Vol. 81; No. 11; March 1, 2005
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Rev. Slopsema is pastor of First Protestant
Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Lord also spake unto Joshua,
saying,
The land had been divided by lot to the twelve tribes, each one receiving its
inheritance.
Now was the time for the appointment of the cities of refuge. The Lord had given detailed instructions
concerning this through Moses. These details
are recorded in Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19. Under
Joshua these cities are now appointed.
In general we may say that these cities of refuge were havens of safety for those
who accidentally killed a neighbor.
These cities served as types or pictures of a greater refuge, Jesus Christ, in whom
both Old Testament Israel and the church of all ages find a refuge from all sin.
That this is true is evident from Hebrews 6:18, which speaks of the consolation of
those who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. Notice, the New Testament saints flee for refuge. This is an obvious reference to the Old Testament
cities of refuge. The New Testament saints
flee for refuge, even as the Old Testament saints fled for refuge in the cities of refuge. They do this by fleeing to Jesus Christ, in whom
they find the hope that is set before them. This
makes the Old Testament cities of refuge a type or picture of the refuge we have in Jesus
Christ.
To this refuge we must flee, as did the Old Testament saints when they fled to the cities of refuge.
Key to
understanding the cities of refuge is the avenger of blood mentioned twice in this
chapter.
The word avenger has the primary meaning of doing the part of a kinsman
or relative. This was to redeem his near
relative from difficulty or danger. The word
is most often translated redeemer. An
example of a persons acting as a redeemer is the repurchasing of a field that a
close relative had to sell in time of great need. Another
example is the redeeming (or buying out of slavery) of a relative who sold himself into
bondage in a time of poverty. It was the
calling of everyone in Israel to be such a redeemer, should the opportunity arise.
In connection with the cities of refuge, we are talking about a redeemer who was a
redeemer of blood. His work of redemption was
to avenge the murder of a close relative.
Immediately after the flood, God informed Noah, whoso sheddeth mans
blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man (Gen.
9:6). This establishes the principle of
capital punishment. One who takes the life of
another must forfeit his own life.
In Israel the responsibility of slaying the murderer fell to the next of kin of the
one slain. When a murder took place, a price
had to be paid. The price was the life of the
murderer. This price was to be exacted by the
next of kin. In this way he acted as
redeemer, not now to pay a price to help a close relative but to exact the price of the
life of the one who murdered his relative.
As the term avenger of blood suggests, this was an act of vengeance. It was not, however, to be an act of personal
revenge. This is repeatedly forbidden by the
Lord in Scripture. Romans 12:19, for example,
warns us, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath:
for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. From this we conclude that the next of kin who
shed the blood of the murderer was acting on behalf of God.
He was executing the vengeance of God. Today
God avenges the act of murder through the state. In
Bible times He did this through the next of kin.
God also regulated how His vengeance was to be executed. He did this with the cities of refuge.
The cities of refuge were designed to protect those who had killed a neighbor
unawares and unwittingly. The Lord made a
distinction in Numbers 35 between the one who in hatred lay in wait to kill another,
whether with a stone, a piece of iron, or a club, and the one who accidentally took the
life of another whom he did not hate and whom he did not seek to harm. The latter were afforded refuge and safety in
these cities of refuge. The former were not.
The Lord through Moses specified that, upon entering Canaan, the people must pick
six cities of refuge. Before entering Canaan,
those who accidentally killed a neighbor could find refuge at the altar of the tabernacle
(Ex. 21:12-14). However, once the people of
Israel were in Canaan, distance would render successful flight difficult for many. Therefore God specified that six cities of refuge
be established in Canaan, three on each side of the Jordan River. Under Joshua Israel appointed Kedesh in Galilee in
mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the
mountain of Judah. And on the other side
Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of
the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out
of the tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 20:7, 8).
The regulations that the Lord laid down for refuge in these cities were simple. One who fled to one of the cities of refuge was to
receive temporary asylum until he could appear before the congregation to substantiate
that he was innocent of premeditated murder. If
found guilty of such murder, he was given over to the avenger of blood to be slain. If the congregation determined that he had killed
another by accident, the fugitive was received into the city. He was to stay there until the death of the high
priest. Were the avenger of blood to
encounter the fugitive outside the city, he could legally kill him. After the death of the high priest the fugitive
could return home a free man. He
could not be redeemed by payment to the family whose member he had accidentally killed. Only the death of the high priest could redeem
him.
All
this points to a greater refuge in Jesus Christ.
To understand Jesus as our great refuge, we must bear in mind that God is the
Avenger of blood. Through Moses God said of
Himself, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate
me (Deut. 32:41). Now, normally, the
vengeance of God is spoken of in Scripture in the context of Gods taking revenge on
the wicked for what they have done to His beloved people.
But we may not forget that, by nature, the elect church is also the enemy of God. She forms the heart of the human race that fell in
Adam. The original sin of man corrupted her
as well, so that she is depraved and defiled with sin.
In her natural state she is no different than the world. She is the enemy of God, filled with hate, able
only to break every commandment of God. By
her sin she dishonors and offends the living God. She
also does great injury to her fellow man.
God is a just God, who must and will take vengeance on the sin of His church. Lets not overlook this. God is the God of all goodness and perfection. He is the light, and in Him is no darkness at all. To maintain Himself as such, God must show His
complete disapproval against sin, all sin, even the sin of His beloved church. He does this by punishing their sin to the
extreme. For God to do anything less than
this would be to deny Himself and His goodness. Consequently,
God is the Avenger of blood against all those who fall into sin. He takes vengeance on all those who through sin
dishonor Him and injure their neighbor.
But God has provided a refuge for His people in Jesus Christ.
In addition to being the Avenger of blood, God is the Redeemer of the church.
He is this because He is the next of kin. God
has eternally chosen the church as His own. He
has even ordained the church to be His family, his sons and daughters. This makes Him their next of kin. As the next of kin, the Lord obligates Himself to
redeem His people from the vengeance of His own justice.
In this case redemption requires the payment of a price. The price is not silver and gold. That would be an easy thing for the Lord to pay,
since all the silver and gold are His. No, He
must find someone who will stand in the place of His beloved church, stand before Him with
the guilt of His people and bear all the vengeance of His wrath against their sin. There is only one who can do this His only
begotten Son in our flesh. And so, in His
great love and mercy for His church, God sent His only begotten Son into our flesh. Upon His Son He poured out the vials of His wrath
and vengeance. All His life long, but
especially at the cross, the Son endured this wrath until it was all gone. There is now no more vengeance of wrath left for
the church. She is free from all vengeance.
This saving, redeeming work of Christ on the cross was typified in the Old
Testament by the death of the high priest. Only
when the high priest died was the manslayer in the Old Testament finally free from the
avenger of blood. This looked ahead to the
death of a greater High Priest, whose death would forever free the church from the great
Avenger.
In keeping with the nature of Old Testament types, what the church has in Christ is
much greater than what she had in the Old Testament cities of refuge. With the cities of refuge it was only the person
not guilty of premeditated murder who found refuge. In
Christ one can find refuge from the Avenger for murder and sin of every kind.
To
find safety from the avenger of blood in the Old Testament, one had to flee to the nearest
city of refuge. If the avenger of blood could
catch him, he could rightfully kill the manslayer before he was able to reach a city of
refuge. And should the manslayer stray
outside the city after receiving refuge, he could legally be slain by the avenger of
blood. It was only the foolhardy who failed
to flee to the city of refuge or who left it before the death of the high priest.
In like manner must we flee to the refuge God has given the church in Jesus Christ.
We flee to this great refuge by faith. True
faith leads one to a godly sorrow over sin, to a proper confession of sin, and then to
cling to the cross to lay hold of Christs payment for sin. This is how we flee to the refuge of God.
Let us flee to Gods refuge daily.
Those who are foolish enough not to flee to this refuge will be pursued by the
great Avenger of blood and be destroyed.
Those who flee to this refuge in the wisdom of faith will find safety and the hope
of eternal life.
Previous
article in this series: February 15, 2005, p.
220.
Last issue we considered the factors
contributing so heavily to the increased number of divorces plaguing society in general,
and, sad to say, the Christian church to the same degree.
We stated that there were three main factors:
first, the adoption of lenient (no-fault) divorce laws by our society; second, the
number of women, and in particular mothers and wives, out in the workforce rather than
being keepers at home (Tit. 2:5); and third (but not least), television, with
its pernicious and pervasive influence in the home.
We turn now to the central reason why the state of marriage of professing
Christians is essentially no different today than that of unbelieving society. It is not difficult to discover. It is the twenty-first century churchs
willful ignoring of Christs clear words concerning divorce and remarriage.
One would think that, whatever the law (the legal allowance) of the land, be it
no-fault divorce, making divorce easy to obtain, it ought have little effect on Christian
marriage. After all, Christians are governed
by a higher law, the law of Christ Jesus, the great bridegroom, and His Word. This should be the great restraint for Christians
against the temptation of imitating the world and seeking to solve their marital
problems by filing for divorce.
So one would think!
But this is not the case. The one
great dyke needed to stop the present-day flood of divorce from drowning the churchs
life and witness, needed to separate and protect marriages of professing Christians from
the violent storms wreaking havoc on worldlings marriages, has been leveled and
ignored.
The present situation in Christendom is this:
her church pews are filled not only with those who are divorced, but also with many
divorcees who are remarried. Those who have
abandoned their families and spouses and proceeded to marry the new love of their life
remain as members.
All admit that this is not ideal. So,
what to do? Today, churches content
themselves with a confession. Yes,
looking back I can see that I was guilty of sin in my dealings with my other spouse(s). I now humbly admit that. As a sinner I am sorry. (But let him who is without sin cast the first
stone!)
That having been said, absolution is granted, and life within the church goes on. (Everybody is called to be so
forgiving you know. Even that young
mother with three young school-age children sitting three rows behind her ex
with the new love of his life.)
The reality is this, churches do not believe and teach that marriage is for life. Till death us do part is, they
acknowledge, the biblical ideal. But it is
only an ideal! In real life it is different. Believers cannot be held to the ideal, not if one
judges that he or she needs to start all over again.
So, common practice has become this: one
has freedom of conscience within the church to determine his own need for a divorce (Judge
not!), and whatever remarried person desires yet to have communion within the church,
perhaps having confessed I am a sinful man, O Lord! is received into
fellowship again.
The problem with such a confession is that it is not a repentance. If the new relationship is the result of sin and
is itself, according to Gods Word, an adulterous one, one does not put things right
by continuing in that forbidden relationship. One
is called to leave it. That is repentance. Not saying, I admit what I have done was
sin, so now I can continue this way. But
such is repentance these days.
What it comes down to today is this: whatever
is allowed by the state, the church recognizes as valid and as having the approval of God. The argument is that the church is compelled to
recognize all these divorces and remarriages. After
all, we live in a divorce-prone society. Allowances
must be made.
Christs teaching on divorce and remarriage is markedly different. He did not, for expediency, adopt the prevailing
practice and legal allowances of His day.
He went directly against its current.
