The article outlines how “diaconal” ministry (diakonia) centers on service, charity, mercy, and justice — not as an optional add-on, but as intrinsic to the church’s calling. It argues that true diaconal ministry flows naturally out of the proclamation of God’s Word and the gospel, so that mercy, justice, healing, help and love become visible expressions of Christian faith.

True preaching, for Hermann Friedrich Kohlbrugge, must come from the heart — not simply as doctrine spelled out, but as the living Word of God addressing conscience and life. He believed the Word’s power is “unto salvation,” so sermons should comfort mourners, revive faith, and bring sinners into deeper communion with Christ. Preaching should not be a cold intellectual exercise, but a heart-directed proclamation that brings the burdened soul to rest in God’s promises and grace.

Experiential preaching within the context of the Dutch Second Reformation (or “Further Reformation”) seeks to bring the truths of the Word into the believer’s heart and life, stressing not just doctrine but how the triune God works savingly in sinners — especially regarding guilt, grace, sanctification, and gratitude. It urges that faith and sanctification be lived out in everyday life, so that genuine holiness and personal transformation follow doctrinal truth.

Experiential preaching shows how the Triune God works savingly in sinners, especially bringing together a poor sinner and a rich Christ so that the truths of sin and grace become a felt reality in the heart and life. It draws believers (and sinners) into heartfelt communion with God in Christ by moving from the objective truths of Scripture to the subjective life of faith through the work of the Holy Spirit.

For John Calvin, preaching is always “scriptural”: the Word of God itself is alive and powerful, so true preaching never needs an added “experiential supplement.” What later preachers term “experiential preaching” — stressing inner feelings, personal spiritual experience, the believer’s guilt, grace, assurance or comfort — is for Calvin not a separate kind of sermon but implicitly contained in faithful exposition of Scripture and God’s promises.

The article argues that Martin Luther’s preaching was not “experiential” in the sense later associated with Pietism — his index of sermons lacks terms like “experientiality,” “experience of faith,” or “experiential preaching.” Rather, when “experience” appears at all in his preaching it always refers to fides — faith — so that the “experientiality” in his sermons is really just the believer’s experienced faith, not a broader mystical or introspective experience.

Experiential knowledge in the Bible raises a controversial theme, since some groups claim that preaching is poor and does not build up the congregation if it is not experiential, while others object that experiential insight supplements the Word of God and places human experience in the centre. The article seeks clarity by exploring spiritual experience as inward, in-the-soul awareness of communion with God, showing that spiritual experience is the experiential side of faith and that there is no true faith without this experience.

Being “sealed with the Holy Spirit” means that when a believer hears the gospel and trusts in Christ, God marks them as His own — giving the Spirit as a seal of ownership, authenticity and belonging. The Spirit serves as a guarantee (or earnest) of the believer’s inheritance, assuring that redemption and full possession of that inheritance will come when Christ returns. This sealing signifies a present, lasting security in Christ, marking believers as God’s redeemed people and assuring their future glory.

This is an explanation of Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Days 30c - 31.

Looking at Numbers 18 and Deuteronomy 14, this article shows how the tithe law functioned in Israel.

Should office-bearers receive the laying on of hands at their ordination? This article reflects the teaching of the Old and New Testament on the subject. The author then looks at the church order and liturgical forms, discussing the meaning and relevance of this symbolic act.

This article has extensive exegetical notes on Hosea 11:1-11 based on the original Hebrew.

Some speak of ancestral sin and the generational demonic spirits they believe frequently accompany it, with appeal to Exodus 20:5-6. This article considers this claim, starting with some observations on the text, and then other evidence adduced for the concept of generational spirits. The author goes on to speak about curses, defining what is meant by the term, and showing how certain biblical texts are misapplied in the discussion on curses.

Clarifying the meanings of passibility and impassibility, this article discusses the challenge of understanding the emotions of God. The author considers passibility to be heresy, since it denies the being of the true God by reducing Him to human standards. Confessing impassibility is not denying the emotions of God.

This article is about missions to Islam, Islam and the Western culture, the danger of secularism in missions.

