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April 2016 Issue of the Protestant Re- Formed Theological Journal

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Editor’s Notes You hold in your hand the April 2016 issue of the Protestant Re- formed Theological Journal. Included in this issue are three articles and a number of book reviews, some of them rather extensive. We are confident that you will find the contents of this issue worth the time you spend in reading—well worth the time. Few doctrines of the faith are more precious to the Reformed be- liever than the doctrine of God’s everlasting covenant of grace. Few books of the Bible are dearer to the saints than the book of Psalms. Prof. Dykstra puts those two together in the first of two articles on “God’s Covenant of Grace in the Psalms.” You will find his article both instructive and edifying. The Reverend Joshua Engelsma, pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa contributes a very worthwhile article on Jo- hannes Bogerman. Bogerman was the man chosen to be president of the great Synod of Dordt, 1618-’19. The article not only traces the life and public ministry of Bogerman, but demonstrates clearly the direct influence that he had on the formulation of the articles in the First Head of doctrine in the Canons of Dordt. This is an especially appropriate article as the Reformed churches around the world prepare to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dordt in 2018-’19. The Protestant Reformed Seminary is planning to hold a conference to commemorate this very significant anniversary. We will keep our readers informed of the specifics of the conference as they are arranged. Included in the articles in this issue are also the next sections of the “John Calvin Research Bibliography.” Those sections are “#4: Calvin’s Doctrine of the One, True, and Triune God;” “#5: Calvin’s Doctrine of Predestination;” and “#6: Calvin’s Doctrine of Creation and Providence.” These are published in the hope that anyone engaged in Calvin research in any of these areas will find a wealth of available resources of which they can make use. As always, this issue of PRTJ includes a number of book reviews on recently published books, many of them authored by Reformed and Presbyterian theologians. Some of the reviews are fairly extensive. Some of the reviews end with high recommendation of the book re- Protestant Reformed Theological Journal viewed. Others conclude with qualified recommendation. And still other reviews are severely critical. Whatever the case, it is our hope that our readers continue to find this section of our journal of value. Whether they actually purchase any of the books for their own library or not, we trust our readers find the reviews to be of value as books are judged against the standard of Scripture and the Reformed faith. Our journal continues to be published free of charge to our sub- scribers. We hope to be able to continue this policy in the future. We are grateful for the gifts contributed by our readers. With rising printing costs and mailing fees, the support of our readership is greatly appreciated. Now read and enjoy. Soli Deo Gloria! —RLC 2 Vol. 49, No. 2 God’s Covenant of Grace in the Psalms God’s Covenant of Grace in the Psalms (1) A Relationship of Friendship Russell Dykstra Psalm 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. Psalm 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. The Reformed church can be characterized in many ways. A Reformed church is confessional, that is, she holds to the Reformed confessions as her standard. A Reformed church maintains the doc- trines of sovereign, particular grace. She also stands consciously on the foundation of Scripture, defending it as the infallible and inerrant Word of God, authoritative for doctrine and life. The Reformed church is dedicated to the proper worship of God, determined to follow the principle that God may be worshiped only as He commands in His Word. These characteristics set apart a Reformed church and her the- ology from the mass of churches that identify themselves as Christian churches. It must also be universally acknowledged that the Reformed church is marked by two additional characteristics, namely, a devotion to the Psalms, and a commitment to the doctrine of God’s everlasting covenant of grace. This admiration for the Psalms did not begin with the Refor- mation. The Psalms are God’s gift to His church. The Psalms give God’s people the words that they may bring to Him in prayer and song. From the time these inspired songs were penned, Israel sang them, and the early New Testament church followed this practice. The ancient church fathers recognized the benefit of the Psalms for the individual believer and for the church as a whole. Sad to say, over the centuries, the church in the middle ages took the singing away from the people in worship, giving it to choirs. Consequently, the April 2016 3 Protestant Reformed Theological Journal inspired songs and prayers ceased to live in the consciousness of the saints. The Reformation restored the singing of Psalms to the people in the pew in worship. The Reformed church had rediscovered the unspeakable value of the Psalms. Martin Luther’s enthusiasm for the Psalms shines forth in his introduction to this songbook of the Bible. He began by noting that “[m]any of the holy fathers prized and praised the Psalter above all the other books of Scripture.” Nevertheless, he added, “we must give evidence of our own praise and thanks.”1 Luther lectured through the Psalms twice, and was therefore well acquainted with them, and he loved them. John Calvin likewise lectured on the Psalms and, at the urging of others, had his comments published as a commentary. In his preface of the commentary Calvin openly confesses his admiration of the Psalms. He writes, “The varied and resplendent riches which are contained in this treasury it is no easy matter to express in words?”2 He maintains “that in proportion to the proficiency which a man shall have attained in understanding them, will be his knowledge of the most important part of celestial doctrine.”3 The Psalms remain the songbook of the Reformed churches. The Psalms give expression to all aspects of the Christian’s life. Calvin said it was not inappropriate to call the Psalms “An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul.” For, Calvin explained, “there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated.”4 The Psalms do indeed give expression to the emotions, the joys and the sorrows that believers experience. These poems are beautiful, moving, and altogether proper prayers to God. Calvin noted that God “permits us…to speak to him in prayer, as familiarly 1 Martin Luther, “Prefaces to the Old Testament” in Luther’s Works, vol. 35, Word and Sacrament I (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960), 253. 2 John Calvin, “Preface to the Psalms” in Commentary on the Book of Psalms, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1949), xxxvi. 3 Psalms, xxxvii. 4 Psalms, xxxvii. 4 Vol. 49, No. 2 God’s Covenant of Grace in the Psalms as a son speaks to an earthly father.”5 If the Psalms did nothing more than to teach the believer to pray, they would be of inestimable value. In fact, the Psalms do more. They exhort fellow believers to faithfulness, lift up praises to God, confess sin, and provide songs of thankfulness for the wonder of salvation. In addition, the Psalms are rich with doctrine, such as the theology of God’s sovereignty, His creation of the universe, and His providential care. The Psalms vividly describe the depravity of man. They also contain manifold prophecies concerning Jesus—His birth, life, suffering, glorification, and coming again to judge. What a treasure are the Psalms, well beloved by the church through the ages! The Reformed church loves and esteems the Psalms. At the same time, the Reformed church also delights in the doctrine of God’s everlasting covenant of grace. Rightly can it be called the crown jewel of Reformed theology. God revealed Himself through the Bible so that the whole of His truth is there. Nothing may be added to that revelation. However, God in His wisdom led the church to develop the doctrines gradually in time and history. One of the first was the doctrine of the Trinity and deity of Christ. Next the church faced the doctrine of the incarnate Christ and drew from the Bible that Christ is two natures in one Person. After that Augustine rejected the Pelagian error and set forth the doctrines of grace. God sovereignly controlled even heretics and by raising them up in His good time, forcing the church to battle a specific error in a God’s ordained time. In that way, the church developed each doctrine carefully. This same process can be observed in the development of the doctrine of the covenant. God’s people knew about the covenant from the beginning. God’s covenant is a foundational truth revealed to the patriarchs in the Old Testament. The Bible itself consists of two parts—the old covenant, or testament, and the new covenant or testament. Although the theologians of the ancient church spoke of the covenant as they encountered it in Scripture, the development of this doctrine waited until the Reformation had established well the truths of sovereign grace.
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