).                         better things than Abel. They do not walk in
   Fourthly, there is the sin of revellings, which is        thankfulness, but they continue in their wicked and
mentioned. The Greek term  koomoi  is mentioned in           ungrateful lives. Such do not, as David did,  turn, to
close connection with the sin of drunkenness. These          God in heartfelt sorrow, godly sorrow. At best they
revellings (plural) refer to feasts and drinking-parties,    have the sorrow of the world which works death
that are protracted till late in the night, during which     (II Cor. 7:  IO). Such is the horrible end, temporal and
time there is continual indulging in revelry. This is the    eternal death in all their sorrow which is not
"rioting" which Paul mentions in Rom. 13: 13, which          according to God  ( kata  Theou).  Evil trees such are,
refers to luxurious and profligate living. Such do not       who are known by their evil fruits. And according to
realize that the night is far spent, and that the day is     these evil works they shall be judged! And that divine
at hand, and so they do not walk and hope in the             verdict Paul gives  .here in this text under con-
daybreak of heaven's joys, but walk in the same              sideration.
recklessness as did the men in the days of Noah before
the Flood. There the judgment of the Flood overtook            Such who practice the works of the flesh are not
them in their marrying and giving in marriage. This          sons of Sarah, Jerusalem which is above. They are not
they did till the day the flood came, notwithstanding        heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom.
the preaching of Noah, a preacher of righteousness           8: 15-l 7). They do not suffer for righteousness' sake
(Matt.  24:37, 38; Luke  17:26, 27; II Peter  2:5;           with Christ and for His sake, and do not hope for the
I Peter  3:20; Jude  12,13). We must remember the            glory of God's grace which is to be revealed,
wife of Lot, who was turned into a pillar of salt. We        uncovered, and displayed in the heir-sons (Rom.
must crucify our old nature and walk in a new and            8: 17, 18; Eph.  2:7). Such are "servants," sons of the
holy life; we must not walk according to the flesh,          bond-women, and, therefore, do not ever abide in the
but we must walk by the Spirit and not fulfil the lusts      house of the Father (John  8:35; Gal.  4:29-3  1). Such
of the flesh!                                                are servants of sin; sin is their total master and lord.
                                                             And these are they who "practice such things of the
  THE APOSTOLIC VERDICT ON THOSE WHO
PRACTICE WORKS OF THE FLESH (Gal.                            flesh;" They are adulterers, fornicators, covetous,
                                              5121)          haters, who do not serve one another by faith which
  The word of God is as a two-edged sword. It does           works by love (Gal. 5: 6b). These never say with all
not only speak peace to the believers who walk after         true believers, "We, by the Spirit out of faith expect
the Spirit, but it proclaims to unbelievers and to           the hope of righteousness," that is, the hope of the


140                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER



final justification, the final receiving of the adoption           nor is it the postmillennial dream of a worldwide
of sons, who purify ourselves, even as He is pure,                 peace among the nations. It is the kingdom of God in
because we hope to see God (Matt.  5:8; I John  3:2).              the new heavens and new earth where righteousness
                                                                   shall dwell (II Peter 3: 13). Outside of this kingdom
   Paul can, therefore, wield the keys of the Kingdom              will be the wicked; only those whose names are
and say: they shall not inherit the kingdom of God                 written in the Lamb's book of life, shall enter it as
(verse 21). Now the kingdom of God is the  heavenly                heirs, sons and daughters of the living God (Rev.
kingdom of God in Christ. It is the kingdom which is               20:27). Those who work iniquity do not have
established in Christ's death, resurrection, and  ascen-           inheritance with Christ, the  khief heir, as the Son
sion. It will ultimately be manifested in Christ's                 (Hebrews  1:2-4). Paul writes more than once, and
return with clouds in the Parousia, and the  consum-               that, too, very clearly and emphatically, that no
mation of the ages. Then shall the Son of man come                 fornicator, unclean person, etc.  has  inheritance in the
in all His glory  (IPeter  1:11,12; Matt.  25:31, Dan.             Kingdom of God and of Christ. Such Paul  de-
7:  14,27). This is not a premillennial kingdom of                 nominates the "sons of disobedience." (See Col.  3:6;
Christ as an earthly kingdom in the earthly Jerusalem;             Rom. 1: 18 and Rev. 22: 15.)


