‘I
will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make
known Your faithfulness through all generations’(Psalm 89:1). Many years
have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many
generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our world. The
years come and go. The centuries run their course. One generation gives
way to another generation. Time moves on relentlessly. None of us can
halt the march of time. Many changes have taken place over the course of
time. There is something which must never change. The Lord is to be
praised ‘for ever’. He is to be praised ‘through all generations’. We
must look back and remember. Jesus Christ was crucified for us. Jesus
Christ has risen for us. This is the Good News which inspires our
praise: ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever...’.
In this post, I will draw comparisons between Arminius and Berkouwer. * Bangs points out that the historical situation in Holland was not a simple one - Calvinism coming in, Arminius nearly ruining it and the Synod of Dort restoring it: “The earliest Dutch Reformed leaders don’t seem to be Calvinists at all. They rise out of the soil, here and there, nurtured by the old Dutch biblical piety, not seized by dogmatic insights, but steadily pressing toward a purified life of faith according to Scripture” (p. 21). This emphasis is similar to Berkouwer’s insistence that election is not a special gnosis for the theological elite. Rather, it is a confession of faith, arising from the hearts of those who have come to know the grace of God ( Divine Election (DE), p. 216). * Bangs observes that Arminius’ theological method is “practical and through faith”: “For the Theology which belongs to this world, is practical and through faith: Theoretical Theology belongs to the o...
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