Clarion · 2013-09-24 · CLARION, OCTOBER 15, 1999 487 himself with the royal food and wine, and...

ClarionTHE CANADIAN REFORMED MAGAZINE

VOLUME 48, NO. 21 OCTOBER 15, 1999

The Reformers

When King Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, he im-mediately set in motion a systematic program to assimilatethe people of Judah into Babylonian culture and religion.We read in Daniel 1:3-6:

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court offi-cials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royalfamily and the nobility young men without any physicaldefect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind oflearning, well informed, quick to understand, and quali-fied to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach themthe language and literature of the Babylonians. The kingassigned them a daily amount of food and wine from theking’s table. They were to be trained for three years, andafter that they were to enter the king’s service. Amongthese were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishaeland Azariah.

Here we see that Nebuchadnezzar took from Judah some ofthe youngest, brightest and most talented youths of nobledescent and he was going to have them trained in the ways ofthe Babylonian culture. His reason for this was simple but de-vious. Being bright and of noble descent, these youths werethe leaders and instructors of tomorrow.Once they were thoroughly trained inBabylonian culture and religion, theycould lead and brainwash the rest of thecovenant people as they were being ledinto exile in Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar’s grand scale se-duction did not stop at the education ofthe Hebrew teenagers. He planned to use food and drink topervert their minds. As we all know, God’s children ac-knowledge that their food and drink are a blessing from theLord. They even ask God and thank Him for their dailybread in their prayers. In the same way, pagans consideredthat it was their gods who blessed them with their food anddrink. In their eating and drinking, they actually worshippedtheir gods. Thus the food and drink which came from Neb-uchadnezzar’s table represented an essential part of Baby-lonian religion. When the boys from Jerusalem receivedfood and drink from the king’s table, they were called uponto worship the idols and gods who had made this food anddrink possible. If they gave in to that, then they would soonforget who it truly is that gives daily bread to his children.They would honour the gods of Babylon instead. This was afurther attempt by Nebuchadnezzar to brainwash God’speople to forget their God.

The attack of Nebuchadnezzar climaxed in the changingof the youths’ names. Instead of having names which con-tained the name of the Lord their God, they were givennames which contained the names of Babylonian gods. Inother words, these young people were being claimed for thehonour of pagan gods. This was a subtle but full-blown attackby Satan through Nebuchadnezzar to claim these young peo-

ple as children of darkness. Satan hoped that through them,the leaders of tomorrow, future generations would be ledastray: blind guides leading God’s covenant people intoever deepening darkness. By these means, Satan was aspiringto the death of the church of God. At that point it would notmake much sense any more for the coming of the Christ.

This should send a shiver of concern and fear down ourspines today. We see here one of Satan’s most sinisterweapons: go after the youth of the church. Adults may befairly well entrenched in the Christian faith. But young peo-ple are so impressionable and vulnerable – and they are theadults, the parents, the teachers and the office bearers of to-morrow! If Satan can draw the youth away from the Lord,then as they grow up and start raising families of their ownand have leadership roles in the church and school, thenmore and more families and members of the church will fallaway from the Lord.

Now we wonder: would Satan try such a dirty, rotten tricktoday? Of course he would: he would do whatever he couldto break up the church of Jesus Christ. The question that hasto be considered and answered by us is whether Satan, per-

haps even behind our backs, is making in-roads into the lives of our children andyoung people. Do we know where ourchildren are: not just physically but spir-itually and emotionally? What influencesthe lives of our children? Who controlstheir minds? What lives in their hearts?

Antichristian forces are all around us: insecular education, on the TV, in books and magazines, on theInternet, and in the kinds of friends they have. Do we reallyknow what is going on in their lives? Do we know whetherthey are getting into pornography? Do we keep track ofwhether they are making friends who encourage them to seektheir pleasures in the things of this world? Do we know whatis really important to them – could it be that the most impor-tant things in their lives are their careers and future incomes?Do we pay attention to whether they are being influencedby humanistic principles when they go to a secular schoolsuch as college or university? Let us be even more pinpointedhere. Do we know about our children’s relationship with theLord: whether they read the Bible and pray regularly? Do wehave discussions with them on a regular basis and see thatthey are prepared to stand up for the name of Jesus in the faceof challenge and opposition? We may think the church ismore secure today than it was in the days of Daniel. But thefact is, Satan is as fully committed as he ever was to attack thechurch by leading the youth astray. So the question remainsimportant and critical: do we know what is going on in thelives of our children?

What happened in the case of Daniel who was facingtremendous temptation and pressure from Nebuchadnez-zar? We read in Daniel 1:8, “But Daniel resolved not to defile

486 CLARION, OCTOBER 15, 1999

EDITORIAL

By R. Aasman

The Four Teenaged Reformers

Do we know where ourchildren are: not just

physically but spiritually andemotionally?

CLARION, OCTOBER 15, 1999 487

himself with the royal food and wine,and he asked the chief official for per-mission not to defile himself this way.”By the grace of God, this young teenageboy resolved not to give in to Neb-uchadnezzar’s plan to assimilate God’speople into paganism. He would not

give thanks to pagan gods for his foodand drink. He was basically saying: Youcan destroy my beloved Jerusalem, youcan take me away from my parents andyou can give me a pagan name, butyou can never make me deny my Lordand his Christ. Daniel was risking hislife here. But God was gracious and Hepreserved Daniel and his three friendsHananiah, Mishael and Azariah by con-vincing the guard to let them have veg-etables and water which were not of-fered to idols. Moreover, Daniel andhis friends grew in wisdom and knowl-edge. This was God’s plan and prepa-ration to use them in the future to over-come the power of Satan against Godand His people. They were the four re-formers – teenaged reformers – whoopposed Satan’s plan and remainedfaithful to the Word of God alone.Through their faithfulness, the covenantpeople received clear direction to re-pent from their sins and to long for theday that the Lord would bring themback to Jerusalem.

The ultimate victory over Satan, sinand death has been won through ourLord Jesus Christ. In his perfect obedi-ence, He paid for our sins and obtainedfor us the glorious liberty of the children

of God. All who cling to Him in faithand seek their salvation in Him alone,will find safety in the continual attacksof Satan who goes around like a prowl-ing lion seeking someone to devour. Butof course that also means that we have tobe discerning in our faith. We have tosee the dangers. We must be aware ofthe dangerous decline of morals in oursociety. We must see how the love ofmoney and the love of man himself hasbecome the god of this age. As parentsand children we must have open com-munication together. Not only shouldparents see what is going in the lives oftheir children but children must feel freeto discuss whatever is on their mindswith their parents. Together we need toturn in faith to Jesus Christ for help inthe terrific struggle against Satan andtemptation. Together we need to turn toGod and his Word to give us the guid-ance on how we should live. This is on-going reformation in the church of JesusChrist. This is how we may trust that notjust the present generation, but also ourchildren and our children’s children willserve the Lord with their whole life andlook forward to the city whose architectand builder is God.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial – The Four Teenaged Reformers — R. Aasman . . . . . . 486

Treasures, New and Old – Reformation Day — D. Vanderboom . . . . . . . . . . . 488

In Memoriam – Rev. D. Vanderboom — J. Visscher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

The Promises at Baptism — N.H. Gootjes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490

John Calvin on Admission to the Lord’s Supper — R. Faber . . . 492

Notes On The Westminster Confession — J. Kamphuis . . . . . 494

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

Word and Deed: Reflections on the Relationship between Mission and Mission Aid (second of two parts) — J. De Jong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498

Living by the Doctrines of Scripture – Steadfastly continuing in sound doctrine — P.G. Feenstra . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500

Press Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

Our Little Magazine — Aunt Betty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503

What’s inside?On October 31st, we remember

that 482 years ago, Martin Lutherpounded a dozen or so hammerblows that shook the world. Luther’sposting of his 95 Theses against thesale of indulgences was the catalystthat sparked the Reformation. This is-sue pays some attention to the themeof the Reformation.

The Reformation was a restorationof doctrine and of worship. Integral toour doctrine and worship are thesacraments. The teaching and prac-tice of the sacraments was reformedas well. In this issue we pay attentionto both sacraments: Dr. N. H. Gootjesconcludes his writing on baptism; Dr.R. Faber writes about John Calvin onadmission to the Lord’s Supper.

Continuing the theme of Refor-mation, Rev. R. Aasman’s editorialtells about four young reformers oftwo and a half thousand years ago.As well, Prof. J. Kamphuis concludeshis treatment of the Westminster Con-fession of Faith by surveying its con-tents. We thank the Rev. J. Mulder fortranslating these articles.

Reformed churches are faithful inthe call to go out to preach the gospeland help the needy of the world. Wepublish the concluding part of aspeech held by Dr. J. de Jong thatdeals with the relationship betweenpreaching and diaconal work on themission field.

We are very pleased to introduce anew column, “Living by the Doctrinesof Scripture.” On a regular basis, theRev. P. G. Feenstra will be filling apage or so to help you continue stead-fastly in the sound doctrines of theWord of God. We wish Rev. Feenstrathe Lord’s blessing as he seeks to fulfilthis work he has taken upon himself.

Early in the month of October,the Lord took to Himself one of hisfaithful servants, the Rev. D. Vander-boom. He preached the gospel andtaught the Reformed faith for manyyears. We are very pleased to includea meditation he wrote some 25 yearsago on the theme of Reformation.May these words penned by one nowwith the Lord Jesus Christ edify you.

GvP

Reformation is a work and gift ofGod’s grace in Christ Jesus. It holds acalling as well, the calling that we fol-low the LORD in his reformational work.Psalm 78 is a teaching poem in whichAsaph reminds Israel of God’s work ofreformation and exhorts it to stay in theway of the reformation He has given.He says he will open his mouth in aparable and utter dark sayings from ofold. The two parts of this sentence meanthe same: a parable is a dark sayingwhich the teacher urges his hearers tocontemplate in order to understand it.

What, now, is the content of Asaph’ssaying? It is that the LORD has worked re-formation – a return to Him, to hisWord, to his service according to hisWord – through David. That was some-thing new. For a long time, whileEphraim held a leading position in Is-rael, God dwelt in his sanctuary inShiloh. However, the unfaithfulnessand apostasy of the Old Testamentchurch went so far that the LORD in hisanger rejected Ephraim and his dwellingplace in Shiloh. But then the LORD

awoke and brought redemption. Hechose his servant David, Judah andJerusalem, and Mount Zion. This new

work, this gift of reformation, was toldby the fathers and had to be remem-bered by the children in their genera-tions, so that God’s people would notbecome a rebellious generation again,but would remain faithful to the LORD.Faithfulness meant following David andhis house and worshipping the LORD inZion, His new dwelling place.

Christ quoted this text when He be-gan to preach the gospel in parables. Indoing so He fulfilled not only this word,but the whole psalm. In Him, David’sgreat Son, God was working the GreatReformation of biblical history. He wascreating something really new. Becauseof its apostasy, God was about to rejectthe earthly Jerusalem with its leadersand temple. God had chosen Jesus as hisAnointed, Jesus who preached a returnto the LORD and his Word and in whomGod was bringing eternal salvation. Godwas about to make the congregation ofChrist his new dwelling place. Follow-ing the Lord, the faithful congregationwould leave the old way and go alongwith God’s new work in Christ.

The New Testament church, how-ever, also fell away from God in apos-tasy. It did not serve the LORD according

to his Word. Then, in the sixteenth cen-tury, the LORD showed his grace in thegreat Reformation through his servantsLuther, Calvin, and others. He workeda return to Him and to his Word and trueservice. Also in those days the commandof the LORD was that his children followHim on his way and join the reforma-tion, leaving the old way of apostasy andunfaithfulness.