FAITH OF OUR'FATHERS





                                            Of Holy Scripture
                                                      Rev. Ron Van Overloop





  We continue our consideration and evaluation of                     God, and government of the Church, common to
the Westminster Confession on the subject of the                      human actions and societies, which are to be ordered
Holy Scriptures. We have already considered the                       by the light of nature and Christian prudence,
subjects of revelation (article  l), inscripturation                  according to the general rules of the word, which are
(articles 2 and  3), and the  authofity of Scripture                  always to be 0bserved.c
(articles 4 and 5). In  the remaining five articles under              a. II Timothy 3: 15-17; Galatians 1:8, 9: II Thessalonians
chapter I, the Westminster Confession deals with                          2:2.
                                                                       b. John 6:45; I Corinthians 2:9-12.
other matters relating  to'the Scriptures.                             c. I Corinthians 11:13,  14; I Corinthians 14:26,40.
  First, let us carefully read these articles of the                     VII. All things in scripture are not alike plain in
Confession and look up the Scriptural texts cited as                  themselves, nor alike clear unto all;a yet those things
proof-texts.                                                         which are necessary to be known, believed, and
         VI. The whole counsel of God, concerning all                 observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and
       things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation,           opened in some place of scripture or other, that not
       faith, and life, is either expressly set down in               only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of
       scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may           the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient
       be deduced from scripture: unto which nothing at              understanding of them.b
       any time is to be added, whether by new revelations               a. II Peter 3: 16.
       of the Spirit, or traditions of men.a Nevertheless, we           b. Psalm 119:105,130.
       acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of             VIII. The Old Testament in Hebrew, (which was
       God to be necessary for the saving understanding of           the native language of the people of God of old,) and
       such things as are revealed in the word;b and that            the New Testament in Greek, (which at the time of
       there are some circumstances concerning worship of            the writing of it was most generally known to the


