Herman Bavinck: His Life and Theology

(This article was originally written by my seminary professor, Dr. Cornelis P. Venema, for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church's denominational magazine, New Horizon. See the full issue of the magazine here: http://www.opc.org/nh.html?issue_id=151)

Earlier this year [2008], the fourth and final volume of Herman Bavinck's great Reformed Dogmatics was published in English.[1] At last, this model of Reformed theological scholarship is available in English to students of Reformed theology. This year also marks the one hundredth anniversary of Bavinck's Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. The time is ripe, therefore, to get (re)acquainted with Bavinck.
,
BAVINCK'S EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Herman Bavinck was born in Hoogeveen, the Netherlands, on December 13, 1854. His father, Rev. Jan Bavinck, was a respected pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. This denomination was originally formed in 1834 as the result of a 'Secession' (Dutch: Afscheiding) from the Hervormde Kerk, the state Reformed church of the Netherlands, which had become increasingly liberal and estranged from the Reformed confessions.

Already in the early years of his formal education, Bavinck consistently excelled as a student. At the age of sixteen, he was enrolled at the 'gymnasium' in Zwolle, a boarding school that was in many respects comparable to a North American college, and completed the normal four-year programme in three years. While at Zwolle, Bavinck expressed his desire to attend the University of Leiden for his seminary training. The University of Leiden was perhaps the most liberal, and certainly the most academically prestigious, of the Dutch universities at the time. The faculty at Leiden was known for its repudiation of confessional Reformed theology and its advocacy of an 'ethical' and 'critical' reinterpretation of the Christian faith. Bavinck's parents and others prevailed upon him to commence his studies at the seminary of the Christian Reformed Church in Kampen. However, Bavinck's desire for a full university training at an institution widely renowned for its outstanding scholarship compelled him to transfer to Leiden, much to the chagrin of his parents and many others who feared that he would be unable to retain his convictions under the pressure of a Leiden education.

Bavinck completed his studies at Leiden in 1880 with the degree of doctor of theology, having written a dissertation on The Ethics of Zwingli. He distinguished himself at Leiden as an exceptional student, and was granted the doctor's degree 'with honours.' During his study at Leiden, Bavinck learned much from his teachers, but also faced many challenges to his personal confession and convictions. To one of his close university friends, he confided that 'I have learned much at Leiden, but also unlearned much.'2

PROFESSOR OF DOGMATICS

After completing his studies at Leiden, Bavinck entered the ministry in the Christian Reformed Church of Franeker. While in Franeker, Bavinck twice declined an appointment to teach theology at the Free University in Amsterdam. However, in 1882, when the General Synod of the Christian Reformed Church invited him to fill the vacant chair in dogmatics at its seminary in Kampen, Bavinck accepted and began his labour on January 10, 1883, with an inaugural address on 'The Science of Sacred Theology.' This address was well received throughout the churches, and it caught the attention of Abraham Kuyper, who reviewed it in De Heraut (January 21, 1883), observing that 'I have hardly ever read a treatise with such undivided attention, from start to finish, as this inaugural.' With this inaugural address, Bavinck embarked upon a twenty-year period of productive labour at Kampen. Much loved by his students for his modesty, unusual eloquence, and extraordinary breadth of knowledge, Bavinck produced during his Kampen years his Reformed Dogmatics in a first edition of four volumes (1883-1901).

In 1892, Bavinck made the first of two trips to America. He gave an address to the Alliance of Reformed Churches holding the Presbyterian System in Toronto, Canada. He took the occasion to visit his close friend, Geerhardus Vos, who was then teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary. He also visited Princeton Theological Seminary, where he met and befriended professor B. B. Warfield.

