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The VOLUME 57 NO.10 NOVEMBER 2010 EDITION >>Messenger INSIDE 2 Church News 3 Saved By Grace: The Great (Re)Discovery of the Protestant Reformation 6 The Rescue of the Chilean Miners 8 Gleanings From the Churches 10 Boring Bach or the Blessing of Justification? 13 News Notes & Comments 16 Profiting From the Parables - An Enemy Hath Done This 18 Seminary Day 2010: A Call to Serve 20 Address from the Dutch Delegates to Synod 2010 22 The Ordination & Installation of Timothy Bergsma 24 Announcements THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA>> NOVEMBER 2010 I THE MESSENGER 1 CHURCH NEWS >> NEW ADDRESS NIPISSING PREACHING STATION: Powassan, ON Rev. Tim and Jen Bergsma, 10 Ellwood Ave, Chatham, ON N7M 3K3, (South of North Bay, Ontario, off Hwy. 11) Tel. 519-397-4259 (Home); 519-354-3100 (Church Study); Services are held every Sunday at 395 Main Street, Powassan. Directions: Email: [email protected] Take the most southern exit from Highway 11 into Powassan, LACOMBE, Alberta turn left onto Main Street, and The Free Reformed Church of Lacombe meets in the Trinity Lutheran follow through town until you Church, 5227 C & E Trail, Lacombe, AB. Worship services are held at 9.00 see a small white church on the a.m. and 3.00 p.m. corner. Service times are 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM with a potluck CALGARY, Alberta fellowship lunch in between. Worship Services are held every Lord’s Day at 9.30 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. When no ministers are scheduled and are conducted by Rev. Hans Overduin, the pastor. Sunday school, to preach, the worship services Catechism and Adult Sunday school classes are held after the morning of the Brantford Free Reformed Church are broadcast. Check online: www. service. Location: 6167 6th Street SE, Calgary AB T2H 1L9 (northwest nipissingfrc.com for the preaching schedule, detailed directions and other corner of Blackfoot and Glenmore Trails). For information contact: Rev. information. For additional information contact: email [email protected] Hans Overduin, Tel. 403 474-5385; email: [email protected] or John Janssen at 705 493-0259. TORONTO, Ontario Radio Broadcast (North Bay Area) The Free Reformed Church of Toronto meets at 1130 Finch Avenue West, The Banner of Truth Radio Broadcast can be heard every Sunday on 103.5 North York, Ontario. Worship services are at 10.00 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. on FM at 8.30 AM and covers a radius of about 40 to 50 kilometres around the Lord’s Day. For Bible study times or for more information, North Bay. please call Mr. Rick Fintelman at 905 852-3754 or email: [email protected] Open Windows BI-MONTHLY CHILDREN’S PUBLICATION CANDIDATE DEREK BAARS This Christian bi-monthly full-colour magazine Synod 2010 notifies the churches that as of December 10, 2009, for children ages 4 to 12 is filled with fresh ideas brother Derek Baars has been declared to be a candidate for to open children’s minds for a new look at the the ministry in the Free Reformed Churches. May the Lord Bible, history, and the world. Open Windows also graciously lead the churches in prayerful consideration of contains colouring contests, crafts, a look back in his candidacy so that the heartfelt desire of brother time and book reviews that will get even the most Baars to serve the Lord in the ordained Ministry reluctant readers reading. An excellent tool for of the Word may be confirmed and realized. evangelism, outreach, school libraries, and home-schooling. Candidate Baars may be contacted at: 2012 Power Line Road West, Annual Subscription for 2010 is $17.50. Make cheques pay- R.R.#2, Lynden, ON L0R 1T0, able to FREE REFORMED PUBLICATIONS. Tel. 905-304-9773. Send cheque with your order to: Open Windows, 69 Albert Street, SS1, Mitchell, ON N0K 1N0 Canada 2 THE MESSENGER II NOVEMBER 2010 The SAVED BY GRACE: MessengerNOVEMBER 2010 The Great (Re)Discovery EDITOR of the Protestant Rev. C. Pronk 655 Park Road North, Unit 29 Reformation Brantford, ON N3R 0A2 Tel/Fax: 519 751-4470 Email: [email protected] The Editor reports to the >> Synodical Publications Committee MEDITATION BY REV. J. SCHOEMAN Assistant EDITOR Dr. G. M. Bilkes ctober 31, 1517 marks the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Email: [email protected] OReformation started when the pope issued a special indulgence, the pro- ceeds of which would be used to finance the COMMITTEE MEMBERS Rev. G.R. Procee, Chairman construction of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. “For by grace are ye