Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

come."mandments."one."earth."cappella."years."the empty matrix in a rock into which every nicetyof the gem fitted exactly we should not be ableto resist the conclusion that the miner's story wastrue."He added that, "In like manner the cultureof Bible lands is the matrix of Bible narratives ; theway they fit the matrix is the conclusive test ofnarratives."the correctness of theAgain, we believe the Bible is the Word of Godbecause of the comfort and peace and hope it bringsto those who believe. The Bible is not a fake remedyfor human ills and needs. It meets exactly our needas those who know it and believe it can testify. Itmeets exactly our need for correction, for instruction, for hope and for comfort.Because we believe the Bible is the Word of God,we stand, like the Jews of old, with bowed head before God and say, "All that the Lord hath said willobedient."we do and beBecause we accept the Bible as the Word ofGod, we must believe in the God of the Bible. "Webelieve in the one living and true God Father, Sonand Holy Spirit as revealed in the Scriptures." Ifyou believe the Bible you must believe in the TriuneGod. Again and again, it emphasizes that there isbut one God, yet three persons in the Godhead,Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "I andthe Father are The Jews took up stones tokill Him because He made Himself equal with theFather. Jesus said, "It is expedient for you that Igo away, for if I go not away, the Comforter willnot The Bible teaches that there are threepersons in the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Because it is taught in the Bible we believe this.Because we believe in the Bible, we must acceptits way of salvation from sin. "We accept JesusChrist as our Saviour from sin, and we acknowledgeHim as our Lord." The Bible tells us that all havesinned and come short of the glory of God ; there isnone righteous, no, not one"; "the wages of sin isdeath"; "God so loved the world that He gave Hisonly begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Himlife."might not perish but have everlasting Therefore, as lost sinners, we accept Him as our Saviourfrom sin. Those who take Him as Saviour must alsotake Him as Lord. "If ye love Me, keep My comWe must obey Him as Lord and wepledge that we will.Because we accept the Bible we must have arelationship to the church which Christ established."We believe in and accept the standards of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America asbeing in agreement with and founded upon theScriptures."That means all our standards.The Church, as Paul tells us, is to be the pillarand ground of truth. I am sorry to say that it isnot always that, but it ought to be. In his autobiography, John G. Paton tells us how his fathermade a study of the "Scots Worthies," the "Cloudof Witnesses," the "Testimony and the Confession ofFaith."Then he cast in his lot with the oldest ofall the Scotch Churches, the Covenanters, as mostnearly representing the Covenant and the attainments of the First and Second Reformations. We,too, have chosen the Reformed Presbyterian, theCovenanter, church."In particular we believe in the Reformed faith"emphasizing three truths, "the sovereignty of Christ,360the Presbyterian form of church government, andthe New Testament pattern of worship, with itsexclusive use of the Psalms, sung aThe Roman Catholic theologysovereignty of the pope. The Reformed theologyemphasizes the sovereignty of Jesus Christ who said,"All authority is given unto Me in heaven and inWe choose the teachings of the Bible, notthe teachings of the Roman Catholics.emphasizes theWe believe in the Presbyterian form of churchgovernment. There are three forms of church govmentthe episcopal, the congregational, and thePresbyterian. The episcopalian form of church government is government by bishops. The first NewTestament council shows conclusively that the Presbyterian form of church government was then inuse. The question arose, early in the life of thechurch, How are people saved ? Is it by Christ alone ?or, Is it by Christ plus obedience to the rites of thelaw of Moses? That question had to be settled. Ifthe congregational form of church government hadbeen in use, this question would have been settledin Antioch and in everyother congregation in everycity where it arose. Some groups would likely haveanswered it in one way and other groups in another,and there would be no one answer given. That answer would not have been satisfactory if the answersdisagreed. If the episcopalian form of church government had been in use, a few of the apostles as bishopswould have answered it for the church. But a Synodor general council was called in Jerusalem. The apostles and all the elders were present. The question wassettled, and the answer sent out over the churchas binding upon all believers. That was the Presbyterian form of church government.The New Testament church had its form ofpraise. The Psalms without any instrument wereused. The great historian of the church. Schaff,wrote, "The Councils of Laodicea (A.D. 360) and ofChalcedon (A.D. 451) prohibited the ecclesiasticaluse of all uninspired or private hymns, and the Greekchurch used nothing but Psalms for over 600(Quoted in The Psalms in Worship). In one of hislast lectures given shortly before his death, Dr.Melvin Grove Kyle said that the first hymns werewritten by a father and son. The father was deposed from the ministry because he did not believethe truth about Jesus Christ. So he and his sonwrote hymns to teach the falsehoods he was expelled from the ministry for preaching. He addedthat many of the hymns since then have taughtfasehood. Since we accept the Bible as the Word ofGod and the only infallible rule of faith and life, weaccept the Psalms of the Bible for use in the worship of God. A minister in another denominationsaid to me, "I know that the Bible teaches that weought to use only the Psalms in the worship of God,but it is such a small matter that it does not makeany difference." That man used his own judgment,not the Bible, as his rule of faith and life.The Psalms alone are inspired. The Psalmsalone are free from error. The Psalms alone praiseGod for all His attributes, even His justice. ThePsalms were never surpassed, never equaled, neveroutdated.Like the Jew of old, we bow before the Lordand say, "All that the Lord hath said will we doobedient."and beCOVENANTER WITNESS