Other reformations followedthrough the years. Each time God’s chil-dren had to turn from ways of apostasyand return to the Word of the LORD.They proved that they understood As-aph’s parable. Do we understand it,too? We, too, must recognize the worksof the LORD in the reformations of bibli-cal as well as New Testament churchhistory. We must remember them andfaithfully abide by them and in theirline. God’s command is that we abideby his Word and by his service accord-ing to his Word.

This meditation was originally publishedin Lasting Food, 1975 (p. 311). The Rev.D. Vanderboom was released from suf-fering and taken up into glory on Octo-ber 2, 1999.


TREASURES, NEW AND OLDMATTHEW 13:52

By D. Vanderboom

Reformation DayI will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings from of old – Psalm 78:2

To the Name of our SalvationTo the name of our salvationLaud and honour let us pay,Which for many a generationHid in God’s foreknowledge lay, But with holy exultationWe may sing aloud to-day.

Jesus is the name we treasure,Name beyond what words can tell;Name of gladness, name of pleasure, Ear and heart delighting well; Name of sweetness passing measure, Saving us from sin and hell.

’Tis the name for adoration, Name for songs of victory, Name for holy meditation In this vale of misery, Name for joyful veneration By the citizens on high.

’Tis the name that whoso preachethSpeaks like music to the ear;Who in prayer this name beseechethSweetest comfort findeth near; Who its perfect wisdom reacheth Heavenly joy possesseth here.

Jesus is the name exalted Over every other name; In this name, whene’er assaulted, We can put our foes to shame: Strength to them who else had halted, Eyes to blind, and feet to lame.

Therefore we in love adoring This most blessed name revere, Holy Jesu, thee imploring So to write it in us here, That hereafter heavenward soaring We may sing with angels there.

Text: Found in some late medieval breviaries, beginning with one of Antwerp, Printed in 1496. Trans: Based on one made by Neale in his Medieval Hymns, 1851, but with considerable alterations.

Dirk VanderBoom was born intoa ministerial family on Nov. 14,1915. His great grandfather had beena minister of the gospel. His fatheralso became a minister, and it was inUithuizermeeden, in the northernmost part of the Netherlands, wherehis father pastored, that Dirk Van-derBoom was born. In the years tofollow his father would accept anumber of calls and the family wouldmove from place to place.

After receiving his education inthese various places, he met andcourted Lynette Admiraal and theywere married on April 6, 1943. TheLord subsequently blessed their wed-ded life by giving them five chil-dren: Michelle, John, Richard, Mar-ian and Patricia.

Life in the VanderBoom house-hold; however, proved to be far fromuneventful. After the Second WorldWar, Dirk went to work for the ShellOil Company and soon they sent himoff to Venezuala. Lyn and the chil-dren followed some months later.Together they lived in Latin Americafrom 1946 - 1950.

During this time, however, Dirkbecame more and more convincedthat the Lord was leading his life inquite a different direction. In 1950 hereturned to the Netherlands with hisfamily and enrolled as a student at theTheological University in Kampen.

Being a family man, the pressurewas on for him to complete his theo-logical education in as short a time aspossible. The result was that he grad-uated in 1954 and thereafter ac-cepted a call to the combined chargeof Alkmaar and Broek op Langedijk.

He ministered in the Netherlandsuntil 1957 when he was called toserve a newly instituted church inCanada called Aldergrove, laterCloverdale. There is little doubt that

his Latin American experience whet-ted his appetite for foreign lands andwas used by the Lord to direct himto a new land.

The result was that in January of1957 the VanderBoom family cameto British Columbia. Here theystayed until 1964 when a call camefrom Orangeville, Ontario. It was ac-cepted. The VanderBoom family wason the move again, from West toEast. They remained in Orangevilleuntil 1967 when another call ledthem to Burlington. They remainedthere until 1970 when the Church atToronto beckoned.

Ministering in Toronto broughtour brother closer and closer to hisretirement years. At the same therealso grew in his heart a desire to re-turn to the West Coast of Canada.Hence when Langley called him in1977, he did not have to weigh thematter for very long. Once again itwas moving time. Until he officiallyretired in 1983, he served this con-gregation in the Fraser Valley.

Retirement, however, nevermeant inactivity for our brother. Hehad his hobbies and he had hispreaching. Almost every Lord’s Dayyou could hear him proclaiming thegospel of Jesus Christ in one of thechurches.

But then last year illness struck.In spite of it he carried on and keptmatters largely to himself. Neverthe-less, in May of this year his health lefthim no options. He had to give uphis beloved work of preaching. In thefollowing months illness slowlydrained away his strength. Last Sat-urday morning, October 2 at 2:30a.m. the Lord decided that his earthlytask was done and called him home.Dirk VanderBoom went to be withhis Master. He died three days afterreaching his last heart’s desire,

namely to be 45 years in the min-istry of the Gospel.

He will be deeply missed by hiswife, children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, friends, colleaguesand the congregations that he pas-tored. He will be remembered as aloving husband and father, as a hum-ble servant of the Lord, and as apowerful preacher of the Gospel.God gave him a keen mind as wasevidenced by the fact that he wasable, in the midst of his many minis-terial duties, to do post graduatework at Knox College and beawarded the degree of Master ofTheology. He served his Master wellbut he would be the first to dismissthe praise and say that it was allgrace upon grace.

The Rev. D. VanderBoom wasalso active in the federation of Cana-dian Reformed Churches. Besidesserving congregations in the East andWest, he was delegated to numer-ous ecclesiastical assemblies, par-ticipated in many committees andwas elected as the Chairman of Gen-eral Synod 1980. He also served onthe Board of Governors of the Theo-logical College, and for a time wasits Chairman. He even taught brieflyat the College after the Rev. F.Kouwenhoven passed away. He wasinvolved in Clarion and before it inCRM (Canadian Reformed Maga-zine). All in all, he was an activeminister in the churches and for anumber of years before his death wasalso privileged to be the Nestor (theoldest minister in the federationwhose wisdom and eloquence washighly respected).

Farewell – Husband, Father,Grandfather, Friend, Pastor, Col-league, Brother. You have enteredinto the joy of your Master. Soli DeoGloria!


~ In Memoriam ~

Dirk VanderBoom

November 14, 1915 ~ October 2, 1999by J. Visscher


The Form for Baptism states, amongother things, that the Holy Spirit assuresus that He will dwell in us and make usliving members of Christ. Does the Formmean here a promise for the future or areality that the Spirit is actually dwellingin the baptized child? In the previousinstalment we saw that Calvin teachesboth. In this concluding article we willbegin discussing the views of Ursinus,an important theologian behind the Hei-delberg Catechism. After that, we pre-sent the conclusion to our question.

UrsinusUrsinus continued in the direction set

out by Calvin. He maintained that chil-dren born of those who believe are in-cluded in the covenant and in the churchof God unless they exclude themselves.They are, therefore, also disciples. TheHoly Spirit teaches them in a manneradapted to their capacity and age.1

Ursinus elaborated on the fact thatthe benefits of remission of sins and re-generation belong to the children, for thisis the language of the covenant. This issupported with references to Scripturesuch as: “to be God to you and to yourdescendants after you” (Genesis 17:7, towhich are added Matthew19:14, Acts2:39, 3:25; 1 Corinthians 7:14, Romans11:16). Ursinus concluded that baptismought to be administered to infants of be-lievers as well

for they are holy, the promise isunto them, the Kingdom of heavenis theirs. God who is certainly notthe God of the wicked, declares thatHe will also be their God.2

That is the covenantal argument. Ursi-nus, however, added a second line ofdefense. He, too, appears to imply thatinfants of believers have the Holy Spirit.He defended that infants are disciplessince they are born within the churchand are taught in a manner suited forthem. He pointed not only to Acts 2:39but also to Acts 10:47: “Can any oneforbid water for baptizing these peoplewho have received the Holy Spirit justas we have?”3

Ursinus clarified his position at alater point in his explanation, where he

confronted the Anabaptist objectionbased on Mark 16:16, that only believ-ers can be baptized. He argued that in-fants may have the Holy Spirit and canbe regenerated by Him. Two texts areadduced to defend that infants can beregenerated: John the Baptist was filledwith the Holy Spirit from his mother’swomb (Luke 1:15), and Jeremiah iscalled sanctified before he was born (Jer1:5). This is applied to the infants of be-lievers. “If infants now have the HolyGhost, He certainly works in them re-generation, good inclinations, newdesires, and such other things as arenecessary for their salvation.” This state-ment is surprising, for it is too general.Ursinus, too, knew that not all baptizedchildren are regenerated. Therefore headded: “Or at least, he supplies themwith everything that is requisite for theirbaptism.”4 He is referring to the HolySpirit who works regeneration.5

We can notice a shift in argumenta-tion. Calvin emphasized the covenantas basis for infant baptism. Marginally,he added that the Holy Spirit may evenhave begun working faith and regener-ation in children in the womb, withoutmaking this an argument for infant bap-tism. For Ursinus it is clear that eveninfants can have the Holy Spirit to re-generate them. He used this as a valu-able support for infant baptism.

Scriptural basisThe question must be considered

whether this defense of infant baptismis correct. Does Scripture teach that theHoly Spirit dwells in infants to regener-ate them? There are several problemsattached to this position. First of all, it isstriking that the proof texts given for thisopinion come from the wrong period, soto speak. The promise of the indwellingof the Holy Spirit in believers is apromise with a date attached to it. It did

not occur in the Old Testament, for Joelprophesied: “And afterward, I will pourout my Spirit on all people. Your sonsand daughters will prophesy . . .”, Joel2:28ff. According to the apostle Peter,this prophesy was fulfilled on the day ofPentecost, after Jesus Christ’s ascension.From that time onward, the Holy Spiritcomes on those who believe in JesusChrist, Acts 2:38.6 The texts used toprove the indwelling of the Holy Spiritdate from an earlier period in God’s sal-vation work. The text from Jeremiahspeaks about the Old Testament dis-pensation and the text about John theBaptist precedes Pentecost by more than30 years. They lived in a different pe-riod when different rules applied.7

Let us also look at the two specifictexts that were mentioned in support.Concerning John the Baptist, the angelsaid to his mother Elisabeth that her sonwould be filled with the Holy Spiritfrom his mother’s womb. This is obvi-ously not a general statement that can beapplied to many children of believingparents, but a specific statement aboutone particular child, John. Moreover, itis not obvious that this refers to regener-ation in general. Actually, Calvin him-self, in his commentary on this passage,goes in a different direction when he re-marks that “the greatness and excellenceof his (John’s) office are extolled.”8

That is, indeed, the intention of thisstatement. The word “great” speaks ofJohn’s significance for the Kingdom ofGod9 and not about his personal regen-eration. John will be inspired by theHoly Spirit to be a prophet10 and John’slife proves that he was a prophet.

