Classis Michigan Classis Michigan
8th Meeting
Bulletin Insert Classis Michigan Classis Michigan
8th Meeting
Bulletin InsertIt was a cold but sunny morning as delegates arrived at the Bethel URC in Jenison, Michigan for the eighth meeting of Classis Michigan. The Chairman, Rev. D. Vander Meulen, opened the meeting by reading and reflecting on Isaiah 55.
After welcoming the delegates and visitors, Classis heard positive and encouraging remarks from the Church Visitors about visits they had made to several churches. They spoke of spiritual growth and of the churches’ commitment to promoting the reformed faith.
Classis then went on to deal with several overtures. The first overture asked Classis to ask Synod to appoint someone to keep the churches abreast with Federation news. The delegates felt that this would encourage greater fellowship among the churches and approved the overture.
The second overture wanted Synod to instruct the Committee for Ecumenical Relations and Church Unity to be careful not to promote positions that the URCNA has not officially adopted. This overture was also approved.
The largest part of the day was focused on two overtures asking Synod to declare certain statements about Creation. After a friendly debate, Classis voted to ask Synod to adopt the following statements:
1. Synod affirms and subscribes to the Bible as the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God. [Confession of Faith, Arts. 3,4,5] We therefore believe that the Scriptures, and more specifically, Genesis, gives an authentic, although not exhaustive, history of creation.
2. Synod affirms that the sovereign God created all things out of nothing by the Word of His Power, in the space of six days, and all very good. [Ps. 33:6, John 1:1-3, Hebrews 11:3, 2 Peter 3:5]
3. Synod affirms that the whole creation was accomplished in six ordinary days [Gen. 1:3-2:2, Ex. 20:11]. The creation days are clearly defined in Scripture as each being composed of a period of darkness and a period of light, as each having evening and morning, and are presented as following chronologically one after the other. [Gen. 1:5b, 8b, 13, 19, 23, 31b; Ex. 30:19]
3. Synod affirms that all plants and animals and all living things were created “after their own kind.” [Gen. 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25] The body of man, the crown of creation, was formed immediately by God from the dust of the earth [Gen. 2:7, Eccl. 12:7], and the woman of the rib of man, “after the image and the likeness of God.” [Gen. 1:26, 27; Belgic Confession Art. 14]
4. Synod affirms that the account of creation in the first chapter of Genesis is a straightforward, accurate and historical narrative showing the origin of all things including the human race, whereas the more specific focus of the account of creation in Chapter 2 of Genesis is the history of the first man and woman.
5. Synod rejects any method of Biblical interpretation that posits a contradiction between the account of creation in Genesis 1 and the account in Genesis 2.
6. Synod rejects any method of Biblical interpretation that views the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2 as limited to being a literary figure of speech or a poetic device providing a pedagogical framework for affirming that God created all things.
7. Synod reject any method of Biblical interpretation that espouses either a non-chronological or a non-historical view of the days mentioned in Genesis 1.
8. Synod reject any readings of the creation account that reinterprets the meaning of words from the “ordinary, natural sense” without weighty exegetical warrant.
After considering the overtures, Classis was informed of a Christian Worldview Conference that is planned for July, and a new church planting effort. We also bid farewell to Rev. Steve Poelman who will be returning to the mission field, and to Rev. Phil Vos, who accepted a call to California. May the Lord bless them in their respective ministries. May the Lord continue to bless His church here in Michigan as we seek to bring glory to Him.
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