A brief Exposition of the Confessions Regarding Certain Points of Doctrine as Maintained by the Protestant Reformed Churches

Adopted by the Synod of 1951

Preamble

DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES, to be used only by the Mission Committee and the missionaries for the organization of prospective churches on the basis of Scripture and the Confessions as these have always been maintained in the Protestant Reformed Churches and as these are now further explained in regard to certain principles.

The Protestant Reformed Churches stand on the basis of Scripture as the infallible Word of God and of the Three Forms of Unity. Moreover, they accept the liturgical forms used in the public worship of our churches, such as:

Form for the Administration of Baptism, Form for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, Form of Excommunication, Form of Readmitting Excommunicated Persons, Form of Ordination of the Ministers of God's Word, Form of Ordination of elders and Deacons, Form for the Installation of Professors of Theology, Form of Ordination of Missionaries, Form for the Confirmation of Marriage before the Church, and the Formula of Subscription.

On the basis of this Word of God and these confessions:

I. They repudiate the errors of the Three Points adopted by the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, 1924, which maintain:

A. That there is a grace of God to all men, including the reprobate, manifest in the common gifts to all men.

B. That the preaching of the gospel is a gracious offer of salvation on the part of God to all that externally hear the gospel.

C. That the natural man through the influence of common grace can do good in this world.

D. Over against this they maintain:

1. That the grace of God is always particular, i.e., only for the elect, never for the reprobate.

2. That the preaching of the gospel is not a gracious offer of salvation on the part of God to all men, nor a conditional offer to all that are born in the historical dispensation of the covenant, that is, to all that are baptized, but an oath of God that He will infallibly lead all the elect unto salvation and eternal glory through faith.

3. That the unregenerate man is totally incapable of doing any good, wholly depraved, and therefore can only sin.

For proof, we refer to Canons I,A.,6-8:

Art. 6. That some receive the gift of faith from God, and others do not receive it proceeds from God's eternal decree, "for known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world," Acts 15:18. "Who worketh all things after the counsel of his will," Eph. 111. According to which decree, he graciously softens the hearts of the elect, however obstinate, and inclines them to believe, while he leaves the non-elect in his judgment to their own wickedness and obduracy. And herein is especially displayed the profound, the merciful, and at the same time the righteous discrimination between men, equally involved in ruin; or that decree of election and reprobation, revealed in the Word of God, which though men of perverse, impure and unstable minds wrest to their own destruction, yet to holy and pious souls affords unspeakable consolation.

Art. 7. Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen, from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the foundation of salvation.

This elect number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving than others, but with them involved in one common misery, God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by him, and effectually to call and draw them to his communion by his Word and Spirit, to bestow upon them true faith, justification and sanctification and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of his Son, finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of his mercy, and for the praise of his glorious grace; as it is written, "According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved," Eph. 1:4,5, 6. And elsewhere: "Whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Rom. 8:30.

Art. 8. There are not various decrees of election, but one and the same decree respecting all those, who shall be saved, both under the Old and New Testament: since the Scripture declares the good pleasure, purpose and counsel of the divine will to be one, according to which he hath chosen us from eternity, both to grace and glory, to salvation and the way of salvation, which he hath ordained that we should walk therein.

Canons II,A,5:

Art. 5, Moreover, the promise of the gospel is, that whosoever believeth in Christ crucified, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and published to all nations, and to all persons promiscuously and without distinction, to whom God out of his good pleasure sends the gospel.

The Canons in II, 5 speak of the preaching of the promise. It presents the promise, not as general, but as particular, i.e., as for believers, and, therefore, for the elect. This preaching of the particular promise is promiscuous to all that hear the gospel with the command, not a condition, to repent and believe.

Canons II,B,6:

Art. 6. Who use the difference between meriting and appropriating, to the end that they may instill into the minds of the imprudent and inexperienced this teaching that God, as far as he is concerned, has been minded of applying to all equally the benefits gained by the death of Christ; but that while some obtain the pardon of sin and eternal life, and others do not, this difference depends on their own free will, which joins itself to the grace that is offered without exception, and that it is not dependent on the special gift of mercy, which powerfully works in them, that they rather than others should appropriate unto themselves this grace. For these, while they feign that they present this distinction, in a sound sense, seek to instill into the people the destructive poison of the Pelagian errors.

For further proof we refer to the Heidelberg Catechism, III,8, and XXXIII, 91:

Q. 8. Are we then so corrupt that we are wholly incapable of doing any good, and inclined to all wickedness?

A. Indeed we are; except we are regenerated by the Spirit of God.

Q. 91. But what are good works?

A. Only those which proceed from a true faith, are performed according to the law of God, and to his glory; and not such as are founded on our imaginations, or the institutions of men.

And also from the Netherlands Confession, Article XIV:

Art. XIV. We believe that God created man out of the dust of the earth, and made and formed him after his own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy, capable in all things to will, agreeably to the will of God. But being in honor, he understood it not, neither knew his excellency, but willfully subjected himself to sin, and consequently to death, and the curse, giving ear to the words of the devil. For the commandment of life, which he had received, he transgressed; and by sin separated himself from God, who was his true life, having corrupted his whole nature; whereby he made himself liable to corporal and spiritual death. And being thus become wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all his ways, he hath lost all his excellent gifts, which he had received from God, and only retained a few remains thereof, which, however, are sufficient to leave man without excuse; for all the light which is in us is changed into darkness, as the Scriptures teach us, saying: The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not: where St. John calleth men darkness. Therefore we reject all that is taught repugnant to this, concerning the free will of man, since man is but a slave to sin; and has nothing of himself, unless it is given from heaven. For who may presume to boast, that he of himself can do any good, since Christ saith, No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him? Who will glory in his own will, who understands, that to be carnally minded is enmity against God? Who can speak of his knowledge, since the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God? In short, who dare suggest any thought, since he knows that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but that our sufficiency is of God? And therefore what the apostle saith ought justly to be held sure and firm that God worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. For there is no will nor understanding, conformable to the divine will and understanding, but what Christ hath wrought in man; which he teaches us, when he saith, Without me ye can do nothing.

Once more we refer to Canons III-IV, A, 1-4:

Art. 1. Man was originally formed after the image of God, His understanding was adorned with a true and saving knowledge of his Creator, and of spiritual things; his heart and will were upright; all his affections pure; and the whole man was holy; but revolting from God by the instigation of the devil, and abusing the freedom of his own will, he forfeited these excellent gifts; and on the contrary entailed on himself blindness of mind, horrible darkness, vanity and perverseness of judgment, became wicked, rebellious, and obdurate in heart and will, and impure in his affections.

Art. 2. Man after the fall begat children in his own likeness. A corrupt stock produced a corrupt off-spring. Hence all the posterity of Adam, Christ only excepted, have derived corruption from their original parent, not by imitation, as the Pelagians of old asserted, but by the propagation of a vicious nature.

Art. 3. Therefore all men are conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, incapable of saving good, prone to evil, dead in sin, and in bondage thereto, and without the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit, they are neither able nor willing to return to God, to reform the depravity of their nature, nor to dispose themselves to reformation.

Art. 4. There remain, however, in man since the fall the glimmerings of natural light, whereby he retains some knowledge of God, of natural things, and of the differences between good and evil, and discovers some regard for virtue, good order in society, and for maintaining an orderly external deportment. But so far is this light of nature from being sufficient to bring him to a saving knowledge of God, and to true conversion, that he is incapable of using it aright even in things natural and civil. Nay further, this light, such as it is, man in various ways renders wholly polluted, and holds it in unrighteousness, by doing which he becomes inexcusable before God.

II. They teach on the basis of the same confessions:

A. That election, which is the unconditional and unchangeable decree of God to redeem in Christ a certain number of persons, is the sole cause and fountain of all our salvation, whence flow all the gifts of grace, including faith. This is the plain teaching of our confessions in the Canons of Dordrecht, I,A,6,7. See above.

And in the Heidelberg Catechism XXI, 54, we read:

Q. 54. What believest thou concerning the "holy catholic church" of Christ?

A. That the Son of God from the beginning to the end of the world, gathers, defends, and preserves to himself by his Spirit and Word, out of the whole human race, a church chosen to everlasting life, agreeing in true faith; and that I am and forever shall remain a living member thereof.

This is also evident from the doctrinal part of the Form for the Administration of Baptism, where we read:

For when we are baptized in the name of the Father, God the Father witnesseth and sealeth unto us that he doth make an eternal covenant of grace with us, and adopts us for his children and heirs, and therefore will provide us with every good thing, and avert all evil or turn it to our profit. And when we are baptized in the name of the Son, the son sealeth unto us, that he doth wash us in his blood from all our sins, incorporating us into the fellowship of his death and resurrection, so that we are freed from all our sins, and accounted righteous before God. In like manner, when we are baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost assures us, by this holy sacrament, that he will dwell in us, and sanctify us to be members of Christ, applying unto us, that which we have in Christ, namely, the washing away of our sins, and the daily renewing of our lives, till we shall finally be presented without spot or wrinkle among the assembly of the elect in life eternal.

B. That Christ died only for the elect and that the saving efficacy of the death of Christ extends to them only.

This is evident from the Canons, II,A,8:

Art. 8. For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.

This article very clearly teaches:

1. That all the covenant blessings are for the elect alone.

2. That God's promise is unconditionally for them only: for God cannot promise what was not objectively permitted by Christ.

3. That the promise of God bestows the objective right of salvation not upon all the children that are born under the historical dispensation of the covenant, that is, not upon all that are baptized, but only upon the spiritual seed.

This is also evident from other parts of our confessions, as, for instance:

Heidelberg Catechism XXV, 65-66:

Q. 65. Since then we are made partakers of Christ and all his benefits by faith only, whence doth this faith proceed?

A. From the Holy Ghost, who works faith in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel, and confirms it by the use of the sacraments.

Q. 66. What are the sacraments?

A. The sacraments are holy visible signs and seals, appointed of God for this end, that by the use thereof, he may the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel, viz., that he grants us freely the remission of sin, and life eternal, for the sake of that one sacrifice of Christ, accomplished on the cross.

If we compare with these statements from the Heidelberger what was taught concerning the saving efficacy of the death of Christ in Canons II,A,8, it is evident that the promise of the gospel which is sealed by the sacraments concerns only the believers, that is, the elect.

This is also evident from the Heidelberg Catechism XXVII, 74,

Q. 74. Are infants also to be baptized?

A. Yes: for since they, as well as the adult, are included in the covenant and church of God; and since redemption from sin by the blood of Christ, and the Holy Ghost, the author of faith, is promised to them no less than to the adult; they must therefore by baptism, as a sign of the covenant, be also admitted into the Christian church; and be distinguished from the children of unbelievers as was done in the old covenant or testament by circumcision, instead of which baptism is instituted in the new covenant.