This article is about the discussion there was in the Reformed churches in the Netherlands about the Sabbath and Sunday. These churches wrestled with the idea how we should view the Lord's Day in the New Testament. Can we say that our Lord's Day is a Christian Sabbath? How must we view the aspect of rest on the Lord's Day?

What is it that makes one an evangelical? This article shows that the answer comes in two ways: the historicity of the evangelical identity, and the New Testament teaching of what makes one a Christian.

When did the exodus take place? There are two theories: an early date and a late date. In answering this question this article looks first at the date of the conquest and the burning of Jericho, Ai, Hazor. After examining the archaeological claim for a later date based on Palestinian artifacts, the article concludes that such a claim has no grounds.

Biblical counseling is rooted in a conviction that God's Word is sufficient to address the complete situation of man. This article shows that such a conviction will lead to certain affirmations and denials about the condition of man.

What was the method Socrates used in his philosophical analyses? This article identifies five distinguishable characteristics of the Socratic method: it is skeptical, conversational, conceptual, empirical, and deductive.

This article on the welfare state, discusses government and poverty, the responsibility of citizens, the view of man, and social evils and the church.

How do Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 4 interpret Psalm 95? These chapters state that the practice of resting on the Sabbath should be maintained, as believers look forward to eternal rest through Christ. This rest is linked with the fourth commandment.

This article is an analysis of Galatians 3, discussing Paul's argument concerning the relationship between faith and works in justification.

Why does our church order contain a call to commemorate ecclesiastical feast days? This article discusses the historical development of this call, concluding that this should be left up to the discretion of each church council.

This article is a probe into the textual history of Article 36 of the Belgic Confession.

Paul uses the word 'allegory' in Galatians 5:24. Does this mean that the allegorical method of Scripture interpretation is therefore an acceptable or good hermeneutical method?

This article is an exposition of Mark 9:33-50.

This article is an exposition of Mark 6:30-44.

This article is an exposition of Mark 4:1-25.

This article is an exposition of Mark 3:13-19.

This article is an exposition of Mark 3:7-12.

This article is an exposition of Mark 3:1-6.

This article is an exposition of Mark 2:23-28.

This article is an exposition of Mark 2:18-22.

What is truth? What is the nature of truth? This article discusses truth as it is portrayed in the Gospel of John. The author also discusses the modern perspective on truth, and the way it contrasts with the Christian perspective.

The four Gospels are different. Is this a canonical problem? If there is four different accounts of Jesus, can we trust what we read about Jesus as a historical figure? This article focusses mainly on the fourth Gospel, the book of John, in relation to these questions.

This author discusses the modern importance that is placed on freedom. Freedom is a word that suggests almost unlimited good, but it can conceal dangers. What should our perspective on freedom be?

How should we understand and live out Christology in our modern context? Who is Jesus Christ for us today? This author maintains that our orthodoxy must be contemporary. This does not mean that our contemporary context should determine our faith, but that we should understand our orthodoxy within the modern context. This article discusses what a contemporary orthodox witness to Christ looks like.

Are the four New Testament Gospels reliable accounts of Jesus? Are the Gospels accounts of real history? In this article, Richard Bauckham highlights the importance of the eyewitnesses described in the Gospels - those who were actually there at the events of Jesus' life. Bauckham asks the question: How are the Gospels related to the testimony of the eyewitnesses?

This lecture is on the care of creation. Francis Bacon was the first person to understand the dominion given to humans at Creation as a task for the progressive exploitation of the resources of creation for the improvement of human life. Before this, people had taken the command of Genesis 1:28 as authorizing the ordinary ways in which people already made use of non-human creation - i.e. farming, hunting, fishing, etc.

What is the place of the letter of James in the New Testament, and what was the role of the person James in the early Church?

Why does our New Testament contain four Gospels? Why not more? Or fewer? There are other Gospels which did not become part of our New Testament. This article affirms the four Gospels' canonicity by discussing their unique characteristics.

This article suggests one way to read the Bible, which would call for reading Scripture with mission work as its central goal. This should not be the only way to read the Bible, but using mission as a hermeneutic for interpreting Scripture could help us to better understand how we ought to do missions.

