Looking at Numbers 18 and Deuteronomy 14, this article shows how the tithe law functioned in Israel.

Should office-bearers receive the laying on of hands at their ordination? This article reflects the teaching of the Old and New Testament on the subject. The author then looks at the church order and liturgical forms, discussing the meaning and relevance of this symbolic act.

This article has extensive exegetical notes on Hosea 11:1-11 based on the original Hebrew.

This article is about the discussion there was in the Reformed churches in the Netherlands about the Sabbath and Sunday. These churches wrestled with the idea how we should view the Lord's Day in the New Testament. Can we say that our Lord's Day is a Christian Sabbath? How must we view the aspect of rest on the Lord's Day?

What is it that makes one an evangelical? This article shows that the answer comes in two ways: the historicity of the evangelical identity, and the New Testament teaching of what makes one a Christian.

When did the exodus take place? There are two theories: an early date and a late date. In answering this question this article looks first at the date of the conquest and the burning of Jericho, Ai, Hazor. After examining the archaeological claim for a later date based on Palestinian artifacts, the article concludes that such a claim has no grounds.

Biblical counseling is rooted in a conviction that God's Word is sufficient to address the complete situation of man. This article shows that such a conviction will lead to certain affirmations and denials about the condition of man.

This article on the welfare state, discusses government and poverty, the responsibility of citizens, the view of man, and social evils and the church.

How do Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 4 interpret Psalm 95? These chapters state that the practice of resting on the Sabbath should be maintained, as believers look forward to eternal rest through Christ. This rest is linked with the fourth commandment.

This article is an analysis of Galatians 3, discussing Paul's argument concerning the relationship between faith and works in justification.

Why does our church order contain a call to commemorate ecclesiastical feast days? This article discusses the historical development of this call, concluding that this should be left up to the discretion of each church council.

This article is a probe into the textual history of Article 36 of the Belgic Confession.

Paul uses the word 'allegory' in Galatians 5:24. Does this mean that the allegorical method of Scripture interpretation is therefore an acceptable or good hermeneutical method?

This article is an exposition of Mark 9:33-50.

This article is an exposition of Mark 6:30-44.

This article is an exposition of Mark 4:1-25.

This article is an exposition of Mark 3:13-19.

This article is an exposition of Mark 3:7-12.

This article is an exposition of Mark 3:1-6.

This article is an exposition of Mark 2:23-28.

This article is an exposition of Mark 2:18-22.

What is truth? What is the nature of truth? This article discusses truth as it is portrayed in the Gospel of John. The author also discusses the modern perspective on truth, and the way it contrasts with the Christian perspective.

The four Gospels are different. Is this a canonical problem? If there is four different accounts of Jesus, can we trust what we read about Jesus as a historical figure? This article focusses mainly on the fourth Gospel, the book of John, in relation to these questions.

This author discusses the modern importance that is placed on freedom. Freedom is a word that suggests almost unlimited good, but it can conceal dangers. What should our perspective on freedom be?

How should we understand and live out Christology in our modern context? Who is Jesus Christ for us today? This author maintains that our orthodoxy must be contemporary. This does not mean that our contemporary context should determine our faith, but that we should understand our orthodoxy within the modern context. This article discusses what a contemporary orthodox witness to Christ looks like.

Are the four New Testament Gospels reliable accounts of Jesus? Are the Gospels accounts of real history? In this article, Richard Bauckham highlights the importance of the eyewitnesses described in the Gospels - those who were actually there at the events of Jesus' life. Bauckham asks the question: How are the Gospels related to the testimony of the eyewitnesses?

This lecture is on the care of creation. Francis Bacon was the first person to understand the dominion given to humans at Creation as a task for the progressive exploitation of the resources of creation for the improvement of human life. Before this, people had taken the command of Genesis 1:28 as authorizing the ordinary ways in which people already made use of non-human creation - i.e. farming, hunting, fishing, etc.

What is the place of the letter of James in the New Testament, and what was the role of the person James in the early Church?

Why does our New Testament contain four Gospels? Why not more? Or fewer? There are other Gospels which did not become part of our New Testament. This article affirms the four Gospels' canonicity by discussing their unique characteristics.

