This article is a brief overview of the origin, history, nature and privileges of the Westminster Presbyterian church federation.

You will recall that when the Roman Empire (West) fell, Western Europe was overrun by tribes of barbarians. The old civilization of Greek and Roman learning and art was destroyed, but it survived in the East where the Empire lived on for a thousand years with its capitol at Constantinople. This article discusses what happened in the world before the Reformation

Martin Luther was born in 1483, the son of a miner who, through hard work, became part owner of six copper mines and, in time, became fairly wealthy. His parents sought a good education for their bright son; he earned the equivalent of Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the university at Erfurt (the latter in 1505 at age 22; he was second in a class of seventeen). His father persuaded him to enter law school, which he did with misgivings.

What John sees in Revelation 6:9-11 is not heaven itself but a symbolic vision of heaven. We must not forget this — it is symbolism. However, this symbolism would be meaningless or impossible to understand if it did not reflect reality. In this vision, John sees the altar of burnt offering at the base of which the blood of slaughtered animals had to be poured out (Lev. 4:7). Under this altar John sees the souls of the slaughtered saints. "The life (or 'soul') is in the blood" (Lev. 17:11). Now, the souls of these martyrs cry out for vengeance upon their killers.

Although there are various passages in Scripture which speak of the resurrection, there is one which puts this entire truth in a concise "theological" light — i.e. it gives us understanding about the resurrection which goes beyond the obvious facts. The passage is John 5:19-30.

By "intermediate state" we mean the condition of the soul after death and before the general resurrection, whether that be the soul of the elect or of the damned, of the saved or of the unsaved.

We have dealt with the "Rapture" and, although there are a number of things about this that we could still discuss, we must leave them for now. Most of them relate to vari­ations on doctrines thought out by premillenialists and it would be tedious to spend all our time refuting error. As we now move into this broad topic, we will try to deal with it in various smaller segments. In all, we can make ten distinctions in considering the "Final Judgement."

it is time to consider the state of those who have died in the Lord. What is it like for them now? Can we know this? Bear in mind that the condition of these blessed is still of a provisional character and that for these three reasons:

What is this blessed hope? "Hope" refers to the fact that there is earnest waiting and confident expectation for something that will surely come. It is "blessed" because this hope, this thing or event that will be, imparts happiness, bliss, delight and glory. Even the exer­cise of this hope is blessed for it focuses on its glorious Author (Rom. 15:13) and all the wonderful truths that it includes — everlasting life, purification of life, boldness of speech, and more (Titus 1:2; 2 Cor. 3:12; 1 John 3:3).

From earliest times in the New Testament church there were some who held to the view that after death there is no conscious existence of the soul, although it does continue to exist as an individual spiritual being, but quite unconsciously. The early church father, Eusebius, wrote about such wrongs views; in the Middle Ages there were many who held to this error and at the time of the Reformation some of the Anabaptists also held to this. Calvin wrote a pamphlet against this view.

The question before us now needs to be exam­ined rather carefully. The problem is that people sometimes ask the question in such a way that they seem to avoid alto­gether the idea of a "second chance." People in various sects will try to confuse their 'victims' by saying that it is not true they believe in a 'second probation,' arguing something like this: "The heathen and many other people never had even a first chance, for they never heard the gospel as we present it.

"The continued existence of the soul after death is a matter of divine revelation" (Charles Hodge). This quote is a good reminder that all the information we have on this subject can be only by revelation. We may be able to draw certain conclusions and inferences from revelation, but if it cannot be backed up by the Bible it must be considered speculation. Speculation is not necessarily sinful nor is it always factually incorrect; however, the product of speculation may never be used to function as a doctrinal or dogmatic statement.

When we study "the last things" (the technical term is "Eschatology" which means, literally "study or knowledge of the end things"), we have to make some distinctions in order to make this vast field of study manageable. We all will experience "the last things" within a matter of some years, at most. When our life here comes to an end, we will face the Judge and enter heaven or hell, depending on whether this Judge has, earlier, become our Saviour and Redeemer.