                                                            THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                    141


    nations,) being immediately inspired by God, and by                   We need not turn to revelations, horoscopes,
    His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages,            seances, tea leaves, or Ouija boards. As Paul says in
    are therefore authenticaha  so as in all controversies of          Galatians 1: 8, "But though we, or an angel from
    religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto them.b              heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that
    But because these original tongues are not known to
    all the people of God, who have right unto and                     which we have preached unto you, let him be
    interest in the scriptures, and are commanded, in the              accursed." The Scriptures we have, in fact all of it, is
    fear of God, to read and search them,c therefore they              profitable for us, "able to make us wise unto
    are to be translated into the vulgar language of every             salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus"
    nation unto which they come,d that the Word of God                 (II Timothy 3: 15-17). Therefore, nothing is to be
    dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship Him in               added, for "if any man shall add unto these things,
    an acceptable  manner,= and  through patience and                  God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
    comfort of the scriptures, may have hope.f                         in this book." And on the other hand "if any man
       a. Matthew 5:18                                                 shall take away from the words of the book of this
       b. Isaiah 8:20; Acts 15:lS; John 5:39,46.                       prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the
       c. John 5:39.
       d. I Corinthians 14:6,9, 11, 12,24,27,28.                       book of life . .  ." (Revelation 22:  18,19).
       e. Colossians 3: 16.
       f. Romans X:4.                                                     Yet the power of the Spirit within the heart is
       IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of                    necessary for that faith necessary for understanding
    scripture is the scripture itself; and, therefore, when            the Scriptures. Very strategically does the Confession
    there is a question about the true and full sense of               add this, lest it be understood that all men can gain a
    any scripture, (which is not manifold, but one,) it                correct knowledge from the Bible. Paul told Timothy
    must be searched and known by other places that                    that this faith in Christ was necessary for the
    speak more clear1y.a                                               Scriptures to make one wise unto salvation. The
       a. II Peter 1:20,21;  Acts 15:1.5,16.                           Spirit which knows the deep things of God alone
       X. The supreme Judge, by which all controversies                enables a man to know the things of God, including
    of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of               God's saving work in Christ (I Corinthians 2).
    councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of
    men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in                  Yet there are aspects of our life which do not
    whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but                 receive specific attention and regulation in the Bible.
    the Holy Spirit speaking in the scripture.a                        Are we then to think that it is forbidden or is outside
       a. Matthew 22:29,31;  Ephesians 2:20; Acts 28:25.               the scope of Scripture ? Not at all, for though a
                                                                       specific regulation may not be given, still the general
  Article six puts before us the Scriptural position of                rules which the Bible gives cover every aspect of our
the sufficiency of Scripture. The Bible gives us not                   life. Those guidelines are: "do all to the glory of
the whole counsel of God, but the whole counsel                        God" (I Corinthians  10:31),  and "let all things be
concerning that which is necessary for our salvation.                  done decently and in good order" (I Corinthians
The Scriptures give us all we need  to know.                           14:40).  The Bible does not tell us how long our
  This implies that the Bible  is a united whole,                      worship services are to be, or at what hours of the
without a lack, and not too much. It does not contain                  day or how many songs should be sung, but it does
too much prophecy  or poetry. Nor does it have too                     tell us on what day we are to gather in worship. These
little history or too little about the life of our Savior.             other are to be decided upon "according to the
Sometimes we want to know more about His                              general rules of the Word" mentioned above, in
childhood. Or we want what we think would be                           Christian wisdom and love.
clearer descriptions of events or explanations of                        The importance of this article is that it makes
parables. Our curiosity reaches a peak when we read                    Scripture our only infallible rule and guide. And it
that "many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence                 determines how we approach the Scriptures. That is,
of His disciples, which are not written in this book"                 n o t   q u e s t i o n i n g   o r   d o u b t i n g ,   b u t   w i t h   t h e
(John  20:30).                                                        presupposition that it is the Word of God.
  This article reminds us that the Bible is sufficient                    Though closely' related to article 6, article 7 of the
f o r   u s   t o "know the certainty of those things,                 First Chapter deals with the perspicuity of Scripture.
wherein thou hast been instructed" (Luke  1:4), and                    All that is necessary for salvation is clearly given.
that we "might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the                   With the Spirit-given, spiritual eye the believer can
Son of God; and that believing ye might have life                      find all he needs for the knowledge of his salvation.
through His name" (John  20:3 1). All we need to                       The requirement for gaining this all-important knowl-
know for the glorification of God and for our own                      edge from Scripture is not a necessary level of I.Q.
salvation is either set down explicitly or may be easily               Rather the sole necessity is the indwelling of the
deduced for the Scriptures.               '                            Spirit. And the Spirit can dwell and does dwell in