During the struggle that took place in the 1880s to unite the churches of the Secession (1834) with the churches of the Doleantie (1886),3 a dispute arose over the question of church control of the teaching of theology and the preparation of students for the ministry. Most of those who stood in the line of the Secession of 1834 wished to maintain the principle of church control, whereas those who stood in the line of the Doleantie under Kuyper favoured the principle of 'free study,' or the location of the discipline of theology in a university setting. Bavinck, who participated significantly in the process that led to the union of these churches in 1892, was something of an anomaly in his own tradition, for he was sympathetic to the idea that theology should be pursued in a university context so as to encourage the most rigorous academic and 'scientific' approach. This helps to explain Bavinck's decision, upon the fourth occasion of an appointment in dogmatics to the Free University, to accept the appointment in 1902.

In 1908, Bavinck visited America for a second time, principally to deliver the Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. On this visit, Bavinck was also privileged to visit President Theodore Roosevelt. There is evidence of some shift in Bavinck's scholarly interests during this later period of his teaching. As he confided to a close friend, 'As I grow older my mind turns more and more away from dogmatic to philosophical studies and from these to their application to the practical needs of life about me.'4 In many of his later writings, Bavinck attempted to offer a broad philosophical and pedagogical basis for the pursuit of excellence in Christian schools at every level, including the university.

In the providence of God, Bavinck's life ended unexpectedly, at a time when he was still engaged in a variety of academic, political, cultural, and church activities. After offering an eloquent address on the floor of the synodical meeting of the Reformed churches in Leeuwarden, Bavinck suffered a heart attack, from which he first rallied but never fully recovered. After a prolonged period of illness, Bavinck 'fell asleep' in the Lord on July 29, 1921. Among the poignant memories recorded of visits with Bavinck at the time was his reply to the question of whether he was afraid to die: 'My dogmatics avail me nothing, nor my knowledge, but I have my faith, and in this I have all.'5

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF BAVINCK'S THEOLOGY

Although it is difficult to capture the person of a figure like Bavinck, the profile that emerges from his writings and biographies is that of an exceptionally gifted, yet modest and unassuming, scholar. When he engaged the views of others, even those with whom he strongly disagreed, Bavinck was uncommonly courteous and respectful. Wherever possible, he would acknowledge the partial truth expressed by other theologians, even though he could not finally concur with their viewpoint. Consequently, although he was ultimately uncompromising in his convictions as a Reformed theologian, Bavinck was often respected by contemporaries who were not sympathetic to his confessional position.

There are several outstanding qualities that characterize Bavinck's work as a theologian. One of these qualities reflects what we have noted about his person, namely, his sympathetic treatment of the views of others. Throughout his writings, Bavinck exhibits a meticulous care in representing alternative positions. Before he critically engages a position with which he disagrees, he is at great pains to represent it in the best possible light. He also resists the temptation to arrive prematurely at a conclusion. In his Dogmatics, for example, Bavinck evidences an extraordinary familiarity with the discussion of theological topics throughout the history of the church. When he addresses a theological topic, he takes account of the spectrum of opinion throughout history and among the most diverse confessional communions (whether Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox). Only after a thorough canvassing of the biblical, historical, and confessional discussion of any particular topic does he arrive at a conclusion of his own. However, these qualities of meticulous and catholic scholarship, painstaking research, and consideration of the possible answers to a question, are among the reasons why Bavinck's Dogmatics continues to be a model for contemporary Reformed theologians.

THREE BROAD THEMES

Three broad themes recur throughout Bavinck's writings as a Reformed theologian. The first of these, the subject of his Stone Lectures, is the philosophy of revelation. In the face of the withering philosophical and critical attacks upon the historic doctrine of divine revelation, Bavinck worked consistently throughout his life from the settled conviction of the reality of the triune God who reveals himself through all of his works in creation and redemption, and who has provided for an inscripturation of that revelation in the Old and New Testaments. Reformed theology must build, even as the church is built, upon the sure foundation of God's own testimony to himself and the manifestation of his grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second of these themes is Bavinck's emphasis upon the 'catholicity' of the church and the Christian faith. All truth, in whatever sphere or academic discipline, derives from a knowledge of God's works in creation and redemption. Reformed theology may never, therefore, fall prey to a parochial or narrow spirit that eschews the pursuit of scholarship or abandons the academy to unbelief.