The other text mentioned in sup-port of infant regeneration is Jeremiah1:5, where God speaks to Jeremiah:“Before I formed you in the womb Iknew you, and before you were born Iconsecrated you. . . .” The Holy Spiritis not explicitly mentioned in this text,but it speaks of consecration, or holi-ness. What kind of holiness is meant? Atraditional opinion says that this holi-ness has to do with removal of (origi-nal) sin, it can be found in the churchfathers.11 In his Institutes, Calvin appears

The Promises at Baptism(Second of Two Parts)

By N.H. Gootjes

Does Scripture teach that theHoly Spirit dwells in infants

to regenerate them?


to follow this. But the same Calvin cor-rectly emphasizes Jeremiah’s propheticoffice in his commentary.12 The textspeaks of setting apart and consecrat-ing for a special office.13 Jeremiah is pre-pared for his office as a prophet.14

We must conclude that there is noScriptural basis for the position, tentativelyheld by Calvin and more forcefully byUrsinus, that a special work of sanctifica-tion by the Holy Spirit could serve as a ba-sis for infant baptism. The two examplesof Jeremiah and John the Baptist do notspeak of regeneration and renewal.

The promise at baptismThis brings us back to the Form for

Baptism. Was such a special activity ofthe Spirit in infants taught in the Formfor Baptism, when it mentioned thepromise of the Holy Spirit?

The answer is no. There is not atrace in the Form for Baptism of thespeculation found in 16th Century re-formed theologians that the Holy Spiritworks regeneration in babies before orjust after birth. It does not support in-fant baptism with this view that ap-peared marginally in 16th Century the-ology. Rather, the Form bases itselfsquarely on the main argument fromScripture: the covenant. This term oc-curs prominently in the Form:– God the Father testifies and seals to

us that He establishes an eternalcovenant of grace with us. . . .

– Since every covenant contains twoparts, a promise and an obligation. . . .

– We must not despair of God’s mercynor continue in sin, for baptism is aseal and trustworthy testimony that wehave an eternal covenant with God.

– The Lord spoke to Abraham, the fa-ther of all believers, and thus alsospeaks to us and our children, say-ing, I will establish My covenant be-tween Me and you and your descen-dants after you (quoting Gen 17:7).

– Infants must be baptized as heirs ofthe kingdom of God and of hiscovenant. . . .

– You have heard that baptism is an or-dinance of the Lord our God to seal tous and our children his covenant. . . .

Infant baptism is not based on the pos-sibility that the Spirit may have regen-erated the infant before it is baptized,but on the reality of the covenant. Ac-cording to God’s institution, infants ofbelievers belong to the covenant.Therefore they must be baptized.

That brings us back to the questionraised at the beginning, the promise atbaptism, in particular the promise of theHoly Spirit. How should we explain thestatement that the Spirit assures us that

He will dwell in us and make us livingmembers of Christ, imparting to us whatwe have in Christ, namely the cleansingfrom our sins and the daily renewal ofour lives? The answer is simple. TheForm does not state that the Spirit actu-ally dwells in all baptized children. Itdoes not speak of an existing situation.Rather, this is presented as a promisefor the covenant people of God.

That is in complete agreement withScripture. The promise of indwelling isfirst mentioned in Acts 2:39: “For toyou is the promise, and for your off-spring. . . .” It is conditional on repen-tance and faith: “Repent, and be bap-tized, every one of you, in the name ofJesus Christ, so that your sins may be for-given” (Acts 2:38). It is also mentionedin Romans 8:9-11, there, too, it is con-ditional on faith.15 When the Form forBaptism speaks of the indwelling andsanctifying work of the Spirit it speaksof promises. These are great gifts of thecovenant offered by God and graspedwith the hands of faith.

The same promissory character canbe seen in the way the Form speaksabout the meaning of being baptized intothe name of the Father and of the Son.The promise that “He will provide uswith all good and avert all evil or turn itto our benefit” is fulfilled in those whobelieve (Rom 8:28 speaks of “those wholove Him”). And the covenant promise ofthe Son is the forgiveness of sins, and isfulfilled through our union with Him, asRomans 6:5 says: “If we have beenunited with Him in his death. . . .”

The Form for Baptism follows Scrip-ture in presenting the statement aboutthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spiritas promises. In baptism, our Triune Godpromises Himself and all his benefits tous. These are splendid gifts, granted byGod and accepted in faith.

1Z. Ursinus, Commentary on the HeidelbergCatechism (tr. G.W. Williard; repr. GrandRapids: Eerdmans, 1956), 366.2Ursinus, Commentary, 367.3Ursinus, Commentary, 368.4Ursinus, Commentary, 370. Ursinus added areference to Peter’s word in Acts 10:47:“Can anyone keep these people from beingbaptized with water? They have receivedthe Holy Spirit just as we have.” It must be re-marked, however, that this text cannot sup-port infant faith. The reference is to speakingin tongues and praising God, something thatdoes not take place prior to infant baptism.

5Kakes argues that Ursinus accepted the pos-sibility of infant faith, but that for him this wasnot a basis for infant baptism, for the real ba-sis for baptism was regeneration and the giftof the Holy Spirit, see his De doop in de Ned-erlandse belijdenisgeschriften, 114.6This explains the special fillings with theSpirit as recorded in Acts: they are the resultof faith in Jesus Christ; see N.H. Gootjes, ‘Dedoop met de Heilige Geest’, 154ff.7See also C. Trimp, Woord, water en wijn(Kampen: Kok, 1985), 58f.8J. Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of theGospels (tr. W. Pringle; repr. Grand Rapids:Baker, 1984) vol. 1, 17f. Calvin acknowl-edges that the plentiful influence of the Spiritin John was an extraordinary gift of God. Atthe end, however, Calvin makes this general:“Let us learn by this example that, from theearliest infancy to the latest old age, the op-eration of the Spirit in men is free.”9So S. Greijdanus, Het heilig evangelie naarde beschrijving van Lucas, vol. 1 (Amster-dam: Van Bottenburg, 1940), 30.10H.A.W. Meyer, The Gospel of Luke (R.E.Wallis, tr.; Winona Lake: Alpha Publications)236 and A. Plummer, The Gospel accordingto S. Luke (5. ed.; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark,1922) 14, identify this function as theNazirite, but Greijdanus agrees with Lagrangethat John’s position was different, see his Lu-cas I, 30f. It includes at any rate the propheticoffice, Luke 1:15 appears to mean that hiswork as a prophet began in the womb, andthat his leaping in the womb is his firstprophecy, see Meyer, The Gospel of Luke,236; Greijdanus, Lucas, I, 31; J. Van Bruggen,Lucas (2. ed.; Kampen: Kok, 1996) 38.11B.N. Wambacq, Jeremias (BOT; Roermonden Maaseik: Romen, 1957) 28.12J. Calvin, Commentaries on the book ofthe prophet Jeremiah and the Lamentations(repr. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984) I, 35f.13C.F. Keil, Jeremiah (tr. C.F. Keil; GrandRapids: Eerdmans, 1968) 39f. That is the rea-son why the verb is no longer translated as‘made holy’ but as ‘consecrated’ (RSV,NRSV, NASB) and as ‘set apart’ (NIV). Thesetranslations prevent misunderstandings asfound in Calvin.14See the commentaries on Jeremiah by A.Van Selms, Jeremia, vol. I (Callenbach: Nijk-erk, 1972) 5; J.A. Thomson, The Book of Je-remiah (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980) 145and B.J. Oosterhoff, Jeremia vol. I (Kampen:Kok, 1990) 90.15Mark the use of ‘if’ in v. 9: “You, however,are controlled not by the sinful nature but bythe Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you”(NIV). This ‘if’ is not inserted to make theRoman believers doubt whether they havethe Spirit, see the end of v. 12, 15f. But it doestie the indwelling of the Spirit to the belief inJesus Christ, see v. 9b: “And if anyone doesnot have the Spirit of Christ, he does not be-long to Christ. See the commentaries of J.Calvin, Romans (tr. J. Owen; repr. GrandRapids: Baker, 1984) 290; S. Greijdanus, Debrief van den apostle Paulus aan degemeente te Rome vol. 1 (Amsterdam: VanBottenburg, 1933) 363; C.E.B. Cranfield,The Epistle to the Romans (Edinburgh: T. & T.Clark, 1975) 387f. J.D.G. Dunn disagrees,Romans 1-8 (Dallas: Word Books, 1988)444, but that is caused by his view on thebaptism with the Holy Spirit.

In baptism, our triune Godpromises Himself and all

his benefits to us.

According to the Heidelberg Cate-chism, rightful attendance at the Lord’sSupper is the responsibility of two par-ties: the individual believer and the in-stituted church. The initiative of the in-dividual is expressed in the question,“who are to come to the table of Lord?”;that of the church in the words, who“are to be admitted?” While the firstquestion deals with proper self-exami-nation, the second concerns the duty ofthe ordained officers in preserving thepurity of the sacrament. This combina-tion of personal reflection and churchdiscipline in the Catechism was antici-pated in the church order of Geneva,composed by John Calvin and his min-isterial colleagues in 1537. In it weread that the elements should be re-ceived “under such good supervisionthat no one dare presume to presenthimself unless devoutly, and with gen-uine reverence for it. For this reason, inorder to maintain the church in its in-tegrity, the discipline . . . is necessary.”1

Proper attendance at the table resultsfrom the execution of individual andcorporate responsibilities.

In preparing for the supper celebra-tion, the individual is required to exam-ine himself. 1 Corinthians 11:28-29commands this important self-examina-tion, and includes the warning that he“who eats and drinks without discerningthe body eats and drinks judgment untohimself.” To prove others, however, isnot the duty of the individual. Calvinnotes that Scripture does not “bid us in-vestigate whether there is anyone in themultitude whose uncleanliness pollutesus (Institutes 4.1.15).” About admissionto the table he writes: “individuals oughtnot to have the authority to determinewho are to be received and who are tobe rejected. This cognizance belongs tothe church as a whole and cannot be ex-ercised without lawful order (4.1.15).”In other words, while every believermust be certain that he partakes of theelements in a worthy manner, it is alsothe task of the overseers to ensure thatthe body and blood of the Lord is not

profaned. This distinction does not im-ply that Christian discipline is of noconcern to the individual; rather, whilethe responsibility for discipline is indi-vidual, the exercise of it at the table iscorporate. To maintain the purity of thesacrament, the individual and thechurch have respective duties.

Colossians 1:24 teaches that thechurch is the body of the Lord JesusChrist. The church and Christ are one,writes Calvin, since “Christ will not andcannot be torn from His church withwhich He is joined by an indissolubleknot, as the Head to the body.”2 There-fore “no one can bow down submis-sively before Christ, without also obey-ing the church.”3 Of course it is the LordJesus Christ who alone gathers and de-fends his church, yet as the Head, Heexercises his authority through the body,his church, to which He has granted thekeys to the kingdom of heaven (Matt16:19; 18:17-18; John 20:22-23).

According to Calvin, the first goal ofecclesiastical authority is to promote theglory and honour of God, which is illus-trated in the celebration of the sacrament(Inst. 4.12.5). The church must exerciseoversight especially at this occasion,Calvin writes, for the body of Christ “can-not be corrupted by such foul and de-caying members without some disgracefalling upon its Head (4.12.5).” Scrip-ture commands God’s people to be holyas He is holy. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 in-

structs the congregation to remove theold leaven of malice and evil, and “tocelebrate the festival . . . with the un-leavened bread of sincerity and truth.”Therefore, the 1537 church order states,“it behooves us to be on our guard thatthis pollution” of unworthy attendance atthe table, “which abounds with such dis-honour to God, be not brought amongstus by our negligence (50).” This doesnot mean that the table cannot be dis-graced by hypocrites like Judas – it is theserious warning to self-examinationwhich reminds such people that theirfalse speech and behaviour are known totheir omniscient Creator and their ownhearts. The scope of corporate disci-pline does not reach beyond public pro-fession and conduct.