142                                                    THE STANDARD BEARER



those naturally unscholarly as well as in those natural-          those who take the position that the principle of
ly scholarly. (We should note that the presence of the            Scripture interpreting Scripture denies the use and
Spirit and the faith He gives not only makes one a                place of creeds. To ignore the creeds of the Church is
believer, but also makes that one a scholar of the                itself a denial of the principle of the perspicuity of
Bible.) That is how it is possible for a man unlearned            Scripture. The setting aside of these creeds is based
in natural things to be wise in spiritual things. This            on the assumption that no one before us  has been
wisdom is gained from Scripture. And the believer                 able to see the truth in God's Word. The existence of
knowing that busies himself with a studying of the                creeds is proof that the Bible is clear. Not to be
Bible which will make him wise unto salvation. Read               viewed as infallible, the creeds are useful and authori-
and consider II Corinthians 3 : 13-l 8.                           tative in so far as they are in agreement with the
   Contrary to the denial of the devil (Genesis 3  :4,  5),       Word of God.
the Word of God is so clear that a child and the blind               Article eight deals with the matter of  Hermeneu-
can understand it.                                                tics. In this rubric we have not the time or place to
   This does not mean that there is nothing deep and              give a thorough consideration of this subject. Besides,
profound in the Scriptures. Because it is the revelation          recently Prof. H. Hanko has very adequately dealt
of the infinite God it is deep, so deep it will take an           with this subject at length in his rubric.
eternity of joyful meditation to fathom Him. When                    Briefly, this article teaches that the Bible was
the profound and difficult parts are approached with              originally written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and
supposed profundity and false pride, they are wrested             Greek (New Testament), and that these original
to one's destruction (II Peter 3: 16). But when                   manuscripts being inspired were authoritative. The
approached with humility and in the right way, then               contents of these original manuscripts have been
the Scriptures give a sufficient understanding                    under the preserving care of God so that we may be
   What is the right way just mentioned? Article seven            assured of the purity of the copies on which our
says it is "a due use of the ordinary means." This                translations are based. The world and modernists say
refers to a daily searching of the Scriptures them-               that, because we do not have the originals, we do not
selves (Acts 17: 11). Of this, article nine speaks, where         have the Bible. But such an attitude shows an absence
the only rule for understanding the Bible is given,               of faith and forgets God's providential care. Our faith
viz., Scripture interprets itself. When Rome says that            is based upon the God Who revealed Himself and
the Church must interpret the Scriptures, they not                preserved that revelation. Why believe in a God Who
only destroy this Biblical rule, but also they deny the           has revealed Himself and then does not preserve it?
Scripture's perspicuity `and sufficiency. Rev. G. I.              Do we doubt the ability of our God to exercise His
Williamson in his work,  The Westminster Confession               divine and Fatherly care over us in giving to us His
of Faith for Study Classes, (published by The Presby-             Word? No,  w'e have the very Word of God, not the
terian and Reformed Publishing Company) gives a                   product of men.
very enlightening quote of Pope Leo XIII which gives                 This article proceeds to show us that, because these
this proudful position  of Rome.                                  original tongues are not known, they must be
          Pope Leo XIII in 1893 declared that `God has            translated into the language of every nation. Thus all
       entrusted the Scriptures to the Church' by which of        believers can read and search the Scriptures as we are
       course he means the Roman Catholic Church. For             c o m m a n d e d   ( J o h n   5   :39).  T h u s   G o d   m a y   b e
       this reason he says, the Church is `the perfectly          acceptably worshipped (Colossians 3 :  16), and thus
       trustworthy guide and teacher,' so that the true sense     believers are given patience and hope (Romans  15:4).
       of the Scriptures is to be considered `that sense which
       has been and is held by our Holy Mother the Church,           Article ten teaches that there is but one supreme
       whose is the judgment of the true and interpretation       judge in all religious controversies: the Scriptures.
       of the Holy Scriptures, so that nobody is allowed to       Jesus gives us an example of this when He answered
       explain Holy Scripture contrary to that sense or to        the  Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, by
       the unanimous opinion of the Fathers.'                     accusing them of "not knowing the scriptures, nor
   Scripture must be allowed to interpret itself. When            the power of God" and then proceeds to give proof
g question of the interpretation of a hard text arises,           for the resurrection from the Old Testament
then we must go to other, similar texts which are                 scriptures (Matthew  22:23ff.).  Our Savior did the
more easily understood., It is for this reason that I so          same when He answered the devil's temptations by
highly recommend the filling of the margins of-our                quoting from the Old Testament (Matthew 4: l-l 1).
Bibles with lists of parallel texts. Then we are truly               This is the application of the truth that Scripture is
letting Scripture interpret itself.                               the sole rule of faith and life. It is not to be
  A caution must be given. Today, as has happened                 supplemented or explained in any other light than
time and again in the history of the Church, there are            that which it itself gives.


