Quote of the week

Geerhardus Vos, the father of Reformed Biblical Theology, was born in 1862 in the Netherlands. He attended the theological school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, then went to Princeton Seminary, and eventually received his doctorate at Strassburg. After a brief teaching stint at Grand Rapids Vos returned to Princeton as the first chair of Biblical Theology. He remained at Princeton for 39 years, where he taught such eminent men as J. Gresham Machen, John Murray, Ned B. Stonehouse, and Cornelius Van Til. Throughout his career Vos fought against liberalism at every step, especially on such issues as the kingdom of God and Jesus' Messianic self-consciousness. After retiring, Vos lived in California before returning to Grand Rapids, where he died in 1949 at the age of 87.

"Now I do not mean to affirm that in all cases there need be the preaching of false doctrine which involves an open and direct denial of the evangelical truth. It is quite possible that both to the intention and the actual performance of the preacher any departure from the historical faith of the church may be entirely foreign. And yet there may be such a failure in the intelligent presentation of the gospel with the proper emphasis upon that which is primary and fundamental as to bring about a result almost equally deplorable as where the principles of the gospel are openly contradicted or denied. There can be a betrayal of the gospel of grace by silence. There can be disloyalty to Christ by omission as well as by positive offence against the message that he has entrusted to our keeping. It is possible, Sabbath after Sabbath and year after year, to preach things of which none can say that they are untrue and none can deny that in their proper place and time they may be important, and yet to forgo telling people plainly and to forgo giving them the distinct impression that they need forgiveness and salvation from sin through the cross of Christ’ (Grace and Glory, 237-238).” (82, footnote 211)