saved Rev. D. H. Kranendonk, Secretary Tetzel, the man in charge of the sale of these through faith; and that not of 69 Albert Street indulgences, claimed that anyone who pur- yourselves: it is the gift of God: SS1, Mitchell, ON N0K 1N0 chased this indulgence would drastically re- Tel/Fax: 519 348-0436 Not of works, lest any man duce the amount of time they or a departed Email: [email protected] should boast. For we are his Rev. C. Pronk loved one would spend in purgatory. His slo- workmanship, created in Christ Dr. L.W. Bilkes gan was: “As soon as the silver in the coffer Rev. J. Koopman rings, the soul out of purgatory springs.” One Jesus unto good works, which Rev. J. Overduin God hath before ordained that Mr. H. VanDoodewaard day, a German monk by the name of Martin Rev. J. Lewis Luther, heard Tetzel hawking his indulgen- we should walk in them” ces in the city of Wittenberg. Luther was so EPHESIANS 2:8-10 SUBSCRIPTION RATE outraged by Tetzel’s claims that he posted 95 Canada & U.S.A. - $25.00 Annually The Messenger is published 11 times per year. Theses on the castle door at Wittenberg, Germany, inviting anyone to debate him on the subject; thus sparking the Protestant Reformation. SUBSCRIPTIONS/REMITTANCES Requests for subscriptions, all payments and As time passed, however, Luther began to realize that the fundamental problem inquiries regarding rates, invoices, and all remittances should be addressed to: with the Roman Catholic Church was its teaching on justification. The Roman Catholic Church taught that we are justified by faith plus works. They said that THE MESSENGER in order to be saved, you had to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but you also c/o Marianne Overduin, Administrator had to do good works. Our works, they said, count for something towards our P.O. Box 1094 Mitchell, ON N0K 1N0 salvation. Tel./Fax: 519 348-0020 Email: [email protected] Saved By Grace Apart From Works Through his own independent study of the Scriptures, however, Luther discov- All notices for family announcements, obituaries, anniversaries, and non-commercial advertisements ered that that is not what the Bible teaches. He discovered that we are saved by for the December 2010 issue should reach the grace through faith apart from works. One of the texts that led him to this con- copy editor, Frederika Pronk, no later than Tuesday, clusion was Ephesians 2: 8-10, where Paul states: “For by grace are ye saved through November 15, 2010, and should be sent to: faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should THE MESSENGER boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which 655 Park Road North, Unit 29 God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Here Paul, under the inspira- Brantford, ON N3R 0A2 CANADA tion of the Holy Spirit, describes how God saves sinners: He saves them by grace, Telephone/Fax: 519 751-4470 through faith, not of works. Email: [email protected] or [email protected] The word “saved” is a key word in our text. What does this word mean? What Free Reformed website: www.frcna.org does it mean to be “saved”? The word “saved” means to rescue from danger or NOVEMBER 2010 I THE MESSENGER 3 MEDITATION CONTINUED... >> destruction. Let’s say you are hanging by your fingers over works, you may even (after you die) be elevated to saint- the edge of a very high bridge. There is no way you can get hood and share some of your excess grace with others. back on the bridge. It is only a matter of time before you fall on the rocks below. Then let’s say someone comes along and But Luther discovered that this was not true. We are not pulls you up on the bridge. We would say that person saved saved by works. In fact, our works do not count for any- you. He saved you from certain destruction. Such is the case thing towards our salvation. That is clear from our text. Paul when God saves a sinner. He saves him or her from certain writes that we are saved “not of works.” Why not? Because destruction. they are all defiled with sin. In Isaiah 64: 6, Isaiah writes: “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses Why Do We Need To Be Saved? are as filthy rags.” In order for our works to merit the favour To understand this, we need to realize that by nature you of God, they must be perfect. But therein lies the problem: and I are conceived and born in sin. We received this sin na- nothing we do is perfect! Even our best works are defiled ture from our first parents, Adam and Eve, with sin. Therefore, our works cannot count in Paradise. When God placed man in the for anything towards our salvation.