That in this question and answer of the Heidelberger not all the children that are baptized, but only the spiritual children, that is, the elect, are meant is evident. For:

a. Little infants surely cannot fulfill any conditions. And if the promise of God is for them, the promise is infallible and unconditional, and therefore only for the elect.

b. According to Canons II,A,8, which we quoted above, the saving efficacy of the death of Christ is for the elect alone.

c. According to this answer of the Heidelberg Catechism, the Holy Ghost, the author of faith, is promised to the little children no less than to the adult. And God surely fulfills His promise. Hence, that promise is surely only for the elect.

The same is taught in the Netherlands Confession, Articles XXXIII-XXXV. In Article XXXIII we read:

Art. XXXIII. We believe, that our gracious God, on account of our weakness and infirmities hath ordained the sacraments for us, thereby to seal unto us his promises, and to be pledges of the good will and grace of God toward us, and also to nourish and strengthen our faith; which he hath joined to the Word of the gospel, the better to present to our senses, both that which he signifies to us by his Word, and that which he works inwardly in our hearts, thereby assuring and confirming in us the salvation which he imparts to us. For they are visible signs and seals of an inward and invisible thing, by means whereof God worketh in us by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore the signs are not in vain or insignificant, so as to deceive us. For Jesus Christ is the true object presented by them, without whom they would be of no moment.

And from article XXXIV, which speaks of holy baptism, we quote:

Art. XXXIV. We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, who is the end of the law, hath made an end, by the shedding of his blood, of all other sheddings of blood which men could or would make as a propitiation or satisfaction for sin: and that he, having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, hath instituted the sacrament of baptism instead thereof; by which we are received into the Church of God, and separated from all other people and strange religions, that we may wholly belong to him, whose ensign and banner we bear: and which serves as a testimony to us, that he will forever be our gracious God and Father. Therefore he has commanded all those, who are his, to be baptized with pure water, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"; thereby signifying to us that as water washeth away the filth of the body, when poured upon it, and is seen on the body of the baptized, when sprinkled upon him; so doth the blood of Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost, internally sprinkle the soul, cleanse it from its sins, and regenerate us from children of wrath, unto children of God. Not that this is effected by the external water, but by the sprinkling of the precious blood of the Son of God; who is our Red Sea, through which we must pass, to escape the tyranny of Pharaoh, that is, the devil, and to enter into the spiritual land of Canaan. Therefore the ministers, on their part, administer the sacrament, and that which is visible, but our Lord giveth that which is signified by the sacrament, namely, the gifts and invisible grace; washing, cleansing and purging our souls of all filth and unrighteousness; renewing our hearts, and filling them with all comfort; giving unto us a true assurance of his fatherly goodness; putting on us the new man, and putting off the old man with all his deeds.

Article XXXIV speaks of holy baptism. That all this, washing and cleansing and purging our souls of all filth and unrighteousness, that renewal of our hearts, is only the fruit of the saving efficacy of the death of Christ and therefore is only for the elect is very evident. The same is true of what we read in the same article concerning the baptism of infants:

Art. XXXIV. And indeed Christ shed his blood no less for the washing of the children of the faithful, than for adult persons; and therefore they ought to receive the sign and sacrament of that, which Christ hath done for them; as the Lord commanded in the law, that they should be made partakers of the sacrament of Christ's suffering and death, shortly after they were born, by offering for them a lamb, which was a sacrament of Jesus Christ. Moreover, what circumcision was to the Jews, that baptism is to our children. And for this reason Paul calls baptism the circumcision of Christ.

If, according to Article 8 of the Second Head of Doctrine, A, in the Canons, the saving efficacy of the death of Christ extends only to the elect, it follows that when in this article of the Netherlands Confession it is stated that "Christ shed his blood no less for the washing of the children of the faithful than for the adult persons," also here the reference is only to the elect children.

Moreover, that the promise of the gospel which God signifies and seals in the sacraments is not for all is also abundantly evident from Article XXXV of the same Netherlands Confession, which speaks of the holy supper of our Lord Jesus Christ. For there we read:

Art. XXXV. We believe and confess, that our Savior Jesus Christ did ordain and institute the sacrament of the holy supper, to nourish and support those whom he hath already regenerated, and incorporated into his family, which is his Church.

In the same article we read:

Further, though the sacraments are connected with the thing signified, nevertheless both are not received by all men; the ungodly indeed receives the sacrament to his condemnation, but he doth not receive the truth of the sacrament. As Judas, and Simon the sorcerer, both indeed received the sacrament, but not Christ, who was signified by it, of whom believers only are made partakers.

It follows from this that both the sacraments, as well as the preaching of the gospel, are a savor of death unto death for the reprobate, as well as a savor of life unto life for the elect. Hence, the promise of God, preached by the gospel, signified and sealed in both the sacraments, is not for all but for the elect only.

And that the election of God, and consequently the efficacy of the death of Christ and the promise of the gospel, is not conditional is abundantly evident from the following articles of the Canons.

Canons I, A, 10:

Art. 10. the good pleasure of God is the sole cause of this gracious election; which doth not consist herein, that out of all possible qualities and actions of men God has chosen some as a condition of salvation; but that he was pleased out of the common mass of sinners to adopt some certain persons as a peculiar people to himself, as it is written, "For the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil," etc., it was said (namely to Rebecca): "the elder shall serve the younger; as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Romans 9:11-13. "And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." Acts 13:48.

In Canons I, B, 2, the errors are repudiated of those who teach:

Art. 2. That there are various kinds of election of God unto eternal life: the one general and indefinite, the other particular and definite; and that the latter in turn is either incomplete, revocable, non-decisive and conditional, or complete, irrevocable, decisive and absolute....

And in the same chapter of Canons I, B, 3, the errors are repudiated of those who teach:

Art. 3. That the good pleasure and purpose of God, of which Scripture makes mention in the doctrine of election, does not consist in this, that God chose certain persons rather than others, but in this that he chose out of all possible conditions among which are also the works of the law), or out of the whole order of things, the act of faith, which from its very nature is undeserving, as well as its incomplete obedience, as a condition of salvation, and that he would graciously consider this initself as a complete obedience and count it worthy of the reward of eternal life…. 

And in the same chapter of Canons I, B, 5, the errors are repudiated of those who teach that:

Art. 5. ...faith, the obedience of faith, holiness, godliness and perseverance are not fruits of the unchangeable election unto glory, but are conditions, which, being required beforehand, were foreseen as being met by those who will be fully elected, and are causes without which the unchangeable election to glory does not occur.

Finally, we refer to the statement of the Baptism Form:

And although our young children do not understand these things, we may not therefore exclude them from baptism, for as they are without their knowledge, partakers of the condemnation in Adam, so are they again received unto grace in Christ....

That here none other than the elect children of the covenant are meant and that they are unconditionally, without their knowledge, received unto grace in Christ, in the same way as they are under the condemnation of Adam, is very evident.

C. That faith is not a prerequisite or condition unto salvation, but a gift of God, and a God-given instrument whereby we appropriate the salvation in Christ. This is plainly taught in the following parts of our confessions:

Heidelberg Catechism VII, 20:

Q. 20. Are all men, then, as they perished in Adam, saved by Christ?

A. No; only those who are engrafted into him, and receive all his benefits, by a true faith.

Netherlands Confession, Article XXII:

Art. XXII. We believe that, to attain the true knowledge of this great mystery, the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, appropriates him, and seeks nothing more besides him. For it must needs follow, either that all things, which are requisite to our salvation, are not in Jesus Christ, or if all things are in him, that then those who possess Jesus Christ through faith, have complete salvation in him. Therefore, for any to assert, that Christ is not sufficient, but that something more is required besides him, would be too gross a blasphemy; for hence it would follow, that Christ was but half a Savior. Therefore we justly say with Paul, that we are justified by faith alone, or by faith without works. However, to speak more clearly, we do not mean, that faith itself justifies us, for it is only an instrument with which we embrace Christ our Righteousness. But Jesus Christ, imputing to us all his merits, and so many holy works which he has done for us, and in our stead, is our Righteousness. And faith is an instrument that keeps us in communion with him in all his benefits, which, when become ours, are more than sufficient to acquit us of our sins.

Confer also Netherlands Confession, Articles XXXIII-XXXV, quoted above.

Again, confer Canons of Dordrecht II, A, 8, quoted above.

In Canons III-IV, A, 10, 14 we read:

Art. 10. but that others who are called by the gospel, obey the call, and are converted, is not to be ascribed to the proper exercise of free will, whereby one distinguishes himself above others, equally furnished with grace sufficient for faith and conversions, as the proud heresy of Pelagius maintains; but it must be wholly ascribed to God who as he has chosen his own from eternity in Christ, so he confers upon them faith and repentance, rescues them from the power of darkness, and translates them into the kingdom of his own Son, that they may show forth the praises of him, who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light; and may glory not in themselves, but in the Lord according to the testimony of the apostles in various places.

Again, in the same chapter of Canons, Article 14, we read:

Art. 14. Faith is therefore to be considered as the gift of God, not on account of its being offered by God to man, to be accepted or rejected at his pleasure; but because it is in reality conferred, breathed, and infused into him; or even because God bestows the power or ability to believe, and then expects that man should by the exercise of his own free will, consent to the terms of salvation, and actually believe in Christ; but because he who works in man both to will and to do, and indeed all things in all, produces both the will to believe, and the act of believing also.

III. Seeing then that this is the clear teaching of our confession,

A. We repudiate:

1. The teaching:

a. That the promise of the covenant is conditional and for all that are baptized.

b. That we may presuppose that all the children that are baptized are regenerated, for we know on the basis of Scripture, as well as in the light of all history and experience, that the contrary is true.

For proof we refer to Canons I, A, 6-8; and the doctrinal part of the Baptismal Form:

The principal parts of the doctrine of holy baptism are these three:

First, That we with our children are conceived and born in sin, and therefore are children of wrath, in so much that we cannot enter into the kingdom of God, except we are born again. This, the dipping in, or sprinkling with water teaches us, whereby the impurity of our souls is signified, and we admonished to loathe, and humble ourselves before God, and seek for our purification and salvation without ourselves.

Secondly, Holy baptism witnesseth and sealeth unto us the washing away of our sins through Jesus Christ. Therefore we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. For when we are baptized in the name of the Father, God the Father witnesseth and sealeth unto us, that he doth make an eternal covenant of grace with us, and adopts us for his children and heirs, and therefore will provide us with every good thing, and avert all evil or turn it to our profit. And when we are baptized in the name of the Son, the Son sealeth unto us, that he doth wash us in his blood from all our sins, incorporating us into the fellowship of his death and resurrection, so that we are freed from all our sins, and accounted righteous before God. In like manner, when we are baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost assures us, by this holy sacrament, that he will dwell in us, and sanctify us to be members of Christ, applying unto us, that which we have in Christ, namely, the washing away of our sins, and the daily renewing of our lives, till we shall finally be presented without spot or wrinkle among the assembly of the elect in life eternal.