                                                                  THE STANDARD BEARER                                                                  143


    It is a very important principle of the Reformation                               ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need
that is brought out here. Rome binds the consciences                                  not that any man teach you," (I John  2:27) can
of its members to its interpretation. Here the                                        know God's will. The declarations of synods and
W e s t m i n s t e r   C o n f e s s i o n   i n   t h e   l i n e   o f   t h e     councils are not legislation, but a help (in as much as
Reformation refuses to allow the conscience of the                                    it agrees with Scripture) for the proper understanding
believer to be bound by anything except the Word of                                   of the Bible.
God itself. This articles does not say that councils and                                 Thus we see that the Westminster Confession gives
doctrines are wrong. In fact, this article implies that a                             us a very beautiful and useful presentation of the
Church which follows this Reformation principle will                                  Scriptures as being the Word of God, infallible,
set forth what the Word of God says. It is the place of                               authoritative, sufficient, clear, and our sole rule for
the Church to declare the Word of God in such a way                                   faith and life.
that the individual believer with "the anointing which




                                                             Book Review

STORY BIBLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, by Anne                                               simplifying the Biblical narrative for young children,
De Vries, Paideia Press, 1978, 254 pages. (Reviewed                                  Mr. De Vries has at times departed from Biblical
by Gertrude Hoeksema)                                                                facts, as, for example, when he mentions Hagar and
   Originally written in the Dutch language, under the                               Ishmael, not as wife and child of Abraham, but
t i t l e of  Kleutev  Vevtelboek  VOOY de Bijbelse                                  merely as living there. In his efforts to get down to
Geschiedenis,  this story Bible was recently translated                              the level of a small child, the author tells the stories
into English. It contains selected stories from both                                 rather superficially, with no insights or explanations
the Old and New Testaments, and was written for                                      which even a small child  would.be able to understand.
children from four to eight years old.                                               He misses the antithetical elements present in
                                                                                      Scripture in such stories as the fall, Cain and Abel,
   Although the author's charm as a story-teller has                                 and Noah.
lost some of its appeal in the translation, his style is
gentle and warm and sincere, and the stories are                                         However, with these limitations, for basic, simple,
generally          faithful to Scripture. However, in                                and selected stories, this book can be recommended.




                                                                            NOTICE!!!
                                                Classis  East will meet in regular session on Wednesday morning,
                                            January 9, 1980, at the Holland Protestant Reformed Church. Material
                                            to be treated at this session must be in the hands of the Stated Clerk
                                            at'least ten days prior to the convening of this session.

                                                                                       Jon Huisken
                                                                                       Stated Clerk





                  WEDDING ANNIVERSARY                                                                    RESOLUTION OF SYMPATHY
   On January 1, 1980, our parents, MR. AND MRS. SIMON                                   The Junior Mr. and Mrs. Society of Hope Protestant Reformed
ONDERSMA, will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. We thank                    Church of Grand Rapids, Ml, expresses their sincere sympathy to Dave
our heavenly Father for preserving them for each other and for us, and               and Mary Kregel in the loss of their son, BRADLEY HERMAN.
pray that He will continue to bless them in the years to come.                           May the God of all mercy comfort them according to His Word as
                                             Their children,                         found in Romans  14:8   - "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord;
                                             Gordon and Elaine Ondersma              and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore,
                                             David and Nancy Ondersma                or die, we are the Lord's."
                                              Harvey and Marilyn Holstege
                                             Ray and Barbara Van Til
                                             and 19 grandchildren.

