This review on Herman Hoeksema's The Protestant Reformed Churches in America (3rd edition, 2025) was written by Jeff Kalsbeek, a member of Hope PRC, Grand Rapids. This review is Part 2 of 2, covering the content of The PRCA, pp. 319-473.

In Part Two of the book, Hoeksema begins by distinguishing Arminian common grace from Kuyperian common grace. Arminian common (general) grace was dealt with at the Synod of Dordt.  Hoeksema shows how the Articles of the Remonstrants were calculated to deceive, which highlights the insistence in the PRC for clarity of doctrine. For Hoeksema, the Lord was worthy of such clarity.

It is helpful to keep in mind, when reading this section, that defending the truth of God against errors that are maintained about Him has never been something optional for God’s church, or merely an academic exercise. The Lord has willed that false doctrine always threatens the church. One of His purposes in this is to spur the church to uncover and develop more of the truth about Him. So, a generation or two removed from this history, we can recognize that what we are learning, He specifically brought to pass for our growth in knowing and loving Him.    

Hoeksema traces the church after Dordt as she digressed for many decades and, ignoring her confessions and doctrines, attempted to rationally defend the truth rather than by faith. Dr. A. Kuyper was instrumental in bringing positive reformation but, according to Hoeksema, made the crucial error of not keeping in view “that the struggle of the people of God is a purely spiritual one.” Because of this, Kuyper attempted to blend particular grace with a common grace. The reader then is able to see how, with the Three Points, the CRC adopted both forms of common grace.

Hoeksema then takes each point of Common Grace and explains, then refutes it based on the scriptures. One of the over- arching principles explained by Hoeksema is the distinction between being in Christ and being outside of Christ. This opens the way to understanding God’s particular grace clearly. Grace always comes through Christ, so one must be in Him to receive it. Behind the theory of common grace is the belief that the benefits of Christ’s cross are for more than the elect who are in Christ.

In his refutations, Hoeksema provides another helpful key to understanding scripture, since some passages seem to support a general grace or general offer of God to every human being. Hoeksema’s simple, focused study of scripture reveals that God’s love and grace is sovereign. In this love, He saves everyone that He desires to save. Of interest is that, in showing God’s sovereignty, Hoeksema doesn’t weaken the truth regarding man’s responsibility and forthrightly says so. He states, “God’s providential rule even over the heart of man is never of such a nature that it violates this moral character of man”.   

Throughout this second section of the book Hoeksema lays out the implications of the erroneous doctrines. This seems to be a strength of Hoeksema, as time and again he was able to show where these errors would lead to. Always His main concern is what a certain belief will say about God, such as “impugnment of the holiness of God” and “denial of God as just”. Hoeksema also spends much time defending the confessions that were misinterpreted, explaining them rightly for God’s people.  

When considering the contents of this book as a whole, one of the impressions that it left is how utterly impossible the spiritual situation must have seemed at the time. The entire Reformed church-world had drifted away from sovereign grace. Hoeksema and Danhof wanted to bring their denomination to see this, but if they were silenced and thrust out before they were able to make known the truth to the members, all would be lost. And, it was God’s will that their worst fears came true, but remarkably the Lord preserved the confession of sovereign, particular grace, albeit with a much smaller number. This is the Lord’s pattern throughout history, as seen in OT Israel, the impossible birth of Christ, and the NT church so often threatened to be swallowed up. So, I am not surprised, but simply struck once again how the Lord is pleased always to use only weak means to preserve a witness to His name and work humbleness of heart in his dear children.

“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26)

- Jeff Kalsbeek

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