Christs view of marriage and divorce is quite simple. #1 Marriage is for life, a permanent bond
as long as both still live. #2 There
are not many grounds and God-approved reasons for divorce, but one and one only, namely,
adultery (the unfaithfulness of ones spouse). And
#3 Divorce does not dissolve the marriage bond, not even if granted for the
biblical reason of adultery. Ones
God-given spouse remains ones spouse, though living as divorced, that is, in
separated fashion. The divorced Christian
must continue to live singly, or be reconciled to that spouse. God alone has the power to terminate ones
marriage, namely, through death. Mens
laws and pronouncements cannot undo and unravel what God has put together.
To put it as succinctly as possible Did you make a lawful vow to another in
marriage? God will hold you to it until one
of you has died.
This, we are convinced, is Scriptures teaching for the New Testament
believer. To be sure, it is high, it is
demanding, but it is what the Lord of the church plainly requires, and what the apostles
taught as well.
It is also completely out of step with almost everything that is taking place in
the arena of divorce and remarriage in Christendom today.
Or, more accurately, everything taught and allowed today is out of step with the
Lords teaching on this matter. As out
of step as the Jewish nation was (including Christs own disciples at first) when
Christ first uttered these words back then. It
hath been said
, but I say unto you
.
There are four main passages in the gospel accounts that record Christs own
teaching on the matter of divorce and remarriage. The
first is found in Matthew 5:31, 32 (in the well-known Sermon on the Mount). Matthew 5 is where you have Christs list of
You have heard that it hath been said in old times
, But I say unto
you
. In Matthew 5 Christ sets
down the new laws that are to bind His New Testament church and kingdom.
The second is found in Matthew 19:3-12. There
are found the significant words, What therefore God hath joined together, let not
man put asunder (v. 6). It is not the
law of the state that is to govern New Testament believers in the matter of the bond of
marriage, nor yet Moses law (Old Testament allowances), but Gods Word through
His Son. This goes back to the original
marriage ordinance at the beginning.
The third significant passage is recorded in Mark 10:2-12, which passage,
significantly, comes immediately prior to the incident of the Lord Jesus taking the little
children into His arms and blessing them. Anyone
who does not see the purpose of the gospel writer in putting these two things in closest
proximity, namely, Christs forbidding of divorce with an eye to the right to
remarry, and putting His arms around little children in His compassion, is willingly
blind.
And the fourth is Luke 16:18. A
strange text in some ways. It reads: Whosoever putteth away his wife, and
marrieth another, committeth adultery: and
whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. This is as straight forward as it comes.
The strangeness is the context. What
Christ has been talking about to this point seems to have nothing at all to do with
marriage. One is mystified why Christ would
insert a word against divorce and remarriage here. Why
did He do that?
The explanation has to do with a Lord Christ bristling with anger. He has just charged the Pharisees with serving
mammon (material wealth) rather than God.
They have responded by deriding Him (v. 14). In
anger, Christ charges them with justifying themselves before men, and He speaks of that
which is an abomination in the sight of God. In
this context He inserts these words against divorce and remarriage. He is indicating an area where they have most
angered the God of the covenant. It had to do
with the scandal of their marriage teachings and the treatment of their vows as a
consequence, to say nothing of their spouses.
Let the church be warned. You want to
make your Lord good and angry? Adopt the
Jewish view of marriage and ignore Christs teachings on divorce and remarriage.
What is significant about the above four passages for our day and age is the
historical context in which they were stated. They
were stated in the context of a nation and a church where divorce and remarriage was
common practice, as it is in the church of our own day.
We read in Matthew 19:3 that the Pharisees came to Jesus tempting Him and asking,
Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? This was the practice of the church at that time. It amounted to no-fault divorce as far
as the husband was concerned. All that was
needed was to go to the temple, state your unhappiness with the wife (irreconcilable
differences), and secure a bill of divorcement. Once
signed by the priest, it was all legal and recognized.
One was free to marry again. Little
different from today.
The Pharisees claimed that this was permitted by Moses, so why should Jesus condemn
them?
Without getting into the reasons why God instructed Moses to permit divorce and
remarriage in Old Testament times (having to do with the hard-hearted in that nation),
this much is indisputable, that Christ Jesus, the new Lawgiver of the New Testament
church, was not going to allow this practice to continue in the New Testament kingdom. It was to cease in the church with Christs
coming.
In both Matthew 19 and Mark 10, Christ points out that from the beginning it was
not so: What therefore God hath put
together, let not man put asunder.
First, what Christ is saying here is not merely that it is wrong to attempt to
loose two from each other (really, trying to loose them from their vows), but that really
it is impossible. What God has done, let not
man think that he can undo. The word
translated hath put together means literally hath yoked together. So, let not man think he has any right or power to
undo that yoke. If he presumes to, he sins. The yoke remains until God removes it.
Second, what Christ is saying in these passages is that the church, in her new
spiritual maturity, is going to return, now that the great Bridegroom has come, to what
God intended from the very beginning. What
came with Sinai in this area is abrogated and done. Let
it be understood from now on that once you take a vow of marriage before the face of God,
you are yoked together for life.
Does that give you pause before you yoke yourself to somebody for life? Good! Thats
the point. It is not easy in, easy out. After all, we all make mistakes. No, you are committed for life. It is for better or for worse, remember?
What Jesus had to say about the permanency of the marriage bond was so new and
sharp and foreign to the disciples ears that, as we read in Mark 10:10, the
disciples asked Him again of the same matter. In
other words, Lord, did we hear you right? Do
you really mean what you said? You did! And I do. At
this point He pointedly states, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry
another, committeth adultery against her. How
much plainer can Christ be!
The question is, are we, as twenty-first century Christians, to take Him seriously,
at His word, so to speak? Well, the apostles
did, thats for sure.
Before ending this article, there are three points we want to make in connection
with Christs doctrine of divorce.
First, it is plain from the passages referred to, that according to Christ there is
but one lawful ground for divorce, namely, adultery.
Matthew 5:32 declares that
whosoever shall put away his wife, saving
for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery. Matthew 19:9 makes the same allowance: except it be for fornication (sexual
unfaithfulness). Christ explicitly, in direct
contrast to the prevailing practice of His time divorce permitted for every reason
refused to allow any other consideration as a God-approved ground.
This is not saying that one must divorce his spouse if he has been
unfaithful. Adultery is not the unforgivable
sin, not when it is confessed and turned from. But
one may (has the right to) divorce in the instance of adultery. It is the only God-approved reason.
Nor does this leave a wife with no recourse if a husband is abusive, nor a husband
with no recourse if the wife is abusive to the children.
In such circumstances one may, for safety purposes, move for temporary separation,
for instance, a restraining order. But this
is not yet divorce, which allows for a permanent separation due to past misdeeds.
Second, this divine refusal to countenance divorce has everything to do with the
character of God. As God stated already in
the Old Testament to Malachi, when divorce was becoming common amongst the very priests
themselves,
and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he
hateth putting away (2:15). This,
Christ makes plain, has not changed in New Testament times.
And third, as we said previously, divorce does not end the marriage in the sense of
dissolving the marriage. If it did, why
would Christ say in Matthew 5:32,
and whosoever shall marry her that is
divorced committeth adultery? Evidently,
though divorced, she still has a husband. If
not, the new husband would not be guilty of adultery.
(This matter of forbidding remarriage even when properly divorced we intend to
address more at length next time.)
In this connection a question still needs to be answered. But what about those who are divorced, who did so
for an unbiblical reason, but due to a certain ignorance and with the approval of
ones church? The deed is done. It cannot be undone. What now? Is
there no remedy or hope with God?
Yes, there is. The remedy is to make
confession of ones sin to God, informing both ones church and spouse that it
is so, and then doing what one can to seek reconciliation with ones spouse. It may be too late for any realistic hope for that
to occur. Still, one has tried to put matters
right. One may then have a good conscience
that one did attempt to undo ones wrong and honor Gods Word. Such a one may have peace with God and full
acceptance by the church of Christ.
to be continued.
Rev.
VanBaren is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches.
By the time
this article is printed in the Standard Bearer, a
good portion of the New Year will have passed. There
is, however, a real need to reflect on the year past2004. News commentators last year, in their reporting on
some terrible disaster in the realm of creation, could be heard asking the
question, Whats going on here? That
is a reasonable question. There is something
strange going onstrange, at least, to the commentator. Rarely, however, does one hear the mention of God
in this connection. The closest approach to
what the Bible has to say is a reference to a disaster as being of apocalyptic
proportionsan obvious reference to the testimony of the book of Revelation.
We have been reminded this past year of Scriptures testimony: For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in
divers places (Matt. 24:7). Revelation
8 presents the blowing of the seven trumpetsan increase of disasters from the
average (1/4 of the earth affected) to above average (1/3 of the earth grievously
affected). Are we hearing those trumpets? It would seem so.
The Christian observes the great disasters as an increase of trials and troubles on
this earth as foretold in Scripture. Others
have called attention to the great increase of disasters in this past year as well. Casey
Research, Inc. of Dallas, Texas published an article that chillingly summarizes the
catastrophes of the past year. The article
speaks of these events and also about those likely to happen in the near future. The Christian can only respond, The Word of
God concerning events immediately preceding Christs return are taking place.
In what might have been exceptional foresight, Japanese priests named 2004 the year
of disaster. Indeed, it was heralded on
December 26, 2003 when a large earthquake in Iran destroyed the city of Bam, killing
30,000 and leaving around 70,000 homeless; to the day one year before the cataclysmic
undersea earthquake in Sumatra. Lets take a look at 2004.
More than 52 tornadoes struck Illinois and
other Midwest states, devastating Utica, IL and killing 8 people in the basement of the
Millstone Tavern. The NASA Ames Research
Center found that bug populations that have multiplied unchecked due to extremely mild
winters have devoured huge swathes of forest in western Canada and Alaska since 1995. The damage had gone unnoticed because the region
is largely uninhabited and not harvested for timber.
An exceptionally strong monsoon flooding in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh left 15
million homeless. Six hurricanes struck the
U.S., drove Floridians out of their homes and left 350,000 people without power for days. Charley was deemed the second costliest hurricane
on record. Jeanne delivered a hard blow to
already poverty-stricken Haiti, and the Philippines saw the worst storm season in 13
years. Unprecedented numbers of locusts
ravaged Africa and made it as far north as Portugal and the Canary Islands. According to the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization, one ton of locusts can eat as much as 10 elephants or 2,500 people in one
day. The San Andreas Fault ruptured near
Parkfield, CA, producing an earthquake of 6.0 on the Richter scale. Mt. St. Helens was spewing huge clouds of steam. A record ten typhoons hit Japan, killing more than
100 people and causing estimated $6.7 billion damage.
Typhoon Tokage, the deadliest to hit Japan in over two decades, produced a wave
eight stories high and was followed three days later by the deadliest earthquake in one
decade, which destroyed more than 6,000 buildings and caused more than 1,000 landslides.
And, to top it off, on December 26, a 9.0
earthquake shook Sumatra, causing a tsunami that devastated the shore lines of 12
countries in the Indian Ocean and, at last count, had killed over 140,000 people from 37
different nations (and counting).
