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Serious Call of the Gospelcorrupted his whole nature; whereby he made himself liable tocorporal and spiritual death."It is obvious that the bad news is very bad. Death has come uponthis creation, with man in the forefront to experience both corporaland spiritual death. Death is not a natural phenomenon, but thejudgment and curse ofGod upon man and this creation because ofthe Fall. Man by nature does not like this truth about himself, asit is truly humbling to his sinful pride. By all means he wouldrather think ofhimselfotherwise than in terms ofthe Fall. Yet, hemust explain the obvious imperfection ofman. Hence, he came upwith the theory ofevolution.All theories ofevolution are the devil 's wiles to rob man ofany idea ofthe Fall in man. [n evolution, the lower forms of Ii feevolve to more complex and better forms oflife, culminating in thenature of man. Therefore, any weaknesses and failures (andsinfulness) in man is attributed to parts of the evolutionary process.There is, therefore, no Fall at' all, but only the process ofevolution to a better being. This is the lie of the devil..Without the bad news of the Fall there is not good news ofredemption.The good news ofret/emption.Redemption speaks of a price paid to bring man back tofellowship with God again. That indeed is good news to man, forthere is nothing more glorious to him than to be in communion withHis God, in whose image he was first created. But ...They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the mu Ititudeof their riches; None of them can by any means redeem hisbrother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption oftheir soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should stilllive for ever, and not see corruption.!iGood news can neverarise from man himself. Adam and Eve tried4. Belgic Confession, Article 14.5. Psalm 49:6-9.November, 2001 35
to bring good news with their "fig leaves" to cover up the shameof their sins. Later their firstborn, Cain tried with his fruits andotherproduceoftheground, but to no avail. All ourrighteousnessesare as filthy rags. God alone can bring the good news to man, asHe alone can create that good news. The protevangel ("motherpromise")is found here:And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and betweenthy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruisehis heel."These were words ofcurse upon the devil pronounced by God inthe presence ofour fallen parents. As such it was also a promiseto them that God will fight for them the fierce battle against thedevil and defeat him. This victory (according to this prophecy)will come through the "seed" ofthe woman, who should bruise thehead ofthe devil and destroy him. In the course ofthe battle, theheel ofthe woman's seed would be bruised. This is the prophecyconcerning of the coming ofJesus Christ, the Messiah.From the protevangel to the first advent ofChrist, there weremany more prophecies through the types and shadows ofthe OldTestament, giving greater details concerning the coming of theMessiah. All these were and still are good news of His work ofredemption. They are the gospel, still relevant today when carefullyand faithfully preached.Now in the New Testament era, we know that this promisedMessiah is none otherthan the Second Person ofthe Godhead, whobecame flesh and dwelt among men in order to save a people whomHis Father had given Him to represent legally and spiritually. Forthem He had paid the penalty of all their sins on the cross ofCalvary and fulfilled all righteousness according to the Law ofGod. His resurrection from the dead was because oftheirjustification.Sothe good news ofJesus Christ is that He did it all to savea people that is represented by the church today.6. Genesis 3:15.36 PRTJ
Page 1 and 2: ProtestantReformedTheologicalJourna
Page 3 and 4: EDITOR'S NOTESProf. Russell J. Dyks
Page 5 and 6: For there are many, even l unruly,
Page 7 and 8: happen to hold unwittingly to some
Page 9 and 10: tion oftheir false teachings. II Pe
Page 11 and 12: est, they are very weak, at worst,
Page 13 and 14: truth~' (see I Tim. 4: 1 - 4). Ever
Page 15 and 16: Thomas Bradwardine:Forgotten Mediev
Page 17 and 18: ated grace and uncreated grace. Unc
Page 19 and 20: Bradwardine faces the question ofth
Page 21 and 22: the age, namely, that having set fo
Page 23 and 24: did not identify Thomas Bradwardine
Page 25 and 26: The first is that Bradwardine was a
Page 27 and 28: to Bradwardine as oneof"two pre-emi
Page 29 and 30: Gospels, Acts, and Revelation. Sir
Page 31 and 32: power of the papacy in Bradwardine'
Page 33 and 34: The Serious Callof the Gospel -Is t
Page 35: elieve th~s proclamation with uprig
Page 39 and 40: nation, we read of Melchisedek, the
Page 41 and 42: official activity ofa monarch's her
Page 43 and 44: 8): "Calling is ofthose elect and r
Page 45 and 46: ut all his posterity unable to obey
Page 47 and 48: alone, and He saves whom He will. E
Page 49 and 50: have moved away from the notion oft
Page 51 and 52: every member ofthe visible, institu
Page 53 and 54: fulfilling this calling is their pa
Page 55 and 56: contingent. Further, Calvin did not
Page 57 and 58: ofacceptance in terms of merit, ins
Page 59 and 60: covenant ofgrace and works, or it i
Page 61 and 62: Spiritual, Suffers Them to DefileTh
Page 63 and 64: the gospel is preached" (p. 212).In
Page 65 and 66: "They do not hold that JesusChrist
Page 67 and 68: II Corinthians 3:6 that "the letter
Page 69 and 70: is to oppose and to repulsethat sec
Page 71 and 72: Rightly Divided: Readings inBiblica
Page 73 and 74: is necessary speaks volumesabout th
Page 75 and 76: Guilt, Grace and Gratitude,Lectures
Page 77 and 78: 76ted under the new? If it wererigh
Page 79 and 80: er to keep himself holy; forthe Sab
Page 81 and 82: there is room for both positionsin
Page 83 and 84: Dr. Gannett's eschatologyalso effec
Page 85 and 86: that, but man has a corrupt nature(
Page 87 and 88:
the love of God is "universal"(p. 5
Page 89 and 90:
ever, throughout the book thereis n
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