Thirdly, Whereas in all covenants, there are contained two parts: therefore are we by God through baptism, admonished of, and obliged unto new obedience, namely, that we cleave to this one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; that we trust in him, and love him with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our mind, and with all our strength; that we forsake the world, crucify our old nature, and walk in a new and holy life.

And if we sometimes through weakness fall into sin, we must not therefore despair of God's mercy, nor continue in sin, since baptism is a seal and undoubted testimony, that we have an eternal covenant of grace with God.

The Thanksgiving after baptism:

Almighty God and merciful Father, we thank and praise thee, that Thou hast forgiven us, and our children, all our sins, through the blood of thy beloved Son Jesus Christ, and received us through thy Holy Spirit as members of thine only begotten Son, and adopted us to be thy children, and sealed and confirmed the same unto us by holy baptism; we beseech thee, through the same Son of thy love, that Thou wilt be pleased always to govern these baptized children by thy Holy Spirit, that they may be piously and religiously educated, increase and grow up in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they may then acknowledge thy fatherly goodness and mercy, which Thou hast shown to them and us, and live in all righteousness, under our only Teacher, King and High Priest, Jesus Christ; and manfully fight against, and overcome sin, the devil and his whole dominion, to the end that they may eternally praise and magnify thee, and thy Son Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Ghost, the one only true God. Amen.

The prayer refers only to the elect; we cannot presuppose that it is for all.

2. The teaching that the promise of the covenant is an objective bequest on the part of God giving to every baptized child the right to Christ and all the blessings of salvation.

B. And we maintain:

1. That God surely and infallibly fulfills His promise to the elect.

2. The sure promise of God which He realizes in us as rational and moral creatures not only makes it impossible that we should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness but also confronts us with the obligation of love, to walk in a new and holy life, and constantly to watch unto prayer.

All those who are not thus disposed, who do not repent but walk in sin, are the objects of His just wrath and excluded from the kingdom of heaven.

That the preaching comes to all; and that God seriously commands to faith and repentance, and that to all those who come and believe He promises life and peace.

Grounds:

a. The Baptism Form, part 3.

b. The Form for the Lord's Supper, under "thirdly":

All those, then, who are thus disposed, God will certainly receive in mercy, and count them worthy partakers of the table of his Son Jesus Christ. On the contrary, those who do not feel this testimony in their hearts, eat and drink judgment to themselves.

Therefore, we also, according to the command of Christ and the Apostle Paul, admonish all those who are defiled with the following sins, to keep themselves from the table of the Lord, and declare to them that they have no part in the kingdom of Christ; such as all idolaters, all those who invoke deceased saints, angels, or other creatures; all those who worship images; all enchanters, diviners, charmers, and those who confide in such enchantments; all despisers of God, and of his Word, and of the holy sacraments; all blasphemers; all those who are given to raise discord, sects and mutiny in Church or State; all perjured persons; all those who are disobedient to their parents and superiors; all murders, contentious persons, and those who live in hatred and envy against their neighbors; all adulterers, whoremongers, drunkards, thieves, usurers, robbers, gamsters, covetous, and all who lead offensive lives.

All these, while they continue in such sins, shall abstain from this meat (which Christ hath ordained only for the faithful), lest their judgment and condemnation be made the heavier.

c. The Heidelberg Catechism XXIV, 64; XXXI, 84; XLV, 116:

Q. 64. But doth not this doctrine make men careless and profane?

A. By no means: for it is impossible that those, who are implanted into Christ by a true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness.

Q. 84. How is the kingdom of heaven opened and shut by the preaching of the holy gospel?

A. Thus: when according to the command of Christ, it is declared and publicly testified to all and every believer, that, whenever they receive the promise of the gospel by a true faith, all their sins are really forgiven them of God, for the sake of Christ's merits; and on the contrary, when it is declared and testified to all unbelievers, and such as do not sincerely repent, that they stand exposed to the wrath of God, and eternal condemnation, so long as they are unconverted: according to which testimony of the Gospel, God will judge them, both in this, and in the life to come.

Q. 116. Why is prayer necessary for Christians?

A. Because it is the chief part of thankfulness which God requires of us: and also, because God will give his grace and Holy Spirit to those only, who with sincere desires continually ask them of him, and are thankful for them.

Canons III-IV, A, 12, 16, 17:

Art. 12. And this is the regeneration so highly celebrated in Scripture, and denominated a new creation: a resurrection from the dead, a making alive, which God works in us without our aid. But this is in no wise effected merely by the external preaching of the gospel, by moral suasion, or such a mode of operation, that after God has performed his part, it still remains in the power of man to be regenerated or not, to be converted, or to continue unconverted; but it is evidently a supernatural work, most powerful, and at the same time most delightful, astonishing, mysterious, and ineffable; not inferior in efficacy to creation, or the resurrection from the dead, as the Scripture inspired by the author of this work declares; so that all in whose heart God works in this marvelous manner, are certainly, infallibly, and effectually regenerated, and do actually believe. Whereupon the will thus renewed, is not only actuated and influenced by God, but in consequence of this influence, becomes itself active. Wherefore also, man is himself rightly said to believe and repent, by virtue of that grace received.

Art 16. But as man by the fall did not cease to be a creature, endowed with understanding and will, nor did sin which pervaded the whole race of mankind, deprive him of the human nature, but brought upon him depravity and spiritual death; so also this grace of regeneration does not treat men as senseless stocks and blocks, nor takes away their will and its properties, neither does violence thereto; but spiritually quickens, heals, corrects, and at the same time sweetly and powerfully bends it; that where carnal rebellion and resistance formerly prevailed, a ready and sincere spiritual obedience begins to reign; in which the true and spiritual restoration and freedom of our will consist. Wherefore unless the admirable author of every good work wrought in us, man could have no hope of recovering from his fall by his own free will, by the abuse of which, in a state of innocence, he plunged himself into ruin.

Art. 17. As the almighty operation of God, whereby he prolongs and supports this our natural life, does not exclude, but requires the use of means, by which God of his infinite mercy and goodness hath chosen to exert his influence, so also the before mentioned supernatural operation of God, by which we are regenerated, in no wise excludes, or subverts the use of the gospel, which the most wise God has ordained to be the seed of regeneration, and food of the soul. Wherefore, as the apostles, and teachers who succeeded them, piously instructed the people concerning this grace of God, to his glory, and the abasement of all pride, and in the meantime, however, neglected not to keep them by the sacred precepts of the gospel in the exercise of the Word, sacraments and discipline; so even to this day, be it far from either instructors or instructed to presume to tempt God in the church by separating what he of his good pleasure hath most intimately joined together. For grace is conferred by means of admonitions; and the more readily we perform our duty, the more eminent usually is this blessing of God working in us, and the more directly is his work advanced; to whom alone all the glory both of means, and of their saving fruit and efficacy is forever due. Amen.

Canons III-IV, B, 9:

Art. 9. Who teach: that grace and free will are partial causes, which together work the beginning of conversion, and that grace, in order of working, does not precede the working of the will; that is, that God does not efficiently help the will of man unto conversion until the will of man moves and determines to do this. For the ancient Church has long ago condemned this doctrine of the Pelagians according to the words of the Apostle: "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy," Romans 9:16. Likewise: "For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" I Corinthians 4:7. And: "For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure," Phillippians 2:13.

Canons V, A, 14:

Art. 14. And as it hath pleased God, by the preaching of the gospel, to begin this work of grace in us, so he preserves, continues, and perfect it by the hearing and reading of his Word, by meditation thereon, and by the exhortations, threatenings, and promises thereof, as well as by the use of the sacraments.

Netherlands Confession, Article XXIV:

Art. XXIV. We believe that this true faith being wrought in man by the hearing of the Word of God, and the operation of the Holy Ghost, doth regenerate and make him a new man, causing him to live a new life, and freeing him from the bondage of sin. Therefore it is so far from being true, that this justifying faith makes men remiss in a pious and holy life, that on the contrary without it they would never do anything out of love to God, but only out of self-love or fear of damnation. Therefore it is impossible that this holy faith can be unfruitful in man: for we do not speak of a vain faith, but of such a faith, which is called in Scripture, a faith that worketh by love, which excites man to the practice of those works, which God has commanded in his Word.

Which works, as they proceed from the good root of faith, are good and acceptable in the sight of God, forasmuch as they are all sanctified by His grace: howbeit they are of no account towards our justification. For it is by faith in Christ that we are justified, even before we do good works; otherwise they could not be good works, any more than the fruit of a tree can be good, before the tree itself is good.

Therefore we do good works, but not to merit by them, (for what can we merit?) nay, we are beholden to God for the good works we do, and not he to us, since it is he that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Let us therefore attend to what is written: when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do. In the meantime, we do not deny that God rewards our good works, but it is through his grace that he crowns his gifts.

Moreover, though we do good works, we do not found our salvation upon them; for we do no work but what is polluted by our flesh, and also punishable; and although we could perform such works, still the remembrance of one sin is sufficient to make God reject them. thus then we would always be in doubt, tossed to and fro without any certainty, and our poor consciences continually vexed, if they relied not on the merits of the suffering and death of our Savior.

3. That the ground of infant baptism is the command of God and the fact that according to Scripture He established His covenant in the line of continued generations.

IV. Besides, the Protestant Reformed Churches:

Believe and maintain the autonomy of the local church.

For proof we refer to the Netherlands Confession, Article XXXI:

Art. XXXI. We believe, that the ministers of God's Word, and the elders and deacons, ought to be chosen to their respective offices by a lawful election by the Church, with calling upon the name of the Lord, and in that order which the Word of God teacheth. Therefore every one must take heed, not to intrude himself by indecent means, but is bound to wait till it shall please God to call him; that he may have testimony of his calling, and be certain and assured that it is of the Lord. As for the ministers of God's Word, they have equally the same power and authority wheresoever they are, as they are all ministers of Christ, the only universal Bishop, and the only Head of the Church. Moreover, that this holy ordinance of God may not be violated or slighted, we say that every one ought to esteem the ministers of God's Word, and the elders of the church, very highly for their work's sake, and be at peace with them without murmuring, strife or contention, as much as possible.

Church Order, Article 36:

Art. 36. The classis has the same jurisdiction over the consistory as the particular synod has over the classis and the general synod over the particular.

Only the consistory has authority over the local congregation. Church Order, Article 84.

Art. 84. No church shall in any way lord it over other churches, no minister over other ministers, no elder or deacon over other elders or deacons.