Calvin writes that discretion in ad-mission to the table should be exercised“through the jurisdiction of the church”;the sacrament “may not be profaned bybeing administered indiscriminately”(Inst. 4.12.5). Therefore, great responsi-bility rests upon the ordained officerswho must be “of sound doctrine and ofholy life, not notorious in any faultwhich might both deprive them of au-thority and disgrace the ministry [1 Tim.3:2-3; Titus 1:7-8] (4.3.12)” of the wordand sacrament. For the minister “towhom its distribution has been com-mitted, if he knowingly and willinglyadmits an unworthy person whom hecould rightfully turn away, is as guilty ofsacrilege as if he had cast the Lord’sbody to dogs (4.12.5).” The HeidelbergCatechism observes that if those areadmitted to the table whose confessionand life reveal ungodliness, then “thecovenant of God would be profanedand his wrath kindled against the wholecongregation (Q.A. 82).” Since the con-sequences of unlawful participation inthe sacrament are so dire, the Genevanchurch order concludes that “it is nec-essary that those who have the power toframe regulations make it a rule thatthey who come to this communion beapproved members of Christ (50).”


John Calvin on Admission to the Lord’s Supper

By R. Faber


Approved members of Christ arethose whose confession and life showthat they belong to Him, that they “par-ticipate in his body and blood” in faith.Christ instituted the supper only for hisbelievers, to confirm the faith of thosewho by grace have been saved throughhearing his Word. Since the sacramentis the “word made visible”, it reinforcesthe gospel. Therefore, unlike the sacra-ment of baptism, which may be admin-istered to those who do not understand,God “does not similarly hold forth theSupper for all to partake of, but only forthose who are capable of discerningthe body and blood of the Lord, ofexamining their own conscience, ofproclaiming the Lord’s death, and ofconsidering its power (Inst. 4.16.30).”Since faith is a prerequisite for admis-sion to the table, he whose confessionand conduct reveal that he is unbeliev-ing “should for a time be deprived of thecommunion of the supper until he givesassurance of his repentance (Inst.4.12.6).” Martin Bucer, the main au-thor of the church order of Cologne,notes that the Lord Jesus “celebrated thesupper only with the twelve and onlyafter he had preached so much; He didit only once, for which reason we as-sume that the Lord’s Supper should onlybe celebrated by those who submitentirely to Christ, confirm to have athorough knowledge of the evangelicaldoctrine, fully believe this, and do notpublicly prove the reverse.”4 Since onlyapproved members of Christ may ap-proach the table of the Lord, the ordi-nances of Geneva (1541) state that onthe Sunday preceding the celebration,announcement should be made thatthose who are strangers or new-comers“may be exhorted first to come and

present themselves at the church, sothat they be instructed and thus noneapproach to his own condemnation.”5

In short, “no one is to be received atthe supper unless he first have madeconfession of his faith.”6

Proper celebration of the supper pro-motes not only the honour of God andthe purity of His church, but also theunity which only the members ofChrist’s body share. This unity is basedupon the bond of love that exists be-tween the Lord Jesus Christ and the be-lievers through the power of the HolySpirit. The Heidelberg Catechism statesthat to eat the crucified body and todrink the shed blood of Christ meansthat we are “united more and more toHis sacred body through the Holy Spirit,who lives both in Christ and in us (76).”The bond of love between Christ thehead and the church his body producesa ‘horizontal’ bond between the mem-bers themselves. 1 Corinthians 10:17states that “because there is one bread,we who are many are one body, for weall partake of the one bread.” Therefore,writes Calvin, as in a “a mirror”, so inthe supper “we may see that God notonly dwells among us, but that He alsodwells in everyone of us.”7 The celebra-tion of the supper manifests the onebody of Christ.

The unity of Christ’s body displayedin the supper celebration affects theduty not only of the overseers, but alsoof the individual believers. In the

process of self-examination, the be-liever must ask “whether, as he iscounted a member by Christ, he in turnso holds all his brethren as members ofhis body; whether he desires to cher-ish, protect, and help them as his ownmembers (Inst. 4.17.40).” The Lord’ssupper is a feast of fellowship that en-courages the true believers to cultivatecharity and concord, as befits membersof the one body. The Geneva Cate-chism, composed by Calvin in 1537,explains why the unity expressed at thetable concerns also the individual be-lievers: “there could be no sharper goadto arouse mutual love among us thanwhen Christ, giving Himself to us, notonly invites us by his example to pledgeand to give ourselves to one another,but as He makes Himself common toall, so also makes all one in Himself.”8

Dr. Riemer Faber is professor of clas-sics at the University of Waterloo.

1Articles Concerning the Organization ofthe Church and of Worship at Geneva,1537. Library of Christian Classics, Vol. 22(Tr. J. Reid), 48. Quotations of Calvin’s Insti-tutes are from F.L. Battles’ translation in theLibrary of Christian Classics, Vol. 21, 22(Philadelphia, 1960).2Commentary on Ezekiel 13:9.3Commentary on Isaiah 45:14.4Quoted from G.J. van de Poll, MartinBucer’s Liturgical Ideas (Assen, 1954), 82-3.5Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances, 1541. Li-brary of Christian Classics, Vol. 22 (Tr. J.Reid), 67.6Ordinances for the Supervision of theChurches in the Country, 1547. Library ofChristian Classics, Vol. 22 (Tr. J. Reid), 79. 7Sermon on 1 Tim 3:14-15 in Corpus Refor-matorum 53.314.8Quoted from I.J. Hesselink, Calvin’s FirstCatechism (Louisville, 1997), 35.

Each individual in his own placemust prepare himself to receive [thesacrament] whenever it is adminis-tered in the congregation.

It is not the office of each individ-ual to judge and discriminate, in orderto admit or reject as seems good tohim; for this prerogative belongs gen-erally to the church, or better, to thepastor with the elder whom he oughtto have for assistance in the govern-ment of the church.

If there is nothing in heaven orearth of greater value and dignity thanthe body and blood of our Lord, it is nosmall error to take it inconsideratelyand without being well prepared.

From Calvin’s Short Treatise on the Holy Supper

To maintain the purity of the sacrament, the individual

and the church haverespective duties.


In the previous article, Prof. Kamphuisshowed how the Westminster Confes-sion of Faith came to be written. Nowfollows a survey of its contents.

In conclusion, we would like to givea brief survey of the contents of theWestminster Confession, and then alsoraise the question whether there are nophrases in this confession which, inspite of everything with which weagree, are indeed questionable. Thenwe can also consider how we have toreact in such instances.

1. Brief survey of the contentsThis survey must indeed be very

brief. For we are dealing here with avery extensive confession with thirty-three chapters, each sub-divided againinto a number of articles.

Chapter 1 speaks about the HolyScripture. Then follows in Chapter 2 theconfession of the Triune God, whileChapter 3 deals with his eternal decree.

After Chapters 4 and 5 have spokenabout creation and God’s providenceand in Chapter 6 about the fall, sin andthe punishment of sin, Chapter 7 whichis for us an especially striking chapter fol-lows. It deals with the covenant (thecovenant of works as well as thecovenant of grace, and the distinctionand the unity between the covenant inthe old and new dispensation). Chapter 8is a fitting and suitable continuationwhich speaks about Christ, the Mediator.

The confession continues in Chap-ter 9 speaking about the free-will andin Chapters 10 through 18 successivelyabout effectual calling, justification,adoption, sanctification, saving faith,repentance unto life, good works, per-severance of the saints, and the assur-ance of grace and salvation.

Then in Chapter 19 the law of Godis extensively dealt with, and related tothis in Chapter 20, Christian liberty. Inthe subsequent chapters the WestminsterConfession deals further with specificcommands of the law. First, Chapter 21

pays attention to religious worship, andthe sabbath-day, in Chapter 22 the topicis lawful oaths and vows, in Chapter 23the God-ordained civil magistrate, and inChapter 24 marriage and divorce.

Next the confession speaks in Chap-ters 25 and 26 about the doctrine of thechurch and the communion of saintsand then in Chapters 27 through 29 thedoctrine of the sacraments, baptism andthe Lord’s Supper is dealt with, and inChapter 30 church censure. This part isclosed off with an exposition on synodsand councils in Chapter 31.

The closing chapters confess con-cerning the state of men after death, andof the resurrection of the dead (Chapter32), and the final chapter speaks of thelast judgment.

This is quite a dull and dry recordof titles! But if you will take the time toconsider all the topics which are dealtwith, you will clearly see that what wein our churches have divided over threeconfessional documents, is here takentogether and dealt with in one continu-ous document. Considering the topicsdiscussed in the first large part of thisconfession, there is indeed some simi-larity with our Belgic Confession (al-though there is here and there somedifference in the order). In this Confes-sion topics are also discussed whichare dealt with in the Canons of Dort,for example, the perseverance of thesaints and the assurance of salvation,which we confess separately in Chap-ter V of the Canons of Dort. And in themiddle section of this confession (Chap-ters 19-24) many subjects are dealtwith which we confess in the third partof our Catechism where the law of Godas a rule for our life of gratitude is ex-plained in the Lord’s Days 34-44. Inthe closing articles of the Westminster

Confession on the church, the sacra-ments, the resurrection of the body andthe last judgment, there is again an ob-vious resemblance with Articles 27-37of the Belgic Confession.

2. The specific character of theWestminster ConfessionA Reformed confession, but one

with its own identity! That is, of course,true of every confession. We touchedupon that already a few times: amongthe Reformed churches there exists arich variety of confessional documents(more so than among the Lutherans andespecially in the Roman Catholicchurch). Still all these Reformed con-fessions reflect a great unity of faith.When we now apply that to the West-minster Confession then that means inthe first place that we should be happyabout that. We can learn from eachother! There are undoubtedly severalinstances where “our” Three Forms ofUnity (especially the Belgic Confes-sion and the Catechism) show that theyare closer to the beginning of the Re-formation. In a simple and clear waythe Good News of Jesus Christ is con-fessed over against Roman Catholicheresies and Anabaptist errors. TheWestminster Confession was born at alater date. In its choice of words and inits slightly scholarly way of reasoningit resembles more our Canons of Dort.But this also has an advantage! Thisconfession reflects a serious study ofimportant matters which could be dealtwith again as a result of the Reforma-tion. But it took a while before certainconvictions became generally ac-cepted so that they specifically couldbe dealt with in the Confession. Allconfessions dating from the time of theReformation speak about justificationby faith, “the free will” and the total de-pravity of the natural man. That is (so tospeak) something taken for granted. Butit took time and continued study ofScripture before eyes were opened tosee the crucial importance of the

NOTES ON

The Westminster Confession1

(Fourth of Four Parts)

By J. Kamphuis

All these Reformedconfessions reflect a great

unity of faith

covenant and the history of thecovenant. The Westminster Confessionmay in this respect reap in the harvestof what others had been sowing!

This Confession speaks in its first ar-ticles respectfully about the Scriptureand its authority. The authority of Scrip-ture is not based “upon the testimony ofany man, or church; but wholly uponGod (who is truth itself) the authorthereof.” That is why the Bible has to bereceived as the Word of God. More sothan in our article 5 of the Belgic Con-fession, the Westminster Confessiondeals extensively with the reason whywe acknowledge the divine authority ofScripture. It mentions in this context thetestimony of the church, the heavenlynature of Scripture and the majesty ofstyle, but decisive is the inward work ofthe Holy Spirit bearing witness “by andwith the Word in our hearts.”

On the other hand, the WestminsterConfession speaks more soberly aboutthe holy Trinity than our confession doesin Articles 8 and 9 but it is certainly notless Scriptural. The majority of sectionsshow an overriding resemblance withthe confession to which we here inCanada are bound as our christian andecclesiastical standard of faith.