The canonicity of the Gospels was an issue that arose in the period from the second to third century. In this time the church was determining the authority of these Gospels. In this article Richard Bauckham looks briefly at the way in which apostolic eyewitness functioned as a criterion of authenticity.

This article discusses the historical nature of the Gospels. The author compares the four Gospels to ancient and modern historiography in order to highlight the beauty of these books as historical narratives.

The world has long believed in the myth of progress - the idea that we are slowly moving towards a utopia. Where do we, as Christians in the third millenium, find our hope? Do we find our hope in the concept of progress, or elsewhere?

Can a moral argument point to God? This article argues that there is a link between moral law and God, that one cannot speak of objective moral law without reference to God.

This article is a response to the claim of new atheism that morality does not depend on God. The author outlines the relationship between God and morality, thereby nullifying these claims.

The Gospels place women as the first to experience and report the resurrection of Jesus. Why? The article answers those who object to the resurrection by looking at the witness of these women.

What is the greatest challenge facing the church today? It is the challenge of modernity. Modernity's message is that no faith is needed in life. This article explains the difference between modernity and modernism, and then gives three ways in which modernity puts a challenge to the church.

This article discusses atonement in the Old Testament and the New Testament, with special attention to the substitutionary character of atonement.

This article discusses the wrath of God, and Jesus Christ saving God’s people from his wrath (atonement). The article also looks at the question of the suffering of God.

Justification is at the heart of how Jesus Christ becomes my Saviour. This article discusses the righteousness of God (also as Judge), the grace of God, and the relation between justification and sanctification.

This article discusses the phrase “the state of justification” as it is found in the Canons of Dort, Chapter five, Article 6. This is part of the Canons’ bigger discussion on the perseverance of the saints.

Is there a difference between Rhema and Logos? This article discusses the importance of the relation of Word and Spirit, and what happens if the bond of Spirit and Word is broken.

Jakob van Bruggen is a proponent of the Majority Text. In this document he challenges the arguments raised against the Majority Text and also discusses the way in which textual decisions are made in textual criticism. 

Does election destroy the roots of the assurance of faith? Looking at the relationship between election and the assurance of faith from the Canons of Dort, this article shows that understood well, believers are called to seek their assurance of faith in God through the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit. 

This article considers what Paul means in Ephesians 2:22 when he speaks of the church as the dwelling place of the Spirit. The author considers the progression in Scripture as to how God lived with his people, climaxing in the Spirit's coming to dwell within his people in the New Testament. The article also presents and critiques the study of W.J. Ouweneel on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever stopped to consider the beauty of functional proteins in the cells of your body? This article offers some considerations on these molecular machines that keep the component cells of our bodies healthy, noting also their God-given beauty.

This article considers more recent research into dating the earth. It discusses especially the matter of C14 (carbon fourteen dating).

This article considers the doctrine of predestination. It presents the biblical data, and interacts with objections to the doctrine.

This article considers the view of J.G. Vos on the imprecatory psalms. It first offers a number of unsatisfactory solutions that have been offered to the question of whether it is appropriate to use these psalms. Then it offers Vos's solution.

What should the church believe about justification or righteousness? This article examines interpretations that see justification as relational. How? What does the Bible teach? 

If a Christian today can feel like such a stranger in his community, should he then hold to a private faith? This article addresses this question, and explains that if you allow your faith to be pushed to the private sphere, it will have a massive impact on your life as a whole. Ultimately, private faith is no faith. The only defensible answer to secularization is to let one's faith permeate all of his life.

Catechism preaching is not a general practice within the churches that form the International Conference of Reformed Churches. This article explains what catechism preaching is and why it was adopted by some reformed traditions.

This article discusses redemptive-historical preaching starting with the pastoral epistles.

This article discusses the contention that  that prayer has not received much attention in Reformed theology in general. 

This article underlines the truth that the doctrine of election is not a theoretical issue, far removed from the daily faith life of believers. God-fearing parents are comforted in their grief over the death of an infant. The Canons point out that the election and salvation of their child ought not to be doubted.