The doctrine about the last things can be divided into two sections. We have dealt with the first: Individual Eschatology. Now we go into the second: General Eschatology. Basically, we will deal with such topics as: The Signs of the End, The Second Coming and the events associated with it, the Millennium and the position of the State of Israel. In dealing with all these issues, we should look back to the first chapter issued, in which various principles of Scriptural interpretation were laid out.

"Once upon a time in Germany, so long ago that even a grandfather cannot remember, a young farmer named Hans, set out to make his fortune. The laws of his land were strange — they allowed the youngest son to inherit a father's property, not the oldest. Hans was the oldest and, though he loved the land, he left his father's farm and set out to seek his fortune in the nearby copper and slate mines." This article narrates the story of Martin Luther's parents and how Martin eventually rediscovered the true gospel.

It was 486 years ago that Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door of Wittenberg. Initially, he performed this work as an academic exercise — although he was convinced of the truth of his assertions. Apparently, it was customary for the University of Wittenberg to participate in ecclesiastical festivities on the Eve of All Saints Day. Usually, this was in the form of a public disputation on a scientific subject. In 1517 it was Luther's turn to lead the disputation and he used this opportunity to protest the sale of indulgences by the church.

During the movement of tribes described earlier, one of the Germanic tribes, the Lombards ("Longbeards"), invaded northern Italy in 568 and settled in the Po valley, at the top of the Adriatic Sea, near the former Yugoslav border. They were mainly Arian Christians who soon became orthodox. Pope Gregory I ("the Great") gave the "Iron Crown" (supposedly containing one of the nails of the Lord's cross!) to their leader.

A phenomenon among us that is gaining notoriety adherents, and sadly making inroads into Christian circles, is the deliberate and systematic desecration of the human body. It is making progress among us for three reasons: the Christian community has 1) neglected the Law of God; 2) largely lost its sense of being a community of grace and law; and 3) bought into the notion that fashion is, for all intents and purposes, a matter in which God is disinterested.

Every Sunday again and in every worship service the Gospel is proclaimed, isn't it? Doesn't the apostle Paul write: "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel"? That is why again and again the congregation of the Lord must hear the Gospel. And it must be the full Gospel. Isn't it therefore a contradiction in terms when the judgments of God sound forth in the proclamation of the Word? Is it really necessary to hear that it is appointed unto man to die once and after that the judgment?

Is there a difference between faith and assurance? That is the question on which we wish to focus. Having done so, we wish to look at some of the practical consequences of this distinction. The first question we must ask ourselves — and this is also central to our distinct confession as Free Reformed Churches — is this: "Is it necessary to distinguish in our preaching and practice between faith and assurance?"

It is very remarkable that the reformation that took place in Switzerland was entirely separate from the reform movement initiated by Luther in Germany. Germany did not communicate the light of truth to Switzerland, but God raised up an instrument in that land to bring the Gospel light to its inhabitants. Initially, Zwingli had no communication with Luther. In fact, he had begun to preach the Gospel in 1516, a year before Luther had nailed his 95 Theses on the church doors in Wittenberg.

Having decided that the general principle of organ donation is not necessarily wrong, we now need to know under what circumstances it is permissible. First, we will touch on differences between various organs. Then, we will focus on different types of donors. Significant attention will be given to the definition of death, as this is pivotal to most major organ transplants.

Generally fasting is little spoken about in Reformed circles. It is often either associated with a bygone age or with Roman Catholicism or other religions. Calvin already noted the dangers both of superstition in fasting and of a complete rejection of fasting.1 Since we are called to discern whether the practice is Scriptural and what guidance Scripture gives concerning it, below are several thought-provoking quotations to consider.

Society at large has lost its moorings as to what is right and wrong. Everywhere we look it is obvious that society's standards are changing and declining. We often like to discuss the various issues that are being debated in the public square while we hold our collective noses. It is easy to see how our country and the world are in moral decline, but the sad reality is that we, in the Christian community, are not immune to this moral decay.