A third and final theme that pervades Bavinck's theological writings is one that he shared fully with his contemporary, Abraham Kuyper, namely, that 'grace perfects nature' — or, better, that redemption involves the renewal and consummation of all creation. The purposes of the triune God in redemption culminate not only in the re-creation of a new humanity through the work of Jesus Christ, but also in the realization of God's purposes for the whole of creation itself. Like Kuyper, Bavinck could not be satisfied with scholarship that does not seek to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Nor could he be content with the idea that any dimension of truth is separable from the truth that is in Christ, to whom all things in heaven and on earth are subject.

These themes, and the general outline of his Dogmatics, were to exercise a profound influence on such well-known North American theologians as Cornelius Van Til and Louis Berkhof.

It has been suggested, not implausibly, that Bavinck's theology reflects a kind of 'duality' that corresponds to his personal biography. Bavinck was both the faithful son of the Secession of 1834 and the scholar who deliberately chose to study at the most liberal university in the Netherlands. On the one hand, Bavinck endeavoured to adhere faithfully to the authority of the Scriptures and the subordinate standards, or confessions, of the Reformed churches. On the other hand, he read widely and engaged sympathetically the best of modern theological scholarship and culture. One could characterize Bavinck as, in these respects, a 'man between two worlds.'6 This duality in Bavinck's life should not be overstated, however, since it expresses in the arena of theological scholarship an inescapable feature of the life of every Christian who is 'in but not of the world.'

It can only be hoped that, with the publication of Bavinck's Dogmatics in English, more readers will have access to the contributions of this remarkable theologian. Although readers will not always agree with Bavinck's conclusions, they will find him to be an outstanding model of Reformed theological scholarship — deeply rooted in the riches of scriptural revelation, sympathetically informed by the great confessions of the Reformed churches, instructed by the history of the church's reflection upon the Word of God, and carefully engaged with the broad range of contemporary challenges to the Christian faith. If readers learn anything from Bavinck, they should learn much about how the work of theology is to be conducted. In a beautiful passage from his Dogmatics, Bavinck offers a glimpse of his understanding of his calling as a Christian theologian:

Dogmatics shows us how God, who is all-sufficient in himself, nevertheless glorifies himself in his creation, which, even when it is torn apart by sin, is gathered up again in Christ (Eph. 1:10). It describes for us God, always God, from beginning to end — God in his being, God in his creation, God against sin, God in Christ, God breaking down all resistance through the Holy Spirit and guiding the whole of creation back to the objective he decreed for it: the glory of his name. Dogmatics, therefore, is not a dull and arid science. It is a theodicy, a doxology to all God's virtues and perfections, a hymn of adoration and thanksgiving, a 'glory to God in the highest' (Luke2:14).7
________________________________________

Endnotes

[1] Translated from the Dutch by John Vriend, edited by John Bolt (Baker Academic, 2003-2008).

[2] Valentin Hepp, Dr. Herman Bavinck, p. 87.

[3] The churches of the 'Doleantie' ('Grieving') were a second secession of churches from the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. These churches, under the leadership of Abraham Kuyper, would soon join with the churches of the Secession of 1834 to form the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, or GKN).

[4] Henry Elias Dosker, 'Herman Bavinck,' Princeton Theological Review 20 (1922), 457-58.

[5] Dosker, 'Herman Bavinck,' p. 459.

[6] John Bolt, 'Editor's Introduction,' in Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 1:12.

[7] Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 1:112.


Cornelis Venema is President and Professor of Doctrinal Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana, and the author of The Promise of the Future, Getting the Gospel Right and The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ, published by the Banner of Truth Trust.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

One of the contemporary hymns that I learned to like singing is Stuart Townend's 'How Deep the Father's Love for Us.' During our Church Family Retreat every Holy Week, we sing this beautifully written song. I especially like the last few lines which says,

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.

