The Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Faithfulness is Success One of the questions at the end of chapter 8 of The Fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ which discusses the fruit of the Spirit called faithfulness asks, “in what ways are we prone to become weary in well-doing?” A common reason for discouragement is lack of success. Why expend the effort if the desired result does not come to fruition? The repeated admonitions brought by elders seem only to be met with stubborn resistance. The...
Read MoreThe Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Are you good? Is man basically good? Are you good? ‘Yes,’ is the answer of many who know nothing about Scripture, and therefore who know nothing about the true definition of goodness. In Chapter 7 of The Fruit of the Spirit Rev. Smit provides an excellent explanation of what the Bible says about goodness. Definitions are important, and once again Rev. Smit provides a helpful definition of goodness on page 105: We believe that the goodness of the child of God...
Read MoreSynods and General Assemblies: Christian Reformed Church (part 2)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Homosexuality to be Studied Again The Decision The 2013 Synod of the CRC approved the creation of a committee to study the issue of homosexuality and report to Synod 2016. The grounds for the creation of this study committee are two: The reports from 1973 and 2002 have served the denomination very well by laying out the biblical principles and foundations clearly, where read and applied. Nevertheless, they could not take into consideration later political, legal, and social developments. Such developments...
Read MoreThe Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Retaliate with Gentleness In chapter 6 of The Fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Rev. Smit explains the lovely Christian characteristic of gentleness. Towards the end of the chapter Rev. Smit speaks of the connection between gentleness and the characteristics of love and peace, which precede gentleness in Gal. 5:22-23. Christian love is characterized by gentleness. And the fruit of gentleness is peace. If we desire to experience the joys of love and peace in our relationships with God and our...
Read MoreSynods and General Assemblies: Christian Reformed Church (part 1)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Women-in-Office Issue Continues to Cause Division in the CRC The 2013 Synod of the CRC received an overture from two congregations requesting permission to form a new classis. The congregations desired to form a classis made up of congregations that share the conviction that the ordination and installation of women into church office are unbiblical. In response to this overture the synod made three decisions. These decisions demonstrate that the CRC continues to be troubled by deep divisions over women’s ordination....
Read MoreThe Fruit of the Spirit: Longsuffering
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The Queen of Virtues Longsuffering begins, Rev. Smit writes in chapter five of The Fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, “the second main group” of the fruit of the Spirit. The first group of three virtues is inward looking, while this second group of three “seems to highlight virtues that are evident in our outward dealings and communication, especially with those of our church families and covenant homes.” Just as the importance of love is highlighted by its position at...
Read MoreFruit of the Spirit: Peace
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Am I Pursuing Peace? True peace is the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Rev. Smit explains what this true peace is in chapter 4 of The Fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Rev. Smit begins the chapter with a description of false peace, the peace the world strives for and claims it can achieve through man’s “own wisdom, goodness, and righteousness (pg. 52).” But this manmade peace is “illusive” (pg. 51). There is no peace in the world...
Read MoreSynods and General Assemblies: The Reformed Church in America (part 4)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The Homosexual Agenda Advances, Too Like the proponents of women’s ordination (which I examined here), proponents of accepting homosexuality have a goal too. Homosexuality will not be condemned as sin. It will be viewed as a legitimate (preferable?) “alternative lifestyle.” And it will receive the complete acceptance of every congregation and member in the denomination. The RCA is not there . . . yet. But Synod 2013 made three decisions that move in that direction. First, the Synod rescinded the following...
Read MoreSynods and General Assemblies: The Reformed Church in America (part 3)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
A Brief Introduction to the Belhar Confession and Its Criticism In response to a previous post I received a suggestion to give a brief introduction to the Belhar Confession. The text of the Belhar Confession can be found here and a longer article I wrote on the subject originally appeared in the Standard Bearer and can be found here. The Origin and Adoption of the Belhar Confession The Belhar Confession was drafted in 1982 and then adopted by the Dutch Reformed Mission...
Read MoreSynods and General Assemblies: The Reformed Church in America (part 2)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The Women-in-Office Agenda Takes Another Step in the RCA The Reformed Church in America (RCA) Synod 2013’s decision to advance the women-in-office agenda is part of a long process by which proponents of women in office are working towards their goal. The goal of those who want women to be ordained as ministers, elders, and deacons is to force women’s ordination on every congregation and member in the denomination. It takes a long time to achieve that goal. The RCA has...
Read MoreSynods and General Assemblies: The Reformed Church in America (part 1)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The RCA’s Commitment to the Belhar Confession The summer vacation season is over. That means school is about to begin or has begun. It also means that meetings of synods and general assemblies have convened and adjourned. Since the idea of this blog is to write about a variety of topics, not just books, I have decided to write some posts about several of these synods and general assemblies. My purpose is not to write a thorough summary of the activities...
Read MoreFruit of the Spirit: Joy
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Love, Joy... If you were making a list of Christian virtues, where would you put joy? Where would you expect a Calvinist to put joy? Somewhere after orthodoxy, sobriety, and humility…right? Or maybe joy doesn’t belong on the list at all. Christianity and joy just do not seem to go together. But in the inspired order of the fruit of the Spirit Rev. Smit explains, “Significantly, joy...is near the beginning of the list…right beside love.” Joy is a gift of the...
Read MoreFruit of the Spirit: Love
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
“According to . . . Christ’s love toward you, so love one another (pg. 27).” The quote standing at the head of this post is a command. However, toward the beginning of this chapter Rev. Smit explains that Galatians 5:22 is not a command to love. Galatians 5:22 simply speaks of love as the fruit (or part of the fruit) of the Spirit. Rev. Smit explains why this is significant: What is the significance that Galatians 5:22 speaks of love as...
Read MoreFruit of the Spirit: An Introduction
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Greetings! My name is Rev. Clayton Spronk, and it is my privilege to write for this blog on behalf of the RFPA. The plan is for me to write at least two posts a month. The RFPA has left it up to me to select the subjects, meaning that you can expect coverage of a wide variety of topics. Though not every post will be devoted to the promotion of RFPA publications, I do plan to put a plug in...
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