His Word Before Yours

By Egbert Brink

Rev. Egbert Brink wrote this book for Christians who want the biblical message to be their guide on their journey through life. A guide to knowing God as He has revealed Himself in his Word. For knowing God is life (John 17:3).

In a refreshing style, this book outlines what Christians believe, bringing it across in the language of today. This approach makes the book suitable for various uses, such as pre-confession catechism classes, Bible study groups, post-confession courses and personal Bible study.

Each chapter contains a roster of Scripture passages for daily reading, as well as questions to encourage discussion.

Topics:
Confession of faith; Triune God; creation; God's image; fall into sin; the Almighty; reconciliation through redemption; Who is Jesus?; chosen: faith as gift; God's Spirit in Person; Christian growth; marks of the church; view on Israel; watermark of baptism; bread and beaker; wholesome commandments; praying is breathing; the final judgment; total renewal of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pro Ecclesia Publishers
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310396564

Egbert Brink

Rev. Egbert Brink (b. 1961) undertook his theological studies in Kampen (Netherlands) and in Aix-en-Provence (France), majoring in the Old Testament and Dogmatics.He has served as minister of the Reformed Church (Liberated) in Nijmegen, The Netherlands (1990 -1997) and has been in Waddinxveen since 1997.He is in demand as a speaker, has written numerous articles and various books. The titles of these and more about the author are available on his website http://home.tiscali.nl/ebrink

Book preview

His Word before yours

EGBERT BRINK

Published by:

Pro Ecclesia Publishers

proecclesia.com.au

and

League of the Free Reformed Women’s Bible Study Societies, Australia

Copyright 2006 Pro Ecclesia Publishers

First published in English in 2006

First eBook edition: 2014

First published in 2000 in Dutch as Het Woord vooraf by De Vuurbaak, Barneveld, the Netherlands.

Translated by Sue Wierenga, Renee Mulder and Sabrine Bosscha.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or where-ever you obtained this and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author and publisher.

All Bible texts are from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless indicated otherwise.

Quotations from the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism and Canons of Dort are from the Book of Praise, 1984 edition.

Cover image: iStockphoto.

More information about the author can be found at the end of the book.

CONTENTS

Preface

1. Confessing your faith

2. God speaks

3. Main themes in the Bible

4. Triune God

5. Creation

6. Image of God

7. The fall of man

8. Sin is the culprit

9. The Almighty

10. Reconciliation through redemption

11. Who is Jesus?

12. What does Christ do?

13. Chosen! Faith as a gift

14. Covenant

15. God’s Spirit, personally and in Person

16. Christian growth

17. Marks of the Church

18. Church under construction

19. Focus on Israel

20. Organisation of the Church

21. Watermark

22. Bread and beaker

23. Wholesome commandments

24. Praying is breathing

25. The last judgment

26. Total renewal

The Luther Rose

About the author

Preface

In August 2000 this book first appeared in the Netherlands. It came into being through the giving of pre-confession catechism instruction, first in Nijmegen and later in Waddinxveen. Thanks to the enthusiasm of my friend Bert Baakman (who has passed away since, in 2002), I had the book published by him. The book was received so well that it was sold out in no time. Apparently it fulfilled a great need, since in the meantime, the sixth edition of the book is coming out. Apart from the use in preparing young people for confession of faith, the book proved to be suited also for bible study groups, post-confession courses for church-members, refreshment-courses for office-bearers, as a follow-up to the basic Alpha- or Emmaus Courses and for use as a reference book during personal Bible study and devotion.

I set out to outline what Christians believe. Not merely to offer an informative overview, but more importantly with the goal to pass on the faith in a contemporary manner. Knowing God is life (John 17:3). So that others may know him, I have tried to express the faith as much as possible in everyday language, addressing our time.  At the same time, I wished to account for my writings by continually referring to God’s written Word. Hence the original Dutch title, Het Woord vooraf. That is to say: to depend on God’s living Word that, through his Spirit, reveals Christ to us. We live by the breath of His voice.