Are there more such cataclysmic events waiting
to happen? Unfortunately, yes. Consider, for instance, a warning that was issued
by a group of researchers at University College London in 1999.
There is a strong possibility, the scientists
warned, that the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, one of the Canary islands off the North
African coast, could erupt with such force that it would virtually split the island in
two. That would cause a tsunami in the
Atlantic Ocean of such force that tidal waves up to 160 feet high would strike the North
American East Coast, destroying large parts of Boston, New York, and Miami. Following an eruption in 1949, scientists
found a fracture running through the western side of the volcano, states an article
in last weeks Republican. The
land mass a half trillion tons of rock appeared to have slipped 13 feet
toward the sea during the eruption, but friction apparently stopped the slide.
A new eruption, warns the team from University
College London, could cause the entire land mass to slide into the sea, creating the
feared mega-tsunami. J. Michael Rhodes, a
volcanologist at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is skeptical. He says there is no way to predict if and when
such a landslide will occur and what effect it would have. [It] really depends on how big the landslide
is and how rapidly it moves. It also depends
on whether the land slides all at once or whether it goes in pieces. And there is no way of knowing that, he told
the Republican.
Then there is Americas pending
super-volcano in Yellowstone National Park. In
2004, it showed an alarming rise in sulfuric gases and water temperature, killing fish and
wildlife and causing park rangers to close some sites to tourism. When (note, we didnt say if) a
mega-eruption happens, say scientists such as Bill McGuire, professor of geohazards at the
Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre at University College London, the explosion
would be the loudest noise heard by man for 75,000 years. Falling ash, lava flows and the sheer blow of the
eruption would eradicate all life within a radius of a thousand kilometers, according to
McGuire.
Or in the New Madrid zone, for example. This earthquake-prone fault runs through parts of
Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas.
The three earthquakeseach an estimated 8.0 or higher on the Richter
scalethat occurred in 1811 and 1812 near New Madrid, MO are among the Great
Earthquakes of known history and affected the topography more than any other earthquake in
North America. Large pieces of land sank
into the earth, new lakes were formed, the course of the Mississippi river was changed ...
so strong were the quakes that they reportedly rung church bells in New England. Casualties were few, however, since at that time,
the Mississippi river valley was sparsely settled. A
similar earthquake today would cost hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of lives.
Then there is the fault associated with the
meeting of the African and European tectonic plates that run through the British island of
Gibraltar. Some earth scientists forecast
that this is the one most likely to go, triggering a massive tsunami that would devastate
the coast of Portugal as it did in 1755 when an estimated 100,000 people were
killed by the disaster.
A recent NY Times editorial titled
The Year the Earth Fought Back compares 2004 to 1906, a year of major
earthquakesincluding the Great San Francisco Earthquakesvolcano
eruptions and other natural disasters around the world.
Given these cascades of disasters past and present, wonders author
Simon Winchester, ...might there be some kind of butterfly effect, latent and
deadly, lying out in the seismic world? He
speculates that the movement among the worlds tectonic plates may be one part
of [an] enormous dynamic system, with effects of one plates shifting more likely
than not to spread far, far away, quite possibly clear across the surface of the
globe.
What to do?
First and probably most important, dont take Mother Nature for granted. No amount of modernity can tame the earth. If you live in an area that has been devastated in
the past, or that is at risk, take what steps you can to be preparedincluding
keeping a stash of long-lived food and try to secure a source of clean water (or, the
water purification materials need to create same). Then go about your business.
There have always been earthquakes throughout the earths historyoften
devastating. There have always been
tsunamisoften very destructive. But all
of these things are occurring in a short period of time, are among the greatest that have
devastated the earth, and have affected more people than ever before. The writer of the above article points out that
mankind cannot withstand the forces of nature.
What must he do? He should prepare
himself for disaster striking in his area. He
should have adequate water and food supplies at home for any eventuality.
But there is no recognition of God. There
is no recognition of the fulfillment of scriptural signs concerning Christs return. In fact, some have gone out of the way to mock
with the idea that God is at work or that there may be any kind of retribution here. In the Grand Rapids Press, January
4, 2005, an article appears by David Brooks of the New York Times News Service. He writes:
Human beings have always told stories to
explain deluges such as this.
Most cultures have deep at their core a flood
myth in which the great bulk of humanity is destroyed and a few are left to repopulate and
repurify the human race. In most of these
stories, God is meting out retribution, punishing those who have strayed from his path. The flood starts a new history, which will be on a
higher plane than the old.
Nowadays we find these kinds of explanations
repugnant. It is repugnant to imply that the
people who suffer from natural disasters somehow deserve their fate. And yet for all the callousness of those tales,
they did at least put human beings at the center of history.
In those old flood myths, things happened
because human beings behaved in certain ways; their morality was tied to their destiny.
Stories of a wrathful God implied that at
least there was an active God, who had some plan for the human race. At the end of the tribulations there would be
salvation.
If you listen to the discussion of the tsunami
this past week, you receive the clear impression that the meaning of this event is that
there is no meaning. Humans are not the
universes main concern. Were
just gnats on the crust of the earth. The
earth shrugs and 140,000 gnats die, victims of forces far larger and more permanent than
themselves
.
The writer ends thus:
This is a moment to feel deeply bad, for the
dead and for those of us who have no explanation.
But what a hopeless and heartless philosophy!
No explanation? No hope? There is only despair. There is even the dreaded thought that the vast
wealth of the United States may soon be exhausted if these sorts of disasters continue to
comeand perhaps with devastating force against this country too.
It is wise to be prepared for certain disasters, no doubt. Scripture, however, speaks of another sort of
preparation. When all these things occur,
then look up. The time of deliverance is at
hand. Then the church cries out, Even
so, come Lord Jesus, quickly.
Prof.
Engelsma is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary.
*Originally the text of Prof.
Engelsmas speech at the annual meeting of the RFPA on September 23, 2004 in
Grandville PRC. Previous article in this
two-part series: February 15, 2005, p. 226.
The content of the Standard Bearer
is theological, but the theology of the magazine is not simply Reformed doctrine. It is Reformed doctrine as confessed and developed
by the Protestant Reformed Churches. The Standard
Bearer is a Protestant Reformed magazine. This,
too, belongs to its nature and purpose, its personality.
In fact, as probably everybody here knows, the Standard Bearer is not the
official church paper of the Protestant Reformed Churches, under the control of synod and
paid for through the synodical assessments. This
is unusual for a religious paper. Deliberately
the founders of the magazine set it up to be free of ecclesiastical control. This is what Free in the name of the
publisher refers to.
That the magazine is not the official paper of the Protestant Reformed Churches has
two implications as regards editorials. First,
the Standard Bearer has freedom to speak out against the thinking and practices
that may be found within the Protestant Reformed Churches themselves. The Standard Bearer is not a tame house
organ, parroting the party line. At the time
of the recent secession of some from the Christian Reformed Church and their formation of
still another Reformed denomination over women in church office, there was some sentiment
in the Protestant Reformed Churches that that secession was genuine reformation and that
the Protestant Reformed Churches might well have close ecumenical relations with that new
church. Editorials in the Standard Bearer
such as The Date Is 1924, Jelle in Wonderland, and others
contended that whatever the secession of the United Reformed Churches may have been, it
was not reformation of the Christian Reformed Church regarding that churchs
departure from the Reformed faith of sovereign, particular grace, and that the Protestant
Reformed Churches have the very same controversy with the United Reformed Churches that
they have always had and continue to have with the Christian Reformed Church. I regard those editorials as the most significant
of my editorship.
A second implication of the fact that the Standard Bearer is free of church
control is that the Standard Bearer publishes letters and articles that sharply
oppose the truths set forth in the magazine indeed, letters and articles that
sharply oppose what the Protestant Reformed Churches stand for. No religious magazine I know of regularly runs
letters, long letters, often exceeding the stated limit of letters, and even full articles
attacking propositions and positions expressed in the Standard Bearer. No other magazine publishes letters contradicting
what is found in those magazines, as does the Standard Bearer in its columns. Now this makes for an interesting magazine. Some of my own children, unwarily, have let drop
that the first thing they turn to when the Standard Bearer comes is the letters
column. I assure you I did not train them
that way editorials first! Nevertheless,
the letters column is an interesting column and makes for an interesting magazine. What is more important, these letters opposing
what the Standard Bearer proposes and teaches serve to clarify and establish the
truth. Publishing these letters, and even
articles, is possible because the Standard Bearer is not the church paper of the
Protestant Reformed Churches.
Nevertheless, all the articles, particularly the editorials, declare, defend, and
develop the Reformed faith as held in the Protestant Reformed Churches. The magazine chiefly instructs the members of the
Protestant Reformed Churches. And the
magazine warns the members of the Protestant Reformed Churches first of all against the
dangers that threaten them. For this reason
the Standard Bearer is widely known as the voice and witness of the Protestant
Reformed Churches.
This is cause for the new editors and every writer to take up their pen or sit
before their keyboards with fear and trembling. What
you write will represent the faith of the Protestant Reformed Churches worldwide.
The Standard Bearer must give distinctive witness to the truth that is held
by the Protestant Reformed Churches. This is
the purpose of the magazine in its constitution. I
remind you, the maintenance, development, and promulgation of our distinctively
Reformed principles. These principles,
mainly, are sovereign particular grace and the unconditional covenant of God with His
elect in Christ, or the sovereignty of God in His gracious salvation in Jesus Christ.
The magazine is not, and the magazine may not be, loosely Christian or generically
Reformed.
The editor of the Standard Bearer, therefore, must not only be a Protestant
Reformed minister, wholeheartedly committed to and convinced of the distinctive doctrines
of the Protestant Reformed Churches, he must also in his writing promote, defend, and
develop these doctrines. As he does, he must
demonstrate that these truths are not some oddities of the Protestant Reformed Churches
but the genuine Reformed faith in its historical development, indeed, pure Christianity. For doing this, he will uncharitably and unjustly
be criticized as bigoted and narrow-minded.
But recent developments in the church-world are proving that the alternative to
sovereign particular grace as held in the Protestant Reformed Churches is sheer
Arminianism, if not universalism. The
alternative to the unconditional covenant as held by the Protestant Reformed Churches is
the Roman Catholic heresy of justification by faith and works. Never before in the history of the church of
Christ has it become so clear that the great doctrines for which the Protestant Reformed
Churches, and the Protestant Reformed Churches virtually alone, contend are essential to
the Reformed faith and life.
Likewise, it becomes increasingly plain that the stand, I would say, the heroic stand,
of the Protestant Reformed Churches, that marriage is an unbreakable bond for life is both
right and necessary. Our doctrine of marriage
is the implication of our doctrine of the covenant. Individuals
and concerned groups outside the Protestant Reformed Churches today all over the world are
seeing the necessity of the position of the Protestant Reformed Churches regarding
marriage, divorce, and remarriage. In the
recent past, in fact in the past year, a group of deeply concerned Reformed people in the
Netherlands have been reading, translating into Dutch, and distributing in the Netherlands
articles by Protestant Reformed men on marriage. At
present, a major Dutch publishing house is translating into Dutch and publishing a
Protestant Reformed book on marriage. The
reason, of course, is the dreadful destruction of marriage in virtually all of the
churches, which destruction of marriage now includes approval of homosexual unions. The witness of the Standard Bearer has been
one of the main means, if not the main means, by which the Protestant Reformed doctrine of
marriage has spread to these people and groups in part, I might note, through the
Internet. Now is no time for the Standard
Bearer to pull in its horns regarding the distinctive Protestant Reformed witness. Never has the time been more opportune for our
witness.