How do we dress modestly, especially on Sundays when we go to church to worship God? I am told that it is hard to find decent clothes for our teenagers. Our culture is saturated with immodesty. We only have to look at bare midriffs, exposed navels, necklines too low, skirts that are too short, tops that are too tight and tight fitting skirts, especially when the skirt is cut on the bias (diagonally), which hugs the body, following its contours, and makes the body very revealing. This is the trend.

On the topic of organ donations, we have considered clearly dead donors and questionable dead donors. We will now return to considering the different types of living donors. This limits donation to those organs or tissues the body can replace or do without. These include blood, bone marrow, bone, kidneys, sperm and eggs. Sperm and eggs donation is an important topic that we will not deal with at this time.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) teaches that the doctrine of predestination "is to be handled with special prudence and care" (WCF 3:8). Likewise, it says that the works of God's providence are not to be curiously pried into or misapplied (WLC 113). Providence is not a wax nose to be bent and shaped into the way of our liking. 

"Worship wars" — the Bible is full of them. The first one involved Cain and Abel, leading to the first murder in the history of the world. Aaron presided over one that involved a golden calf that the people insisted on worshipping in a similar fashion to the pagans around them. The question asked by the Samaritan woman of Jesus (John 4), to judge between the competing Jewish and Samaritan worship claims, represents still another worship war.

Television is here to stay. What then should the Christian's reaction to television be? Is it inherently evil? Is watching TV, even the news, a sin? How much time should a Christian spend watching TV? These are some of the questions that should arise in the mind of any godly and conscientious Chris­tian. It is not my contention that TV is com­pletely wrong, much like radio and the Internet. Yet it seems to me that being in the world but not of the world has lost its distinction in many Christian homes today by relaxing the antithesis with the world.

The evil one uses a variety of special devices, means and tactics whereby he tries to hinder the spiritual life of God's people. One important means whereby the devil tries to disturb the work of God is letting them think they are hypocrites. Some of God's children can be perplexed because they fear they are hypocrites. That fear can paralyze spiritual life and disturb communion with Christ.

Every religion has certain characteristics that sets it apart from its rivals. There are different traditions, customs, rituals, ceremonies, modes of worship and styles of preaching. Limiting ourselves to Christianity and preaching, there is a marked difference, for instance, between Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Pentecostal and Reformed or Calvinistic preaching.

Many today wonder why we are united as a federation of churches. Especially today, "community churches," or independent churches are popular. Many think that a federation of congregations restricts the local church. Meanwhile, others are longing for hierarchical churches so that some are returning to the Roman Catholic Church or an Anglican/Episcopal church. The question may well be asked, what does it mean to be a federation of churches?

Since the early days of the church, pastoral care always accompanied the preaching of the Word. The term pastoral care is taken from a Latin word referring to the work of a shepherd. The English word "pasture" still shows remnants of this origin.

Article 36 of the Church Order reads as follows: "The Classis has the same authority over the Consistory as the Synod has over the Classis." This idea of "authority over consistory" has often raised questions. Is this a valid point? What is the extent of this authority? Should a local church not have the right to accept or reject decisions made by a classis or synod?

The doctrine of the Holy Spirit has been a bone of contention in history. We see this today as well. Theb whole evangelical movement says that it puts more emphasis on the Spirit than the traditional churches and has said to them: "you have done too little with the confession concerning the Holy Spirit." The charismatic movement, even more strongly than the evangelical movement, accuses the Western churches of a defi­ciency in the confession and the experience of the Holy Spirit.

I taught a course in Secession theology to our seminary students in Grand Rapids. One of the lectures dealt with supra-and infralapsarianism. These terms played a key role in the debate between the Secession and Doleantie churches in the years leading up to and following the Union of 1892.