But there are points of doctrinewhere the Westminster shows its owncolour. Sometimes you notice that thespecific situation from which this confes-sion originates played a significant role.That’s why the fourth commandmentand the observance of the day of the Lord(Chapter 21) gets much attention, much

more than in the Heidelberg Catechism.This can be easily explained when youkeep in mind the situation at that time! Inthe Anglican Church of those days, Sun-day was no day of rest and sanctifica-tion in the assembly of God’s people. Ithad turned into a day of debauchery.That’s what the Reformed people, thePuritans, protested against. But the ques-tion can be raised whether the West-minster Confession did not get a slightlylegalistic trait from this. For as it is, thisConfession says with regard to the Lord’sDay, that it is God’s command for “allmen in all ages . . . not only to observe anholy rest all the day from their ownworks, words, and thoughts about theirworldly employments and recreations;but also are taken up, the whole time, inthe public and private exercises of Hisworship, and in the duties of necessityand mercy.”

Another point is that the Westmin-ster Confession in the chapter on thecovenant occasionally uses termswhich do indeed raise questions. It is abeautiful thing that this Confession ex-pressly speaks about the covenant Godhad with man already before the fallinto sin. Here one can ask whether theterm covenant of works is the right

choice in distinction from the covenantof grace. This wording leads so quicklyto the dangerous idea that before the fallinto sin Adam could have earned eter-nal life by his own performance. Weshould say that also then it was God’sfavour to promise Adam eternal life inthe way of obedience. But such a ques-tionable wording does not have to be astumbling block, because the West-minster Confession is also very clear inconfessing that establishing thecovenant was a deed of God’s goodpleasure and “voluntary condescen-sion.” What this confession says furtheron is a bit more difficult. In Chapter 7 itstates that in his covenant God freely of-fers life and salvation unto sinners, re-quiring of them faith in Him, while Godpromises to give His holy Spirit to allthose that are ordained unto eternal lifeto make them willing and able to be-lieve. Speaking about God’s promises inthis way the question can be raisedwhether we do not run the danger ofmaking a distinction between a generalpromise of salvation and a specificpromise only to the elect.

And so more questions could beraised. The Westminster Confession inChapter 25 makes somewhat of a dis-tinction between the invisible church(the total number of God’s elect) andthe visible church (consisting of allthose who profess the true religion andtheir children). That visible church isthen the same as “the kingdom of theLord Jesus Christ, the house and familyof God, out of which there is no ordi-nary possibility of salvation.”


There are points of doctrinewhere the Westminster

Confession shows its owncolour . . . questions could

be raised.


We will mention one more point.In Chapter 32 the Westminster Confes-sion correctly refutes the doctrine thatthe soul of man after death dies orsleeps. This confession is also in linewith Scripture when explaining thatimmediately after death the great sepa-ration takes place: the believers beingreceived into heaven waiting there forthe full redemption, and the unbelieversbeing cast into hell and utter darkness,being reserved to the judgment of thegreat day. However, confessing thatthe soul returns to God who gave them,the Westminster uses as argument thatthe soul has an immortal subsistence.Now it may be true that in theologyvery often has been spoken about “theimmortal soul”, but that still does notmake it right! It is contrary to Scripturewhich clearly teaches that God alonehas immortality (1 Tim 6:16), and thatwe, when we die in the Lord, will re-ceive immortality when the trumpetwill sound and the dead will be raised. (1 Cor 15: 52-54).

3. How to proceed?On certain points the Westminster

Confession (which as a whole reflectsbeautifully the language of Scripture)may indeed be questioned. And con-sidering the points which we men-tioned – and other ones could still beadded – we may be happy that we donot have the same difficulties with ourThree Forms of Unity.

Does that now mean that we haveto reject as sister Churches thosechurches which already for ages adhereto this Confession, and thus have pro-fessed the Name of God and of the LordJesus?

It is my firm conviction that this isnot the case.

I will briefly give you three groundsfor this conviction:

In the first place, if we did that wewould completely deny our own his-tory as Reformed Churches. For theReformed Churches have always ac-knowledged as sister churches in Christsuch churches which have confessedthe Reformed faith with the words of theWestminster Confession. If we want tobreak with that past we have to comeup with very solid grounds!

Secondly, we mentioned abovethat we do not have to ask such criti-cal questions of the Belgic Confession,the Heidelberg Catechism and theCanons of Dort (confessions to whichour officebearers and churches arebound) as we did with respect to the

Westminster Confession. That does,however, not mean that we can callour confessional documents divineand perfect (“goddelijk-volmaakt”) inall formulations. We may say that inall points of doctrine they are in har-mony with God’s Word. But that doesnot mean that you affirm every for-mulation as being completely correctand never allow any emendation. Tomention only one example, Dr. C.Trimp has argued extensively that theterm “outward preaching” in theCanons of Dort Chapters III/IV, 12 (seealso III/IV, 11) has good qualities, es-pecially in the struggle against theArminians. But he also stated that thedistinction “outward” (namely for thepreaching of the Word) and “inward”(for the decisive work of the HolySpirit) is nevertheless a faulty one.For according to him it can so easilybe used to minimize God’s mightywork in and through His Word com-ing from the outside to us, and con-sider the preaching of the Word assomething which is just “outward”and as such not that important.2

I agree wholeheartedly with Prof.Trimp on this point. When the Re-formed Churches in the Netherlandsmodernized the language of the confes-sion they did change this formulation,which was well meant but could beabused. Often the question is: what ismeant with a certain word or formula-tion? What is the point they want to pro-fess (with perhaps imperfect words)?That is the way we read our own con-fessional documents. With Holy Scrip-ture always in the background. We takeinto account the often limited possibili-ties to confess God’s multifaceted truthand we ask for the meaning of whathas been expressed by those particularphrases. But if that is true of “our” con-fessions then we should also use thesame standard when considering theconfessional documents of churcheswith whom we are one in the faith.

And in the third place: also whenthere will be certain points where therewill always be some difference3, then itshould be considered whether it is notcommendable to discuss such specificpoints with each other in a brotherlyfashion with the prayer that the Spiritof the Lord will guide us together so thatwe may both grow in the knowledge offaith. With regard to these points itshould be possible to find each otherpeaceably and harmoniously in a com-mon formula which does not carry thebaggage of past difficulties. In such astatement of faith these churches, to-gether respectfully listening to the Wordof God, which is the truth for all times,could make an attempt to reach anagreement serving the upbuilding of thechurch of the Lord and the praise of hisholy Name.

It would be such a delight that whenchurches meet with one another (asnow is the case in the InternationalConference of Reformed Churches)there would be an opportunity not tocriticize each other and then thereafterquickly return each to his own home,but to serve each other on our way tothe future of our Lord. He guided us inthe past and brings us together in orderthat we also confess together the Nameof Christ, Head of His people and Kingof His congregation so that the worldmay believe that the Father has sentHis Son (John 17:21)

1The following articles originally appearedin Dutch in Rondom Het Woord, 38:11;39:1,2,3 ( 1984/85) and were written byProf. J. Kamphuis of Kampen, The Nether-lands. They were freely translated andadapted to our Canadian situation by Rev.Johannes Mulder of Burlington, Ontariowho was assisted by others. Prof. J. Kam-phuis approved of our translation and adap-tation.2Cf. C. Trimp, ed., Bezield Verband, (Kam-pen: Van den Berg, 1984) 226.3This could perhaps happen most oftenwhen the Westminster Confession in itschapter on synods (Chapter 31) states thatdecisions, if consonant to the Word of God,are to be received with reverence and sub-mission, not only for their agreement withthe Word of God, but also for the powerwhereby they are made. We note with grat-itude that also in this Confession agree-ment with the Word of God is the decisivefactor, but it is a bit difficult to understandthat immediately after that agreement withGod’s Word, the authority of the ecclesias-tical assembly is mentioned! At this point itshows how difficult it is to shake hierarchy,while the Westminster Confession did to-tally eliminate the episcopal system ofchurch government!

We may say that in all pointsof doctrine they [the Three

Forms of Unity] are inharmony with God’s Word.But that does not mean that

you affirm every formulationas being completely correct

and never allow anyemendation.

Ministry of Music

Why? You might ask.It seems that the number of people seriously interested in

the “study” and “playing” of the church organ is steadilydeclining. (Some of our congregations are presently a with-out resident organist.) Our intent therefore is to stimulate andfoster interest, enthusiasm and love in the sharing with andby all those known as the “Flock of Christ, our Lord.”

Mr. Willem Van Suijdam proved to be very generouswith his time and considerable talents, not only as an or-ganist, but also as a capable teacher. What was billed, an in-formal concert, he turned into a wonderful “IntroductoryWorkshop.” He have examples in isolating notes rangingfrom the single muted “Finch or Cardinal” to the drone of alarge contingent of “Bagpipes.” He demonstrated the Horns,Flutes, Woodwinds, String Instruments, Thunder, just shortof “fireworks.” He demonstrated how notes could be usedsingly, as well as in groupings and showed how to “Tonepaint and Blend” in order to affect or create moods andfeelings. He laid bare the capabilities of the organ in whichwe, the listeners, may lay bare before our Lord, what livesin our heart and soul.

The organ used in this manner allows us to hear the“Cool, Verdant, Life-giving Waters.” We may also hear the“Outreaching Flames of the Holy Spirit” and through thissame listening, be gently led through “Pastoral Vales withJoy and Laughing or moved to tears” made aware, theShepherd leads us.

Music! What a marvellous ministry! Remarkable, sincewe only got as far as Psalm 1!

The children were given ample opportunity for questionsand input. (They suggested Psalm 1 as their favourite Psalm.Talk about “From the mouth of babes”!) They were allowedto view the organ up close and ask questions about it.

Questions such as, “What is the difference between apiano and an organ? Some of the answers were surprising,believe me.

“How many of you are taking piano lessons?” Forty orso hands shot up.

“How many of you are taking organ lessons?” One andone half hands hesitantly were raised.

During the play demonstrations, the young studentswere mesmerized. They moved and bobbed, swaying withthe music, delightful! What wonderful sense of rhythm Godhas placed in all of us!

Joyfully I may report that Alvina Kampen is encouragingworkshops, organizing and arranging worksheets andhandouts, to assist teachers in their tasks of fostering lovefor the “Ministry of Music” as it applies to all God’s children,young and old.

Dear brothers and sisters, hear my appeal. Not only al-low, but encourage your children to learn to play the or-gan. Fill their hearts with joy, so that our hearts also may befilled with the “Sound of Dedicated Music.”

Is it easy to play the organ?This question is dependent upon who you ask. J.S. Bach

would have responded, “There is nothing to it. You onlyhave to hit the right notes at the right time and the instrumentplays itself.”

L. Von Beethoven responded differently. “An organistwho is master of his instrument should be placed at the headof all virtuosi.”

Let us remain humble and recognize that our talents area gift from God Creator and are not to be squandered onself but are to be used first, to glorify Him and secondly to beused in the sharing, up-building and edifying of each other.

Mr. A. Blokhuis schedules organists for the worship ser-vices in the Canadian Reformed church in Burlington-Waterdown, Ontario.


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Organ WorkshopBy A. Blokhuis

Please mail, e-mail or fax letters for publication to the editorial address.

They should be 300 words or less. Those published may be edited for style or length.

Please include address and phone number.