In defending the doctrines confessed by the Protestant Reformed Churches, the
editor must be a polemical man. It belongs to
the nature and purpose of the Standard Bearer that it is polemical. Polemical means fighting. The Standard Bearer is a fighting magazine. It was a fighting magazine at its birth. Like old Jacob, the Standard Bearer came
out of the womb wrestling for the covenant of God and declaring the sovereignty of God in
election and reprobation. The Standard
Bearer fought a fierce warfare in middle age against the false doctrine of a
conditional covenant and salvation dependent upon man.
In its older age it is fighting still against the old errors in new dress and
against all attack on and departures from the Reformed faith.
The Standard Bearer fights fairly. The
Standard Bearer fights honorably. It
fights with the Word of God and with the confessions.
But it fights vigorously. The sword of
the Standard Bearer is sharp. In its
controversy with doctrinal and ethical evil, it is uncompromising. The Standard Bearer is not a slick,
friendly, positive, harmless magazine. It is
not a magazine that tries to please everybody and tries equally hard to offend nobody. There are many such religious periodicals. There are many such Reformed religious
periodicals. But the Standard Bearer
is not one of them.
The editor of the Standard Bearer must be polemical. He must be a fighter, regardless whether that is
naturally his character. For this he is most
severely criticized, even hated. Nor is the
criticism limited to those outside the Protestant Reformed Churches. He must bear reproach negative,
unloving, harsh, even hateful. And some will assure him that he is standing in
the way of Christian ecumenicity.
A few years after I became editor, I received an anonymous postcard from the city
of Kalamazoo, which I read before I realized that the signature at the end of the postcard
was not the writers real name but a pseudonym.
The writer, whoever he is God knows is a coward. But this is what he said on his postcard: Your rhetoric in recent Standard Bearers
demonstrates at least one thing: you are a
true-blue successor to your editorial predecessors a bad spirit. All your nit picking doesnt change one
thing. You and your clan are still dead
wrong, especially on common grace and related matters.
And to discuss it with you guys in any way shape or form is an exercise in
futility. I confess that that wounded
me. A bad spirit? Almost immediately after receiving that postcard,
feeling wounded, I was talking with one of my brothers.
I was looking for some sympathy, although I did not tell him that. I read him this postcard. His response, rather unfeeling I thought at the
time, was, What did you expect when you took the job? Upon reflection, to be called a true-blue
successor to your predecessors is not all bad.
One of the most powerful influences on my ministry, including my writing in the Standard
Bearer, has been Martin Luther, a vehement, even violent fighter against all attacks
on the gospel of grace. It is now in vogue in
our evil day, when the love of God and the truth has mainly cooled, to be critical of
Luther for his vehement condemnation of false doctrine and false teachers. But Luther was right, and our tolerant age is
wrong. In the strength of his faith, Luther
rejected the lie. And in his love for God, he
hated idolatry. Our age tolerates the lie
because it believes nothing with conviction and passion.
It is friendly toward heretics and heresies because there is no fervent love of God
in the heart of our age. When Luther was
criticized for the vehemence of his condemnation of error, he often responded by quoting
Jeremiah 48:10 according to another possible translation than that in the King James
Bible. The King James translation is
cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he
that keepeth back his sword from blood. Another
possible translation is cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently,
lackadaisically, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
God called His servants in the Old Testament to fight against Gods enemies
Moab, in that particular case. And God
called His servants to fight against Gods enemies vigorously, not negligently or
lackadaisically. The work was the work of
battle, and in that battle to destroy the enemies of God.
So urgent a call was that call by God to His servants to engage in warfare against
Gods enemies vigorously, that God pronounces a curse upon anyone who fights in the
battle against Gods enemies halfheartedly or negligently.
This Word of God applies today. It
applies to the editor of the Standard Bearer among many others. Cursed be the editor of a Reformed publication,
particularly the Standard Bearer, that does the fighting work of the Lord
negligently. And cursed be the editor that
keeps back his pen, which is mightier than the sword, from blood.
Because of the personality of the magazine, the editor is polemical. Nevertheless, his warfare is on behalf of the
church and not only the Protestant Reformed Churches, but the catholic church of
Jesus Christ. The Standard Bearer has
a heart for the welfare of the church in all of the world and an interest in developments
in all the world as they affect the church.
The magazine is not parochial. Neither
does it live in the past, as some religious magazines do.
Some religious magazines live in the past. Much
of their content is dusty old sermons of long dead preachers. The editorials are mostly résumés of the lives
and teachings of saintly men in past eras. Those
magazines are lifeless magazines. The Standard
Bearer must never degenerate into such a musty magazine. It is all right, even useful, to have an article
now and then by a theologian of the past. But
for the most part, the magazine must contain fresh writings by contemporary authors. This makes for a lively, interesting paper. This is a renewed exhortation to all the ministers
in the Protestant Reformed Churches, especially those who are on the staff of the
magazine, to write regularly.
The editor of the magazine must read widely, must keep abreast of developments in
churches all over the world, and must stay on top of political and social events in light
of Scriptures evaluation of these events, so that he as editor can instruct and warn
and, to whatever extent God wills, give direction to the church as far and wide as the
witness of the Standard Bearer extends.
All of this makes the editorship of the Standard Bearer a responsible
position. It makes editorship of the Standard
Bearer an exciting position. It makes the
editorship in the end a rewarding position, with the reward of a sharper, clearer, fuller
knowledge of the truth of God.
The editor of the Standard Bearer is a peculiar creature because the
magazine itself is a unique instrument of God on behalf of His truth and covenant. Thank God that the men who now take over the
editorship are such peculiar creatures. Let
us pray God that they ever be such peculiar creatures.
Certain Tsunamis...
Tsunami is the odd word many folks first learned about a month ago when big tidal
waves, tsunamis, struck the shores of many a land fringing the Indian Ocean and beyond. These tsunamis, spawned from an earthquake some
six miles below the Indian Ocean in the area of Indonesia, brought great destruction, as
you know. Upwards of 250,000 bodies have or
will have been counted or counted missing, either swept out to sea by or smashed against
the flotsam and jetsam of the killing, resort-mashing, tremendous, and tremendously
horrific waves, those tsunamis.
Now maybe you are not into these things, but they fascinate me, these tsunamis, and
the earthquakes with the force of a million atom bombs that are their origin. Equally intriguing is how humans, those not buried
by them, react to them. Impressive is the
fact that we in America, even mid-west, oceanless Michiganders, know of the
tsunamis that hit on December 26, 2004, and knew of them the very day they hit. How information flies! How much reporting has been done, from video
footage, satellite images, word of cell phone, word of Internet, and the like. Not too long ago it might have been years before
one heard of such a thing, even such a great devastation, so far away. And then by word of mouth. With this recollection here. And that there.
With embellishments. So that we might
have thought these things myths.
Impressive also is the response by the entire world to aid those and those people
and countries and businesses devastated by the waves.
Billions of dollars pledged from around the world.
All kinds of folks and organizations and churches holding fund-raisers, taking
collections, sharing expertise in order to express the care and concern of the world
community when large numbers of its own kind are found out, tossed about by, and are
suddenly, and tragically, no longer with us. One
blood, we bleed together. It is news. It is more. It
is touching. We want to help. And where there is opportunity and need we must. In the name of Christ, we must pray about the
opportunity this may be for us to help these twenty-first century needy far-eastern
neighbors, and then take the opportunity God may give.
And if we are thoughtless about this, even nigh unto inconsiderate, then some other
tsunami or ten have already killed our souls. And
we, not they, are in need of the Red Cross
.
Others of the sin kind
But about tsunamis other than those ocean ones we need especially to reflect. One wonders if indeed God Himself, whom we believe
is the Sovereign of the waves, has shaken up the world, and sent these waves for just
this. For us to think of certain other,
spiritual tsunamis. Not to build our resorts
on just a bit higher ground. But for
repentance. To cling not to palm trees, but
to Christ. To hope not in foreign aid, but to
seek Heavens help. To live no more
according to self and status quo, but according to Scripture and standards of
righteousness. To live no more by tooth and
claw and hook and ladder but by grace and by faith.
About sin tsunamis, first of all, let us be thinking.
Sin tsunamis are caused by certain earthquakes of the devil-kind. They first came crashing onto the shores of
humanity from a quaking long ago in Eden, when the Evil Tempter met a morally perfect and
yet fallible man and woman, shook them up to slouch into sin, and set the whole world
a-trembling and a-slouching. From this Edenic
epicenter other sin-earthquakes have been triggered history-long and increasingly along
certain fault-lines and among certain tectonic plates of humanity (Hollywood, Harvard, and
the Happy-without-Truth Church, to name a few).
Oh the tidal waves generated by these off-the-Richter-scale quakings! Tidal waves of lies, waves of philosophies
starting from man and ending there, and along the way declaring there is no God, there is
no one God! Waves of Materialism. Waves of Evolution.
Waves of Egalitarianism. The Tolerance
wave. Sex waves. Entertainment waves. Waves of Products and Ads crashing into our stores
and into our living rooms telling us to get them, tempting us that there is no meaningful
life without them
. Waves of women,
waves of men, the great ones, the buxom ones, the fast ones, the dunking ones, the ones
who rock n roll to raise money for tsunami victims
themselves sweeping into our
life and wanting to take us out, far out, to their sea, and to their beliefs, to their
lifestyle, and to their Neptune.
You know them. These and many other
waves from hell have inundated the world. They
have engulfed the universities, the entertainment industries, the churches, the websites,
the homes, the schools, the governments, the unions, the revolutions, the malls, the main
streets, the high and the low of all the world. There
is no coast where these tsunamis have not struck. There
is no society not swept away. There is even
no high ground that sin has not flooded. No
high ground either where men might have thought they were safe, or smart, or even on
sacred ground.
See the results of the tidal waves of sin? No
possibility for ABC and CNN or the BBC or bloody Arab websites to convey them to us, for
they themselves are drowned under the waves. But
by wisdom and a horror born of holiness we can see. By
wisdom and with holy horror we see the death and destruction, the dissolution and despair,
and the deceit of the floods of sin. By
wisdom and horror, what Satans tsunamis have done is known. We see the men, the women, the young people, and
the children left dangling from or crushed under the palm trees, or the very towers of
learning they thought would be their refuge. We
see one, and many even, cured of cancer, having a good time or making good time over here,
another of the seven-foot variety with a great future on the court, another under the big
lights
but all under the wrath of God and facing yet a final tsunami from heaven
itself, a final judgment (of which, ultimately, all the present ones are preliminary!)
sweeping sinners into sea depths and crevices into which they are righteously delivered,
and into the pit of hell forever!
And ours
All well and good that we have reported and do report those tsunamis, I think
you will agree. But there must also be this,
dear reader. There must be a reporting that
is more, I suppose, in your face. But
it must be. For the problems of Indian Ocean
tsunamis may (we might think) be far removed from us.
