Letter to the Editor Edward Hoekstra Dear Editor, I want to thank you for your answer to Jeff Andringa in the ”Letters” of the October issue of the Beacon Lights. I agree with you that the decision of Synod 2018 requires further study because differences linger in the churches. You quote a small part […]
Dear Mr. Hoekstra, From a certain perspective, my answer could be very brief. Assurance of salvation belongs to salvation itself, which is by faith alone. Therefore, to say that we enjoy assurance of our salvation by working is to say we are saved by faith and works. When we speak of our justification, namely that […]
There is an idea that has circulated among different Christian groups through different times and ages. It involves the question of how it is that we obey and also then how we do good works. The Christians who hold to this idea commendably exert great emphasis on the importance of grace and the importance of […]
You have always been taught that good works are necessary. What does “necessary good works” mean? Those who promote error give the word necessary just their one meaning that is often the first meaning listed in many dictionaries. We are called sometimes to explain the proper meaning of terms that have been corralled into one […]
Why must our young people be godly examples? One reason for this is to show siblings and students under us that we must not act foolishly. They look up to us and they follow what we do because they want to act “cool.’ As we age, we must grow in wisdom and truth, putting away […]
A man stood before the porter of the gate. The weight of the sack on his shoulder bent him over. His shoes were dusty and worn. He slid the sack on the ground and took out a heavy wooden stool. “What allows thee to enter this gate, Traveler?” the porter asked. The man pointed to […]
In the previous two articles, I have begun to respond to a letter from Laurel Lotterman in which she asked the following questions: If our good works profit us nothing, then why do we believe that there will be different levels in heaven? What kind of levels are the levels of heaven? If heaven is […]
In the previous article, I began to respond to a letter from Laurel Lotterman in which she asked the following interesting questions: If our good works profit us nothing, then why do we believe that there will be different levels in heaven? What kind of levels are the levels of heaven? If heaven is perfect […]
Reverend Laning, If our good works profit us nothing, then why do we believe that there will be different levels in heaven? What kind of levels are the levels of heaven? If heaven is perfect and we are perfectly happy, will the people in levels higher than us be happier, or more perfect? If all […]
We ended the last article hoping to look at several areas related to how we perform good works. We saw in the last article how the standard for good works is spiritual and that God judges our deepest motives and thoughts. Now, we will move on and take note of how all of the activities […]