ON April 14/99, an invitation was sent to:

Credo Christian School, WoodbridgeCovenant Christian School,, FlamboroughJohn Calvin Christian School, BurlingtonTimothy Christian School, Hamilton andRainbow Christian Kindergarten

The invitation read:

ORGAN CONCERT for

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS By

WILLEM VAN SUIJDAM

On Tuesday, May 4/99 at 1:00 p.m. a large contingent ofbright, eager, enthusiastic students filled the front-rightsection, by the organ, of “Ebenezer Canadian Reformedchurch” at 607 Dynes Rd., Burlington.


Practical ConsiderationsWhat follows is the second part of anaddress given at the Mission Aid Con-ference hosted by the church of Hamil-ton on August 28, 1998. In the first part(published in Clarion 48:19) Dr. DeJong dealt with the biblical data on therelationship between word and deedand how Reformed churches haveworked this out in mission and missionaid. Now Dr. De Jong turns to practicalconsiderations.

In my convocation speech I arguedthat we need to keep the classical divi-sion of labour as set forth by Amers-foort 1948. There is no need for us tooverturn the whole apple cart of history,and start all over, even if our opportu-nities for mission are different todaythan they were fifty years ago. I haveeven tried to defend some positive sidesto Synod 1951’s decision. After all, theLiberation (1944) sought to maintain thechurch polity of the Doleantie, with itsstress on the autonomy of the localchurch. Yet given the close connectionbetween word and deed in Scripture,and also the role of the deed as an inte-gral part of the reality of the gospel, Ithink we need to foster every effort tobring these two into greater harmony.Let’s distinguish, but not separate. Let’saccept a division of office, but a har-mony of purpose.

In my view the component that waslacking already in 1948 was the dia-conal element. In the report to Synod1951 the brothers said with regard tothe supporting work:

Perhaps the deacons could be in-volved in this as well; without ad-vising this, we consider this andother related issues to belong, alsoin their further delineation, to thefreedom of the local churches. Thebest rule seems to be that a societyis formed with local representations.

Such an organization should be in-dependent in its work.1

My view is that the study committeesof 1948 were too reticent about therole of the deacons in the supportingrole of mission aid, and even in therole of developmental aid. Is there alsonot a role for the deacons in the out-working of the diaconal component ofthe mission enterprise on the field? Tobe sure, deacons are stewards in thehousehold of God, (1 Tim 3:15). Theyare household servants. But this house-hold is not limited by time or place,and furthermore, is also a householdthat always lives with a view to theworld in which it lives and subsists.

This is also confirmed by looking atthe mission mandate in Matthew28:18,19. It is obvious that the centraltask of this mandate is to preach theword. Literally, the mandate reads: “Goand make disciples of all nations.” Thenin the original there follow two presentparticiples which indicate an ongoingaction as to the way this is done: “. . .baptizing them, and teaching them toobserve all that I have commanded you.”It is impossible to exclude the “deed”factor from this mandate, since it says: allthat I have commanded you – that is, allthings from the first table of the law, andalso from the second table of the law.

And how can one teach without a livingexample? How can the diaconal con-gregation be formed on the mission fieldwithout being nurtured by the diaconalcongregation on the home front?

I agree that the deed is a fruit of theword. We need to follow the pattern ofLord’s Day 33 in the preaching of thegospel. Only by repentance and con-version does one come to a life of gen-uine gratitude to God. First comes theword as preached; then as a fruit of thatword: deeds of thanksgiving. This is ab-solutely essential in order for the deedto be a deed of love! But my point is:does not the proclamation itself illus-trate the vital connection between wordand deed in the way it is brought? Howcan we expect a vital link betweenword and deed to grow in the indige-nous church if it is not clearly visible inthe sending church, and in the way thesending church projects itself in a givenmissionary setting?

I also believe we need to retain thedistinction between the special officesand the office of all believers.2 Theseare God-given patterns in the congrega-tion. But in a living congregation thesetwo sets of people are never at odds or inconflict regarding terrain, but they areworking together harmoniously for theupbuilding and the smooth functioningof the body (Eph 4:12, Col 3:18). There-fore I would like to eliminate all senseof conflict or battle with regard to terrainor territory among these categories. Eachneeds to know his office, but in the con-text of that office we need to foster a har-monious word and deed ministry whichis all part of the mission of the gospel.3

Much has been written and saidabout the relationship between missionand mission aid, and the exact configu-ration of these two in the missionary en-terprise. If we would want to have anexact task description we need to beclear what exactly we are speaking

Word and Deed: Reflections on the Relationship between

Mission and Mission Aid(Second of two parts)

By J. De Jong

How can we expect a vital link between word and deed to grow in the

indigenous church if it is not clearly visible in the

sending church, and in theway the sending churchprojects itself in a given

missionary setting?


about. What is mission aid? Some see itas the basic things the missionary needsto do his work, that is the help for themissionary. There were with Jesus sev-eral women who ministered to Him,(Luke 8:3) and Paul had a host ofhelpers.4 In this sense there can be anelement of aid which belongs to themission enterprise itself. These are theessential support services that the mis-sionary needs in order to have a viablefunctioning post. I would even thinkhere of the possibility of an aid workerbeing part of the mission – let’s say, amission worker.

Then comes the broader componentof mission aid: medical and educationalservices, and beyond this, emergencyaid and technical support services tohelp people in their economic circum-stances, that is, the developmental com-ponent. This is mission aid in thebroader, and perhaps more popularsense. Also here in Canada this haslargely been left to congregational ini-tiatives, outside the authority of the con-sistory. We have promoted the devel-opment of separate organizations just asthese exist in the Dutch situation. Yetalso for this dimension, insofar as it maybe connected with mission projects, isthis not a form of mission aid, and isthere not room for a greater diaconalrole from the church councils? Couldnot deacons be an integral part of steer-ing committees that represent varioussectors of mission aid and develop-mental work?

The issue today is one of streamliningand coordination. In a speech like this Icannot claim to work out all kinds of de-tails. Yet I can say that Prof. Trimp hasbeen quite explicit about his view as tothe way this should go, and I can findmyself in his suggestions. Why cannotthese sorts of diaconal aspects also notbe discussed and regulated by our dea-cons, and dealt with at our ecclesiasticalassemblies?5 For example, why cannotcertain specific diaconal needs for mis-sion projects be decided by the officebearers – including deacons – at the clas-sis, and if need be the regional synod?Then all the cooperating churches havethe opportunity to be involved and tohave their say, and also to give their ap-probation to the project.

What about the relationship be-tween the deacons and the organiza-tions? Who must take the leading rolehere? In my view this depends on thenature of the project. Aid projects moreimmediately connected with the mis-sionary enterprise should have a greater

input from deaconries acting throughecclesiastical assemblies. Broader pro-jects, including those involving devel-opmental aid, require the expertise ofan outside organization. People shouldbe allowed to be reasonably sure thattheir money is going to a project thathas been responsibly planned and thathas reasonable chances of actually pro-viding genuine assistance in a given sit-uation. Our projects should also bepresented in this way. As ReformedChristians we need to avoid the ex-tremes of the horizontalism prevalentin the World Council of Churches, andthe verticalism or narrow, spiritualizedmission work characteristic in somequarters of evangelicalism.6

Here we can benefit from close co-operation between deaconries and aidorganizations. Here in Canada we arecurrently living in a context in whichthere are quite a few young (and not soyoung) people that are coming forwardto offer some of their time and resourcesfor one or other mission or mission aidor developmental aid project. There isroom for all of this, and there is nodoubt we all should do what we can,as long as things are done in a respon-sible way, and the basic priorities ofChristian duty are not forgotten. Giventhat fact that the average church mem-ber deals with a limited budget, there issomething to be said for prioritizingour projects in order to bring out moreacutely the close connection betweenword and deed. There is also some-thing to be said for aiming at the morelong term goals in our missionary en-deavour. Mission and mission aid, aswell as developmental aid is like any-thing else: the more you put into it, thegreater the effect in the long run. Andas Christians – perhaps more than asbusiness people – we should be con-cerned about the long run.

Obviously the work we do will needthe expertise of outside agencies in

many situations. But if we can begin todevelop the expertise to handle someof our own aid projects, as well as someof our own developmental projects inand around our own mission areas, wehave a greater opportunity to continueto foster the close relationship betweenword and deed, and to show the inte-gral unity of these two in more longterm ways. This to my mind most effec-tively seeks to proximate Paul’s refer-ence to the “equality” or “fair balance”in 2 Corinthians 8:14.

Admittedly this does not answer allthe questions that one might have here.Perhaps the discussion can bring outmore details, and I look forward to yourinput to refine my own views. But, inaccordance with my stated objective, Ihope I have provided you with a cer-tain ‘hulp dienst’ in this address.

1De verhouding . . . , 14.2The submission of D. Griffioen and H. Ven-ema at the 1995 Mission Conference inZwolle (Zending in beweging) tend to blurthis distinction somewhat. I can find myselfmore in agreement with the more reservedremarks of M. te Velde, cf M. Te Velde “Re-actie” in Zending in beweging, 115-123.3Cf C. Trimp, “Ambtelijke en maatschap-pelijke hulpverlening” in De Reformatie Vol.57 no. 26 (April 3, 1982) 410-413.4We may think of Phoebe, Gaius, and themother of Rufus, (Rom 16), Prisca andAquila as obvious non-ordained helpers. Be-sides these we have (most likely) ordainedfigures like Timothy, (Phil 2: 22), Crescens,Titus (2 Tim 4:9), Silvanus, (1 Pet 5:12) andLuke, (2 Tim 4:11). Others are: Onesiphorus,Trophimus and Erastus, (2 Tim 4: 19)Artemas, Tychichus, Zenas the lawyer andApollos, who may or may not have been or-dained. In the list of Rom 16, we may notethat some are distinctly isolated as workers(kopioses): Tryphaena, Tryphosa and Persis.Gaius is identified as host (zenos) to thechurch, and Erastus as a city treasurer(oikonomos). Stephanus and Fortunatus andAchaichus are termed men worthy of recog-nition, (1 Cor 16:17). These men might wellhave been presbuteroi. 5Cf. C Trimp, Zorgen voor de gemeente. Hetambtelijke werk van ouderling en diakentoegelicht (Van den Berg, Kampen, 1986)219-234.6See on this J.J. Tigchelaar, “Liefde in daden.Over de verhouding van woord en daad inde zending” in J.P. Versteeg et. al. (ed.) Gijdie eertijds verre waart . . . Een overzicht vande geschiedenis en taken van de zending(De Banier, Utrecht, 1978) 217-240. In thesame volume see A. Moens, “De daad bij hetwoord”, Ibid, 289-342. According toTigchelaar the unity of word and deed is alsoto be found in the concept of the kingdomof God and its manifestation on earth. It allconcerns the presentia Christi, cf. 225.

Given that fact that theaverage church member

deals with a limited budget, there is something to be said for prioritizing

our projects in order to bring out more acutely

the close connection between word and deed.

Many Christians tend to think of re-ligion in the more practical terms ofmorals and ethics. What you believe isnot deemed to be as important as livinga good, clean and morally pleasing life.Nevertheless, all our actions must bebased on the doctrines of Holy Scripture.