But the sin tsunamis are not. In fact
they are our tsunamis. Our sin tsunamis!
Yes, dear young reader. There are
tsunamis that threaten us. They might
kill our bodies. They would certainly bash
and drown our souls. They are either headed
our way, and at an alarming rate, or they have already overwhelmed us and are banging us
around, pulling us out to sea, killing us. And
so we need, for the waves coming, an early warning system of the spiritual kind. And, for the wreckage already done, the Red Cross
of the gospel.
You ask: how can it be that there is
the danger for us believers, of tidal waves, even, of sin?
We are blessed! And has not the
inspired Word revealed to us that we have received of the fullness of Jesus Christ? Is not this the life, even, of heaven? Has not our Lord, by saving us, committed Himself
to preserving us? Are we not safe in our
orthodoxy, our traditions, our homes, our schools, our churches
and our dating? I mean, Christian, and Reformed, and Protestant
Reformed, and three or thirty generations of all this
is not this very high
ground? Tsunamis, we believe and are
sure, might sweep out the lowlands of humanity. They
have, we see, hit hard those places of Christendom that are even below sea level. So we do not marvel when the sin waves sweep out
the health-and-wealth gospellers and the churches of the smile,
God-loves-your-homosexuality, variety. But
really: What tsunami can ever threaten, or
even reach us?
Response:
One, tsunamis from Satan are very powerful, more powerful than we. And, though under Gods sovereign government,
this world is now the place of sin waves. They
are all over the place, flooding and threatening the whole of this world in which we live,
no matter how high and dry we are or think we are.
Two, we have a nature as low as the sea of humanity.
Our flesh is at sea level, and not a foot above.
And, according to this nature, and though in principle we be taken up to the mount
of heaven, we are, nevertheless, by nature those who love to sip tea with, and cavort
with, and resort to things worldlings resort to.
Three, there is evidence that the tsunamis of sin are fast approaching and/or have
had their influence among us. Sometimes I
wonder if in fact we are not treading, even now, in deep water, even being swept away, in
our generations, with the world, out to sea
.
Now, about these
our sin tsunamis we would like to speak next time, God willing. But, you should know, there are certain other
amazing tidal waves of which we must most certainly speak.
They are even amazing grace waves, dear
readers! For of the fullness of our precious
Lord Jesus have all we received, and grace for grace.
Surely our Lord, Lord of waves, and now when terrible tsunamis are overwhelming
the world, would have us think of these things!
Till then, think like grace life: of tsunamis of sin and tsunamis of grace.
Some will kill.
Watch out!
Others do save.
Praise God!
And ride them!
Mr.
Kalsbeek is a teacher in Covenant Christian High School and a member of Hope Protestant
Reformed Church, Walker, Michigan.
Previous article in this
series: December 15, 2004, p. 140
And the children of Issachar, which
were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do: the heads
of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
With few exceptions those who are part of the Western democracies would agree that
religion and politics should not mix. Much is
made of the concept of separation of church and state. However, for much of the Islamic world, to propose
the separation of the Islamic religion and the state is to risk being labeled an apostate. They favor what is sometimes called Political
Islam.
During the past half century Political Islam has become a powerful movement in some
countries of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. To
a large extent this came about as Islamic leaders filled the power vacuum left behind
following the period of post World War II decolonization by the Western powers. The most significant consequence of this movement
is the imposition of strict Islamic law (called Sharia) in many of these states.
For modern-day Issachar to develop in her understanding of what is currently taking
place in these countries (events, by the way, that are more and more affecting the whole
world), it will be necessary to take a closer look at the Sharia, its consequences,
and the struggles currently taking place in Islamic countries with respect to it.
The Sharia
Muslims view Sharia as the path that
they must follow. Since Islam is
intended to relate to every part of human behavior, whether individually or corporately,
it required the formulation of a law system that could deal with theft, murder,
inheritance, marriage, and divorce. All of
this gradually emerged through the Law Schools of the eighth and ninth centuries. Although the detailed judgments of the four Law
Schools differed in certain respects, there was agreement on the foundation of
Sharia law: Quran and Hadith
(tradition), Consensus (ijma), and Analogy (qiyas)."[1]
This in part explains why many Muslims so despise Western democracies. They connect the moral decadence of the West to
their form of government. After all, they
conclude, moral corruption is exactly what one would expect from a society that is
subjected to manmade laws that (are) the product of deliberation by the electorate
or the legislature. The laws of Allah (are)
not a matter for majority vote."[2]
Sayyid Qutb, sometimes called the father of modern (Islamic)
fundamentalism, put it this way:
We must
free ourselves from the clutches of jahili society [society ordered according to human
laws rather than divine ones, ck]. Our aim
is first to change ourselves so that we may later change the society.
A Muslim has no country
except that part of the earth where the Sharia of God is established and human
relationships are based on the foundation of relationship with God; a Muslim has no
nationality except his belief, which makes him a member of the Muslim community in
Dar-ul-Islam [the world of Islam, ck]; a Muslim has no relatives except those who share
the belief in God, and thus a bond is established between him and other Believers through
their relationship with God.[3]
So strongly do the likes of Sayyid Qutb feel about the implementation of the
Sharia, they go so far as to declare that Muslim governments that refuse to enforce
it are illegitimate. For them, Sharia
is simply a matter of being faithful to Allahs rule.
Life under the Sharia
In countries such as Iran, the Sudan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan as it was under the
Taliban, we have a window through which we can see the pernicious effects of complete
government-enforced Sharia, which Qutb sees as mandatory for Muslims. Following are a few examples:
- If one is born a Muslim, he must remain one until he
dies. Although the Quran states
that there is no compulsion in religion, Islamic states often interpret that
to mean that there is no competition in religion within their borders."[4] The truth is, under
Sharia apostasy is not permitted and in many states is punishable by death. Those brave souls who have left Islam have often
done so at great personal cost, even the threat of death.
- Under Islamic law
the right hand of a
thief is cut off at the wrist. Even if the
thief makes restitution and pledges never to steal again, his hand is to be cut off."[5] The punishment is
justified since in Muslim communities everyone supposedly is provided for adequately
through the giving of alms. The thief
therefore must be motivated by greed rather than need.
- Sharia commands beating as the punishment for immorality: one hundred stripes for man and woman (Sura 24:2)."[6] Sounds fair enough, however, laws concerning marriage are in many ways based on the master-servant relationship. Men can beat their wives, although apologists say only a light tap is socially correct. Men get four wives and keep the kids if they divorce one ."[7]
- Sharia also makes it clear that there is no
such thing as equality between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Only Muslims are allowed full citizenship in an Islamic state. Further, discrimination against non-Muslims
abounds. For example in court their testimony
carries less weight, and they often receive harsher punishments than Muslims. Consequently blasphemy laws are a constant threat
to Christians in Muslim countries since trumped up false charges of blasphemy often stand
up in court because of these legal inequities.
In sum, the Sharia is the primary tool used by Political Islam to control the
lives of ordinary Muslims. It prescribes
every aspect of both public and private behavior. (F)rom
the amputation of limbs for theft to the stoning of adulterers and killing of apostates
no detail of daily life, public or private, escapes its attention
. Virtually all activity is preordained; one has but
to accept Allahs laws as interpreted by the mullahs and ayatollahs [clerics,
ck]."[8]
Party Strife
However, not all Muslims favor this approach. In fact only part of the Sharia
is enforced in most Muslim countries today. A
significant majority of Muslims favor having secular governments rather than theocratic
ones in which the complete Sharia is imposed. Some
distinguish four major groups in the Islamic world:
Fundamentalists, who reject democratic values and contemporary Western culture;
Traditionalists, who are suspicious of modernity, innovation and change; Modernists, who
want the Islamic world to become part of global modernity; and Secularists, who want the
Islamic world to accept a division of religion and state.[9]
Members of these groups make up the two most influential parties within the Muslim
world: Shiites and Sunnis. Very briefly,
in the wider Muslim world Shiites are a decided minority (with the exception
of Iran and Iraq). Known as the dissenters,
they broke with more traditional Sunni Muslims in the years following the prophet
Muhammads death over how to choose his successor.
Sunnis favored choosing by consensus while Shiites demanded a successor from the
family line. To this day Shiites favor debate
and revolution over
consensus politics."[10] Over-simplistically
put: the Shiites in general are more anti-West and radical, while the Sunnis tend to be
more moderate.
All of which is significant when one considers what is currently happening in Iraq. Saddam Husseins secular government was able
to keep the majority Shiites at bay. However,
with Saddam out of the picture and United States promoted elections on schedule, one
wonders what is to keep Iraqs Shiite majority party from gaining a majority in the
newly elected government and imposing the Sharia as the Ayatollahs in Iran did after
the fall of the Shah? How ironic it would be
if U.S. attempts to initiate democracy in the Islamic world instead resulted in
contributing to the establishment of Islamic fundamentalism there! An article from the Detroit Free Press presents
the situation as follows:
Top Shiite
Muslim leaders, who are expected to wield the most power after next months
parliamentary elections, are locked in a fierce dispute over whether the new Iraq should
be a constitution-based democracy or an Iranian-style nation in which clerics reign
supreme
.
A breakdown was averted when religious parties
backed by Iran agreed to expand the number of secularists and religious moderates on the
slate
.
The debate still simmers and could boil over
after the Jan. 30 elections, which will choose a national assembly to draft a new
constitution.
Western diplomats are nervous that the Bush
administrations goal of making Iraq a model of Middle Eastern democracy will
backfire if Shiite clerics take top posts in the newly elected government. Secular and moderate Shiite politicians fear they
will be sidelined if a leadership that favors theocracy is swept into office
.
At the core of the debate is a concept known
in Arabic as wilayat al-faqih. Literally, it means custodianship of the
jurist. Practically, it means absolute
rule by clerics.
Observers point out that Iran, which strictly
follows wilayat al-faqih, would like to export the model to Iraq in hopes of preventing a
secular Shiite-run democracy from emboldening reformers in the Islamic republic next door.[11]
Interestingly, history just may be repeating itself!
By undermining the power of the Shah of Iran in the 1970s, the United States
contributed to the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini and the establishment of Political Islam
there. It could be happening again, this
time in Iraq.
More interesting still, for Issachar at least, is how this unholy alliance of
religion and politics (church and state) is present not only in Islamic countries, but
also in the West.
to be concluded.
1. Peter G. Riddell and Peter Cotterell,
Islam in Context (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003) pp. 51, 52.
2. Robert
Spencer, Onward Muslim Soldiers (Washington D.C.: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2003) p. 224.
3. Sayyid
Qutb, Milestones, The Mother Mosque Foundation, undated, p. 7.
4. Marvin
Olasky, A Cold War for the 21st century, World November/December,
2001: p. 19.
8. Roy
Brown, Opposing Political Islam, Free Inquiry Dec.
2003/Jan. 2004: p. 49.
9. Robert
Spencer, Heres to the State of Mississippi, Human Events 26
April, 2004: p. 16.