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


                                                                                                     .-

144                                                       THE STANDARD BEARER




                                    News  Froin Our Churches

   At this writing, there are a number of calls                            proposals presented to the congregation for approval.
outstanding from a number of our churches. Rev. Dale                       Hope Church in Walker, Michigan decided to give
Kuiper has received the call to serve as pastor of our                     $5,000 each to the buildings funds of our churches in
Hope, Walker, Michigan congregation. Rev. Wayne                            Houston, Texas, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Bekkering has received the call to our church in                              A special congregational meeting was held in Frist
Redlands, California. Our church in Lynden,                                Church, Grand Rapids, on November 15 to consider a
Washington, has extended a call to Rev. James                              proposal relative to the future location of the church.
Slopsema of Edgerton, Minnesota, to serve as home                          The proposal read as follows; "The Consistory of the
missionary in the Northwest Washington area.                               First Protestant. Reformed Church of Grand Rapids
   Rev. Arie den Hartog was installed into the office                      proposes to list for sale our property at 1145
of missionary in a morning worship service in  Doon,                       F r a n k l i n   ( c h u r c h )   a n d   1   1 3 9   F r a n k l i n   ( o l d
Iowa. (The South Holland bulletin says this occurred                       parsonage), including the parking lot, and purchase
on November 18. The Wyckoff, New Jersey bulletin                           22 acres of land adjacent to the northwest corner of
says November 11.) Rev. den Hartog then preached                           East Paris and Burton SE for the sum of $130,000."
his inaugural sermon in the evening (afternoon)                            The proposal was approved by 73% of those present
service. Rev. den Hartog plans to leave for Singapore                      at the meeting. This property is in the City of
as soon as all the legal paperwork for work permits                        Kentwood and is just east of Calvin College and north
and visas is completed.                                                    of Woodland and Eastbrook Shopping Centers. The
   Rev. Ronald Hanko was installed as pastor of our                        grounds for this proposal included the following: A.
Covenant Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey, on Friday                          To give direction to the young people of the church.
evening, November 9. Four generations of Hankos                            Since the present location of the church is not in a
were present and three participated in the installation                    desirable neighborhood, young families do not move
service on this rather joyful occasion. The `new' Rev.                     near the church, but rather locate near one of our
Hank0 was ordained by his father, Professor Herman                         other churches and transfer their membership. B. The
Hanko, and his grandfather, Rev. C. Hanko.                                 congregation has decreased considerably in size
                                                                           during the past 15 years. C. The location of the
   In mid-November Rev. Ronald Van Overloop, who                           church is not desirable  1 high crime' area, poor
is serving as home missionary in Birmingham,                               accessibility, and few of the members live near the
Alabama, informed his calling church (South Holland,                       church. D. The building is in need of extensive and
Illinois) that he has been able to rent a building in                      costly repairs and remodeling. E. The existing church
which to conduct church services. Now that a                               building is too large, resulting in large utility and
`regular' place has been found to conduct services,                        maintenance costs for the size of the congregation.
Rev. Van  Overloop  plans to do more in the way of                         Thirty years  ago-the  congregation numbered in excess
public advertising of services in Birmingham. The                          of 500 families. Today there are 124. The down
rented building formerly served as a church.                               payment on the property will be made with funds
   Rev. David Engelsma, pastor of our church in                            presently available:, A cash drive will be conducted in
South Holland, exchanged pulpits with Rev. Carl                            the congregation in December. The.balance will be
Haak, pastor of our Southeast Church in Grand                              borrowed over two years, the payments to be made
Rapids, on October  21.. Rev. Haak is a `son' of the                       through weekly per family assessment (added to the
South Holland congregation.                                                general fund budget).
   This is the time of year when most of our churches                                                      *****
h o l d   t h e i r   a n n u a l   .congregational   m e e t i n g s .       We would extend to you and yours best wishes for
Officebearers are elected and a budget established for                     a blessed holiday season.
the coming year. Some times there are additional                                                                                                 K.G.V.


