Question: Were all the first generation of Israelites in the wilderness unbelievers at the time of the spies except Joshua, Caleb, and Moses? Yes, they didn’t believe that God could get them into Canaan, but did all of the 600,000+ really not have true saving faith at that time? If we understand Caleb’s different spirit…
Question: In my church confessing female members are not given the right to vote for office-bearers. If my understanding of Reformed church polity is correct, the authority lies with the consistory to appoint the office-bearers, regardless of the vote (the vote being confirmatory, rather than authoritative). Why can I as a single male confessing member…
Question: What is the biblical viewpoint of a person donating their body to science? Not as an organ donor, but for medical research or experiments. Answer: I’ve written elsewhere that cremation is, in principle, unbiblical (though not necessarily a sin), and that burial displays the hope of the gospel the clearest and best. And one…
Question: What is the biblical stance on term limits for consistory members (Elders and Deacons)? Answer: The Bible gives us definite qualifications for officebearers in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. It highlights a man’s godliness rather than his gifts. When those qualities are recognized by the church a man may be called to serve…
Question: Should I date someone who isn’t a Christian if they are asking me for help with getting a personal relationship with God and seem to have a desire to know God? Answer: No. There are questions we can answer ‘yes’ or ’no’ because at times the Bible gives very clear answers. We read in…
Question: Can someone be a member in good standing in the FRC if they believe the earth to be billions of years old? Or do you have to believe that the earth is 6,000-10,000 years old? Answer: To believe that the earth is billions of years old means that you do not believe the straightforward…
Question: My elderly patient tells me that she wants to be euthanized… She is not a believer. How should I respond? Answer: First of all, thank you very much for your question. These are important issues, issues of life and death. It might have been some time ago that you posted this question, so I…
Question: What does the Bible say about women in office? Answer: The Bible says a lot of things about women. Women are honoured in the Scriptures. Christ interacted with women (Jn. 4:27; Mk. 5:34; Lk. 11:27-28; 13:12; 23:27). It is clear that to Jesus, women are to be treated with respect. It is noteworthy that…
Question: What should our biblical stance on climate change be? In our circles, there seems to be this idea that it is not man-made because God is in control. What should we be doing? Answer: We need to recognize, first of all, that our current local and global climates are a direct consequence of the…
Question Do stillborn, miscarried, or aborted babies go to heaven? Answer This is a question that is answered by one of our church confessions—the Canons of Dort. In the First Head of Doctrine, Article 17, (which is about divine election) we confess this: “Since we are to judge of the will of God from his…