The song clearly views the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ as a way for us to be redeemed from our bondage to sin. Christ's death is the ransom price for those He came to save. He is the Father's expression of love for us His elect. Through His sacrificial death we have been set free from the power and penalty of sin. By faith in Him, Christ, by His Spirit, has delivered us from our enslavement to sin. Thanks be to God!

Here's the full lyrics of this contemporary classic:

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom.

Lord willing, we are going to sing this song again during our Church Family Retreat next week.

THE BOOK OF PASTORAL RULE

by Gregory the Great (c.540-604)

Back in seminary, I was required to read this classic book on Pastoral Theology in my History class with Dr. Peter Wallace. I remember reading this and many other ancient texts with great delight. The modern publisher of this book summarizes its comment about this volume by saying, “Recognized as the most thorough pastoral treatise of the patristic era, this sixth-century work by Saint Gregory the Great carefully details the duties and obligations of the clergy concerning the spiritual formation of their flock.”

Here’s my summary of Part I and Part II of this book. I hope this helps to remind us pastors and elders, and those aspiring to the work of shepherding God’s flock, that the work of ministry is a privilege God has given to those whom He called to the pastoral office to use His gift of leadership to serve His people and to glorify Him.

Part I. Concerning Qualifications for Spiritual Leader and Shepherd
1. Knowledge of the Lord and sufficient pastoral experience.
2. One who lives and practices what he learns.
3. He does not fear adversity or desire prosperity.
4. A person who is not easily distracted by 'managerial' tasks but able to focus on the main task of pastoral leadership.
5. A man of virtue who is willing to expend oneself and one's personal enrichment in order to lead and feed the flock of God.
6. He is humble to recognize his unworthiness to the office but willingly obeys when called.
7. One may willingly aspire for spiritual leadership while another may have been brought to it by compulsion.
8. While the office of a bishop or elder is a good work to be desired, one has to seek not the honor of the office but the office itself and what it entails.
9. The one who aspires for spiritual leadership should not assume that he will do well when he is into it even though he showed no virtue as a layperson.
10. Being a good example for everyone in life and piety must be a quality for the one to assume spiritual leadership.
11. Those who lack the qualities for spiritual leadership should not present themselves to it.

Part II. Concerning the Life of the Pastor
1. The life of a pastor must outshine that of his flock. He must retain a life of righteousness.
2. His thoughts must be pure so that he can reasonably deal with those who need cleansing of the heart.
3. The pastor must be exemplary in his service, not just with his words.
4. He must know when to keep silent and listen to his people and when to speak the right words to build his people up.
5. The pastor needs a delicate balance of sympathy and compassion to his neighbor and a solemn piety and intimacy with God.
6. He must be able to humble himself in the company of the good yet firm enough to confront and assert his authority over those who are delinquent in their life.
7. The pastor should not abandon his private internal life due to the demands of public external responsibilities, nor should he be overwhelmed by the needs of his private interior piety to the point of abandoning the public matters of his office. He should therefore watch himself not to be preoccupied with one at the expense of the other for both his internal piety and public responsibility are important in serving the people of God.
8. The pastor should be careful in his ministry not to seek to please others or seek their approval. His concern, however, must be to lead others to what pleases them, that is, the truth of God, that which satisfies their soul.
9. He must have the capacity to distinguish between virtue and vices in self and in others for some of the vices seem to look like virtues at first instance, but through careful consideration vices manifest themselves as they really are.
10. A good pastor must know when to rebuke and correct those who err and when to forego and forewarn those who need to be warned. He must also be able to discern when to be firm and when to be gentle in dealing with his flock.
11. By the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, the pastor must learn to devote himself in the meditation and sacred study of the Word of God in order to gain wisdom and insight in fulfilling his office.

Does God Answer the Prayers of Unbelievers?

This question was asked in one of the Facebook fora that I’m a part of. Since I’m very interested in anything about prayer, I’ve shared some of my thoughts on this question. Here are a few of those thoughts.

First, the simple answer may be found in the Gospel of John: "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him" (John 9:31).