This article suggests one way to read the Bible, which would call for reading Scripture with mission work as its central goal. This should not be the only way to read the Bible, but using mission as a hermeneutic for interpreting Scripture could help us to better understand how we ought to do missions.

The canonicity of the Gospels was an issue that arose in the period from the second to third century. In this time the church was determining the authority of these Gospels. In this article Richard Bauckham looks briefly at the way in which apostolic eyewitness functioned as a criterion of authenticity.

This article discusses the historical nature of the Gospels. The author compares the four Gospels to ancient and modern historiography in order to highlight the beauty of these books as historical narratives.

The world has long believed in the myth of progress - the idea that we are slowly moving towards a utopia. Where do we, as Christians in the third millenium, find our hope? Do we find our hope in the concept of progress, or elsewhere?

Can a moral argument point to God? This article argues that there is a link between moral law and God, that one cannot speak of objective moral law without reference to God.

This article is a response to the claim of new atheism that morality does not depend on God. The author outlines the relationship between God and morality, thereby nullifying these claims.

This article discusses atonement in the Old Testament and the New Testament, with special attention to the substitutionary character of atonement.

This article discusses the wrath of God, and Jesus Christ saving God’s people from his wrath (atonement). The article also looks at the question of the suffering of God.

Justification is at the heart of how Jesus Christ becomes my Saviour. This article discusses the righteousness of God (also as Judge), the grace of God, and the relation between justification and sanctification.

This article discusses the phrase “the state of justification” as it is found in the Canons of Dort, Chapter five, Article 6. This is part of the Canons’ bigger discussion on the perseverance of the saints.

Is there a difference between Rhema and Logos? This article discusses the importance of the relation of Word and Spirit, and what happens if the bond of Spirit and Word is broken.

Jakob van Bruggen is a proponent of the Majority Text. In this document he challenges the arguments raised against the Majority Text and also discusses the way in which textual decisions are made in textual criticism. 

This article considers what Paul means in Ephesians 2:22 when he speaks of the church as the dwelling place of the Spirit. The author considers the progression in Scripture as to how God lived with his people, climaxing in the Spirit's coming to dwell within his people in the New Testament. The article also presents and critiques the study of W.J. Ouweneel on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever stopped to consider the beauty of functional proteins in the cells of your body? This article offers some considerations on these molecular machines that keep the component cells of our bodies healthy, noting also their God-given beauty.

This article considers more recent research into dating the earth. It discusses especially the matter of C14 (carbon fourteen dating).

This article considers the doctrine of predestination. It presents the biblical data, and interacts with objections to the doctrine.

This article considers the view of J.G. Vos on the [[imprecatory]] psalms. It first offers a number of unsatisfactory solutions that have been offered to the question of whether it is appropriate to use these psalms. Then it offers Vos's solution.

If a Christian today can feel like such a stranger in his community, should he then hold to a private faith? This article addresses this question, and explains that if you allow your faith to be pushed to the private sphere, it will have a massive impact on your life as a whole. Ultimately, private faith is no faith. The only defensible answer to secularization is to let one's faith permeate all of his life.

Catechism preaching is not a general practice within the churches that form the International Conference of Reformed Churches. This article explains what catechism preaching is and why it was adopted by some reformed traditions.

This article discusses redemptive-historical preaching starting with the pastoral epistles.

This article discusses the contention that  that prayer has not received much attention in Reformed theology in general. 

This article underlines the truth that the doctrine of election is not a theoretical issue, far removed from the daily faith life of believers. God-fearing parents are comforted in their grief over the death of an infant. The Canons point out that the election and salvation of their child ought not to be doubted.

Following a lengthy explanation of the Reformed doctrine concerning providence, Article 13 of the Belgic Confession concludes with a negative statement: “On this we reject the damnable error of the Epicureans who say that God does not involve himself in anything, and allows all things to go by chance”. This article discusses Calvin’s view on Epicurus and the Epicureans.

The sixteenth-century editions of the Belgic Confession were printed with marginal references to Scripture.  It is remarkable that originally only Articles 4-6 of the Belgic Confession did not have any marginal texts. 

The Belgic Confession, which was published in 1561 and first surfaced in Doornik, in the southern part of The Netherlands, appeared anonymously. Information concerning the author began to become public in the seventeenth century, fifty years after its first appearance. 

