Dear Joe/Pilgrim:<br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]No, I do not like the way that is worded, for elders (those in authority, et. al.) do need to make judgments, based upon profession and fruit, et. al. IMHO he characterizes the church with too little discernment. The 1st century Church had much more discernment (Ananias and Sapphira, et. al.). Of course, I do not agree with some of the other theology in the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Church as well.</font><hr></blockquote><p> Lest there be some misunderstanding about the postion of the Denomination mentioned here, Heritage Netherlands Reformed, I thought it wise to bring to the attention of the readers that as I understand it, their theology does in no way prevent elders from exercising the authority necessary to officers in the church to implement church discipline as, for example, addressed in Mathew 18. <br><br>I say that because, while I am not a member of the denomination, I have recently heard a sermon preached on that verse by Rev. VanderZwagg, a member of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Church and an ordained minister therein, concerning the doctrinal postion taken by his denomination on the issue of church discipline and that postion would not agree with the statement made and quoted from James Beeke's site, if that statement were indeed originally intended to address the issue of church discipline (which I doubt). <br><br>Assuming Rev. VanderZwagg's sermon accuately characterizes the position of the denomination, and I have no reason to believe that it does not, as he copastors Dr. Joel Beeke's church and one would surmise that did his postion differ substantially from that of the denomination the sermon would not be published on Sermon Audio, I can only conclude that James Beeke intended the statement in a restricted sense of the personal judging of the spiritual condition of a person apart from the required scriptural duties included in the office of elder, or that perhaps, though it is less likely, the postion of the author is different from that of the Denomination.<br><br>For any interested the sermon which I believe lays out the postion of the Heritage Reformed Denomination as it touches on the issue in question can be found here:<br><br>http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?currSection=&sermonID=92803113131<br><br><br>Thank you for the opportunity to clarify this extremely important issue of Church Discipline in this Denomination.<br><br><br>In Him,<br><br>Gerry<br>

Last edited by acts2027; Sat Dec 20, 2003 10:09 AM.