Second, when one surveys the Biblical passages on prayer, the overwhelming evidence tells us that God answers the prayers of His people if it is according to His will. However there are instances in the Old Testament that even foreigners, non-Israelites, are heard by the Lord when they come to Him in faith, as 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 says, "“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name." That explains the Roman centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 and the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "… without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

Third, there are times of course that God does not hear the prayers of His people, that is, when they remain in their sin. "O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure” (Psalm 80:4-5). Psalm 66:18 also adds, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Confession of sin and repentance from sin are necessary before the Lord could hear His people's prayer.

This is consistent with what James is saying in 4:13-16: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." The Lord hears the prayers of His people who recognize and confess their sins before Him.

So it seems that the overwhelming answer of the Scripture to the question, “Does God answer the prayer of unbelievers?” is "No!"

Fourth, as one who subscribes to a Reformed confession, I think the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) gives us a very important thought on why Christians ought to pray and what kind of prayer that pleases God and moves Him to answer. In Lord’s Day 45, Question and Answer 116, the Catechism asks, “Why do Christians need to pray?” The answer goes, “Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us (Ps. 50:14-15; 116:12-19; 1 Thess. 5:16-18). And also because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking God for them (2 Matt. 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-13).

The Catechism continues to ask in Question and Answer 117, “What is the kind of prayer that pleases God and that he listens to?” Here is the Catechism’s answer, “First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, revealed to us in his Word, asking for everything God has commanded us to ask for (Ps. 145:18-20; John 4:22-24; Rom. 8:26-27; James 1:5; 1 John 5:14-15). Second, we must fully recognize our need and misery, so that we humble ourselves in God’s majestic presence (2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 2:11; 34:18; 62:8; Isa. 66:2; Rev. 4). Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what God promised us in his Word (Dan. 9:17-19; Matt. 7:8; John 14:13-14; 16:23; Rom. 10:13; James 1:6).

Finally, a friend raised the issue that there are occasions when it seems that God answers the prayer of unbelievers and because of the answer to that prayer these unbelievers got converted to Christianity. One of the examples she mentioned is the former Russian church persecutor Sergie Kourdakov who wrote a book, "Forgive Me, Natasha", and related in that book that when he prayed, "God, if you exist please show me Yourself," and God showed him, and he became a Christian after he defected and jumped ship in Canada.

She also mentioned another example. She related a "student exchange from China who has never heard of the name of God and did not know that Jesus is God. She never saw a Bible. She came to an international Bible study with the motive to practice speaking English. One day, her bag was caught in between the doors of a New York City Subway train. A week before that, she read about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and answering Mary's prayer. So she said, ‘I heard the God of Christians answers prayer. I am not a Christian but I want to pray to the God of the Christians to help return my bag.’ (Inside her bag were her passport, $400 cash, her student's class cards for New York University). She called the staff of International Students to pray with her and for her. She also called on the God of the Christian to show Himself to her. The Staff of ISI are under fire because it is impossible to retrieve a bag with cash in NYC. One week after, her bag was returned at the NYU Lost and Found section, everything was intact, and the cash was untouched! The unbeliever student from China said ‘I see that the God of Christians answers prayers indeed!' She became a Christian.”

I responded that these examples presuppose what the Scripture really teaches that before these unbelievers called upon the Lord they must have heard something about God and Jesus Christ first. Then through providential circumstances they were brought into a situation to call upon God. And as Hebrews 11:6 tells us, those who draw near Him must believe that He exists, even if that faith is but like a mustard seed.

I can't help thinking of two Gentile women who became true Israelites because of what they've heard about the God of Israel. Rahab, for example, must have heard about the God of Israel through the miracles He performed in Egypt and in the wilderness before she changed allegiance from the god of Jericho or the god of his people to the God of Israel (Judges 2:8-13). Likewise, before Ruth the Moabitess made that timeless confession to her mother-in-law, “Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God,” she must have heard about the God of Israel, probably through her husband Mahlon and her in-laws.

