By Elder John H. Terpstra

In his letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 6:10-20) the apostle Paul reminds the church that the great adversary is spiritual in nature. We struggle not against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing the great darkness that is in the world, indeed against the spiritual forces of deadly evil in the heavens. A cogent defense against the corrupting and destructive spiritual powers is possibly only through the sword of the spirit of the Lord. The only viable defense is the Word of God with prayer in the Spirit, with vigilant persistence for all God’s people. Truth has a high and exacting price but the devil and his workers shall not prevail against the true church.

During the second-century in the time of the church father Tertullian, who lived in Carthage, North Africa, the persecution of Christians came to a high point. The blood of martyrs soaked the earth as the faithful were offered up to be eaten by wild animals, flogged, sawn in two, and put to death by the sword. “Go on," says Tertullian tauntingly to the heathen governors, "rack, torture, grind us to powder: our numbers increase in proportion as ye mow us down. The blood of Christians is their harvest seed. Your very obstinacy is a teacher. For who is not incited by the contemplation of it to inquire what there is in the core of the matter? And who, after having joined us, does not long to suffer?", (History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity, A.D. 100-325, Philip Schaff, Section 26, II. Works, p.51) . Faithful men and women of the past stood against compromise of the gospel and many of them sealed their faith with their lives. Consider these matters:

• Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (written by John Foxe, first published in 1563 by John Day) provides narratives of the sufferings of Protestants under the tyranny of men who were led by the Church of Rome in England and Scotland. Sadly, similar persecution of Protestants took place in Europe under the leadership of Roman Catholic efforts to purge the influence of Reformers, did not stop at the taking of Protestant lives.

• Jacob Arminius, a Dutch Reformed minister and theologian, developed the theology that would later become known as Arminianism and founded a movement that became known as the Remonstrance. From 1603 Arminius became professor of Theology at the University at Leiden, Netherlands, and wrote many books in which he marked out his persuasions and objections. Arminius took particular issue with the Belgic Confession of Faith. His followers taught conditional election on the basis of foreseen faith, unlimited atonement, grace that can be resisted/negated (by man’s free will), and possible fall from grace. The Remonstrants took issue with the Calvinists even presenting them to the governing authorities as seditious troublemakers and seeking the assistance of the governing authorities to quench their influence in church and society.

• The Synod of Dort (properly called the Synod of Dordrecht) was held from 1618–1619, by the Reformed Church of the Netherlands, to address divisive controversies that were caused by the rise of Arminianism. The Synod met from November 13, 1618 through May 29, 1619. The town of Dordrecht is a town to the south of the Netherlands. The edicts or Acts of the Synod of Dort declare what is today known as the doctrines of the five points of Calvinism, namely, TULIP (man’s Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints).

The church, in its local gatherings or assemblies, is the meeting of men and women who seek to worship the Lord. Each gathering seeks diligently to walk according to its precepts. Those who are recognized as men of wisdom and grace who are elected to be leaders who have a responsibility to teach the truth. They must identify errors among the people and must seek to correct them. The Book of Church Order of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Form of Government, Chapter X, Article 3 expressly says of the responsibilities of Ruling Elders that: “They are to watch diligently over the people committed to their charge to prevent corruption of doctrine or morals. Evils which they cannot correct by private admonition they should bring to the notice of the session. They should visit the people, especially the sick, instruct the ignorant, comfort the mourning, and nourish and guard the children of the covenant. They should pray with and for the people. They should have particular concern for the doctrine and conduct of the minister of the Word and help him in his labors.”