Soon after the appearance of the first edition, I came into contact with Sue Wierenga. She used the book in her contacts with people who sought asylum in the Netherlands and were on the way to becoming Christians or who wished to refresh their knowledge of God’s Word. She was eager to translate the book into her native language, so that more people could be reached. She was impressed by what she considered to be the inspirational content of the book, which touched hearts through its personal approach to the gospel. It was not easy to find a publisher in the United Kingdom or the United States of America, but finally a way was opened to Australia. We came into contact with some members of the Women’s League Outline Committee (WLOC) who, through a Dutch contact, got enthused for a translation of the book. [For clarification: WLOC is a subcommittee of The League of Free Reformed Women’s Bible Study Societies. For a number of years this committee, together with Pro Ecclesia Publishers, has been co-publishing books to be used as study material within the Free Reformed Churches of Australia and abroad.] After lobbying a few ministers, forces were soon combined to translate and publish this book. The first translation was undertaken by Sue, next it was carefully corrected by Renee Mulder, one of the WLOC members, then seen and judged by myself, after which Sabrine Bosscha in the Netherlands gave the work a final scrutiny. Much time has been invested in the translation by these Christian women (who are not professionals), and I consider the result to be a fine accomplishment.

It was a challenge to find a resounding translation for the title Het Woord vooraf. But on the indication of the South African Afrikaans translation (Die Woord voor die ja-woord), ingeniously enough, the title His Word before yours, was suggested. This expresses anew that God is first, He has the first and the final word. When young people confess their faith, it is not their personal choice that is central. Their ‘I do’ constitutes the answer to which God has called them from His Word.

Waddinxveen, March 2006

Egbert Brink

CHAPTER 1

CONFESSING YOUR FAITH

1.0 Know what you are doing

What are you doing when you confess your faith? Confession of faith is openly expressing your belief. It is a public statement of your choice for God. It is recognition that you wish to belong to God. It is expressing that you cannot do without Him; promising that you want to go on with Him forever. Those are big and meaningful words. You do not do something like that on the spur of the moment. You have to grow towards such a step. Confessing your faith is a big event and it is good to stop and think about that for a while. The form also makes you aware of this: you have appeared before God and His holy church. You are standing on the highest platform! Under an open heaven and openly on earth.

1.1 Do you have to?

Although it is a very impressive description of confession of faith, is it not just a little exaggerated? Is it really necessary? Can you not do without it? The Lord Jesus says we cannot: whoever confesses Me before men, I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32). He says this to His disciples, who had already followed Him for some time. It is a must for a Christian to stand up for Him.

The disciples went through a certain test period. During their training they had to learn quite a lot (Matthew 10). You could, in a way, compare that with the catechism course you have followed, or to make a broader comparison, with the period you have spent as a member of the church since your baptism. This training period is rounded off with your public profession. From that day onward, you are known as a confessing member of the church. We have not fixed a special time for this; nor does it depend on your age. Nevertheless, everybody is expected to come to that personal choice one day, in the realisation that God chose you long before. You choose on the grounds of His choice.

1.2 A conscious choice

When someone from outside the church comes to faith, he first confesses his faith. After that he is baptised. Adults can only be baptised when they have been converted and confessed their faith in Christ. So this baptism is preceded by a deliberate choice. Whoever was raised by believing parents already received this baptism, but must, even so, arrive at such a choice himself. What do you do?

• You make a promise to God. It is the first time that you publicly give yourself to Christ.

• Your baptismal name is used at your confession. You reach back to your baptism. You perceive how blessed you are that God already made you His when you were a child.

• You express yourself to be an independent follower of the Lord Jesus. You make a conscious choice and you personally take responsibility as a Christian.

• You call on God and His church as witnesses and together you celebrate.

You can recognise these elements, in slightly different words, in the questions that are put to you. These questions are about the doctrine of redemption.

