Your Will part of the church's highest court con­ Won't Help You cerning our own membership. Let's hope so! How fortunate that the Acts of the RES reached us only after the General As­ sembly concluded its deliberations. One notes no "pious advice" to the butchers of RES-half not told Moscow or the slaughterers of Peking. Then there was the Scotsman who prom­ The RES should hold emergency sessions ised a large cash gift to missions after his in those cities very soon. calf was sold. He missed church for John H. Thompson, Jr., pastor several weeks. One frigid morning he ap­ Ocala, Florida peared at the pastor's study in fiery rage, Ed. note: The decision of the OPC slammed some money on the desk, and General Assembly to remain in the RES announced his withdrawal from the for now, even while refusing to urge the church. Said he, "I passed the kirk last RPCES and the PCA to join, indicated its night, and you were singing about me­ concern about developments in RES 'the calf has never yet been sold:" member churches while recognizing a It's your family Well, "the half has never yet been told" responsibility to continue to work with about the Reformed Ecumenical Synod. the organization while there was still any who willbenefit At least, this is my feeling about the hope of improvement. handling of RES matters at the recent froID your will OPC General Assembly. Was the assembly aware of the strong protests of some of Time for a change? Without a will, your property will the smaller Reformed churches against Just a word of thanks for the article of be distributed according to state the continued membership of the doctrin­ John Fikkert, "A Church in Quarantine?" laws of descent and distribution. Since these laws have to apply to ally shaky Dutch churches? Did anyone (September) . all kinds of people, they can be tell that the "pious advice" to the South The name "Orthodox" has no doubt overly protective in some cases. African government was initiated by the attracted its tens, but it has also turned The result is unnecessary delays, "moderamen" and not by the rank and away its thousands. I have always held red tape and expenses for your file? Did anyone paint the dramatic that the OPC is the best of all possible heirs. picture of RES delegates vacillating on churches, if you can stand it. When the this "advice" until after they had dined name Orthodox was adopted I put forth Without a will, none of your pro­ sumptuously as guests of a government a much better name that was rejected. perty can be used to further your official? Everyone now, of course, is sorry. stewardship goals. Many people One can almost see and feel the frenzy who are concerned about stew­ Anyway, haven't we been sick long ardship find special satisfaction of delegates swallowing whole their des­ enough, and isn't it time to lift the quar­ in making charitablegifts through serts in order to get back to the holy, antine? Of course, John did not advocate their wills. Westminster Theologi­ compelling business of instructing the a change of name, but he touched on an cal Seminary welcomes bequests South African government about its idea whose time has come. and puts them to specific use, internal affairs-all contrary to Scripture Robert K. Churchill training men to serve in the gos­ and to the standards of our church. Then, OP Chapel, pel ministry. in the ultimate act of betrayal of the Amarillo, Texas biblical Reformed churches, the RES de­ Find out more about writing or termined to continue its dialogue with the I updating your will. Send for our Omit Orthodox? j free booklet offered below. No ob­ World Council of Churches. The writer wants to heartily endorse the j ligation. Some of us entered the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in order to witness comments of the Rev. John Fikkert in his against both the unbelief and political article appearing in the September issue I r~~~~:~_~_a~~~:~~~_-dJ_, activism of the rotten "ecumenical of The Guardian, "A Church in Quaran­ tine." In my opinion his evaluation is of J councils." Now we are in fellowship with I the RES, which is more culpable because far-reaching importance. I consider it Westminster Theological Seminary it pretends to represent Reformed pre­ worthy of careful consideration. 