The sixth volume year of Sword and Shield has begun. The Lord has been good to Sword and Shield and to Reformed Believers Publishing. We believe that we have a place yet given to us by the Lord at this time in history to witness to the pure Reformed truth of the sovereignty of God in salvation and the unconditional covenant of God with his elect people. Our witness is not only for the positive advancement of the truth, but our witness is also against the corruption of the Reformed truth in the Reformed church world today. In particular this antithetical witness is carried on over against the specific corruptions of that truth as they are found in the Protestant Reformed Churches and among those who have abandoned the righteous cause of the truth in the Reformed Protestant Churches. It is a source of some wonderment to this editor how many strange ideas came out of the Protestant Reformed Churches when the Reformed Protestant Churches were formed. A large mixed multitude went up out of the Protestant Reformed Churches in our day as also went up out of Egypt in the days of Moses. And the fallout continues.

Sword and Shield is not a church paper. Sword and Shield is a paper owned by believers, and Sword and Shield is their witness for the truth and against the lie. However, Sword and Shield and those believers have a lively interest in what is happening in Reformed churches here in America and around the world. And because the truth always has the right to be heard, Sword and Shield as a magazine that is committed to publishing the truth has a witness about those events. We pray that the Lord will continue to grant us the means to publish the truth and to comment on events as they bear on our confession of the truth.

If you are edified by the content of Sword and Shield, consider donating to Reformed Believers Publishing to support the publication of its magazine. And if you are one with us in the confession of the truth, consider joining Reformed Believers Publishing as a member. All donations and inquiries about membership should be directed to the business office, whose contact information is listed in the masthead of the magazine.

With the coming of the new volume year and with the articles in this issue, we believe that you will see that the content of the magazine is the same as it has been from the beginning and that Sword and Shield has not deviated from its purpose to publish the pure Reformed truth especially as that is maintained in the Reformed Protestant Churches. We remind you that Sword and Shield will publish submissions from readers, whether they are friends or foes, as long as those who are foes realize that they will be responded to by the editors. We also welcome letters either positive or negative regarding the content of the magazine.

In the summer months the editor tries to slim down the magazine a bit. You will notice in the issues of June through September that some of our regular writers are missing. This is for the purpose of giving our very busy writers a regular break. This month we have the editor’s regular contributions of the meditation and editorial. Reverend Ophoff continues his series on the important and controverted doctrine of the antithesis. This well-
established doctrine has been under attack in the Reformed Protestant Churches, and many have left over the issue because of their own false and dearly held notions about the antithesis. Mr. James Jansma from Faith Reformed Protestant Church fills the Running Footmen rubric with an article about the unconditional covenant. And there is from Reverend Pascual, minister of First Orthodox Reformed Protestant Church in the Philippines, an article that was originally a speech that he delivered for that church’s Family Day in April. Of note in that regard is that the Reformed Protestant Churches sent a delegation to visit with the members of First Orthodox Reformed Protestant Church this past April, and the delegation took part in the Family Day and also had discussions with the council of that church. The visit was a great encouragement for all involved, so that each one can say with Paul, “That I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me” (Rom. 1:12). The Reformed Protestant Churches appear to be working toward the establishment of a full sister-church relationship with that congregation.

May the Lord bless the contents of the issue to your hearts and refresh you in your souls.