10. Mindy Belz, Irans Iraq War, World
1 May, 2004: p. 29.
11. Hannah Allam, Debate simmers over Iraq
direction, Detroit Free Press Wednesday, 29 Dec.: A6 & 10.
Prof.
Hanko is professor emeritus of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed
Seminary.
Previous article in this series: February
1, 2005, p. 210.
Introduction
Theistic
evolutionists have fatally compromised the biblical doctrine of creation and sold out to
unbelieving science. To accomplish this, and
because they must still appear to be Bible-believing Christians, they have reinterpreted
and misinterpreted Scripture, specially in Genesis 1-3.
Realizing that Genesis 1-3 is not the only part of Scripture that needs
reinterpreting to defend their viewpoint, they have also come to reinterpret Genesis 1-11,
not to speak of other parts of Scripture where creation in six days is clearly taught.
We must briefly examine the wrongness of the approach of theistic evolutionists.
A Wrong View of Faith
Before making more specific criticisms of the position of the theistic
evolutionists, I call your attention to the fact that there is one grave error that is
made, not only by theistic evolutionists, but by many creationists as well. This error is described in Del Ratzschs book
Battle of Beginnings: Why Neither Side Is
Winning the Creation-Evolution Debate. Ratzsch
himself does not, apparently, dispute the point that is made, although it is as wrong as
wrong can be and leads to all sorts of confusion.
After explaining both the creationist model of origins and the
evolutionist model of origins, Ratzsch writes:
Both models, creationists claim, are beyond
the reach of human proof and consequently are not parts of real (inductive)
science. (Gish, though, sometimes appears to
subsume both theories under faiths, then claims that there is overwhelming
evidence both for creationist and against evolutionist faith).
Gish goes on to say, according to Ratzsch, that since indirect, circumstantial
evidence does not either constitute proof for or measure up to creationist definitions of
science, the acceptance of either will constitute only belief.
There is an important point here, not widely understood, but a serious point that
we have to get straight.
The argument of many, also in creationist circles, is that neither the basic
assumptions of the evolutionists, nor the basic assumptions of the creationist, can be
proved. Both rest on faith, that is, both
rest on unprovable assumptions that have to be accepted by faith.
I remember being told this very thing in the days of my schooling. The moral of the story was usually: You need not be ashamed of your faith; even the
evolutionist rests his case on faith.
Now this sort of argumentation is not only dead wrong, but it is pernicious as
well. If both the theory of evolution and the
doctrine of Scripture rest on faith, then faith is nothing else but the blind acceptance
of unproved and unprovable assumptions. But
then the argument is reduced to a debate over who has the best line of argumentation and
can summon the best proof for his position. We
will acknowledge that both start with faith; now lets evaluate the lines of proof
and see who has the better of the debate.
God forbid that our defense of creationism should ever come down to that!
The fact of the matter is that we who believe in creation have an ironclad case
that is unassailable. We have absolute proof
for creation, proof than which there is no stronger.
That proof is that God Himself tells us how He made the world. If that isnt proof, then I do not know what
is.
I have sometimes used this illustration. A
group of men travel to a castle on the Rhine River in Germany to learn how that castle was
constructed. Upon crossing the drawbridge
over the moat and entering the castle they discover a book lying on the table, written by
the architect and builder of the castle, explaining exactly how he accomplished this task. But this learned group of Ph.Ds, upon examining
the book, decide that the author described his work in symbolic ways and that the book is
of no use in their quest to learn how the castle was built.
So they proceed through the castle, picking up a bag of dust here (to analyze in
the laboratory), pulling out a stone in another place, examining under a magnifying glass
various pits in the rocks, various parts of broken walls, various ruins made almost
meaningless by the erosion of time. They
collect all their data and decide, after ponderous discussion, that the castle came into
existence by itself, although some superintendent, 10,000 miles away, may have attempted
from time to time to offer some guidance.
We will never agree with the definition of faith that it is the blind acceptance of
unproved assumptions.
What is faith? Faith is the bond that
unites the elect child of God in a living connection with Jesus Christ. Faith is a complete change of the darkened mind
into one able to think properly and correctly. Faith
is a change of a stubborn will into one that makes a believer a humble servant of Jesus
Christ. Faith gives a knowledge that no one
without faith can possibly possess. Faith
sees Scripture and Scriptures claim to be the Word of God and believes it.
And faith is such a power that, when believing the Scriptures, it brings one face to face
with Christ Himself, to know Him in a rich, blessed, wonderful, and saving way.
Del Ratzsch, in his book mentioned above, points us to various weaknesses in the
arguments of both creationists and evolutionists. But
then he finally comes to the one major point: What
role does Scripture play in all this? And he
is silent.
Creationists, however, typically advance one
further type of objection, and that is that theistic evolution cannot be reconciled with
many of the details taught by the early chapters of Genesis
. Underlying this type of objection are two
presuppositions: first, that a faithful and responsible reading of Genesis requires that
it be understood literally, and second, that understood literally, early Genesis actually
teaches what creationists think it does. I
will not address those issues here.
In other words, the one point that is more important than any other will not be
discussed.
Why Faith?
Scripture tells us that By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by
the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear (Heb. 11:3). This passage
teaches, among other things, that faith is the only way in which one can understand
creation.
Why is that?
In our articles on Descartes and rationalism, I pointed out that man cannot know
the truth even in the creation, because the curse is on the creation and because the curse
is on man himself, making him incapable of knowing truth.
It takes a non-biblical theory like common grace to give to man the ability to know
the truth even in the creation. The
fact of the matter is that, though man can understand some things about the creation with
respect to the earthly relationships in which various creatures stand to each other, he
cannot see all things in their relation to God. Hence,
he cannot really know the truth.
That kind of knowledge, which is the only true knowledge, is by faith.
And faith has as its object the Scriptures. There
we learn all the truth of this creation in its relation to God. Unbelief abandons the Scriptures, and becomes
mired down in unbelieving science. Worse yet,
unbelief may piously acknowledge the Scriptures, but it sets an impossible science above
the Scriptures and, of necessity, twists the Scriptures to make them fit unbelieving
science.
The battle between evolutionists and creationists is not a battle between two
different faiths, the strength of each to be determined on the basis of
scientific evidence. The battle between
evolutionism and the truth of creation is between faith and unbelief. That puts the battle where it rightly belongs: not in the science classroom where evidence for
both can be examined, but in the forefront of the battle of faith waged in defense of the
truth of God against all unbelief.
Errors of Theistic Evolutionism
Theistic evolution is wrong right down the line.
All evolutionism is based on the theory of uniformitarianism. Darwin did not come to his evolutionism until he
had read Charles Lyells development of uniformitarianism. Uniformitarianism teaches that the natural
laws according to which the creation operates and develops have been the same since
time began. Theistic evolution accepts that
law as truth.
Because it accepts that law as truth, theistic evolution believes (and must
believe, to maintain its position) that there was death before the fall. How can one have a fossil record that is millions,
if not billions, of years old unless death was present in the creation before man appeared
on the scene and sinned, bringing down on him and the creation the curse of death?
Uniformitarianism is refuted in Scripture in II Peter 3, in which chapter Peter
puts the theory in the mouths of scoffers who deny Christs coming: All things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation (v. 4). All
things do not continue as they were, for the fall brought drastic and radical changes on
the creation when death, as the punishment of God against sin, came upon the world. All things do not continue as they were, for the
flood, as Peter points out, brought great changes on the creation so that the pre-deluvian
world is different from the creation as we know it today.
But then, theistic evolutionists, aware of this, deny also that the flood was
universal.
That death came into the world through the fall is taught by Paul in Romans
5:12-14: For as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin
. Perhaps
we cannot imagine a world in which there was no death.
No matter. By faith we
understand that the worlds were framed
.
Theistic evolutionists, as we pointed out, must deny the literal meaning of Genesis
1-11. This is difficult to do. It is, in fact, so difficult that we get a new
interpretation of these chapters about every ten years or so. I pointed this out earlier and need not belabor
the point here. Let us, however, be aware of
the fact that, if Genesis 1-11 can be interpreted in a way that is not literal, then any
historical narrative, including the virgin birth, atoning sacrifice, and bodily
resurrection of Christ, can also be interpreted symbolically, doxologically, or
whatever. And indeed, the force of logic
compels those who will not take Genesis 1-11 literally to reject many other parts of
sacred Scripture.
Theistic evolutionists deny providence. In
his defense of the Framework Hypothesis as an interpretation of Genesis 1, Lee Irons
speaks of creation taking place by ordinary providence, rather than
special providence. By ordinary
providence, Irons means the laws of nature. That
is a denial of providence altogether. Providence
teaches, not that the creation operates by natural law, but that God, who created all by
the Word of His mouth, continues to speak that same Word so that the creature continues to
exist. Providence teaches that God, who
upholds the beetle and mosquito as well as the planet Jupiter by His almighty Word,
directs each creature in all its existence in the pre-ordained way that He has determined. This includes man and his unbelief. God moves every drop of blood in my veins, and
guides the ant across the sidewalk at my feet. God
brings rain to water the earth, and water from the rock at Rephidim. God causes the deer to bring forth their young
(Ps. 29) and brings about the conception of a new child in the womb of its mother. Theistic evolution denies providence.
Theistic evolution denies Christ. That
is a bold statement, but true. Already when
I was taught the period theory in college, the class was told that it did not make any
essential difference whether one was a creationist or an evolutionist, because neither had
anything to do with our faith. We could
believe in the period theory and in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Genesis 1 had nothing to do with the gospel.
This is a ploy to deceive the unwary.
Christ has everything to do with creation. Proverbs
8 claims for Christ, the Wisdom of God, I was set up from everlasting, from the
beginning, or ever the earth was
. When
he prepared the heavens, I was there
, rejoicing in the inhabitable part of the
earth (vv. 23, 27, 31). John 1 boldly says, In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made (vv.
1-3). Paul sings a doxology of praise to God
in Christ who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible
:
all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by
him all things consist (Col. 1:15-17). And
Hebrews 1 introduces the whole book with the words: God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the worlds (vv. 1, 2).
When God pronounced His creation good, He meant by that word that
everything that He had made was perfectly adapted to the purpose for which He had created
it. That purpose is the full revelation of
His own glory in Jesus Christ, His eternal Son, through whom is the redemption of an elect
church and the whole of the new heavens and the new earth.
The original creation was perfectly formed to be the stage on which, over 6000
years, would be enacted the drama of salvation from sin and death in Christ.
To deny creation is to deny salvation in Christ.
To believe in creation is to be saved by Christ.
Rev. Key
is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa.
Article 29 of the
Belgic Confession begins this way:
We believe that we ought diligently and
circumspectly to discern from the Word of God which is the true church, since all sects
which are in the world assume to themselves the name of the church. But we speak here not of hypocrites, who are mixed
in the church with the good, yet are not of the church, though externally in it; but we
say that the body and communion of the true church must be distinguished from all sects
who call themselves the church.
The marks by which the true church is known
are these: if the pure doctrine of the gospel is preached therein; if she maintains the
pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is
exercised in punishing of sin; in short, if all things are managed according to the pure
Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the
only Head of the church. Hereby the true
church may certainly be known, from which no man has a right to separate himself.