This is quite relevant because in the case of the Chinese student exchange, before she prayed to the God of the Christians she must have read or heard about Jesus. This is the same situation even in the case of Sergei Kourdakov. Before he prayed to God, he must have heard a lot of things about God whom he denied and whose children he persecuted. Both of them might have believed God (in the sense that they have knowledge or heard about God) before they started praying to the Lord, but it seems clear that by the time they prayed to God, when they begin asking something from God, God has already started to work faith in them, otherwise how can they call upon Him?

So the Holy Scripture clearly teaches that God hears and answers the prayer of His children when they pray according to His will and purpose and when they ask Him humbly, fully aware of their undeserved status before Him who is holy and just, loving and merciful. Experience as well proves that. Just think of how many times we have failed to obey God’s will and yet when we draw near Him, humbling ourselves and confessing our sins, He hears us and grants us His blessings. Even those unbelievers whom He draws to Himself are given the faith to believe Him and to turn to Him and to call upon Him. This is all by His amazing grace and abundant mercy to undeserving sinners like you and me.

My Prayer-Wish for 2012

~ That God’s name be honored more and more by all professing Christians.

~ That more Christians would truly seek God’s kingdom first than their own personal advancement and fame.

~ That members of the Church of Jesus Christ would truly demonstrate to the world that they belong to God by loving one another in the truth.

~ That the Lord would continually meet the needs of His people that they might be able to faithfully fulfill the Great Commission.

~ That believers would learn to humble themselves before God and seek His forgiveness and the forgiveness of those whom they have offended.

~ That by His Spirit, Christ would lead His Church to daily overcome worldliness, temptation and sinful desires.

~ That true followers of Christ Jesus would live their lives in light of the return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Love for Biblical Doctrines

I am very excited with what’s going on in our church today. Why, because I am seeing our young children learning Biblical doctrines in our Sunday School and catechism classes. It’s amazing to hear many of our children memorize Bible verses together with Bible doctrines from our Heidelberg Catechism. Ask one of them What is true faith, and I’m sure you would get an answer like,

“True faith is not only a knowledge and conviction
that everything God reveals in his Word is true;
it is also a deep-rooted assurance,
created in me by the Holy Spirit through the gospel
that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ,
not only others, but I too,
have had my sins forgiven,
have been made forever right with God,
and have been granted salvation.”

Oh it’s wonderful to hear our children recite with us the Apostle’s Creed, or pray with us the Lord’s Prayer. I am hopeful that when my generation is gone, our children will take up the task of teaching the next generation of the Biblical doctrines they are now learning from us.

Children, as you may know, can memorize many Bible verses and Bible doctrines from our Catechism or Confession of Faith. And the earlier you teach and encourage them to memorize, the easier for them to learn. So don’t underestimate the learning capacity of your children. You’ll be amazed.

However, while I see this happening to our children, there is a lamentable fact that not many adult Christians, even elders or leaders in Reformed or Evangelical churches, are learning Biblical doctrines. If I am, for example, to ask you, "What is justification," "What is sanctification," and "What’s the difference between the two," would any of you dare to stand and give a brief and concise definition and distinction of these Biblical doctrines?

The point I want to make is that, an average Christian would rather spend time reading anything than classic and orthodox books on theology, or even the Bible itself. My seminary professor, Dr. Cornel Venema, rightly observes: “We live in a period of history that neither prizes biblical doctrine nor believe that its right understanding and defense is a matter of urgency. The lack of solid doctrinal teaching and preaching in many Reformed churches is lamentable. How many churches, even Reformed ones, do not prefer a pastor known for his congenial personality than for his doctrinal integrity and strict adherence to the true teaching of the Word of God?”

It is lamentable indeed! So I pray that we will take seriously the biblical mandate to promote sound doctrine and godly living in our churches today. May our pastors, elders and church leaders set a good example for the believers “in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Hope Focused on Christ and His Return

(A short meditation on 1 John 3:3)

“And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:3 ESV).

I’ve heard it said that your eschatology, that is, your doctrine of future things, determines your present conduct. What that means, I suppose, is that your view of the future shapes and forms your behavior and lifestyle now. So if you think that there’s no life after death, you wouldn’t care what kind of life you have now. It doesn’t matter anyway.