By mutual Christian censure is meant the inquiry that takes place under leadership of the chairman of the consistory at a meeting prior to the observance of the Lord's Supper. This mutual censure concerns the office bearer's discharge of his office. The discharge of the office is closely related to the personal relationship to the Lord and to fellow office bearers. Nevertheless, mutual censure does not focus on these relationships. Rather, in the first instance, mutual censure concerns the carrying out of the duties of office bearers.

Pentecost manifests the glory of Christ in His church and through the church to the world. Acts 2 shows Christ as the Authors of Pentecost. God raised "this Jesus" to life. Peter explain that Christ, exalted at the right hand of God, has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured him out (Acts 2:32, 33). Christ has obtained the life-giving Spirit. His suffering and death form the foundation for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Through His Spirit, Christ is at work in His church, which is His body.

In ethics we sometimes speak of a "conflict of duties." This means that one has an ethical obligation to do two or more mutually exclusive things. It is imbedded in most of the current problems that ethics is confronted with, whether it is the ethics of trade or war or politics. For example, there are two shipwrecked persons but there is only one piece of wreckage large enough to rescue one of them.

We confess that Christ has been given all power in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). Practically, however, we easily forget the significance of this truth. Christ is King and His reign extends everywhere. We must, however, distinguish between the all-embracing kingship of Christ and the reign that He has over His church.

The time is past in which Christian norms and values were respected and honoured. Today, people widely argue for and practice the ‘’right" of private morality and self-determination. Think of the issues of abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, etc. What was once determined by moral standards as wrong is now determined to be the right of the individual.

A 40 year-old woman becomes pregnant. She already has four children; the youngest is 8. In her own mind, her family had been completed at the birth of the fourth child. She had begun to work outside the home and hoped to continue to do so. Her husband was not happy with the fact that his wife is pregnant, but he is opposed to abortion.

Let us take an example. There is a tense situation between a husband and wife because of the relationship of the husband with his mother. The mother refuses to let go of her son. The wife is not only offended by the attitude of her mother-in-law, but she also feels frustrated by the attitude of her husband. Her husband sincerely loves his wife, but he does not sufficiently understand what troubles his wife. He thinks that his wife wrongly criticizes the combination of love he has for his wife and the respect for his mother.

A prominent member in the church had three daughters, around twenty years of age. The eldest daughter is courting a young man. One day his pastor inquired whether the relationship was going well. The young man answered that there were some difficulties in their relationship, although they did love each other. Half a year later he was able to tell his pastor the reason for the difficulties in their relationship. Her father had sexually abused his daughter. She had reluctantly told him. That fact impeded an open and spontaneous relationship.

In pastoral counseling it may occur that church members confront the office-bearers with ethical questions. What are we to do and what are we not to do? The first thing is to listen. Try to enter into his/her situation. Try to gauge what personal questions may be hidden behind the 'problem.' Feel free to ask questions at various points in order to get a clearer picture (although you need to be careful not to interrupt all the time and get him/her off-track). Show that you are interested and trying to place yourself in his/her 'shoes.'

In former days, professing Christians largely held to the biblical truth concerning the providence of God. It is true, people meant different things by it, and not all of it was accurate. Yet people would still espouse some idea of God controlling all events in the world, great and small, and working out His will through them. Now, it appears that many, including some self-acclaimed evangelicals, have cast off this doctrine as baggage from a by-gone age.

What is the place of children in the church? Where do they fit in? Are they members of the church? If not must they be viewed as outsiders and as objects of evangelism? If they are, what is the nature of this membership? Are they regenerate or unregenerate? These are the kind of questions that can be raised in connection with our topic.

The aim of life must be to enter glory. This life is a preparation for entering the heavenly glory and to be with the Lord forever. That should be our foremost aim. It is sad that many people have other aims in life. Also in the church we find people, sometimes even many, who have other aims. They live for this world only. How blessed we are when we have become strangers in the earth and have found the true purpose of our existence in the living God. In order to go to glory, three things happen to God's children. First, after death their souls will go to be with the Lord.