Following a lengthy explanation of the Reformed doctrine concerning providence, Article 13 of the Belgic Confession concludes with a negative statement: “On this we reject the damnable error of the Epicureans who say that God does not involve himself in anything, and allows all things to go by chance”. This article discusses Calvin’s view on Epicurus and the Epicureans.

The sixteenth-century editions of the Belgic Confession were printed with marginal references to Scripture.  It is remarkable that originally only Articles 4-6 of the Belgic Confession did not have any marginal texts. 

The Belgic Confession, which was published in 1561 and first surfaced in Doornik, in the southern part of The Netherlands, appeared anonymously. Information concerning the author began to become public in the seventeenth century, fifty years after its first appearance. 

The first edition of Reformed Dogmatics, H. Bavinck's masterpiece, was published almost a hundred years ago. After years of intense study, he published the first volume of his Dogmatics in 1895. The final, fourth volume, appeared in 1901. Reformed people who wish to continue in line with Bavinck’s dogmatics will also benefit greatly from the contents.

Christians often speak of man as a steward. This happens especially in connection with the task of man in managing his possessions and in his use of the earth. Goudzwaard says “Stewardship consists of taking care of this world as the possession of the Other. It requires maintaining everything that bears fruit and being ready to give account for this. “

God is the Creator of heaven and earth. The more we know about his creation work, the more we admire and trust the Creator. It boggles the mind to think that God made everything on earth as well as everything that can be seen and perceived outside the earth. In this article we discuss the relation between creation and providence.

If one would ask today what the main difference was between the Roman Catholic view and the Protestant view, he will probably answer, “Transubstantiation.” The Roman Catholics taught that the bread and the wine change into the body and blood of Christ while this was denied in the Reformation. The real issue was the meaning of this sacrament—is it a meal or is it a sacrifice?

On the joyous occasion when a child of the congregation is baptized, the Form for the Baptism of Infants is read. Baptism is a ceremony rich in content. The parents should know about the meaning and back- ground of baptism. Moreover, the children, when they grow up, must learn why they themselves were baptized, for a sacrament is not a magical ceremony but a meaningful sign.

The word combination “sign and seal” is a well-known expression in the doctrine of the sacraments. It is used in both the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism. The Belgic Confession presents a definition in Article 33 and speaks of “visible signs and seals of something internal and invisible! The Catechism begins the answer to the question as to what the sacraments are, with: “The sacraments are holy, visible signs and seals” (LD 25, Q&A 66). This article discusses what is actually meant by “sign and seal”?

The witness of the Spirit is mentioned in the section about Scripture as the means of revelation. This article concerns accepting and believing in Scripture. The decisive role is given hereby to the Spirit, because He witnesses to the fact that the books of Scripture come from God. In addition, it is pointed out that the church also has a role in helping us accept Scripture as God's Word. And further it is added that Scripture itself offers proof of its origin.

While there has always been much attention in the church for what happened on the day of Pentecost, this attention has not always meant special attention for the “baptism with the Holy Spirit. For a century now, the concept of “baptism with the Holy Spirit” has been frequently discussed, for this phrase is used to indicate the central experience of the Charismatic movement and Pentecostal circles.

Do artistic gifts in general derive from the Holy Spirit? This article discusses this question through the lens of Exodus 31:3 and its mention of Bezalel and Oholiab, as well as through commentary from especially John Calvin. The author makes a specific application to liturgics, where the relationship between church and art calls for our attention.

This article discusses the active obedience of Christ, as a vital part of his work of salvation. It first investigates the confessional development of this doctrine, then considers the scriptural basis for the doctrine, and finally discusses the question whether this doctrine is compatible with an emphasis on believers' covenant obedience.

Why is it that Christians often feel embarrassed when speaking about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ? It is not that we ae afraid of speaking to other people about Jesus Christ. How often do we speak about his virgin birth? Are many Christians not reluctant to speak of the way in which he came into this world?

In more recent discussions on faith and science, Isaiah 28:22-29 has played a role, in that the instruction God gives to the farmer is understood as general revelation. This article explores the meaning of the passage, and concludes that it ought to be read in a literal sense.

Scientific results never have the status of revelation. What God reveals in the Grand Canyon is not facts about the world (how it was made and when) but his own power and glory.