July 2002 New Horizons

God's Knowledge and Our Knowledge

by Herman Veldkamp

One of the things that repeatedly surprises us about God's Word is that it tells us such ordinary things. Often it seems superfluous to repeat those ordinary truths or remind each other of them. In this respect, the preaching of the Word is often very different from the Word itself, for many preachers and Bible expositors outdo themselves in hauling the most extraordinary ideas out of the Scriptures and dressing up ordinary truths in the most startling, flashy garments. There's no reason for this sort of thing. Some scriptural truths have already become so well known that they are in danger of being lost entirely. They may well turn into meaningless formulas and clichés. Slowly but surely we're getting to the point where church members interested mainly in sensational preaching know nothing whatsoever of the basic biblical truths, which they regard as "old hat." Of Course We Know That God Is Omniscient! Take a statement like our text, where God says that he knows Ephraim. Isn't it ... Read more

Daily Worship

by David Feddes

The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks (John 4:23). If you could make one change in your life, what would it be? A lot of people start a new year with resolutions. Some want to stop smoking, some want to start dieting, others have a different resolution. What about you? What's the most important change you'd like to make? Let me suggest a resolution that ought to be number one on anybody's list—to become a better worshiper. A year from now, will you know God better, love him more deeply, and honor him more fully than you do now? Or will your relationship to God be no better a year in the future than it is right now? I don't know how often you think about God or reflect on what sort of worshiper you are, but God certainly thinks about you and what sort of worshiper he calls you to be. Jesus says, "The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks" ... Read more

A Call to Reformation

by J. G. Vos

Church reformation according to Scripture is always incomplete on earth. Ecclesia reformata reformanda est ("The church, having been reformed, is still to be reformed"). This follows from the fact that Scripture is an absolute and perfect standard, while the church at any point in its history on earth is still imperfect and involved in sin and error. This process of reformation must be continuous until the end of the world. At no point sooner may the church stop and say, "I have arrived. Thus far but no farther!" Only in heaven can the church triumphant say that. In this process of reformation, there are certain historical stages and certain outstanding landmarks of progress achieved. For instance, the great historic creeds and confessions of the church are such landmarks of progress. The Westminster Confession of Faith, for example, marks true progress in the reformation of the church up to the time when that confession was formulated. We may never regard this process as completed in our own ... Read more