The perseverance of the saints is a source of rich comfort for God's children. They were brought into the state of grace and can never fall away from this state. This is because God causes them to persevere. They are purchased by Christ and will always remain His. God's people "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation"

Who was Theodorus a Brakel? He was a Dutch Puritan minister in the Netherlands who lived from 1608-1669. He was a very godly man who wrote several books which are still read in the Netherlands.

Martin Luther is known for leading the reformation. But what was Luther’s theology? This article explains his teaching on the doctrine of sin.

Martin Luther is known for leading the reformation. But what was Luther’s theology? This article explains his teaching on the doctrine of God. 

Martin Luther is known for leading the reformation. But what was Luther’s theology? This article explains his teaching on the doctrine of salvation and its application.

Martin Luther is known for leading the reformation. But what was Luther’s theology? This article explains his teaching on the doctrine of Christ. 

For hundreds of years English-speaking people in all parts of the world have been accustomed to using thee and thou in prayer to God in much the same way as these pronouns are used in the older versions of the Bible, in particular the King James (or Authorized) Version. Yet in the last forty years there has been a movement away from the use of these distinct pronouns in prayer. 

Growing spiritually is a biblical call to every Christian. What does it mean? This article explains the signs and means of spiritual growth and its hindrances. 

Should Christians support democracy? This article draws some lessons by looking at John Calvin’s view on the government and the church and how this has influenced the Christian’s view of democracy.

The perseverance of the saints means that believer cannot be lost forever. How? The article explains the biblical basis for this teaching, it engages those who deny the truth of perseverance of saints and the responsibility believers have.

The doctrine of election is a cause of adoration and praise to a child of God. Why? Election says something about your creation and your relation with God and Christ. It also has three effects. 

This article is a biography on the life and ministry of Martin Luther. 

God is holy; what does it mean? This article explains the nature of God’s holiness, its necessity for worship, its implications and the display of the holiness of God in the lives of believers. 

How does God view time? God’s view of time is related to Him being eternal, not affected by time and knowing all. 

Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. What are the blessings of adoption and marks of adoption? 

How should Christians view God’s discipline? They should understand that God disciplines them as the Father and motivated by love. The article also explains how Christians should respond to this discipline. 

How should we understand the work of the Holy Spirit? This article explains that the Holy Spirit’s work must be seen both from the Old and New Testament. It explains the meaning of Pentecost and the work of the Spirit today. 

God's children have a glorious future. What a glorious moment it will be when the Lord Jesus welcomes them into His glorious kingdom. He speaks of this in Matthew 25:34: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Every Christian is sealed with the Holy Spirit. What does the sealing of the Spirit mean? This article explains the meaning of sealing with the Spirit in relation to Ephesians 1:13-14.

For most people leisure time is very desirable. In fact, ever since God said to Adam, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread," man has looked for ways and means to reduce the sweat to a minimum and to enjoy as much free time as possible. . But whereas in the past leisure was enjoyed by a privileged few, today it has been extended to the masses. This is not necessarily bad, of course. Leisure time can be used profitably. But, and this is the danger threatening us — it can also be used unprofitably. Leisure time can create moral problems. What do we do with our free time?

What should the task of the church be in a pluralistic society? The church must first understand the danger posed by pluralism – privative religion. The impact of this danger on the church is the death of evangelism.

Why is church leadership entrusted to office-bearers? Is rule by the church council in the church biblical? This article explains the origin, essence and exercise of the offices in the church. 

Should Christians expect a rapture? How many times will Christ return, once or twice? This question is important to consider when talking about the end of the world, end times and the second coming of Christ. Based on 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 the article explains…

Addiction is it a sin or disease? 

How can you know if you are elected? This article explains the assurance of election, fruits of election and the purpose of election. 

To whom do you belong? Every child of God will answer this question by saying he belong to God. Why? Because God’s children are God’s possession, they are his peculiar people. The article explains using 1 Peter 2:9 as a basis. 