The Form for the Installation of Elders and Deacons:

"...called of God's Church, and consequently of God himself...."

The term, "Calvinism," is not the name by which we Calvinists prefer to have our faith called; nor do we prefer to call ourselves "Calvinists." Calvin was the name of a man, a great servant of God, John Calvin. He was one of the Reformers by whom the Holy Spirit reformed the Church in the 16th century. To call ourselves "Calvinists" and our faith "Calvinism" leaves the impression that we follow a man and that these beliefs are the invention of a man. In fact, these terms originally were terms of derision used by our enemies, as were also the names, "Christian," and "Protestant." Therefore, from the very beginiing, Calvinists called themselves "Reformed," or "Presbyterian." Thus, they deliberately distinguished themselves from the other great branch of the Protestant Reformation, the Lutheran Church, which did call itself by the name of a man (contrary to the wishes of Luther himself).

Nevertheless, "Calvinism" and "Calvinist" are useful terms, today. They are widely known, even though that be, in part, through the attack upon, and reproach of, Calvinism by its enemies. Also, the name, "Calvinist," is embraced by persons and churches who are not Reformed, or Presbyterian, but who confess those tenets of Calvinism which they call "the doctrines of grace." "Calvinism" has come to stand for certain doctrines, a certain system of truth. We have no objection to calling these doctrines "Calvinism" as long as two things are clearly understood. First, it must be understood that not the man, John Calvin, but Holy Scripture is the source of them. Second, it must be understood that we who embrace these truths are not disciples of a man, Calvin, but are concerned exclusively to follow God's eternal Son in our flesh, Jesus Christ, exactly by confessing these doctrines.

There are different ways of viewing Calvinism. Some have discovered political implications in Calvinism, e.g., strong opposition to every form of tyranny. Others have found Calvinism important for economics. Max Weber thought to trace the spirit of capitalism to Calvinism, indeed, to Calvinism's doctrine of double predestination. We could examine Calvinism as a total world-and-life-view. It is more, much more, than a set of doctrines, and certainly much more than five points of doctrine. Like humanism or Marxism, Calvinism is a world-and-life-view with which a man takes a stand in every area of human life. Also, Calvinism involves one with the Church, the instituted Church, and is not only the personal beliefs of the individual; it is through and through ecclesiastical. With the early Church, Calvinism fervently holds that "outside the Church is no salvation."

At its heart, however, Calvinism is theology, true religion; and this means doctrine. This is how we will be viewing Calvinism, here. We limit ourselves to a consideration of Calvinism as the Gospel.

Calvinism is the Gospel. Its outstanding doctrines are simply the truths that make up the Gospel. Departure from Calvinism, therefore, is apostasy from the Gospel of God's grace in Christ. Our defense of Calvinism, then, will proceed as follows. First, we will show that Calvinism is the Gospel. This is necessary because of its detractors, who criticize it as a perversion of the Gospel. Second, we will defend it as the Gospel. In doing this, we carry out the calling that every believer has from God. Paul wrote that he was "set for the defense of the Gospel" (Philippians 1:17). I Peter 3:15 calls every believer to give an answer, an "apology," or defense, to everyone who asks us a reason for the hope that is in us. As the name indicates, Calvinism is a certain teaching associated with John Calvin; it refers to Biblical doctrines that he propounded.

Calvin was a Frenchman, born in 1509 and died at 55 in 1564, who lived during the Reformation of the Church, a contemporary of Martin Luther. He was converted from Roman Catholicism early in his life, "by a sudden conversion," he tells us in his preface to his commentary on the Psalms, "since I was too obstinately devoted to the superstitions of Popery to be easily extricated from so profound an abyss of mire," and labored on behalf of the Protestant Faith all the rest of his life. He lived and worked in Geneva, Switzerland as a pastor and theologian. His labor was prodigious. He preached almost daily; did an immense pastoral work; carried on a massive correspondence; and wrote commentaries, tracts, and other theological works. He is remembered especially for his great work on Christian theology, Institutes of the Christian Religion (which still exercises great influence, which every professing Protestant could profitably read, and which every critic of Calvinism ought to have studied, if he wishes to be taken seriously), and for his commentaries on almost every book of the Bible. Calvin's Protestant contemporaries recognized his outstanding gifts, especially in theology and exposition of Scripture. They referred to him simply as "the Theologian."

Calvin's influence in all the world, already during his lifetime and ever afterwards, was tremendous. Luther, of course, stands alone, as the founder of the Protestant Reformation. But Calvin, benefiting from Luther, outstripped even Luther in influencing the Church of Christ in all the world.

In the history of the Church, Calvinism is the name for the faith of the Reformed and Presbyterian branch of the Protestant Reformation. These Churches were called "Reformed" in Germany, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In England, Scotland, and the north of Ireland, they were called "Presbyterian." This faith was early expressed in written confessions, or creeds. Among the confessions of the Reformed Churches are the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession of Faith, and the Canons of Dordt. The great Presbyterian creeds are the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Catechisms. All of these confessions are in essential agreement.

The Reformed and Presbyterian Churches insisted that the teaching embodied in these creeds, that which is now called Calvinism, was the revelation of God in Holy Scripture. Calvinism bases itself on Scripture. It holds fully the Protestant principle of sola scriptura (Scripture alone). The doctrine of Scripture is the very foundation of Calvinism. It is a mistake, therefore, to define Calvinism apart from its belief concerning Scripture.

The Bible is the only authority in and over the Church. It is this because it is the inspired Word of God, as II Timothy 3:16 claims: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." As such, Scripture is the "infallible rule" (Belgic Confession, Article VII). It may not be ignored, questioned, or subjected to criticism, but must be received, believed, and obeyed. This is vital for Calvinism because Calvinism teaches many things about which man complains, "These are hard sayings, who can hear them?" For Calvinism, the question is not, "will men in the 20th century like these things?" But the question is, "Does the Word of God say so?"

Calvinism is concerned to proclaim the Scriptures. The preaching of Scripture, both within the Church and outside the Church, is the central interest of Calvinism. It is false to conceive of Calvinism as a theoretical, abstruse science carried on by heady intellectuals in ivory towers. With the entire Reformation, it wanted, and wants today, to preach the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes.

Calvinism, then, can rightly be viewed as certain basic doctrines, the so-called "five points of Calvinism." But even here, a word of caution is in order. Historically, it is something of a misnomer to call these doctrines "Calvinism." On these doctrines, there was no difference between Luther and Calvin. These two leading Reformers were in agreement in their teaching on the doctrines of predestination, the depravity of the fallen man, and justification by faith alone. Indeed, almost without exception, all of the Reformers embraced what we now call "Calvinism." Besides, the "five points of Calvinism," as five particular doctrines that distinguish Calvinism, originated after Calvin's death. They were formulated by a Synod of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, in 1618-l619, the Synod of Dordt, in response to an attack on these five doctrines by a group within the Reformed Churches that were known as the Remonstrants, or Arminians. This Synod set forth, confessed, explained, and defended these five truths in the Canons of the Synod of Dordt. But it was Calvin who developed these truths, systematically and fully; and therefore, they came to be called by his name.

Total depravity is one of the five points of Calvinism. This doctrine teaches that man, every man, is by nature sinful and evil -- only and completely sinful and evil. There is in man, apart from God's grace in Christ, no good and no ability for good. By "good" is meant that which pleases God, namely, a deed that has its origin in the faith of Jesus, its standard in the Law of God, and its goal in God's glory. From conception and birth, every man is guilty before God and worthy of everlasting damnation. This is man's plight because of the fall of the entire human race m Adam, as Romans 5:12-21 teaches: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned..." Not only is every man guilty from conception and birth, but he is also corrupt, or depraved. This depravity is total. One aspect of this misery of man is the bondage, or slavery, of man's will. The will of every man, apart from the liberating grace of the Spirit of Christ, is enslaved to the Devil and to sin. It is willingly enslaved, but it is enslaved. It is unable to will, desire, or choose God, Christ, salvation, or the good. It is not free to choose good.

It is not Calvinism, that God forces men to sin or that men sin unwillingly, but that the natural man's spiritual condition is such that he cannot think, will, or do anything good. On this doctrine, Luther and Calvin were in perfect agreement. Luther, in fact, wrote a book called The Bondage of the Will in which he asserted that the fundamental issue of the Reformation, the basic difference between genuine Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, is this issue, whether the will of the natural man is bound or free. Calvinism shows itself as pure Protestantism by its confession concerning the will in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chap. IX,III,IV:

Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good....

Another of the five points of Calvinism is the truth of limited atonement. There is deliverance for fallen men only in Jesus Christ, God's eternal Son in our flesh. This deliverance occurred in the death of Christ on the cross. His death was atonement for sins, inasmuch as He satisfied the righteousness of God, suffering the penalty of God's wrath in our stead who deserved that wrath because of our sins. Jesus' death was efficacious; it saved! It saved everyone for whom He died. It removed, in full, the punishment of everyone in whose stead Jesus died. He atoned for some, particular men, not for all without exception His atonement was limited as regards the number of men for whom He died and whom He redeemed. They are "His people" (Matthew 1:21); His "sheep" (John 10:15: "I lay down my life for the sheep"); and "as many as (the Father) hast given (Jesus)" (John 17:2).

It is not Calvinism, that any, even one, who seeks salvation will be denied, but that the death of Jesus saved, that it was efficacious, that it was not in vain.

The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father; and purchased not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him. To all those for whom Christ hath purchased redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same ... (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chap. VIII,V,VIII)

Irresistible grace, or efficacious grace, is a third of the five points of Calvinism. This doctrine refers to the actual saving of fallen men by the Holy Spirit, in applying to them the redemption accomplished on the cross. This work of salvation is wholly the work of God; it takes place by grace alone. Negatively, this means two things. First, the salvation of a man is not something that any man deserves, or makes himself worthy of, in any way. Second, salvation is not a work that man accomplishes, in whole or in part. Man does not co-operate with God in bringing about his salvation. Positively, that salvation takes place by grace alone means that salvation is freely given to men by God, merely out of His love and goodness. Also, it means that this salvation is accomplished by God's power, the Holy Spirit. He regenerates; He calls; He gives faith; He sanctifies; He glorifies. This work of saving and the power of grace by which the Holy Spirit performs this work are efficacious. In carrying out this work, the Spirit and His grace do not make a man's salvation possible, but effectually save him. It is not on the order of a mere attempt by God that depends, ultimately, on the man whom God tries to save and that may, therefore, be frustrated and come to naught; but it is on the order of a work of creation that sovereignly and unfailingly makes the man whom God is pleased to save a new creature in Jesus Christ.