1. You acknowledge that you cannot save yourself; you cannot live without Christ.

2. You want to participate in the Lord’s Supper in order to experience this.

3. You express your desire to serve God.

4. You expect the church community’s help with this in the form of correction, should you ever stray.

1.3 Are you ready?

How do you know if you are ready for it? When is it the right time to confess your faith? You are making a big decision and that while so many young people find it so difficult to make choices. Some postpone this choice for as long as possible. Another familiar protest is: how can I say now that I will always keep the faith? I am not yet so sure of that...Or: I am not ready for it yet, because it would mean having to give up things that I now enjoy.

How do you measure your readiness? Before I give a few pointers to judge yourself by, I first want to get rid of a misconception. While it is true that when you confess your faith, you close a certain phase in your life, you are actually making a new start, as a confessing Christian. It does not need to be anything more than a confirmation of what you have already promised God in your heart. Moreover, you do not promise never to backslide. Most likely you will sometimes still have to face difficult choices. After your confession you can continue growing!

E.A. de Boer offers some useful measuring points (Bekering, p.88):

• Personal insight.

Do you know yourself, your talents, your capabilities, your limitations, your weak and strong sides? Can you judge yourself (or test yourself as is expected of you prior to the Lord’s Supper)?

• Independence.

Can you stand on your own two feet, whether or not you are living at home? Can you be held responsible for what you do? Do you know your responsibilities?

• Knowledge of faith.

It is not about how much you know, but about knowing. You can know an awful lot about God, without knowing God. And maybe you do not know very much, but still know God.

• Self-denial.

Are you prepared to go against yourself for the sake of God’s will? Are you willing to fight against sin?

• Prepared to witness.

Do you have the courage to stand up for your faith in your daily environment? Do you dare to show yourself as a Christian?

• Faithful to a church community.

Do you realise why you are confessing your faith in this church? And do you recognise that you have been given a place in this church?

These are a few check points. You can measure yourself against these. It does not mean that you must attain a high score for each section. Confessing your faith is not the same as taking an exam, but you give yourself, you give your heart, and you promise that you may be addressed on these points. Moreover, every confessing member should constantly measure himself against these standards. Christ does not have disciples who have already arrived at their destination, but He has disciples who want to follow Him and who are prepared to be moulded by Him!

1.4 For life?

Let us return to the question that was asked earlier and regularly crops up at catechism. Who can say that I will still think the same way in a few years’ time? How can I promise something while I cannot say what will happen in my life?

That is why many people do not want to marry either, because they dare not make the choice of lifelong faithfulness. They think it is too presumptuous to utter such big words...

When you confess your faith, you are not expressing confidence in yourself. In the first place you are expressing your confidence in God. You seek solid ground in Him. You express your serious intention to hold on to God. You seize His outstretched hand, as it were. You express your desire to hold on to God. God is, and remains, the First. You cannot see into the future, nor do you need to. He does that for you. In your own strength, you cannot possibly make it. Our ancestors called this: perseverance of the saints. That does not mean that we will stick with God, but that He promises to stick with us! (Canons of Dort, V, 3, 9, 11). If you fall, backslide, or go the wrong way, He promises to look for you. He promises to be there for you. Nobody is as faithful as God. He will keep you to your word and address you on the basis of it your whole life long. It will never be His doing if you stray.

This is expressed beautifully in the last question of the form for the confession of your faith. In this question you hear that as a mere man you are able to take a wrong step or stumble. May God protect you from this! That is added immediately after. But in it you acknowledge that if it is up to you, you will not keep it up. You follow Christ and entrust yourself to Him. He has called you and you go towards Him, you want to go through life with Him, without seeing what the future holds. This also resonates in the blessing: the God of all grace, who has called us into His eternal glory, by Jesus Christ, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you (1 Peter 5:10-11). You begin with Christ, you continue with Christ and end with Christ. Not in your own strength, but in His strength. I go in faith, feeling my own great weakness, and needing more each day Thy grace to know. Hence the closing sentence of the form: To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever!