The marks of the church is a subject that found little development among
theologians until the time of the Reformation. There
was little need, after all, to talk about the marks of the true church so long as the
church was one. But as the church departed
farther and farther from the truth of Scripture, and fell under the influence of various
heresies, as well as many pagan practices and traditions of men, it was necessary to point
out certain characteristics that mark the true manifestation of Gods church in the
world. This necessity had particularly to be
addressed at the time of the Reformation, and it has continued to be a pressing necessity
ever since.
While we confess by faith the existence of an holy, catholic church, we
are called to unite with that church as it is instituted in the world. And today the church institute is fragmented into
literally thousands of different churches. The
compelling question, therefore, is this: Where must I belong?
The Belgic Confession gives helpful instruction in answer to that question. Article 29 was written to assist and to instruct
the serious-minded so that they might locate this true church. It points us to our duty to find that church, to
come to a conviction about it, and in that conviction to join and unite ourselves with it.
Our Chief Means of Evaluation
While we generally speak of three distinct marks that distinguish the true church
from the false, there is a primary mark that summarizes the three purity of
doctrine, i.e., the doctrine of the pure Word of God.
Gods Word alone is the standard by which we must measure any church that we
might join. Ephesians 2 reveals that the
church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone. And
Paul writes to Timothy (I Tim. 3:15) that the church of the living God is the pillar
and ground of the truth.
Purity of doctrine is the chief mark because Christ Himself is the Head of the
church. And His presence in the church is a
presence as the Word become flesh. He
is the One in whom God reveals Himself as the God of truth.
Christ is always present in truth, and never in the lie!
But so many churches today claim to have the truth!
How are we to evaluate whether or not a church has purity of doctrine?
We would certainly lose our way, unless by prayer and diligent searching we make a
careful study of all Gods Word, maintaining the fundamental principle of all
faithful Bible interpretation, Scripture interprets Scripture. I emphasize all Gods Word, or what is
sometimes referred to as the whole counsel of God, because all those who
depart from the truth do so by taking only part of Gods Word, at the expense
of or in conflict with the rest of Gods Word. And
if we will make our judgment of where a given church stands up against that standard of
the whole counsel of God, there is no better way to put it to the test than to place its
teachings next to our Reformed confessions, where we have the careful summary of the whole
counsel of God.
But to make it a little easier to evaluate whether or not a church is bound by the
pure Word of God, we may look more carefully at three distinct areas where the truth
becomes manifest in a faithful church.
The Pure Preaching of the Gospel
When we speak of these three distinct areas where the truth becomes manifest, or
three marks of the true church, we must begin with a careful examination of preaching.
Purity of doctrine comes to first expression in faithful preaching. That is evident in II Timothy 3:16-17, which is
given as the basis for the charge to preach the Word, which Paul gives to Timothy in the
opening verses of the next chapter.
All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness: That the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But
watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full
proof of thy ministry.
Christs presence in His church is evident where His Word is faithfully
preached. His is a commanding presence. After all, where His Word is faithfully preached,
there He speaks, fulfilling His promise in John 10:27, My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
On the contrary, where His Word is not faithfully preached, there must be
repentance and a return to the truth, or Christ withdraws Himself. For this reason, as the Belgic Confession tells us
later in Article 29, the true church is easily known and distinguished from the false. Where the Word is, there is Christ, and there must
you and I be.
When we evaluate the church by the three marks, the mark of faithful preaching is
first. On the one hand, it is most easily
discernible. But on the other hand, the other
two marks the pure administration of the sacraments and the faithful exercise of
Christian discipline depend upon and safeguard the preaching.
The Proper Administration
of the Sacraments
While we will give more careful attention in subsequent articles to the sacraments,
it is noteworthy that the Belgic Confession considers a mark of the true church the
pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ.
The importance of the sacraments is evident from the fact that Christ Himself is
present in the administration of baptism and the Lords Supper. For that reason we are cautioned against
approaching either the sacrament of baptism or the sacrament of the Lords Supper out
of custom or superstition.
In addition, the abuse of the sacraments involves the church in corporate guilt,
and in effect defiles the preaching of the gospel. The
sacraments, after all, are seals upon the preaching.
Strong is the warning of the apostle in I Corinthians 10:21-22: Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the
cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lords table, and of the table of
devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?
are we stronger than he? Indeed, Paul
gives the better part of two chapters to instructing the church at Corinth as to the
importance of the proper administration of the Lords Supper.
We might add that most forms of corrupting the sacraments are ways in which the
true doctrine of the gospel is corrupted. And
those forms of such corruption are many! Let
us recognize the importance of the pure administration of the sacraments as
instituted by Christ.
The Biblical Exercise
The third mark of the true church is that of Christian discipline. We can easily forget, but discipline is simply an
extension of faithful gospel preaching. Preaching
itself is the chief means of discipline, that which constantly calls us to repentance and
faith. But it is evident that the welfare of
the church depends upon the exercise of Christian discipline.
This mark, as the other two, deserves more extensive treatment in subsequent
articles. But no church can stand in the
truth without the loving exercise of Christian discipline.
For one thing, without Christian discipline, the sacraments are profaned as
was evident in the church at Corinth. But as
the apostle also makes clear in I Corinthians 5, without discipline a little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump. That is, sin
permeates the entire body, if not kept in check by the exercise of Christian discipline. And if sin goes unchecked within the congregation,
sooner or later the preaching itself will succumb to the stifling pressures of
ungodliness, failing any longer to confront sin with the bold call to repentance.
It was not without reason that Paul warned Timothy that the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears.
That discipline is a characteristic that must mark a true church is evident from
the words of Christ to the seven churches of Asia Minor, Revelation 2 and 3, where on more
than one occasion He warned of the consequence of undisciplined sin, even His own
withdrawal.
The Application of the Marks
The marks of the true church are not set before us in the Belgic Confession in
order to make a theoretical or categorical judgment of other churches. The approach of the Confession is, Where am
I called to be?
We recognize that the question is not a matter of one church being true with all
others being false. We recognize as well that
the true church does not mean that there is a church in this world that has
reached perfection or purity. The true
church refers to the manifestation of the holy, catholic church in the midst
of the world. Where does she become manifest
in a given institution?
You and I stand before the calling to do everything in our power to unite ourselves
to the purest manifestation of that true church, the church where the marks most clearly
manifest the presence of Christ. That is our
calling for Gods sake. That is
God-honoring which must always be our focus. That
is also the way of our blessedness.
Nor may we leave such a church for any reason.
Our calling is to contribute to the development and strengthening of the true
church. To depart is to apostatize. And apostasy is the tool of Antichrist in building
his kingdom of darkness. When a church
departs from the truth, and as the marks enter into decline, that church sets itself on a
course to becoming part of the false church. And
especially as the mark of Christian discipline is lost, there is no reversal possible. The call must go forth with urgency, Come
out from among them, and be ye separate! For
one to join or to remain in a false church or a church in the process of becoming a false
church is to contribute to the development of Antichrist.
May God give us faithfulness in maintaining and embracing the marks of the true
church!
Rev.
Langerak is pastor of the Southeast Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Covenant members must take heed to many
important details in the kingdom of heaven. One
of them is that prospective teachers and preachers receive adequate financial resources to
complete their education. This is not merely
the responsibility of the students themselves, but it is a covenant obligation. It is an important covenant obligation. If neglected, it could result in a dearth of
preachers and teachers, which would be devastating to the cause of Christs kingdom
in the community of Protestant Reformed Churches and our Christian schools.
An old proverb warns that entire kingdoms can be lost for want of a simple nail. It comes from something the American sage Ben
Franklin once wrote: For the want of a
nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for the want of a
horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care
about a horseshoe nail. His point was
rather simple: a little neglect creates far-reaching and devastating consequences.
Like many other earthly proverbs, the point of this one holds true also for the
spiritual realm. The reason is not that
rascals like Franklin had deep insight into the heavenly kingdom. It is due to the fact that God created the
physical as a picture of the spiritual; that the horses of Rome needed shoeing illustrates
that a myriad of details require attention in the kingdom of Christ. These details are significant and necessary. They bring to perfection that glorious kingdom,
and unless they are attended to, the kingdom would be lost.
This is precisely why God takes heed to them all and warns His covenant people,
likewise, to take heed.
How numerous and significant are the details that require attention in the kingdom
of heaven! The Father must send His beloved
Son into the world to be crucified, raised from the dead, and given all power in heaven
and earth. The children of His kingdom must
be born, regenerated, called, justified, and sanctified by the power of His grace. By that same grace, they must be preserved, and,
after this life, raised to glory in a new heavens and earth. And our Father neglects not one detail.
Then there are the host of spiritual nails and horses concerning which the Father
makes us take heed. Long before Poor
Richards Almanac, God commanded us to take heed to ourselves (Luke 21:34), pay
attention to wisdom (Prov. 4:1), be careful to maintain good works (Tit. 3:8), watch unto
prayer (I Pet. 4:7), give attendance to doctrine (I Tim. 4:13), take heed to give alms
(Matt. 6:1), and beware of false doctrine (Matt. 16:12).
We are even told to remember our feet when strapping on spiritual armor (Eph.
6:13-17). How important it must be, then,
that none of these details be neglected!
Surely also the dollars used to fund the work of the kingdom comprise one of the
nails concerning which the members of the covenant must take heed. It may not be the most significant nail that is
driven into the shoes of the white gospel horse (Rev. 6:2), but a nail nonetheless. Consider only the money required in the cause of
the kingdom among the Protestant Reformed Churches. Each
year, Jesus Christ provides, then collects and distributes millions of dollars from this
little band to support a sound seminary, lively domestic and foreign mission programs, 28
robust congregations, 40 active and retired ministers, 14 flourishing Christian schools,
and some 120 dedicated teachers for those schools. And
God takes heed to it all. By His grace, the
people of the PRC take heed.
Included in such monetary necessities is the support of prospective school teachers
and preachers. That need is great. Consider only the substantial sum of money
required to become a pastor. Increasingly,
men are entering seminary older, married, and with children. There may be benefits to this trend, but the
downside is that they have more expenses. They
must buy food, clothing, and supplies for an entire family, keep a vehicle running, and
pay for utility bills, rent or mortgage, Christian school tuition, church budget, doctors,
dentists, and the occasional emergency room visit. Most
students have no health insurance, so the cost of medicines, surgery, or the arrival of a
baby can be burdensome. As far as income in
concerned, most students are limited to lower-scale, part-time work. Federal loans do not exist for religious training. Bank loans are usually denied. So, students must rely upon the generosity of the
covenant community to bridge the gap between income and expense. If obligations are not met, the student has one
recourse: pack up the books, get full-time
work, and be content that the Lord has made it clear he was never called to be a pastor or
teacher.
Thanks be to our attentive Father, the Protestant Reformed community indeed heeds
this little nail. Parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and siblings often give
generously, provide furnishings, cars, or personal loans.