It is not Calvinism, that God forces men, kicking and screaming, into heaven, but that God makes a man willing, who before was unwilling. In the Canons of Dordt, the Reformed believer describes the saving work of irresistible grace this way:

...it is evidently a supernatural work, most powerful, and at the same time most delightful, astonishing, mysterious, and ineffable; not inferior in efficacy to creation, or the resurrection from the dead... so that all in whose heart God works in this marvelous manner, are certainly, infallibly, and effectively regenerated, and do actually believe ... (III,W,12)

The doctrine of the perseverance of saints, or "eternal security," as some call it, follows from the truth of irresistible grace. Not one person to whom God gives the grace of the Holy Spirit will perish, because that grace and Spirit preserve him unto the perfect salvation of the Day of Christ.

It is not Calvinism, that one may do as he pleases and still be saved, or that a saint can never fall into sin. Against the charge that the doctrine of perseverance implies that one may do as he pleases and still go to heaven, Calvinism replies that the Holy Spirit preserves us by sanctifying us, by strengthening our faith, and by giving us the gift of endurance. As for the "melancholy falls" of Christians, the saints can, and sometimes do, fall into sin, even "great and heinous sins," but the indwelling Spirit, never wholly withdrawn from them, brings them to repentance. Calvinism imparts to all true believers the inestimably precious comfort of the "certain persuasion, that they ever will continue true and living members of the church; and that they experience forgiveness of sins, and will at last inherit eternal life" (Canons of Dordt, V,9).

All of the salvation described above has its source in God's eternal election. The truth of election is another of the characteristic Calvinistic doctrines. God has from eternity elected, or chosen, in Christ, some of the fallen human race - a certain, definite number of persons - unto salvation. This choice was unconditional, gracious, and free; it was not due to anything foreseen in those who were chosen. Reprobation is implied. God did not choose all men; but He rejected some men, in the eternal decree. It makes no essential difference whether one views reprobation as God's passing by some men with His decree of election in eternity (which is, in fact, a Divine decision about their eternal destiny), or whether one views it as a positive decree that some men perish in their sin, their unbelief and disobedience. Election and reprobation make up predestination, the doctrine that God has determined the destiny of all men from eternity. This truth is regarded, not inaccurately, as the hallmark of Calvinism. The very heart of the Reformed Church is election, God's gracious choice of us sinners, guilty and depraved, worthy only of damnation, unto salvation.

Election is the fountain of all salvation! As such, it is the ultimate, decisive, convincing proof and guarantee that salvation is gracious - that salvation does not depend upon man, but upon God; that salvation is not man's idea, but God's; that salvation is not man's work, but God's; that salvation is not due to man's decision for God, but to God's eternal decision for man.

This is how Calvin himself viewed predestination - as the final, conclusive, incontrovertible testimony to, and guarantee of, gracious salvation. Therefore, in his definitive edition of the Institutes (1559), Calvin treated predestination at the end of Book III, after his treatment of redemption in Christ and his treatment of the application of redemption by the Holy Spirit. Calvin wrote:

We shall never feel persuaded as we ought that our salvation flows from the free mercy of God as its fountain, until we are made acquainted with His eternal election, the grace of God being illustrated by the contrast - viz, that He does not adopt promiscuously to the hope of salvation, but gives to some what He denies to others" (III,XXI,1).

This is Calvinism!

This is the Gospel!

The Gospel proclaims man's misery as total depravity, including the bondage of his will. Ephesians 2:1 diagnoses the spiritual condition of the sinner, prior to the quickening of the Spirit of Christ, thus: "dead in trespasses and sins." Spiritually dead, the sinner is lacking all good, any ability for good, and both the power and the inclination to effect a change in this condition. Himself is helpless and his condition, hopeless - the helplessness and hopelessness of death. Romans 8:7-8 passes the same judgment upon fallen man: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." The "carnal mind" is human nature as it is by virtue of natural birth. Its condition is such that it is incapable of being in subjection to God's law. Those who are in the flesh are those who are not born again by the Spirit of Christ, those who are outside of Christ. Their spiritual condition is such that they are incapable of pleasing God; all that they are able to do is sin. For a sinner to will and to do of God's good pleasure, God must work in him both the willing and the doing, by the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:13).

The Gospel proclaims the death of Christ as a death that effectively redeems some men, rather than as a death that merely makes salvation possible for all men. Scripture teaches limited atonement. Jesus Himself taught this about His own death in John 10:15 "... and I lay down my life for the sheep." A little further in the same chapter, the Lord specifically states that some men are not included among "the sheep": "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you" (v.26). He died for some men, "the sheep," in distinction from other men, who are not of His sheep. Jesus described His death similarly inMatthew 20:28: "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for (Greek: 'in the stead of') many." The important point is not so much that He spoke of those for whom He died as "many," not as "all," as it is that he spoke of His death as the ransom given in the stead of others. By dying, He paid the ransom-price to God on behalf of many sinners. He did this by taking their place, giving up his own life where theirs was forfeit. The effect of this death is that everyone for whom He died is freed from sin, death, and hell. Not one for whom He died will perish. None may perish, for the ransom is paid. This Gospel (and there is no other) was preached already by the evangelistic prophet, Isaiah, in Isaiah 53: the suffering Christ bears away the iniquities of God's people by being smitten of God as their substitute.

The Gospel proclaims an irresistible grace, as the power that saves elect sinners. It cannot be otherwise, if the sinner is "dead in trespasses and sins." Having taught this in Ephesians 2:1, the apostle goes on to teach irresistible grace in verses 4,5: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)." The saving of the sinner, in every case, is God's raising him from the dead, comparable to Jesus' wonders of raising the physically dead. Now two things are true about resurrection: it is the act of God alone, in which the one who is raised does not cooperate; and it is effectual - God never fails to accomplish the resurrection of any whom He purposes to raise. In verse 10 of this chapter, Paul likens the work by which we were saved to the work of creation, thus making dear that this work is exclusively the work of God the Creator, and not at all the work of the creature that is created: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works ..." Jesus explained that salvation takes place by the sovereign drawing-power of Almighty God, in John 6:44: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him."

The Gospel proclaims the perseverance of the saints. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one" (John 10:27-30). Jesus gives eternal life to every one of His sheep; and not one of those saints shall ever perish. It is impossible that anyone could pluck a saint out of God's hand, that is, cause a regenerated child to fall away to perdition. The reason is not the strength of the saints, but the power of the grace of God ("my Father ... is greater than all"). These words of Jesus make plain that the comforting truth of perseverance depends upon election and irresistible grace. The saints persevere, because the Father gave them to Jesus and because Jesus gives (not: tries to give, but: gives) them eternal life.

As the source and foundation of salvation, the Gospel proclaims Divine election. This truth is on the very face of the entire Old Testament Bible: God chose Israel unto salvation, rejecting the other nations. The mediator of the old covenant tells Israel, "the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you ..." (Deut. 7:6-8).

In perfect harmony with this obvious truth of the old covenant, the Mediator of the new covenant traces every aspect of His salvation back to Divine election. His life-giving death stems from election: "that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him" (John 17:2). His priestly pity and intercessory prayer are regulated by election: "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine" (John 17:9). His saving revelation of the truth to men depends upon election: "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world..." (John 17:6). The coming of men to Him in true faith is effected by election: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me..." (John 6:37). His preservation of men in faith and His resurrection of these men in glory are due to election: "... that of all which he bath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39).

Election has a prominent place in the Gospel preached by the apostles. It is the cause of the salvation of every one who is saved, and the source of every blessing of salvation: "... the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings ... according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world ." (Ephesians 1:3,4). Upon eternal predestination was forged the golden (and unbreakable) chain of salvation: "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Romans 8:30). The entire river of the mercy of God in Jesus flows out of His will of election; and the sovereign graciousness of this will is illustrated by this, that God hardens some men according to His eternal decree of reprobation: "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" (Romans 9:18).

There can be no ignoring of these doctrines, called "Calvinism"; if they are not preached and confessed, they are denied. Every preacher, every Church, every member of every Church must take a stand regarding them, and does take a stand. It is impossible not to. For they are writ large on the pages of Scripture, as essential elements of the gospel. Whoever rejects Calvinism embraces the only alternative to Calvinism - a system of doctrine that is opposed to Calvinism in every point.

Does a man reject total depravity? Then he believes that fallen, natural man yet retains some good and some ability for good, specifically a will that is able to make a decision for Christ; that man outside of Christ is not dead in sins, but merely sick, that is, not dead, but alive.

Does a man reject limited atonement? Then he believes that Jesus died for each and every human being without exception. Because both Scripture and the hard facts of life teach that some men do perish in hell, this advocate of universal atonement believes that the death of Jesus did not actually atone for sins at all, but merely made atonement possible; that the cross was not the payment of the ransom in the stead of every one for whom Christ died, but merely an example of love; that the suffering of the Son of God did not effectually satisfy the justice of God by bearing sins away, but merely...? Did what? Anything at all? And if not, was He really the eternal Son of God in the flesh?

Does a man reject irresistible grace? Then he believes that God's call to salvation and the grace of the Holy Spirit depend upon the acceptance of the sinner by the exercise of his "free will," so that God's grace can be defeated and fail. Further, he believes that, whenever a sinner does come to Jesus in true faith and receives salvation, this is not due to the grace of God, but to the good will of the sinner.

Does a man reject the perseverance of saints? Then he believes that every believer can fall away and perish at any time, including himself.

Does a man reject predestination? Then he believes that the ultimate source and foundation of salvation is man's choice, decision, and will.

In the end, there are two, and only two, possible faiths. The one maintains that all mankind lies in death; that God in free and sovereign grace eternally chose some; that God gave Christ to die for those whom He chose; that the Holy Spirit regenerates them and calls them efficaciously to faith; and that the Spirit preserves these elect, redeemed, and reborn sinners unto everlasting glory. This is Calvinism.

The other faith maintains that fallen man retains some spiritual ability for good, some life; that God's choice of men depends upon their exercise of the ability for good that is in them; that Christ's death depends upon that good in man; and that the attainment of final glory depends upon that good in man. This is the enemy of Calvinism. This is the enemy of the Gospel! For Calvinism proclaims salvation by grace; the other faith preaches salvation by man's will and works and worth.