It is important that we understandthe place of doctrines within the lifeof the church. When we publicly pro-fessed our faith, we stated that wewholeheartedly believed the doctrineof the Word of God, summarized inthe confessions and taught here in thisChristian church. We were asked, “Doyou promise by the grace of Godsteadfastly to continue in this doctrinein life and death, rejecting all heresiesand errors conflicting with God’sWord?” Similar vows are made by par-ents at the baptism of their children.They promise to instruct them in thetrue and complete doctrine of salva-tion. The Lord will not hold us guiltlessif we do not uphold what wepromised. Already in the Old Testa-ment God warned his people: “Whenyou make a vow to the LORD yourGod, you shall not be slack to pay it;for the LORD your God will surely re-quire it of you, and it would be sin inyou. You shall be careful to performwhat has passed your lips, for youhave voluntarily vowed to the LORDyour God what you have promisedwith your mouth” (Deut 23:21,23).With this issue of Clarion I am startinga monthly column on doctrine that, ifit pleases God, will help you, thereader, continue in the doctrines youvowed to uphold.

Promoting sound doctrineThe doctrines on which we base our

faith must be sound. Sound doctrine,that is to say Biblical doctrine, producesspiritually healthy living. From the letterof Paul to Titus it is readily apparenthow the Lord is concerned that the true

and complete doctrine of salvation beguarded. Every congregation must haveelders who hold firm to the sure Wordas taught, so that they may be able togive instruction in sound doctrine andalso to confute those who contradict it(1:9). Those who are in office shouldbe familiar with the doctrines of Scrip-ture so that they are able to teach othersconcerning the riches of Scripture.Church leaders are not the only oneswho are to defend and promote doc-trine. Every church member must holdthe mystery of the faith and speak whatis fitting to sound doctrine.

Rejecting false doctrineA passionate love for the truth en-

tails hatred of heresy and opposition toall false doctrine. False doctrine andheresy must be opposed because it is anaffront to the living God! Some find itdifficult to defend Biblical absolutes infear of hurting or offending others. Doc-trines are put into the category of “per-sonal opinion” and looked upon as be-

ing unimportant: As long as you believein Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour,all the rest is secondary! Thus Christiansare left doing what is right in their owneyes – exactly what God forbade (Deut12:8; Judg 17:6; 21:25).

The true and complete doctrine ofsalvation teaches us to know the trueGod, our Saviour. Immediately afterthe outpouring of the Holy Spirit, be-lievers devoted themselves to under-standing the apostolic doctrines whichhad been passed on to them (Acts2:42). The preaching of the gospelwould lose its foundation if it could notstand on the doctrines of the Old andNew Testaments.

Throughout the letters of the NewTestament you find repeated the exhor-tation to build on the right foundationby upholding the right doctrines inpreaching and daily living. Christ himselfdirects us to this foundation: it is the writ-ings of prophets and apostles, as stated inScripture, as repeated in the confessionsand as summarized in the teachings anddoctrines of the church. These doctrinesmust repeat what is stated in God’s rev-elation; otherwise they must be rejected.Paul writes to the Galatians: “But even ifwe, or an angel from heaven, shouldpreach to you a gospel contrary to thatwhich we preached to you, let him beaccursed”(Gal 1:8). The apostle Johnputs it even stronger: “Any one who goesahead and does not abide in the doctrine


Living by the Doctrines of Scripture

Steadfastly continuing in sound doctrine

By P.G. Feenstra

The Lord holds usaccountable for what webelieve as well as how wethink about the truth of

Scripture.

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of Christ does not have God; he whoabides in the doctrine has both the Fa-ther and the Son. If any one comes toyou and does not bring this doctrine, donot receive him into the house or givehim any greeting; for he who greets himshares his wicked work”(2 John 9-11).The Belgic Confession puts it this way:“Since it is forbidden to add to or takeaway anything from the Word of God(Deut 12:32), it is evident that the doc-trine thereof is most perfect and com-plete in all respects.”

The Lord holds us accountable forwhat we believe as well as how wethink about the truth of Scripture. If weprofess faith in Christ we have to beable to articulate the most basic doc-trines of Scripture. Doctrinal shallow-ness will undermine people’s ability todiscern. The Lord calls us to leave theelementary doctrine of Christ and go onto maturity (Heb 6:1). A church that isnot firmly rooted in doctrine is like aship without a rudder or a musical scoresheet filled with notes but missing astaff. The best and most effective way ofcombatting heresy is by being thor-oughly grounded in the doctrine of theWord of God. Knowing the truth ofScripture will keep us from being tossedto and fro by every wind of doctrine(Eph 4:14).

Adorning doctrine with properbehaviour

The doctrines of the Bible are to bebelieved and applied. If we say we be-lieve the Bible to be the holy inspiredWord of God this entails that we are tosubmit ourselves completely to its au-thority as well. Knowing Jesus Christ andhis love for sinners means surrenderingourselves to his Lordship. Believing Godto be omnipotent necessitates learningto lean on Him throughout our wholelife. What we believe with the heartmust be confessed with our lips (Rom10:9,10).

The teachings of the Word of Godform the way we think and behave.Holy living is inseparable from sounddoctrine. Our walk of life must be inagreement with the doctrines we con-

fess. By living in submission to thewill of God revealed in the Old andNew Testaments we adorn the doc-trine of God. The apostle Paul speaksof this in Titus 2. In verse 1 he instructsTitus to speak about those thingswhich are properly associated withsound doctrine. In the verses 2-10 heshows how doctrine is to form the pat-tern of behaviour of older men andwomen, of younger men and women,of employers and employees. Their ac-tions are to “adorn the doctrine ofGod our Saviour” (Titus 2:10). To“adorn” is to make beautiful and at-tractive. We adorn the doctrine of Godour Saviour by living lives that arecharacterized by a deep sense of ourown sinfulness and by the joy of know-ing that we, who in ourselves havenothing to offer to God, receive every-thing in Christ.

Reason for doctrinal statementsAt times the church must state on

paper what it believes and confesses todefend the truth and to guard what hasbeen entrusted to it. These writings,known as confessions, are not infalli-ble and may not be placed on the samelevel as Scripture itself (BC Art. 7). Yetthey should not be undervalued or un-derestimated. The doctrinal statementsthat have been placed in the hands ofthe church are for our protection. Theyprotect us against our own sinfulnessand our tendency to be ruled by ourown thoughts and opinions.

Doctrines have often been formu-lated in reaction to error and falseteachings and we should not be tooproud to think we will not fall into thesame trap. The difference between truthand error is often subtle and difficult todetect since Satan cloaks false teaching

in a beautiful garment, deceiving manyby making it appear to be more accept-able than the truth (2 Cor 11:14).

What we believe and confess hasbeen formulated very carefully in theBelgic Confession, the Heidelberg Cat-echism, and the Canons of Dort. In thiswe see the love of God for his church.He has illuminated the minds of thosewho wrote these documents so that theywere able to state clearly, for the bene-fit of God’s people, the doctrines con-tained in the Old and New Testaments.

May the study of doctrine bring usto a deeper understanding and knowl-edge of who God is. As we are ruledand governed by the doctrine of Scrip-ture let the words of Psalm 25:4,5 beour prayer: “Show me your ways, OLORD, teach me your paths; guide mein your truth and teach me, for you areGod my Saviour, and my hope is inyou all day long.”

Rev. Peter Feenstra is minister of theCanadian Reformed Church at OwenSound, Ontario.

A church that is not firmlyrooted in doctrine is like aship without a rudder or a

musical score sheet filled withnotes but missing a staff.

CHURCH NEWS

CHANGE OF ADDRESS:Rev. B.R. Hofford

Residence: 320 3rd St., Sumas, WAMail: P.O. Box 584, Sumas, WA

98295-0584Phone: (360) 988-6044

AMERICAN REFORMED FELLOWSHIPwill provide regular

Sunday Worship Servicesin

Palmetto, FloridaWe meet from November through April. D.V. in the Welcome Center of the Palm View Baptist Church on the south West corner of US41and 49th Street in Palmetto. Meeting times are 11:15 a.m. and 2:30

p.m. For more information see our web site:

www.worldchat.com/public/hordyk/page29.htmlOr call in Ontario 905-681-1688,

in Michigan 616-327-5835 and in Florida call 941-739-1306.


PRESS RELEASE: CLASSIS PACIFIC EAST, LYNDEN,SEP 30, 1999

On behalf of the convening church of Lynden, B. Wie-lenga called the meeting to order. We sang from Psalm98.1,4 and read from Isaiah 42.1-13; prayer was offeredup. All were welcomed, especially the deputies of RegionalSynod (brothers R. Aasman and C. VanSpronsen) and can-didate brother P. Holtvluwer, who were all present for theperemptory examination requested by the church at Alder-grove for the candidate. After the credentials were reportedto be in order, classis was constituted and the officers sug-gested by the previous classis took their seats: C.J. Van-derVelde as chairman, B. Wielenga as vice-chairman, andD. Moes as clerk. The agenda was adopted.

Via an earlier letter to the convening church, the churchat Aldergrove had requested the examination by classis ofbrother Holtvluwer. The deputies of regional synod wererequested to sit at the classis table for the examination. Thepertinent documents were presented and found to be ingood order; classis proceeded with the examination. Afterhearing the candidate present a message on Luke 13.1-5,classis, with the concurring advice of the deputies, con-cluded in closed session that the examination could con-tinue. This was done in open session where brotherHoltvluwer was examined in areas of Old Testament exe-gesis, New Testament exegesis, Scripture knowledge, doc-tine and creeds, church history, ethics, church polity, and di-aconiology. In closed session classis evaluated what it hadheard from the candidate and judged, with the concurringadvice of the deputies, that the brother had successfullysustained the peremptory examination. Classis then appro-bated the call. In open session this decision was conveyed tobrother Holtvluwer. Since the classis’ form of subscriptionwas not present to be signed, the brother orally affirmed hiswillingness and intention to subscribe to the form at thenext classis. The archive church was charged to secure acopy of this form and the convening church for next classiswas charged to provide it for that meeting. We sang fromPsalm 89.1 and the chairman led in giving thanks to theLord. The deputies were thanked for their presence and con-tribution to this part of the meeting. Opportunity was givento congratulate brother Holtvluwer. An invitation was re-ceived by classis from the church at Aldergrove to the ordi-nation of brother Holtvluwer on October 24, 1999. BrotherR. Schouten will be present on behalf of classis.

A report was received from the committee for needychurches with a recommendation for supporting a classischurch in the amount of $12,000 ($6.10 per communicantmember) for the year 2000. The recommendation of thecommittee was adopted. A church visitation report con-cerning the church at Abbotsford was received.

Under question period Art. 44 of the church order onechurch requested and was given advice in a matter pertain-ing to the proper government of the church.

The church at Vernon was appointed as the conveningchurch for next classis, which is scheduled to convene in

Vernon, at 9:00 a.m. on December 9, 1999; the alternatedate is March 30, 2000. Classis appointed as suggested of-ficers for next classis the following brothers: B. Wielengaas chairman, D. Moes as vice-chairman, and M. VanLuik asclerk. The committee for examinations was reappointedwith one new appointment: brother P. Holtvluwer is ap-pointed examiner in church polity. Church visitors werereappointed; as was the church for the archives, the churchfor the inspection of archives, the treasurer, the church forauditing the books of the treasurer, the committee for fi-nancial aid to students for the ministry, and the committeefor needy churches. As delegates to regional synod, to beconvened in Taber on November 23, the following brotherswere appointed: R. Schouten, M. VanLuik, and B. Wielengaas ministers – with C. VanderVelde and D. Moes as alter-nates in that order; G. Boeve, B. Vane, and P. VanSpron-sen as elders – with P. VanWoudenberg, J. Marissen, and H.Bosscher as alternates in that order.

Opportunity was given for questions. The chairmannoted that censure (Article 34 of the church order) was notnecessary. The Acts were adopted; the press release wasapproved. We sang from Psalm 145.1, and the chairmanled in prayer and thanksgiving. The meeting was closed.

