Question from a Catechism Student (7th Grade Boy) Q. What if someone sins after God brings us all to heaven? The question asks about what will happen if a saint (or maybe an angel) sins after being made perfect and brought to heaven. Before we answer this question we must ask another question, which may be what the student really meant to ask. Is it possible for a saint or angel who has entered the state of perfection in heaven to...
Earlier this week I received notice that Phil Johnson (known for his popular website devoted to Charles Spurgeon and for his close association with John MacArthur) accuses the Protestant Reformed Churches and Herman Hoeksema of bad theology for rejecting “the free offer of the gospel.” Johnson has created three webpages with links to websites that promote what he considers bad theology. One page is entitled “Bad theology,” the second “Really bad theology,” and the third “Really, really bad theology.” On the...
For various reasons I have not written a blog post for a while, but it is good to be back again. I intend to write shorter and more frequent posts. And today I am starting with what may become somewhat of a regular feature: A Question from a Catechism Student. The future of this feature depends of course on the catechism students that I teach and the questions they ask. But I do not want to limit this to the students...
We are excited to report a good turnout and an edifying assembly for our annual association meeting, held on September 25, 2014 at Grandville Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, MI. Eighty association members were present and, by God's grace, we experienced the growth of 6 new association members; young, new members! What an encouragement to see the younger generation taking an interest in the important work of the RFPA! Board president Michael Bosveld opened the evening with prayer, followed by Rev. Clayton...
In the Nicene Creed the church confesses that there is only “one holy catholic and apostolic church.” This means that the Christian faith and life of the true church of Jesus Christ as she is manifested today in various denominations and congregations is rooted in the church of the past. Times may have changed but the church today shares with the church of the past the same Lord, the same faith, the same battle, the same hope, and the same...
In the Nicene Creed the church confesses that there is only “one holy catholic and apostolic church.” This means that the Christian faith and life of the true church of Jesus Christ as she is manifested today in various denominations and congregations is rooted in the church of the past. Times may have changed but the church today shares with the church of the past the same Lord, the same faith, the same battle, the same hope, and the same...
In an editorial in Reformed Perspective Jon Dykstra explains his response to a Canadian Politician’s claim that he is personally pro-life but understands party loyalty to mean that whenever legislation that has to do with abortion is up for consideration he must vote in line with his party which is pro-choice[1]. The politician is Lawrence MacAulay, a member of the Canadian parliament. Dykstra quotes MacAulay as stating, “I accept and understand the party position regarding the woman’s right to choose. Despite...
It is the season of Synods and General Assemblies. With this post I call attention to the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America and the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. I write about the assemblies of these two denominations in one post because they not only held their assemblies at the same time in the same city (Pella, Iowa) but also because they met together in a joint-session. At the joint-session the representatives adopted this...
1834: Hendrik De Cock’s Return to the True Church, by Marvin Kamps. 512 pages, Retail price: $43.95 1776 is an important year for citizens of the United States of America. In particular Americans celebrate July 4, 1776 as the birthday of the nation. 1776 is so important to the nation’s existence that it is easy to understand why many Americans are interested in studying the historical events that took place that year in years surrounding the American Revolution. The year 1834...
(Article written by Rev. Clay Spronk from the May 15, 2014 issue of The Standard Bearer) On February 4 “the science guy” Bill Nye, representing the evolutionist perspective, and Ken Ham, representing the creationist perspective, debated the question, “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?” The debate was live-streamed on the Internet and watched by a large audience. I didn’t find any reports about the size of the audience, but I assume it numbered in the thousands....
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Articles in this Issue:
The Committees behind the Work
Arrival of 1834
Association Meeting
RFPA Board
In Review: 1834: Hendrik de Cock's Return to the True Church
Reader Feedback
This is the last post about Rev. Smit’s book, The Fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Rev. Smit closes the book with 5 concluding thoughts. Here is a summary of these thoughts. 1. God’s eternal decree of election is the ultimate source of the fruit of the Spirit. 2. The Holy Spirit produces and cultivates the fruit of the Spirit by the means of grace found in the church. 3. Those who produce the fruit of the Spirit enjoy “true...
Christians can learn temperance from the example of Olympic athletes. By observing the athletes Christians can learn not only what temperance is, but why it is important. Rev. Smit writes, “If temperance is vital for the success of a worldly athlete for the prize of an Olympic gold medal, should it not be regarded by us as more than vital for the prize for which we press forward by faith? That it ought to be highly valued by the believer is...
Meekness Rev. Smit opens chapter 9 of The Fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ by explaining that Holy Spirit works meekness in the hearts of all the elect upon whom he bestows the gift of salvation. All who are saved become meek. It is a virtue that was exhibited, as Rev. Smit explains, by Moses, John the Baptist, Paul, and many other saints (pg. 128). Saints are meek because they are renewed in the image of Jesus Christ, who was meek. ...