The first edition of Reformed Dogmatics, H. Bavinck's masterpiece, was published almost a hundred years ago. After years of intense study, he published the first volume of his Dogmatics in 1895. The final, fourth volume, appeared in 1901. Reformed people who wish to continue in line with Bavinck’s dogmatics will also benefit greatly from the contents.

Christians often speak of man as a steward. This happens especially in connection with the task of man in managing his possessions and in his use of the earth. Goudzwaard says “Stewardship consists of taking care of this world as the possession of the Other. It requires maintaining everything that bears fruit and being ready to give account for this. “

God is the Creator of heaven and earth. The more we know about his creation work, the more we admire and trust the Creator. It boggles the mind to think that God made everything on earth as well as everything that can be seen and perceived outside the earth. In this article we discuss the relation between creation and providence.

If one would ask today what the main difference was between the Roman Catholic view and the Protestant view, he will probably answer, “Transubstantiation.” The Roman Catholics taught that the bread and the wine change into the body and blood of Christ while this was denied in the Reformation. The real issue was the meaning of this sacrament—is it a meal or is it a sacrifice?

On the joyous occasion when a child of the congregation is baptized, the Form for the Baptism of Infants is read. Baptism is a ceremony rich in content. The parents should know about the meaning and back- ground of baptism. Moreover, the children, when they grow up, must learn why they themselves were baptized, for a sacrament is not a magical ceremony but a meaningful sign.

The word combination “sign and seal” is a well-known expression in the doctrine of the sacraments. It is used in both the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism. The Belgic Confession presents a definition in Article 33 and speaks of “visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible! The Catechism begins the answer to the question as to what the sacraments are, with: “The sacraments are holy, visible signs and seals” (LD 25, Q&A 66). This article discusses what is actually meant by “sign and seal”?

The witness of the Spirit is mentioned in the section about Scripture as the means of revelation. This article concerns accepting and believing in Scripture. The decisive role is given hereby to the Spirit, because He witnesses to the fact that the books of Scripture come from God. In addition, it is pointed out that the church also has a role in helping us accept Scripture as God's Word. And further it is added that Scripture itself offers proof of its origin.

While there has always been much attention in the church for what happened on the day of Pentecost, this attention has not always meant special attention for the “baptism with the Holy Spirit. For a century now, the concept of “baptism with the Holy Spirit” has been frequently discussed, for this phrase is used to indicate the central experience of the Charismatic movement and Pentecostal circles.

Do artistic gifts in general derive from the Holy Spirit? This article discusses this question through the lens of Exodus 31:3 and its mention of Bezalel and Oholiab, as well as through commentary from especially John Calvin. The author makes a specific application to liturgics, where the relationship between church and art calls for our attention.

This article discusses the active obedience of Christ, as a vital part of his work of salvation. It first investigates the confessional development of this doctrine, then considers the scriptural basis for the doctrine, and finally discusses the question whether this doctrine is compatible with an emphasis on believers' covenant obedience.

Why is it that Christians often feel embarrassed when speaking about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ? It is not that we ae afraid of speaking to other people about Jesus Christ. How often do we speak about his virgin birth? Are many Christians not reluctant to speak of the way in which he came into this world?

In more recent discussions on faith and science, Isaiah 28:22-29 has played a role, in that the instruction God gives to the farmer is understood as general revelation. This article explores the meaning of the passage, and concludes that it ought to be read in a literal sense.

Scientific results never have the status of revelation. What God reveals in the Grand Canyon is not facts about the world (how it was made and when) but his own power and glory.

The prophet lifted up his eyes again. He sees two high mountains of bronze. Between these two ‘mountains is the exit of heaven, the palace of the living God. At the same ‘moment that Zechariah is lifting his eyes, four chariots come out from between the two mountains.  It means that they are coming from the throne of the LORD God.  

Again Zechariah lifted his eyes and he saw a flying scroll. The parchment was rolled around a stick and during the reading it was unrolled. The prophet saw such a roll-of-a-book. The scroll was opened. ‘There are two special things concerning this scroll

Probably during the same night, Zechariah receives a vision again like the other ones. The interpreting angel appears again and wakes up Zechariah. Zechariah seems to be like a man who is wakened out of his sleep. Zechariah then sees a golden lampstand with a bowl on top of it. ‘Above the bowl are seven lamps with seven lips on each of the lamps. A strange vision? It reminded Zechariah directly of the good old days. 