For classis, B. Wielenga

PRESS RELEASE


OUR LITTLE MAGAZINE

By Aunt Betty

Dear Busy BeaversDo you enjoy doing the puzzles in Our Little Magazine?

Have you ever had a book where it is full of puzzles to do,and even managed to do some of them? Puzzles are a real lotof fun. Many hours of hard work have been put into makingthese puzzles, and many hours of solving these puzzles willhave to be done when you have the book.

What about jigsaw puzzles? Do you like to sit down atthe table or lay down on the floor and put all the pieces to-gether? I have just completed a puzzle that was very difficult,and I really enjoyed putting it all together. It feels so goodwhen all the pieces are in their right place. Then you canvery proudly display it somewhere, where others can seeyour handwork!

Lots of love, Aunt Betty

TIE-UP!Add a three letter word to the end of the first group andto the beginning of the second group of letters in eachpair and two Biblical names will appear. To help youfind the correct “tie-up” word a clue is given after eachpair. What are the names concerned?

1. REU __ __ __ JAMIN; Scottish mountain2. ABRA __ __ __ AN; meat3. NAA __ __ __ ASSEH; male4. A __ __ __ ASCUS; embankment to restrain water5. EST __ __ __ OD; belonging to a lady6. GIL __ __ __ Z; serpent7. JO __ __ __ ER; tree8. SIS __ __ __ STUS; period of time9. ABI __ __ __ ES; pack tightly

10. JEHO __ __ __ AH; animal11. ABIS __ __ __ GAI; ugly woman10. AHI __ __ __ AL; vessel for popular bath

KINGSKings are influential in shaping the history of their nations.Match each king with the proper statement about him.

WWOORRDD SSEEAARRCCHHBy Busy Beaver Chantelle Tuininga

P Y A C S I X P G I T M U Y E S JZ E K Z I S U J K Y N J K L Z A BK C N D C A G E J L H E I K M O QS U W P C A A C S K N S Z N B P LK L N O A C R Z X Z W U L U V W SX B C P E L N H S Y K S A U L Z AN P Q M Z W X O P K L B N O M L MB U S Y B E A V E R C L U B Z N UA U Z K N O M P O E Z K L M E I EI U N C E K S I S B O D L I Z H LU I N K Z K U N O E P Q I N Q Z EN K Z T N E N I E K G H T K N Z KH A B Z B K N K N A P Y Z K H N PN G B O K E Z O N H Q N C H N A ET L E L K M T I P H E B R Y L C AH R E L E N B T O Y N L E R O Z YG O D N T U R Z Y N Q A U Z N O K

FIND:Penpal Busy Beaver Club Aunt BettyJesus Saul SamuelGod Isaac Rebekah

1. Built an altar, askingthat a plague end

2. Carried Judah andJerusalem into Exile

3. Built the Temple

4. Reigned three months

5. Had fifteen yearsadded to his life

6. His hand “dried up”

7. Made a covenantbefore the Lord

8. Had youngestchildren ofBethlehem slain

9. Fell through his upperchamber

10. Gave decree torebuild Temple

11. Threw a javelin atDavid

a. Jeroboam, 1 Kings 13:4

b. Ahaziah, 2 Kings 1:2

c. Solomon, 2 Chronicles 7:11

d. Darius, Ezra 6:1,8

e. David, 2 Samuel 24:25

f. Hezekiah, 2 Kings 20:5-6

g. Josiah, 2 Chronicles 34:31

h. Saul, 1 Samuel 18:20-11

i. Nebuchadnezzar, 1 Chronicles 6:15

j. Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 24:8

k. Herod, Matthew 2:16


The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3With thankfulness to our heavenly Father for His precious gift of life,we joyfully announce the safe arrival of our sonJUSTIN ALEXANDERJustin was born on September 19, 1999, and is welcomed by hisbig sister Vanessa and his parents, Pete and Chandra Vanderboom (nee Meerstra)18 Robinson Avenue, Brantford, ON N3S 6X3

I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will makeyour faithfulness known through all generations. Psalm 89:1We thank and praise the Lord who has made all things well, andblessed us with the birth of our firstborn child, a daughter,CHLOE WENOAHBorn August 27, 1999Bryan and Tobi Bos (nee Hofsink)First grandchild for John and Patricia Hofsink, and Jake and Winnie Bos74 Lawfield Road, Hamilton, ON L8V 4L5

With joy and thankfulness to the Lord, we announce the birth ofMATTHEWBorn on July 21, 1999A brother for VictoriaRay and Melina Noot4th grandchild for Henry and Anna Veldkamp2nd grandchild for Harry and Grace NootBox 842, Fox Creek, AB T0H 1P0

Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. Psalm 128:1The Lord who has been exceedingly gracious to us has indeedblessed us with the birth of another covenant child, a sonISAAC KASPER VAN VEENBorn September 16, 1999Kasper and Sherri Van Veen (nee Kampen)A little brother for Kassia, Cailey, Samantha and LoriBox 426, Rockwood, ON N0B 2K0

Our covenant God has given us a healthy baby boy on August 17,1999. His name isSHELDON JAMES KINGMABrother for: Heidi Nicoleen, Lydia Ruth, Walter Arlen, Jared Luke, Laurence Daniel, Calvin Peter, Martin JohnArthur and Betsy Kingma (nee Meester)1368 Bird Road, RR 2, Dunnville, ON N1A 2W2

With heartfelt thankfulness to our covenant God and heavenly Fatherwho has blessed our marriage and enriched our family, we wish toannounce the birth of our sonJOSHUA THEODOREBorn August 12, 1999Ted and Lynda Schouten (nee VanMiddelkoop)A brother for Lyndsay, Katie, Calvin, Heather, Samuel66 Meadowlily Road N., London, ON N5W 1B6

You make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works ofyour hands.With joy to our heavenly Father, for entrusting into our care anotherone of His covenant children, we announce the birth of our daughterSIENNA LAURELLESienna was born on August 24, 1999She is welcomed by brother Coleand parents Walter and Debbie Nordeman5076-219a Street, Langley, BC V3A 8P8

With thanks and praise to God for entrusting to us another covenantchild, we wish to announce the birth of our son and brother. Wenamed himJOSHUA ALBERTborn on October 2, 1999Peter and Janet Kingma (nee DeRoo)Stephanie, Alex, Chantelle, MitchellMake me to know Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths. Lead me inThy truth, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation; for Thee Iwait all the day long. Psalm 25: 4 and 5New address: 1607 Misty Ridge S.W., Byron Center, MI 49315 U.S.A.

With thankfulness to our heavenly Father for his precious gift of life,we announce the birth of our daughterKARLEE RAQUELBorn August 9, 1999Dave and Sherri Boersema (nee Blokker)A sister for Brandi Nicole6th grandchild for Joe and Ena Boersema3rd grandchild for Jerry and Ricki Blokker4376 Henry Avenue, Beamsville, ON L0R 1B6

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures allthings. 1 Corinthians 13:7With thankfulness to our heavenly Father for bringing us together, weMARCIA TUININGA and JEFFREY VANGROOTHEEST are happy to announce our engagement.September 22, 1999Box 215, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he whoabides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16Mr. and Mrs. Alex Thalen with thankfulness to our Lord, are pleasedto announce the marriage of their daughterHILDA MARGARET to CHRISTOPHER ALLANson of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Niezen. The ceremony will take place, theLord willing, November 5, 1999 at 1:00 p.m. in the Maranatha Cana-dian Reformed Church at Fergus, ON.Rev. J. Slaa officiating.Future address: 7637 Wellington Road 7, RR 1, Alma, ON N0B 1A0

CLARION ADVERTISEMENTS

Births

Weddings

Engagements


1974 – November 1 – 1999The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forever-more. Psalm 121:8We joyfully announce the 25th Wedding Anniversary of our parents,and praise God for his continuous care over them.HERMAN and YKE TIMMERMAN (nee Cnossen)With love,Toronto,ON: AgnesElora, ON: Mark and Hannah

WesCarolynKevinDavid

Please join us for an Open House on Saturday, November 6, 1999,from 2 - 5 p.m. at the Elora Canadian Reformed Church building.147 First Line Road, RR 2, Elora, ON N0B 1S0

1974 – October 5 – 1999Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7With great joy and thankfulness to our heavenly Father who hasblessed them, we wish to announce the 25th Wedding Anniversary ofour parents and grandparentsGARY PETER and JULIA MARIETTA BEUKEMA (nee Baartman)Langley, BC: Geoffrey and Julia Beukema

LarissaRobert BeukemaLeanne Beukema and Darryl HofsinkNellie BeukemaHeidi BeukemaBenjamin BeukemaMarietta BeukemaJulina Beukema

22019 Old Yale Road, Langley, BC V2Z 1M2

1974 – October 25 – 1999Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures for ever. Psalm 118:31With thankfulness to our Lord, we announce the 25th Wedding Anniversary of ADRIAN and RITA KRABBENDAM (nee Ostermeier)Their thankful children and grandchild

Katherine and Jeremy VandergugtenChristopher

AdrianLaura and

(Allan Schouten)Lynda Tracey

44661 Monte Vista Drive, Chilliwack, BC V2R 3K5

The Board of the Canadian Reformed School Society of Chathamand District, operating EBENEZER CHRISTIAN SCHOOLinvites applications for the position of:TEACHER(Full-time, multiple grade, elementary level).In addition, those applicants who feel they are also capable of assuming PRINCIPAL’S duties should indicate so on their application.Abilities in French and Music would be a definite asset.The school has a current enrollment of approximately 75 studentsfrom kindergarten to grade 8. At present, our staff consists of 4 full-time and 2 part-time teachers.For more information, contact the Education Committee Chair, Mrs. T. Bergsma, 91 Harvest Crescent, Chatham, ON N7L 5C7(519) 351-6462Send applications to: Education CommitteeEbenezer Christian School, 485 McNaughton Avenue East, Chatham, ON N7L 2H2

The Canadian Reformed School Society of Dufferin –ORANGEVILLE, Ontarioinvites applications from suitably qualified persons for the full time position of GRADE 1/2 TEACHERwith duties to commence March 2000.For more information about this position please call the PrincipalN. Mans at (519) 941-4368 (school) or (519) 928-3184 (home)Or Board Chairman, R. Kampen at (519) 941-6392Please send applications to:The Canadian Reformed School Society of DufferinP.O. Box 175, Orangeville, ON L9W 2Z6c/o Mr. Edward Groen, Secretary of the School Board

Teaching Positions

Anniversaries

August 16, 1920 – October 1, 1999They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appearethbefore God. Psalm 84:7The Lord in His infinite wisdom and grace took unto Himself Hischild, our beloved husband, father and grandfather HERMAN ENGBERS at the age of 79 years.Thamesville, ON: Linda Engbers (née Oosterhoff)

Herman EngbersLondon, ON: Pete and Hettie Engbers

Jessica, Christopher, Stephanie, Kaitlin, Emily

Arthur, ON: John and Helen VanderwoerdLee-Anne, Jennifer, Adrian, Robert, Jocelyn

46 Sherman Street, Thamesville, ON N0P 2K0

Obituaries

THANK YOUto our many friends who sent us cards with

Best Wishes or in any other way shared in our joyand thankfulness on the occasion of our wedding

on September 3.Sy and Jenny Raap


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Clarion · 2013-09-24 · CLARION, OCTOBER 15, 1999 487 himself with the royal food and wine, and...

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