Every day in His Word

1. Matthew 10:32-33 (He stands up for those who confess Him)

2. Matthew 16:13-18 (a fundamental confession)

3. John 20:26-31 (blessed is he who believes yet has not seen)

4. Romans 10:8-13 (confessing with the mouth what the heart believes)

5. Philippians 2: 5-11 (universal confession)

6. 1 Timothy 6:13-16 (confessing in the presence of witnesses)

7. 2 Timothy 2: 8-13 (He remains faithful throughout)

Questions

1. Can you illustrate from the Bible why you should confess your faith?

2. What is confessing your faith exactly? What do you promise when you confess your faith?

3. What would your reaction be to this: I don’t know if I will still believe in a couple of years’ time?

4. In 1.3 a few standards are mentioned. Try and measure yourself according to these. Discuss these points in a small group. When do you know that the time is right to confess your faith?

5. How do you understand the ‘perseverance of the saints’?

CHAPTER 2

GOD SPEAKS

2.0 God lets Himself be known

Just imagine that God had never made Himself heard. You would still be able to know of His existence, for everything that He has made, points to Him (Romans 1:20). You would be able to see how wise and great God is by looking at nature (Belgic Confession art. 2). And you would also be able to know something about Him from His guidance in history. Yet this would not enable you to know Him in Person (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). You would not know what goes on inside Him (Deuteronomy 30:11-14). He has made that possible by letting us hear from Him. He is a God who speaks (Genesis 1). He created everything through His Word. God’s Son is that Word in Person (John 1). God expresses Himself through His Spirit who sees to it that His words come across to us. God makes Himself known through His Word. He seeks verbal contact. He spoke directly to man and had that Word written down, and He also spoke through man.

2.1 God’s initiative

It has often been suggested that people wanted to tell their story about God, and that they therefore put their experiences down on paper. But in the Bible we actually read that it was God who took the initiative (Jeremiah 36:2). God charged people to write down certain things. He had to win people over so that they dared to speak His Word (think of Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah – Jeremiah 20:9). For this reason Peter writes that no prophecy ever came forth from the will of man (2 Peter 1: 21) but that people, driven by the Holy Spirit (like wind in the sails), pronounced God’s words. Sometimes they could not even understand the meaning of those words themselves (1 Peter 1:10-12), which shows that the words were not their own creation. The Lord went to great lengths to ensure that that(remove) His words came across and that they were also kept safe. This is a miracle in itself. Think about it: if people have to pass on a message, the words can very easily be twisted to mean something else. God saw to it that the words were put to paper, both in the way He wanted, and as many as He wanted.

While it is true that the Bible consists of a library of purely human writings, all those Scripture writers share something special: they were led by the Spirit of God. This is why their writings together constitute the Word of God. It is not something they made up themselves, and that is noticeable:

• Would man ever have imagined that God had made the world perfect? Relying only on his own experience, he would not come to this conclusion.

• Would man ever have given himself the blame for the fall into sin? And would he, of his own accord, acknowledge that sin is still so deeply-rooted?

• Would man ever think up such a plan of salvation: that God should send His Son into the world to die for our transgressions?

• Would man ever have concluded that he does not believe of his own accord, but is convinced by the Holy Spirit?

2.2 Breathed by God

God’s Word in human language. Think about that for a minute: how in the world is that possible? That is thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul literally says that the words of the Bible are breathed by God (2 Timothy 3:16). When you speak, you use your breath. The words in the Bible come forth from the breath of God the Holy Spirit. That is why it is called the living word of God. Another word for this breathing is inspiration (from the word Spiritus= Spirit). It is not that the Holy Spirit literally dictated everything to the Scripture writers - only a few letters from the Lord Jesus were passed on more or less directly (Revelation 2 & 3). But God made use of man’s different gifts and qualities. We have poets, historians, prophets, epistle writers, sages, etc.