Home churches may conduct grocery showers at Christmas. A few congregations take collections, which they
distribute directly to students. Individual brothers and sisters in Christ also play a
considerable role. I well remember that, more
than once while I was pondering how to buy groceries or fill the gas tank that week, some
lovely saintoften someone whom I did not even know very wellwould send a
substantial check with which to pay the bills. Other
times, widows or others, who themselves were probably financially strapped, would slip
a little something into my coat pocket at church, or have me pick up
some extra food they had lying aroundalthough I sometimes suspected this
was also an opportunity for them to enjoy some fellowship over a cup of hot tea.
The covenant community has also taken heed to this responsibility through two
organizations. One is the Student Aid Committee of our synod. Early on in our history, this committee was formed
to carry out the mandate of the Church Order, Art. 19, which recognizes that the need for
ministers is related to their financial maintenance.
The article states: The churches
shall exert themselves, as far as necessary, that there may be students supported by them
to be trained for the ministry of the Word. Applicants
must be enrolled in the seminary, pledge their intention to become ministers in the
churches, and submit, annually, documents to demonstrate financial need. Funds come directly from the synodical budget
(assessments). This year, $44,000 was
budgeted for the five seminary students, which works out to be $25 for every Protestant
Reformed family.
The other organization engaged in this work is the Federation of Protestant
Reformed Young People (F.P.R.Y.P). Long ago,
they also recognized the necessity of supporting students financially. So, in 1960 they established the Scholarship Fund
on this simple premise: There is a need
for Protestant Reformed ministers and teachers.
Since then, they have actively sought donations and asked the churches for
collections. Through the F.P.R.Y.P.
Scholarship Fund, monies are granted to any college student who is studying to be a
Protestant Reformed minister or teacher, and who meets certain qualifications, including
scholastic ability and financial need. In the
past four years, the F.P.R.Y.P Scholarship Fund distributed over $100,000 to prospective
preachers and teachers. And last year alone,
over 22 young men and women received much-needed assistance.
Although the Protestant Reformed community indeed heeds the financial support of
future pastors and teachers, each of us should take a personal interest in this cause. There are only two avenues of organized support
for seminary students (one for teachers), and these organizations have limits to what they
can give. Funds from the Seminary Student Aid
Committee are currently limited by synod to $10,000 per student. Grants from the F.P.R.Y.P Scholarship Fund are
limited by the amount donated to the organization and the number of applicants. Despite this generous assistance, the students
still often come up well short of what they need to continue their studies. Therefore, they must rely on private assistance
from us. But the problem is that the student
has no avenue of making his or her need known to the community.
Therefore, do not assume someone else is taking care of these students, but be
informed. Know what collections are taken in
your own church for this cause. If
collections are taken only for the F.P.R.Y.P Scholarship Fund, consider asking your
consistory to take collections for seminary studentsseveral churches already do
thisbut such funds must be distributed directly to the students. When conversing with a student, do not limit your
inquiries to his grades and health, but every now and then ask if he has enough money;
offer to help. Students do not bring up the
subject themselves. Nor should they. On the one hand, they must learn to wait on the
Lord. But on the other hand, we should know
their situation and be ready to help in the Lords name.
-Though
the support of future ministers and teachers should be the concern of everyone in the
churches, especially those who are young adults should take heed to this matter. Many of these students are your peers. Many of you have the means to help; you live with
your parents, are single, hold down good jobs, and have few financial burdens. You may have determined that you are not called to
be a teacher or minister. That is fine. But at least consider those who are working hard
on your behalf, and upon whom you and your own children will someday depend. Then, give generously to this cause.
Finally, everyone should consider an immediate donation to the F.P.R.Y.P.
Scholarship Fund. It is the only existing
means to make incognito, tax-deductible donations to both future ministers and teachers;
it is the only fund that supports prospective teachers; and the need is urgent. The Scholarship Fund is currently depleted, and
unless some $30-40,000 is raised soon, few scholarships will be granted this year. That would be devastating. Check your deaconate collection schedule to see
when the next collection will be taken for this fund.
When the plate passes (or bags in Canada), empty your wallet. Donations can also be sent directly to the
Scholarship Fund, c/o Mr. Trevor Kalsbeek, 954 Colrain St. SW, Wyoming MI, 49509.
I cannot speak to the immediate need for future teachers, but some 1,500 people in
our vacant churches can testify to the urgent need for ministers. There may be many reasons for any such lack
precisely because there are many details that require attention in order to receive them. There are the details about which we can do
nothing: God must give us future ministers or
teachers, make their place in the world and His kingdom, call them to their work, and
endow them with intellect, spirituality, and a host of other gifts. Then there are the details in which God engages
us: We must pray for them; loving mothers
must raise them; dedicated fathers must instruct them and lay before them this calling;
schools and seminary must hone their skills; once received, they must be paid, encouraged,
utilized, and honored; and, if we are to have them, they must be supported liberally
during their schooling. There may be many
reasons why we might lack teachers or preachers. Please,
let it not be for want of a dollar!
Mr.
Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville,
Michigan.
Our Seminary has an internship program in which a student is placed in a congregation for six months to engage in the work of
the ministry under the supervision of the consistory and pastor. This provides the senior seminary students
practical experience in the work of the ministry. This
year the faculty of our seminary has asked the consistories of First PRC in Grand Rapids,
MI and the Byron Center, MI PRC to allow Seminarians Andrew Lanning and Clay Spronk to do
their internships in their respective congregations beginning July 1. The consistories have enthusiastically approved
this request.
Minister
Calls & Trios
The
Hudsonville, MI PRC has extended a call to Professor D.
Engelsma (Prot. Ref. Seminary) to be their next pastor.
The Hudsonville consistory acknowledges that Prof. Engelsma has obligations
to our seminary and is willing to work with him regarding those obligations, should he
accept their call.
Rev. A. denHartog (minister-on-loan in Singapore) has accepted the call to serve as
the next pastor of Southwest PRC in Grandville, MI.
Rev. A. denHartogs acceptance of the call to Southwest also, of course, means
that he has declined the two other calls extended to him, one from Bethel PRC in Roselle,
IL and the other from First PRC in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Rev. Doug Kuiper, pastor of the Randolph, WI PRC, has declined the call extended to
him to serve as the next pastor of the Doon, Iowa PRC.
That decline resulted in the council of Doon presenting a new trio to their
congregation, from which they were to call on February 7.
That trio consisted of Rev. A. denHartog, Rev. D. Overway, and Rev. M. VanderWal.
First PRC of Holland, MI was to call a pastor from a trio consisting of Rev. G.
Eriks, Rev. S. Key, and Rev. J. Slopsema.
Congregation
Activities
We give thanks to our heavenly Father with Rev. and Mrs. R. Smit and
family, serving in the Immanuel PRC in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, who were blessed with the
birth of a son and brother, Seth Richard, born Friday night, January 7, in Lacombe. Due to complications with Seths breathing,
both mother and child were transferred to Red Deer Hospital the next day, where he
received treatment at their Special Care Nursery. Seth
came home Tuesday, the 18th of January, and as of this writing was yet receiving a small
amount of oxygen continuously until the doctors permit him to be weaned off from it. May the Smits find comfort in knowing that Jehovah
holds even the smallest of His children in the palm of His hand.
There was a note from the Building Committee of the Lynden, WA PRC in a recent
bulletin thanking their membership for their help with painting and cleaning done at
Lynden over the past six months. The latest
painting project was planned for January 25 and called for the congregation to paint their
church narthex. Due to a great turnout for
this paint party, the work was done in three hours. In the past six months Lyndens basement,
nursery, four bathrooms, and stairwell have all been completed. Plans are now being made to paint the kitchen and
council room on a future date. With that
kind of success, why not!
Mission
Activities
A delegation of Mr. Warren Boon, on behalf of Doon, Iowa PRC, the calling church, and Mr. Andrew Brummel, on behalf of the
Foreign Mission Committee, left for a two-week stay in the Philippines on January 25. They were planning to oversee our denominational
mission work, to meet with our missionary, Rev. A. Spriensma and his family, and to visit
families of the Berean Church of God (Reformed) in Manila.
In the first weekend of their visit they planned also on traveling to Bacolod City
to visit with some of the contacts there.
The past couple of months all our church bulletins have seen a request for Reformed
books for the Philippines. This request was
to continue until the end of January. Since
then our bulletins have also seen a thank-you for donated books. Because of a generous outpouring from all the
churches, there have been hundreds and hundreds of books given for the Philippines
library. These books were to be shipped out
in February, D.V.
Rev. A. Stewart, missionary pastor to the saints of the Covenant PR Fellowship in
Ballymena, NI, spoke January 21 in South Wales at the Rest Convalescent Home in Porthcawl
on the subject, The 1000 Years of Revelation 20. The following week, January 28, he spoke on the
subject Problems with Revivals at the Ballymena Protestant Hall in Ballymena,
NI. At that same meeting, Mr. Lindsay
Williams gave a short slide presentation on the Welsh Revivals.
Young
Peoples Activities
On a recent Sunday, the Young Peoples Society of the Doon, Iowa PRC met for their
weekly Bible study. In addition to the study
of Gods Word, they also considered the important question, How to React When
People Swear.
School
Activities
On January 27, the PTA of Heritage Christian School in Hudsonville, MI met. Rev. C. Haak led with a timely meditation
entitled, Ready to Learn.
Young
Adult Activities
Post High
Young Adults in and around Grand Rapids, MI were invited to Faith PRC in Jenison, MI
Sunday evening, January 30, to hear Rev. W. Bekkering speak and answer questions about our
mission work in Ghana.
All standing and special
committees of the synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches, as well as individuals who
wish to address Synod 2005, are hereby notified that all material for this years
synod should be in the hands of the stated clerk no later than April 1. Please send material to:
Don Doezema
4949 Ivanrest Ave.
Grandville, MI 49418
NOTICE:
The Protestant Reformed
Scholarship Committee is offering scholarship awards to prospective Protestant Reformed
teachers and ministers. If you are interested
in receiving a packet, please contact Brenda Dykstra at (616) 662-2187 or e-mail brendadj@juno.com
by April 1, 2005.
PLEASE NOTE: New e-mail addresses
for Grace PRC bulletin clerk:
lisshuiz@altelco.net
for
Hope PRC (Redlands):
bulletin@hopeprc.org
and
for Hope PRC (Walker):
jdykstra@altelco.net
RFPA Special Offer
When I Survey...A
Lenten Anthology
Herman Hoeksema
Go to www.rfpa.org for details
NOTICE:
Loveland Protestant Reformed
Christian School, Loveland, CO, is seeking applicants for a middle room teacher (grades
4-6). Those applying should be members of the
Protestant Reformed Churches of America. Send
applications and a resume to Mr. Larry Abel at LPRCS, 705 E. 57th St., Loveland, CO 80538;
phone: 970-667-9289); e-mail: lprcs@juno.com. Or, phone Glen Griess at 970-669-2589.
Reformed Witness Hour
|
||
Topics
for March
|
||
Date | Topic | Text |
March 6 | Blessed Are the Merciful | Matthew
5:7 |
March 13 | Blessed Are the Pure in Heart | Matthew
5:8 |
March 20 | The Rending of the Veil | Mark
15:38 |
March 27 | Not Faithless, But Believing | John 20:24-29 |
Last modified: 25-feb-2005