Calvinism is the Gospel! God's Gospel is the message of wholly gracious salvation. This does not mean that Calvinism is unoffensive. On the contrary! Calvin himself took note, long ago, of the offensiveness of the truth that he taught, with reference specifically to total depravity:

I am not unaware how much more plausible the view is, which invites us rather to ponder on our good qualities than to contemplate what must overwhelm us with shame - our miserable destitution and ignominy. There is nothing more acceptable to the human mind than flattery... if a discourse is pronounced which flatters the pride spontaneously springing up in man's inmost heart, nothing seems more delightful. Accordingly, in every age, he who is most forward in extolling the excellence of human nature, is received with the loudest applause. (Institutes, 11,1,2)

But the offensiveness of Calvinism to men is nothing other than the offense of the cross of Christ. In Galatians 5:11, Paul speaks of "the offense of the cross," an offense that ceases only in the preaching of a cross-denying heresy. The cross of Christ, which is the very heart of the Gospel, is not pleasing to man, or acceptable to him. "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (I Corinthians 1:23). The cross, as the cross of the eternal Son of God in our flesh, shows the extent of fallen man's misery: he can be saved only by the death of the Son of God. Words finally fail to do justice to the greatness of the misery of the sinner, brought out by the cross: utterly lost, completely ruined, totally depraved. The cross shows that salvation is of the Lord, wholly of Divine grace, and not at all of man. As the cross of the Prince of life, the cross is powerful to save. Nothing and no one can nullify or defeat the blood and Spirit of Christ crucified. The Gospel of the cross is this message: "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" (Romans 9:16).

Just because this is the message of Calvinism, Calvinism is offensive to men. It is offensive to proud man to hear that he is spiritually dead, totally devoid of anything pleasing to God, unable at all to save himself, nothing more than a child of wrath. But this is the judgment passed upon him in Calvinism - and in the Gospel. It is offensive to proud man to hear that salvation is exclusively God's free gift and sovereign, gracious work. But this is what Calvinism - and the Gospel - proclaim.

Just because of this, Calvinism is good news! It is Gospel, glad tidings! As the message of grace, it comforts us and all those who, by the grace of the Spirit, believe in Christ. Only this message provides hope for lost, sinful, and otherwise hopeless men. There is salvation, only because salvation is gracious.

Defending Calvinism is simply a matter of defending the Gospel. Therefore, we do not defend it apologetically, or defensively, or even as if its fortunes were doubtful, dependent on our defense. As the truth of God, Calvinism stands, and will stand - victorious, invincible. God Himself maintains it; and God Himself sends it forth on an irresistible course of conquest throughout the world.

Calvinism is the Gospel for every age. It is the truth for which and by which the Reformation of the Church of Jesus Christ took place in the 16th century. The Gospel has not changed since that time; Jesus Christ in His truth is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever. But the truth of the Gospel is largely lost and buried in the Protestant Churches in our day, including many who pride themselves on being "fundamental" and "evangelical." The Gospel is perverted by a message that is essentially the same as that message against which the Reformation fought and which on its part bitterly opposed the Reformation. In those days, Rome preached a salvation that had to be earned by man's own works, as indeed it still preaches today; Rome taught that men were righteous before God, in part, by their own works, as indeed it still teaches today. In our day, the Protestant Churches teach and preach that salvation depends upon man's own will; they proclaim that the sinner must achieve his own salvation by willing. This "gospel" of much of Protestantism and the "gospel" of Rome are one and the same. Essentially, there is no difference between them. This is the reason why many Protestant Churches, preachers, evangelists, and people find it possible to co-operate closely with the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the work of evangelism; and this is the reason why a great reunion with Rome on the part of many Protestants is in the offing. Rome says, "Salvation depends upon man working;" modern Protestantism says, "Salvation depends upon man willing." Both are saying the same thing: "Salvation depends upon man." The apostle lumps both of these variations of the same basic doctrine together in Romans 9:16, and condemns them: "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."

Having condemned these heresies, Paul declares that the source of our salvation is God showing mercy - only God showing mercy; he proclaims that salvation depends upon God showing mercy - only upon God showing mercy. This is the message of Calvinism; and because it is, our defense of Calvinism is a bold, uncompromisingly, unashamed defense. We say of Calvinism what B. B. Warfield once said of it: "the future of Christianity - as its past has done - lies in its hands."

We repudiate the false accusations made against Calvinism, and the caricatures made of it. Men say of Calvinism that it is destructive of good works and of the law of God, that it produces careless Christians. Men say that it is destructive of zeal for preaching and missions. Men say that it is terrifying to poor consciences, that it is cold and hard, and that Calvinists are all head and no heart. These are old charges, hoary with age. You will find them, almost word-for-word, lodged against the apostle, Paul, and the Gospel that he preached (cf. Romans 3:8; 3:31; 6:1f.; and 9:19ff.).

Would that men were not so ready to accept the caricature of Calvinism contrived by its enemies, but rather let Calvinism speak for itself, in its confessions. Read the Heidelberg Catechism, or the Westminster Catechisms, and see for yourself whether Calvinism is hard and cold and cruel, or whether it is warm and comforting. Read the Belgic Confession, or the Westminster Confession of Faith, and see whether Calvinism goes lightly over the law of God and over the good works of the Christian man, or whether it trembles before the law, stresses sanctification, and insists on the necessity of good works. Read the Canons of Dordt, the Reformed creed that is unsurpassed in its statement of predestination and in its defense of salvation by grace alone, and see whether Calvinism cuts the nerve of a lively preaching of the Gospel, including the serious call of the Gospel to all who come under the preaching. See also the tenderness of the Reformed Faith towards penitent sinners, and its deep pastoral concern for afflicted consciences.

At the same time, we Reformed people and churches must refute the caricatures of Calvinism by our life and deeds. This also belongs to an "apology for Calvinism." We do well to take heed to ourselves, as well as to our doctrine. Are we zealous for good works? Are we ready to preach the Gospel to every creature and to give an answer to every man that asks us a reason for the hope that is in us? Do we manifest ourselves as joyful, hopeful, confident saints? This we will do, by God's grace, if we live out of the truth of Calvinism, that is, the Gospel.

We have a powerful motive for defending Calvinism. For one thing, as the Gospel it is the only hope for sinful men - the only power of God unto salvation, the only means of the gathering and preserving of the Church.

Even more compelling, Calvinism glorifies God. The glory of God is the heartbeat of Calvinism, and the heart of hearts of every Calvinist. Calvin's enemies have always seen this and have sneered at him as "that God-intoxicated man." Calvinism gives the magnificent answer to the question, "What is the chief end of man?": "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Quest. 1). But the glory of God is the goal of the Gospel, that is, the goal of God Himself through the Gospel: "...to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Ephesians 1:6). His glory He will not give to another (Isaiah 42:8). "Of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things;" to Him, therefore, be glory for ever. (Romans 11:36)

FOREWORD

"The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein" (Ps. 111:2). This touches upon our heart: in what do we take pleasure?

Jehovah’s works centre in His salvation of His church in Jesus Christ: glorious works wrought before the foundation of the world, at the cross of Calvary and in the hearts and lives of His people.

This is the calling and delight of the saints: to seek to understand these works. In this wonderful activity, all of God’s faithful children are occupied, for Jehovah’s works are "sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

This book is written to help God’s people in their delightful calling to search out and study the wonderful works of the Triune God.

Its authors, Profs. David Engelsma and Herman Hanko, have between them spent almost 100 years in the Christian ministry extolling and magnifying "the God of all grace" (I Peter 5:10) and His "so great salvation" (Heb. 2:3), in preaching and polemics, in catechising and counselling, in lecturing and writing. Between them, they have authored or edited some 20 books, including the previous publication of the British Reformed Fellowship (BRF), Keeping God’s Covenant.

The six chapters of The Five Points of Calvinism were originally the six main speeches at the ninth biennial British Reformed Fellowship Family Conference at Cloverley Hall, Shropshire, England, in 2006. This little book proclaims the doctrines of grace, both warmly and antithetically, and with deep scriptural penetration. It draws upon a wealth of historical and creedal material, especially theCanons of Dordt (1618-1619), the original Five Points of Calvinism. Here is robust, unashamed and uncompromising Calvinism which is also deeply personal and moving, calling the saints to love, confess and promote "the true grace of God" in Christ Jesus (I Peter 5:12).

Reader, the biblical truth of God’s sovereign grace is near you, even in a book in your hand; you do not need to descend into the depths of the sea, encompassed with seaweed, and be swallowed by a great fish, like Jonah, to learn that "Salvation is of the Lord"—all of it (Jonah 2:10)!

This book is sent forth "to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6), that we might grow in gratitude and worship Him for His great work of saving us in Jesus Christ.

Rev. Angus Stewart
BRF Chairman

CONTENTS

Foreword
Chapter 1: The History of Calvinism
Chapter 2: Unconditional Election
Chapter 3: Particular Redemption
Chapter 4: Total Depravity
Chapter 5: Irresistible Grace
Chapter 6: The Perseverance of Saints

Now also available in eBook form! Visit the Covenant PRC site for more information.

{google_docs}images/books/fivepoints.pdf{/google_docs}

This article first appeared in the February 1, 2014 issue of The Standard Bearer. Rev.J.Laning is the pastor of Hull PRC in Hull, Iowa.

When people hear us say that an unbeliever is spiritually dead and completely unable to do good works, they sometimes ask us whether we are denying that human beings have a free will.  The answer to that question depends on which human beings you are referring to, and what you mean by free.

How our Lord explained freedom

    It is important that we speak of freedom and bondage the way that Scripture does.  To be in bondage is to be a servant of sin and Satan.  To be free is to be liber­ated from this, so that we are able to do that which is good in the eyes of God.

    This, of course, is not the way that sinful man views freedom.  He thinks he is free when he is able to do whatever he wants.  But what sinful man wants is always evil. And for a man to pursue the evil that he wants is not to be free, but to be enslaved.

    Jesus pointed this out when responding to some Jews who denied that they were in bondage.  Jesus had just finished saying that those who continued in His word were truly His disciples, and that His disciples would know the truth, and that the truth would set them free.  To this these Jews responded, and said:  “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man:  how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” (John 8:33b).

    Jesus then explained that the freedom He was talking about was a spiritual freedom.  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34).

    So if we are going to speak of freedom the way our Lord did, we will say that to have a free will is to have a will that is not enslaved to sin.  It is to have a righteous and holy will that brings forth the fruit of good actions.

How the will is freed

    So how does the will of a person become freed?  Scripture and our confessions teach that our will becomes freed when God “infuses new qualities into the will” (Canons 3/4, 11).

    Our Canons go on to express what those new qualities are:  “God infuses new qualities of faith, of obedience, and of the consciousness of His love into our hearts” (Canons 3/4, B, 6).

    The first reference speaks of God infusing something into our will, and the second speaks of God infusing something into our heart.  The two statements to­gether teach that when God infuses something into our heart, He infuses it into our will.

    To prove that this infusing really does take place, our fathers quoted a number of Scripture passages.  The first one they refer to is a passage from Jeremiah that speaks of God putting His word in our hearts:   “After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jer. 31:33b).

    When God regenerates us, the word of God really does enter our heart.  And it is because God’s word is in our heart that we are now able to begin to do what that word says:  “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deut. 30:14) .