A doctor, Luke, wrote his gospel after he had first done some research, and - according to tradition - after he had interviewed various people (Mary, for example – see Luke 2:10), while Mark’s gospel, on the other hand, is a collection of Peter’s sermons, written down and edited by Mark. The speed with which that gospel was written down is still evident in the repeated use of the word ’immediately’. Each evangelist has his own approach and chooses his own emphasis. This is noticeable in the differing styles of writing.

The Scripture writers were also children of their times, which is noticeable in their choice of words. They therefore wrote that the world was flat and that the sun stood still (Joshua 10:12-13). That wording was based on the perception of those days, but the traces of a different time or culture do not in the least alter the eternal Word of God.

2.3 Canonical

We receive these books as canonical (Belgic Confession art. 5), that is to say, as a finished whole to which you can turn for guidance. They indicate the norm and decide the direction. But how do you know that it is exactly these particular Bible books which constitute the Word of God? Who decides that?

The Bible did not come into existence because a group of people sometime during church history said: right, we are now going to decide democratically which books belong and which do not. Let us take a vote. It is not the case of people of some synod or other making a selection out of a great number of books. It is true that there have often been discussions as to whether or not certain books belonged in the Bible (Esther, Ecclesiastes). Yet we do not believe that the Bible is God’s Word because the church says so but because we hear God speaking in it. Although it is a comfort to know that many former generations have accepted and experienced the Scriptures as being God’s Word, the books have an authority of their own. They present themselves as the Word of God: thus says the LORD... It is because of the content of the Bible books that we believe them to constitute God’s Word.

Of great importance is what the Lord Jesus, the highest authority, proclaimed. He referred to the Scriptures (and everyone knew which books he meant), saying: these are they which testify of Me (John 5:39; cf. 2:22). The Old Testament appears as a fixed unity and is called the Scriptures. The New Testament also received a fixed form, even though there was some uncertainty about this during the first centuries. But even here, the Lord miraculously ensured that those letters, which He considered to be necessary to us, remained intact.

2.4 Apocryphal

You are probably aware of the fact that a Roman Catholic Bible is thicker, because it contains books such as Tobit, Judith, the Maccabees, etc. These books are often referred to as the deutero-canonical or apocryphal books. The word apocryphal means ‘concealed’. It is more than likely that they were so called because it was concealed who the writer of these books was: not authentic. Is it not a somewhat random decision to exclude these books? Around 200BC a large number of Jewish scholars translated the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek, because this was the international language of those days. For no clear reason the Apocrypha were then included, without a need for them to be translated, because they were already written in Greek. However, up until that moment, they had never belonged to the Jewish canon! When the Lord Jesus appealed to the law and the prophets as being authoritative scriptures, he was not thinking of these Apocrypha. These books are certainly worth reading and have some historical value, but their contents differ so much from the Bible-books that they cannot be placed on the same level. One noticeable detail is that the church father, Hieronymus, translated the Bible plus the Apocrypha into Latin, completely against his own wishes, because he had great objections to their contents. It was not until the time of the Reformation that the Apocrypha were taken out of the Bible again, partly due to the influence of Erasmus and Calvin.

2.5 A complete whole

There are more inspired books than those we have in the Bible and reference is made to these regularly (e.g. Joshua 10:13, The Book of Jasher). If such a book were to be found, or an extra letter from one of the apostles (1 Corinthians 5:9), would we have to add them? Would we not then be acting as though the Bible consists of a few accidentally preserved remains? We believe, however, that God wanted to give us a complete Bible. Already in early times, everybody was bound to the words written down under God’s instruction (Deuteronomy 31:24-28). Even the king had to have a copy on him (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). In those early days already, they no longer relied on the oral tradition, but the written form was the binding norm. This is also clear from Revelation 22:18 -19, where a serious warning is given not to add or take anything away from the prophecy. Strictly speaking this applies to Revelation only, but this book of the Bible is rooted and