But if you believe that there is really life after death, and there is a God who will judge you according to your works, whether good or evil, then you would surely be careful and watchful with the way you live now. So how does your view of the future affect your life?

You see, some people are fascinated to study future things. They are interested to learn about the second coming of Christ, millennium, rapture, final judgment, etc. But for some reason their knowledge of these things doesn't move them to right action or holy living. Others avoid the study of them altogether because of fear or the perception that they are difficult to understand. Besides, some would say, they are not really important. So why bother yourself?

I don’t know if you can identify with these sentiments. But if you don’t seem to see the connection between your belief of the future and the quality of your present conduct, you really do not have the kind of hope that motivates believers to live godly lives.

Here in 1 John 3 we can learn that our hope of Christ’s appearing motivates us to live pure and holy lives. In many ways the conscious anticipation of Christ’s second coming drives us to holy living and faithful service. And 1 John 3:3 tells us that as children of our heavenly Father, forgiven and accepted in His Son, we must focus on the purity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the promise of His return.

As children of God, our hope is not in circumstances or in some optimistic wish for a better tomorrow. Our hope is in the person of Jesus Christ and in His promised return to take us home. He said that He was returning to heaven to prepare a place for us (John 14:2). Then He added these wonderful words of hope, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John14:3).

He’s coming back for us, and when that happens, we will go to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us! Shouldn't all of our hope be fixed on Him then?

The holiness of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ is a frequent theme in 1 John. In 1:5, John tells us that, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” In 2:1, he refers to Jesus as “the righteous.” In 2:20, he refers to Christ as “the Holy One.” In 2:29, he again affirms that “He is righteous.” In 1 John 3:3 he says, “He is pure.” This word 'pure' originally referred to ceremonial purity, but it came to mean that which is “pure in the highest sense.” It refers to freedom from all defilement of sin, especially moral sin. So this purity refers to our sanctification.

Clearly, that glorious future day when we see Jesus face to face, that vision transforms us. John says, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself.” The Biblical view on sanctification is that, on the one hand, God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). In that sense, it’s a done deal and clearly, God does it.

Yet on the other hand, God says that we must purify ourselves as we focus our hope in our pure and holy Lord. The Apostle Paul writes the same thing: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

You and I must actively pursue purity and holiness in the light of the appearing or return of the Lord. To actively confess the coming of Christ means to avoid any activity that distracts us from serving Him faithfully and living for His glory. For “everyone who has this hope fixed on him PURIFIES HIMSELF, just as he is pure” (emphasis mine).

So here we see that there is a definite sense in which we must be active in the process of sanctification in the light of Christ's second coming. The other side, however, is that only the blood of Christ can cleanse us (1 John 1:7, 9). We are cleansed through the washing of water with the Word (Eph. 5:26). So God’s Word and His Holy Spirit are like the soap and water. But we’ve got to apply it to the dirt of our sin.

The Word is also like a mirror, revealing to us the dirt on our faces. When it does that, rather than ignoring it, we must confess our sins to the Lord, appropriate by faith His shed blood as our source of cleansing, and take the necessary steps to avoid that sin in the future. That's part of purifying ourselves.

To summarize our point, if you are clear in your thinking who Jesus is and what pleases Him, you wouldn’t be doing something that would offend Him, would you? Rather you would seek to do what is right and pleasing in His sight. So by the power of the Holy Spirit keep on cleaning the dirt out of your life.

Begin with your mind. Resist every thought that is contrary to the Word of God. But dwell on thoughts that exalt your Sovereign Lord. Then keep on putting off your old self and its desires – sexual immorality, evil desire, greed, slander, lie, wrath, malice, unwholesome talk, etc. Likewise continue putting on your new self in Christ, even holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, self-control, and all the virtues becoming as a child of God. If you do these things, you know that you're fixing your hope in the Lord and in His coming. And truly that vision purifies you even now.