    It is in this way that God infuses new qualities of faith, obedience, and a con­sciousness of His love into our hearts.  When God’s word is in our heart, we believe in God.  We know Him, love Him, and are free to do what His word says.

    The unregenerate, however, do not have God’s word in their heart. When Christ spoke to some unbelievers, He said:  “ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you” (John 8:37).

    God’s word was not in the heart of these people.  That explains why they hated what God said to them.  First God puts His word in our heart, and only then do we love Him, listen to Him, and strive to do what pleases Him.

Only the “good trees” have a free will

    It is when these new qualities have been infused into a person, that the indi­vidual becomes a good tree, able to produce good fruit. The Canons say that God “infuses new qualities into the will, which, though heretofore dead, He quickens; from being evil, disobedient, and refractory, He renders it good, obedient, and pliable; actuates and strengthens it, that like a good tree it may bring forth the fruits of good actions” (Canons 3/4, 11).

     Here we have yet another passage in our confessions that clearly speaks of how only those who have been regenerated can do good works.  Something must be infused into us first, so that we go from being corrupt trees that produce only corrupt fruit, to being good trees that “bring forth the fruit of good actions.”

    So the regenerated or “good trees” are the only ones who have a free will.  By nature they were dead trees that were in the bondage of corruption.  But God has raised them from the dead, quickening their dead will, so that now they are freed from corruption, and are able to produce fruit that is truly good.

    We believers confess that Christ, the Truth, really has set us free.  And the more we come to hear the truth preached, and believe that truth preached, the more that we experience the joy of that freedom.

    This is the true freedom.  As our Lord Himself said:  “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

    We are free indeed!  Free to do what is pleasing to God, which is also what we genuinely desire to do in the new man.  May we rejoice as those truly liberated, and show our love and thankfulness to our God by continuing in His word, that we might ever more so experience the liberating power of the truth, as it is applied to our heart by Christ’s Spirit.

Psalm 14:2-3

Do you realize that there is not one basic truth of Scripture that we must believe, if we are to understand and appreciate our salvation, that is not taught in the book of Psalms?

One of these is the very humiliating truth that we come into this world spiritually dead. Not spiritually sick, weak, or paralyzed but DEAD, which means that we must be given a new life before we can even want to be saved. For God clearly teaches this in Psalm 14:2-3, where He tells us, "The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is not one that doeth good, no not one." Notice that all are gone aside and become filthy — and the Hebrew word here means that they stink like a dead body— and that there is not one that does good. Had man kept just a little spiritual life, he would have performed at least one good work.

But here is the truth God told Adam before he fell. He would die the day that he sinned. That day he did not die physically, although death began in his body, but he did die spiritually that day. And that is why Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1 that God quickens — that is, makes alive those dead in trespasses and sins.

Remember that when you sing the versification of David's words:

    From righteousness they all depart,
    Corrupt are all, and vile in heart;
    Yea ev'ry man has evil done;
    Not one does good, not even one.

Hold on to that truth. Ours was a complete loss. We lost all ability to love God and serve Him. We do not help God save us. He even has to give us the desire to be saved. For dead men do nothing, even as children contribute nothing to their conception or birth. They neither ask for it nor help make it possible.

Take that truth with you today. Let it humble you before God and help you to be thankful for what He has done for you. How much is it not then that we owe Him? By all means do not think that we help God and let Him save us. Dead men have nothing to say about what happens to them.

Read: Psalm 14 
Psalter versification: 23:3

Daily  Meditations
 on the Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter #55
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Deuteronomy 32:28-52 
Luke 12:35-59 
Psalm 78:56-64 
Proverbs 12:24 
****

Quote for Reflection:

But as far as it is a symbol of our confession, we ought by it to testify that our confidence is in God’s mercy, and our purity in forgiveness of sins, which has been procured for us through Jesus Christ; and that we enter God’s church in order to live harmoniously with all believers in complete agreement of faith and love.  This last point was what Paul meant when he said, ”We have all been baptized in one Spirit that we may be one body." (I Corinthians 12:13).  -- John Calvin, (Institutes of the Christian Religion)

This article first appeared in The Standard Bearer (April 1, 1963) and was a meditation written by Rev.Gerrit Vos.

"And they that passed by reviled Him."

Matt. 27:39

Ages ago a certain saint suffered deeply from the indifference of his fellows. He was afflicted, steeped in a sorrow which had no equal. Naturally he longed for compassion, for loving mercy, sympathy. But they passed him by. 

That hurts. 

Listen to him: "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of His fierce anger?"

That hurts. We can all speak of this hurt. Somehow, somewhere, to some degree we have tasted of thisindifference of our fellows. 

It is so unnatural. Lack of interest in the sorrow of our fellows smells of sulphur. Its origin is hell and the devil. 

You see, dear reader, when we come with the age-old, Biblical doctrine and confess that man, all men, are haters of God and haters of their neighbor, made in the similitude of God, it is so extremely difficult to elicit agreement. Well, they will admit that man is indifferent to real Godliness, to real interest in God and man, but then the word hate is so strong! Are you not somewhat extreme in your views, brother? Everybody is surely no hater of God and man! Witness the thousands of churches and "some regard for virtue, good order in society, and for maintaining an orderly external deportment!" How about the thousands of hospitals many and institutions of purely human and humane mercy? Eh? Is there no inclination to one-sidedness with you and your extreme theology?

Still, when all is said and done I am convinced that the passing by of man is the strongest expression of hate ever. It is indicative of utter contempt. Contempt can assume such awful proportions that its subject is indifferent to the object. That is the bathos of hate. 

And you and I know it. It is much easier to hear the utterances of hatred flung into our teeth, than to see the antagonist strutting past, not even deigning to look upon us. Say there, you, who are passing by—is it nothing to you that I hang here in utmost agony? 

It is so unnatural. 

God made us a race, an organism, a body, fitly joined together, every member supplying the cement of love, every member going out in harmony with the entire race so that the whole might be unutterably happy in love and friendship. And the whole body fitly joined together, would reach out to God, blessed forever! 

Indifference is the expression of death! 

Yes, there is regard for external behavior and good conduct, but I speak of the image-bearer of God. Man, made in the similitude of God, is a creature with a heart. And from that Heart are the issues of life. Nothing short of heart-life is demanded by God and man. Does not the law of God speak of a love that is so sweet that you love the neighbor as you love your selves? Indifference is its extreme opposite. Unnatural monster it is. 

How different is the Christ of God. 

Behold Him! He is leaving Jericho on His way to the: Cross. And coming events cast their shadows before. He is full of that Cross. It is revealed in utterances on that last: journey to the city of God. It is revealed in His mien. The apostles are amazed as they follow. He walks on ahead. 

A great multitude follows Him. The sound of many shuffling footsteps is heard on the dusty road that leads southward.

All of a sudden a piercing cry is heard: "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David!" We have been blind, lo, these many years! And our fellows are not only indifferent to us, but they even tell us to hold our peace, when we hear in solemn refrain the throng's reply: Jesus of Nazareth passeth by! They would even rob us of Thy wondrous compassion. We have heard so much of Thee, O Jesus! And we have faith in Thee. We know of Thy compassion for others. At last we have heard the answer which we have waited for so dreadfully long: Jesus of Nazareth passeth by! And they will cry all the more for the shown indifference of the multitude: Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us!

And Jesus? 

Is He like the rest of mankind? Is He not even now filled with nameless dread? Is His soul not troubled unto death? Does He not see the awful monster of eternal death which He must swallow unto victory? Can He, will He take time out for merely two blind tramps? 

Ah, but He is Jesus! He is not merely a man, but He is the perfect man, the good Man. He loves His neighbor as Himself. He is indeed willing to lay down His life for His sheep. And in the midst of the many different noises of the highway, He hears the voice of faith. And behind it all He hears the voice of His Father: See to it, My dearly Beloved, that Thou lose not one of them. It is the will of God, Jesus' Father, that He lose none of them. 

No, Jesus is not indifferent. He stands still. He does not pass by in indifference even as you and I. He takes time out for these two miserable wretches. No, that is not correct. His standing still for these two is part and parcel of His life, He is the Savior. 

Read it and weep for shame: He had compassion. Read it and weep, for we are indifferent. We would pass by. It is nothing to us that our brother's sorrow is like unto no other sorrow. We can enjoy (?) ourselves in the very midst of untold suffering that is around us. 

We pass by. That's the curse of our corrupt natures. 

Not so Jesus. He touched their eyes while His spirit is overwhelmed because of impending agony, He touched their blind eyes and immediately virtue goes out towards them: they are receiving their sight and they follow Him. That is: Heaven is born for them. 

On the way to hell, Jesus prepares heaven for others.

There is your and my example, brother. Are you not blushing for shame? Compare it with your and my cursed life of hatred and malice and envy and jealousy, yes, and indifference. 

Go to now, you would-be merciful Samaritans! You, you, the old man of sin and corruption, never stirs a foot out of the indifferent, selfish way that you tread. Ah, the mercy of the world is cruel. Hold thy peace! This to the cry of agony of the brother who is made in the similitude of God, blessed forever. 

Certainly there are the hospitals and institutions of human mercy, but they are the attempts of externaldeportment and outward behavior. The ever-repeated call from the blessed heavens is not to appear beautiful outwardly, but to be filled with bowels of mercy, with inward compassion for all the misery of man. And that requires a regenerated heart, first of all. And as an immediate corollary, that requires hospitals for the sickness of the soul, institutions against iniquity and trespasses.

Tell your doctor, while you are lying on his operating table, that he is on the way to hell because of his corruption: endeavor to preach the Gospel to him—and he will pass you by. The poor man has only external observance. He is akin to the god-forsaken mass of Israelites of whom the Lord complained: This people worship me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me! 

Indifference, passing by our brother in his utmost agony, it is the curse of spiritual death!

And Jesus? 

Throughout His whole life He stood still, enquired, was intensely interested in the suffering of His sheep.

He went through the land doing good. When He saw and heard the widow who brought her only son to the grave, He was filled with untold compassion. He halted the bier and spoke the word of life: I say unto you, young man, arise! And again, heaven appeared. And note the pathetic touch: "And He delivered him to his mother!" 

Ah, Jesus stands still. And the place of His pausing is your and my misery, brother. No, no, Jesus of Nazareth does not pass by. He stands still to save. 

And how have we requited Him for His standing still? 

Come with me; I will lead the way. We are ascending the place of the skull. Here we are. Do you hear that groaning, do you see that twisting of the limbs? Well, that is the agony of them that die the accursed death of the tree. These three forms are two murderers and the only real merciful Samaritan that ever lived. All other real mercy is but the outgoing of His virtue in others. He is the only Merciful One. Yes, and there He hangs now, between two murderers. That is His wages of the world and of the apostate church. When the mob summed up His life, they found that He was a malefactor, a rebel, inciting others to rebellion, and that He made Himself a King and the Son of God. A hellish mixture of truth and the lie. But that is His reward for doing good to you and to me.