1 P.O. Box 27009 cision. We have sought relief through I heard Mr. Fikkert voice these remarks Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19118 overtures to the church courts-to no in an Orthodox Presbyterian church ~ o Please send 37 Things People avail. Thankfully, the assembly stopped where the morning attendance has "Know" about Wills That Aren't short of endorsing or recommending dropped 25% in recent years and is still Really So, without cost. .1 membership in this evil alliance to the dropping, while other churches in the Name _ RPCES and the PCA. Perhaps this hesit­ J ancy indicates second thoughts on the (continued on page 10) Address _ ) The Presbyterian Guardian is published eleven times each year, every month except for a combined issue in July-August, by the Presbyterian Guardian Publishing Corporation, 7401 Old York Road, City _ Philadelphia, PA 19126, at the following .rates, payable in advance, postage prepaid: $4.25 per year ($3.75 in clubs of ten or more: special rate for "every-family churches" on request). Second State 2ip _ class mail privileges authorized at the Post Office, Philadelphia, Pa. ) IL ~ , I i Page 2 The Presbyterian Guardian I truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to fou~d another instance of this use of the your former manner of life, you lay verb "to learn" with a person as its ob­ aside the old self, which is being cor­ ject anywhere else in Greek literature, and rupted in accordance with the lusts so it has been suggested that "Christ" here Learning of deceit, and that you be renewed in verse 20 simply stands for "Christian in the spirit of your mind, and put teaching," But there is no warrant for that on the new self, which in the likeness suggestion. We must let the apostle's in­ CHRIST of God has been created in righteous­ spired language have its full force and Robert B. Strimple ness and holiness of the truth. remind us of that personal relationship In this passage many terms appear with Christ himself which is the blessed which we associate with man's intellectual distinctive of our Christian religion-s-the life: verse 17, "mind"; verse 18, "under­ blessed reality of the Christian life, that Westminister Seminary's Vice President standing" versus "ignorance"; verse 23, by the regenerating work of Christ's Spirit for Academic Affairs welcomed new stu­ again "mind." And particularly in verses we come to know not merely truths about Christ, but Christ, and by the Spirit's dents with the following message at the 20 and 21 we find terms which we use to sanctifying work we grow in our knowl­ 49th annual opening exercises held on describe that activity which is closest to edge of Christ. September 6, 1977. our hearts as students, our academic en­ deavor, the pursuit of knowledge: "learn," Now notice very carefully please that to We are pleased to have with us this "taught," "truth." emphasize this is not at all, not for a evening so many returning students, Notice, however, the unique and un­ minute, to adopt the so-called "inter­ alumni, and friends. But we are especially usual way in which these terms are used personal" concept of revelation which is happy to be greeting so many who are here. If we wanted to describe the result popular in so many seminaries and beginning for the first time their studies of Christian training, we would be most theological circles today, the insistence at Westminster. In the absence of Presi­ likely, I think, to speak of learning about that God gives us himself in his self-rev­ dent Clowney, it is my privilege on be­ Christ. But Paul here speaks of "learning elation and not any facts or any truths half of the faculty and the student body Christ." If we wanted to emphasize the about himself. Remember how Paul to welcome you new students especially in fact that the Risen Christ himself must warned the Romans against those who Christian love to the Seminary and its illumine us by his Spirit if we are to come stand "in opposition to the doctrine which work. to true knowledge, we would be most you learned" (Rom. 16:17); and how he In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 20, the likely to speak of our being taught by urged Timothy to continue in the apostle Paul speaks of conversion as a Christ. But Paul here speaks of being "things" which he had learned and be­ "learning Christ," and I would like to taught in Christ. It is possible to trans­ lieved (II Tim. 3: 14). Paul saw no con­ suggest to you who are newly enrolled as late Paul's preposition in verse 21 as "by" flict whatsoever between his emphasis on Westminster students that you consider as the Authorized Version does; but in sound doctrine and his emphasis on a the goal of your seminary studies also to the context ("in Him, just as truth is in personal relationship with Christ. be to "learn Christ." Seeing this as our Jesus") and in the light of Paul's fre­ You see, the Christ who is learned and common objective together as faculty and quent references to our being in Christ, it known by the one who is truly a child of students will serve to remind us of the is most natural to translate it as "taught God is not just any Christ-the Christ of distinctiveness and the scope of the study in him." And surely this striking, dis­ your imagination, the Christ of some un­ in which we are engaged.