Postmodernism is characterized by rejection of absolute truth and authority, truth is made subjective. How has this affected us? This article explains the process which led to modernism and postmodernism. It shows how postmodernism has impacted popular culture and how this has impacted the church in communicating the gospel.

If worldview is a way of looking at reality, then homosexual marriage is a question of worldview. How do you defend the biblical view of marriage over against homosexual view of marriage? 

How do we cultivate a Christian mind? We have to understand the relationship between worldview and education. This article compares two worldviews: relativism and the biblical worldview. How do they impact education and shaping of the mind? 

Conversion is turning from sin to God. This article explains the biblical grounds for repentance and the three characteristics of repentance. 

The doctrine of election is a comforting doctrine. How? It is approached with humility with a good understanding of its source and goal. This article explains this and also points to how election is personally manifested.

Every Sunday we hear the words echo in our churches: "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Ex. 20:11). A synodicalty approved publication of the Free Reformed Churches appropriately includes the statement that "We believe that the days in the creation account in Genesis 1, are twenty-four hour days."1 The Bible teaches that God created the entire universe in six normal days, only a few thousand years ago.

Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. How does it happen? 

What is sanctification? This article explains the biblical teaching on sanctification and that sanctification is the work of the Triune God.

True repentance is rooted in the gospel and it is a life long process. This article explains things we are to repent from and the fruits of repentance.

Last time we considered some doctrinal aspects of justifica­tion. We saw that justification can be explained as the gracious and judicial act of God whereby He acquits a person of guilt and punishment and grants him the right to everlasting life. The sinner is declared righteous before God. The question that remains is how does justification take place in one's life? What happens in the practice of spiritual life?

Justification is the gracious and judicial act of God whereby He acquits a person of all guilt and punishment and grants him the right to everlasting life. 

Faith is the gift of God. Yet the believer is called to strengthen his faith so that it be an active faith. How do you do that? This article points to four things you can do to strengthen the life of faith.

Christians can be moved to evangelism only when they show true compassion. It is compassion for the lost that moved Jesus. It is compassion that should move us for the state of the lost and their misery. 

How should the church minister to the aged church members? The church must be aware of the challenges faced by the elderly – physical, psychological, and social challenges. These must be addressed in the ministry to the aged. 

What is the relevance of Puritans for the church today? They are relevant because of their preaching. The Puritans were distinguished preachers. What made Puritan preaching so special? There are seven presuppositions that guided their preaching.

How do we know the bible is God’s word? This article explains the criteria used to determine the canon of scripture – inspiration, apostolicity and universality. It explains the witnessing work of the Holy Spirit in bringing conviction in the believer about the bible. 

How do widows and widowers find comfort in their loneliness? They should find their comfort in God. Why? Because He is the one who put them in that situation, He gives himself, and He calls them to lay all their burdens on Him. 

This article is a biography on the life and influence of John Calvin. 

Is hell for real? Why is there less preaching in the pulpit about hell? This article engages with this question explaining what happens when hell is not preached, and how preaching about hell must be like.

Is infant baptism a valid baptism? Is rebaptism biblical? This article engages with the claims of believers’ baptism and the call for rebaptism on those who were baptism as infants. The real question here is: what is what baptism and its meaning? 

Religion cannot be separated from morality. Why? Because morality is rooted in religion. This article explains this by showing the connection between ungodliness and immorality based on Romans 1:18-32. 

What should the church believe about justification or righteousness? This article examines interpretations that see justification as relational. How? What does the Bible teach? 

Has the church lost her influence in public life? What is the place of the church in a secularized society? This article shows that the impact of secularism is that it has privatized faith. Is there hope for the church? The article engages with this question…

Is heaven for real? Why is there less preaching in the pulpit about heaven? Because of the materialistic culture we live in. Why is preaching about heaven important? 

This article is a bible study on the signs of the times and end of times based on Matthew 24-25. Here focus is on Matthew 25: 1-13 on the ten virgins. 

This article explains the role of the diaconate in the church. It shows different areas deacons are called to serve in the church.