And, finally, notice! Do you notice that there are passersby? Matt. 27:39. Yes, there are passers-by. 

I have searched in all my commentaries for the identity of the passers-by and there are many. Many learned answers I have found. Still, methinks, they do not fully fit the case in hand. The real point at issue they passed by. Certainly, they have been historical persons and I have no quarrel with their learned answers as far as they went. 

But here is the full answer: These passers-by are we, are the human race, are the corrupt world of so-called merciful men and women. 

"En ik dacht er met aan, dat ik zelf door mijn schuld: Zijn kroon had gevlochten, Zijn beker gevuld!" 

We have crucified the Christ of God. The nature of Judas, the Pharisees, Herod and Pilate and all their ilk, is my nature and your nature. It is the man of sin that "has hated Him without cause!" 

And this is the tragedy of my life: I still pass by, as far as the old man of sin is concerned. It is the cause of the cry of the night: Be merciful to me the sinner! 

But this is my song in the night of my sin: Jesus of Nazareth still stands still! 

Here is more than human, here is Divine mercy! 

And they follow Him. 

And that is heaven! 

Psalm 53:4

 Yesterday we noted that to say in the heart that there is no God is to say in the depth of our being that we hate God. And this means that in the heart we also hate those who confess God and serve Him.

As David writes in Psalm 53:4, "Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up My people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God." Or as our versification sings it:

    These men of evil deeds
    Will thy no knowledge gain,
    Who feed upon my people's woes,
    And prayer to God disdain?

Do you know this hatred of the unbeliever who says that there eye is no God? If not, you should seriously search your own heart and look carefully at your walk of life. Are you saying before the world with your words, but also with your deeds, that there is a God, and that you love Him?

These fools who say that there is no God, David says, do not call upon Him. Or as the versification has it, they ''prayer disdain.''  But what about you? Yes, in your home, with your family and in church among fellow saints, you bow your head in prayer and call upon God. But do you do that before unbelievers as well? Do you do so in public places at work or in a restaurant? Do you openly look to Him to bless that food, and give thanks to Him for His gifts?

In the measure that you do, the world will have no use for you and will feed upon your woes. You will soon begin to suffer their ridicule and find that they want no fellowship with you.

And the closer we come to the end of time, the more David's words will be our experience. Figuratively they will eat us up as they eat bread.

Jesus said it in John 15:18, ''If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.''  The world hates us because we display Christ before them. And they who crucified Christ will think nothing of eating us up as they eat bread. But there is a God, and He will bless us. He will make the world know its folly, and reveal to the unbelievers what wisdom He gave to us in His grace.

Read: Matthew 5:1-16 
Psalter versification: 146:4

Devotions on the Heidelberg Catechism
 

Song for Meditation: Psalter #376
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Numbers 14:1-15 : Numbers 6 
Mark 14:53-72 
Psalm 53:1-6 
Proverbs 11:4 
****

Quote for Reflection:

Seeking God’s Guidance: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him." (Prov. 3:6) This means, first, we must ask God's permission for all that we do, and not act without His leave; only then do we conduct our-selves as dutiful children and respectful servants. It means, second, that we seek God's guidance in every under-taking, acknowledging our ignorance and owning our complete dependence upon Him. "In every thing by prayer and supplication" (Phil. 4:6): only so is God's lordship over us owned in a practical way. It means, third, seeking God's glory in all our ways: "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Ah, if we only did so, how very different many of our "ways" would be! If we more frequently paused and inquired, Will this be for God's glory? we should be withheld from much sinning and from much folly, with all its painful consequences. It means, fourth, seeking God's blessing upon every-thing. Here is another simple and sufficient rule: anything on which I cannot ask God's blessing is WRONG.”  --A. Pink

Psalm 53:4

During so-called World War II (a truly worldwide war will not come until the days of the Antichrist), it was repeatedly said, "There are no Atheists in the fox holes." Then God's name came upon men's lips, and they cried to God for help and protection. Yet what David says in Psalm 53:4 is true. Those who say in their hearts that there is no God do not call upon God in prayer. A heart that says that there is no God will surely not call upon Him. Such a heart calls it folly to pray to a "nonexistent being.''

This is to be understood, for when a man looks heavenward to view the fleecy clouds, he is looking away from the grass at his feet. When he tries to find a coin which he dropped in the beach sand, he is turned away from the clouds above him. And that man that tramples God's law under feet, because in his heart he says that there is no God, is surely correctly described in the versification we considered yesterday:

    These men of evil deeds
    Will they no knowledge gain
    Who feed upon my people's woes,
    And prayer to God disdain?

With their minds they know better, and therefore in their desperate situations, when death seems very close, they will cry out for help and safety. With their lips they will call Him almighty and confess that they depend upon Him. They will clearly reveal that they believe that He is Elohim, that is, the Almighty One who can save them from physical woes. But in their hearts they will still deny Him. No sooner is the danger over and their cursing and evil deeds reappear.

Examine your life. Do you confess God in your moments of trouble, and at once? While all goes smoothly for your flesh, do you forget Him, or thank Him for all His works? This past minute He gave you 60 to 80 heartbeats. Do they go by without thanks at the close of the day, but also at times between your arising and retiring at night?

Say it, as implied in David's words, that in Him you live, move, and have all your being. And call upon Him to thank Him for all the spiritual life as well as physical life He gives you.

Read: Psalm 121 
Psalter versification: 146:4

Devotions on the Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter #409
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Numbers 15:17-41; Numbers 16:1-40 
Mark 15:1-47 
Psalm 54:1-7 
Proverbs 11:5-6 
****

Quote for Reflection:

    Only the Cross:  “Do you live in order to serve yourself? If your boast is anything other than in the cross of Jesus Christ, then you are a fool. Only the cross. Let the world say about us what it wants. Let them parade before us all of its pomp and pride. Let the world give the Christian a cold shoulder. Let the world pour out upon the Christian contempt. It does not matter. The cross of Jesus Christ is my life.” --Carl Haak

Psalm 51:5

Although it is certainly true that we learn how to commit new sins, and children learn to sin by what they see and hear — especially on TV — the fact that we sin has a far deeper explanation. David gives us that explanation in Psalm 51:5 when he writes, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Or as the versification has it:

    Behold, in evil I was formed,
    And I was born in sin
    But Thou wilt make me wise in heart,
    Thou seekest truth within.

Here we have the awesome reason why we have such a multitude of sins and need a multitude of mercy to have our sins forgiven.

No, David is not blaming his mother or father.  He is explaining why every man, woman, and child with an earthly father is a sinner. The awesome fact is that no one has been born without sin except the Son of God Who came by a virgin birth. Adam and Eve were created righteous, but from Cain onward each child came into this world with a heart that hated God. God's truth was not in his inward parts. That is why David says that God will have to make us wise in heart with truth in our inward parts. We do not come into this world with it. All are born totally depraved.

Now, David is not trying to defend himself by this reason for his sin. He is confessing the deep-seated reason why he is so sinful in order to accentuate the truth that all of our salvation comes from God, and why our only hope of salvation is God's mercy in Christ. Still more, he gets to the very heart of the matter. God must not merely work upon our hands and feet, our eyes and ears, and bridle our tongues. We must have heart surgery. Truth must be implanted in our hearts; and then eyes, ears, hands, and the like will perform works of righteousness.

Here is a humility that must be found in us. There is no room for us to boast. A corrupt seed always brings forth a corrupt plant. The seed of a weed never brings forth wheat. How necessary then that God's Son comes by way of a virgin birth! And how important that He must come into the depth of our being to free us from sin.

Read: Job 14 
Psalter versification: 143:2

Devotions on the Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 388
Why not sing along??

****

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Exodus 8; Exodus 9:1-35 
Matthew 19:13-30 
Psalm 24:1-10 
Proverbs 6:1-5 
****

Quote for Reflection:

   … The Christian life is not a thing of passive luxuriation, but of active "fighting the good fight of faith!" The Christian is not called to lie down on flowery beds of ease, but to run a race, and athletics are strenuous, demanding self-sacrifice, hard training, the putting forth of every ounce of energy possessed. I am afraid that in this work-hating and pleasure-loving age, we do not keep this aspect of the truth sufficiently before us: we take things too placidly and lazily.    - Arthur Pink

Psalm 53:1

With the lips one can say what one with the mind knows is not true. Satan knew full well that there is only one true God and what God had told man about the trees of the garden. Yet with the lips he told Eve that eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil would not bring death but a wonderful blessing.

And we ought again to bear in mind that David in Psalm 53:1 is speaking of what one says in the heart, and not in his mind. Satan knows full well that there is one God. But that did not keep him from denying God, In his mind he was convinced, in fact so convinced that there is a God, that he uses the same name of God, namely, Elohim, the Almighty One, when he spoke to Eve, as David does here in Psalm 53:1.

The very fact that all men have an idol reveals that they all know in the mind that there is a God, with power above them and upon which they depend. They even take His name on their lips in their songs, such as "God Bless America."

But what they say in their hearts controls their lives. In that spiritual control center they say that they hate God. That is why David says that they are corrupt, have done abominable iniquity and do no good, when in their hearts they say that there is no God.

Saying in the heart that there is no God is to say to all our members that we need not and should not obey God, and that we are a god unto ourselves. That is why the versification sings:

    They all are gone aside, 
    Corruption doth abound;
    There is not one that doeth good, 
    Not even one is found.

Do not then expect the unbeliever to do good. Do not expect the world to improve, and crime and sin to be put down by man. We are headed for the days of the Antichrist, who is called "The Man of Sin" in II Thessalonians 2:3.

Never mind how much knowledge increases and man understands more of this creation wherein God has placed us. The vile heart of man will make him do more "abominable iniquity" than we now know.

Read: II Thessalonians 2 
Psalter versification: 146:3

Devotions on the Heidelberg Catechism
 

Song for Meditation: Psalter #233
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Numbers 11:24-35 ; Numbers 13:1-33 
Mark 14:22-52 
Psalm 52:1-9 
Proverbs 11:1-3 
****

Quote for Reflection:

    Mistakes in Seeking Guidance:  “Earnest Christians seeking guidance often go wrong.  Why is this?  Often the reason is that their notion of the nature and method of divine guidance is distorted.  They look for a will-o’-the-wisp; they overlook the guidance that is ready at hand and lay themselves open to all sorts of delusions.  Their basic mistake is to think of guidance as essentially inward prompting by the Holy Spirit, apart from the written Word. This, which is as old as the false prophets of the Old Testament…is a seed-bed in which all forms of fanaticism and folly grow.”  --J. Packer