Repeatedly there is a strong mutual connection between Zechariah's night visions. It is especially remarkable that every consecutive vision draws on the previous one so that there is an elaboration and explanation of what had been said before.  In the third vision it was said that there would be an immense ‘growth of the church so that Jerusalem would be inhabited like villages without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle in it. 

There is a close connection between the second and the third night vision of Zechariah. Actually, these visions give an explanation and specification of the first vision concerning God's jealousy and wrath.  The second vision is known as the vision of the horns and the smiths. 

Zechariah is one of the “minor prophets” Both his visions from the time period after the exile and the visions concerning the future rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple are still applicable today.  

The article firstly provides an overview of some of the more obvious postmodernist approaches to education; secondly, it explains these approaches; and thirdly, it suggests ways of dealing with curriculum content that make it possible for us to confront the new worldview in our teaching.

This article deals with education and postmodernism. The article discusses the important role of curriculum content in education, subject areas like English and history, arithmetic and mathematics, science, geography, and so on.

In the late 1970s the French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard issued a booklet entitled The Postmodern Condition. Herein he described postmodernism as ‘incredulity toward metanarratives.” That is a helpful description of the postmodern situation. This article begins by explaining what Lyotard ‘means by the term metanarrative. 

Postmodernists follow modernists in rejecting Christianity, but often they are not nearly as comfortable in a secular society as their modern predecessors were and seek to satisfy their needs for spirituality in non-Christian religions.  

Postmodernism is a worldview. It therefore affects us all. Some authors refer to them as climates of opinion,” and that is an apt description. For worldviews are like a climate in the sense that they have an effect on us whether we like it or not. We can never fully escape their influence.  We can, however, take measures to protect ourselves against inclement weather. 

Church discipline is a very important topic. It’s called the third mark of the true church according to Article 29 of the Belgic Confession: “It exercises church discipline. for correcting and punishing sins." Yet nowadays church discipline seems to be neglected everywhere.  

True ecumenicity — is it possible? In many ecumenical organizations, the antithesis is forgotten and humanism (in a new form) has taken its place. Criticism of the Bible and falsification of the Scripture mark much of today's ecumenism in an alarming way. In antithesis with the Babylon of false ecumenism, the appeal is still there: “Come out of her, My people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).

The Reformers are accused of not doing anything concerning mission. This article discusses in detail what different reformers have said and done concerning mission.

The redemptive-historical method, which is required by Scripture itself, stands opposed to the so-called exemplary method. What exactly was the exemplary method? Briefly, it was a method of considering the meaning of all kinds of moments in biblical history in such a way that we as believers receive an example of how we are or are not to act. Especially persons in Biblical History were considered as examples for later generations. 

We all know the expression taken from Lord's Day 38 of the Heidelberg Catechism, in answer to the question “What does God require in the fourth commandment?” “first that, especially on the day of rest, I diligently attend the church of God to hear God’s Word, to use the sacraments, to call publicly upon the LORD, and to give Christian offerings for the poor.”. This article pays attention to the expression “that, especially on the day of rest, I diligently attend the church of God." 

The ideas of “Catholic” and “Reformed” are not opposites or mutually exclusive. This claim is for the church which remained in the truth. We speak of the Catholic church as the Apostles’ Creed speaks of the “Catholic church” and in the sense of Lord's Day 21 of the Heidelberg Catechism when it states that the Son of God gathers this church out of the whole human race from the beginning to the end of the world.

Among the offices which function in the Church of Jesus Christ, the office of the minister of God's Word takes an important place. It is an excellent start of the Form for the ordination (or installation) of ministers of the Word when first of all the congregation is referred to Christ Himself. I quote, “the exalted Christ gathers His church through His Word and Spirit, and in His grace uses the ministry of man”.

This extensive article discusses the government of the church, as Christ wants it to be, according to Scripture, and as it is practiced from day to day.  Unless one sees, knows, and honours Jesus Christ from the heart, as King of the church and therefore in His church government, one invariably approaches even the ‘minor’ points incorrectly.