Pastoral
Letter 22 Sep 2019
My dear readers,
Questions Posed at CPBPC’s Annual Church Camp
(10-15 June 2019) – Part 13
Question:
Many non-VPP BP Churches commented that our Church is judgmental. I think
we should be judging sin with God's love but not to tolerate sin by keeping
silent in order to protect the "unity". Can comment?
Reply:
To be judgmental means to judge too quickly without facts and proper
investigation. Such forms of judgments are categorically condemned in the
Bible. Matthew 7:1-5: “
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye
shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to
you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's
eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt
thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out
the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”
James also touched on the same subject in James 4:11-12: “
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his
brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth
the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but
a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who
art thou that judgest another?”
However, if we make judgments based upon truth and according to Holy
Scriptures then it is obeying the perfect Word of God and glorifying His
holy Name. The fact is that everyone makes judgments all the time. The moment we wake
up till we lay down to sleep it has been an entire day of unceasing
judgments. If we do not make judgments at all, nothing would be done. In
fact, the statement “many non-VPP BP churches commented that our church is
judgmental” is in fact a strong judgmental statement. The question is: are
they committing the sin that they charge others for committing?
When we warn others about the serious errors of these non-VPP
proponents who teach that the Bible has mistakes (because they do not
believe that God has preserved the Bible perfectly), we protect our own
members and help them help others who have been deceived. Perhaps if
these non-VPP proponents learn the truth, they might be delivered from
the error and thus stop sinning and stumbling others. James 5:19-20: “
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of
his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of
sins.”
Knowing that the very foundation of the Christian Faith is the Bible,
why would these professing believers keep on teaching and preaching
that the Bible has mistakes? This is insane and completely
inexplicable! It is like a man who builds a beautiful house for his
family and then destroys the foundation that the house stands on!
That God has inspired and preserved His holy and perfect Word is the
clear biblical teaching throughout the entire Bible and the very first
assumption that every sinner believes in when the gospel was first
preached to him. Why would a sinner believe a gospel that comes from a
Bible with errors? The rejection of the doctrine of VPP is a very
serious one. It undermines the wisdom and power of God; God is not a
fool to have spent more than 1,500 years to inspire the 66 books of the
Bible and then did not or forgot to perfectly preserve the perfect
Book! Also, the non-VPP proponents undermine the faith of all those who
believe them because every doctrine of the Bible is undermined in one
bold stroke when they say that the Bible has mistakes! How can children
of God keep silent? They cannot if they love God and God’s children.
Judgment as taught in Holy Scriptures involves both identifying the
sins as well as the sinners especially when the sinners are leaders and
teachers who are teaching sin and others to sin. Paul the Apostle had
to identify the sins as well as the sinners to warn and help Timothy
and all believers to avoid the false teachers who were once on the side
of truth and have turned to sin and carnality.
1 Timothy 1:18-20: “
This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the
prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest
war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which
some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom
is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto
Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
2 Timothy 2:16-18: “
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto
more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom
is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have
erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow
the faith of some.”
2 Timothy 4:14-15: “Alexander the coppersmith
did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of
whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.”
[Emphases added.]
These judgments were based upon facts and not hearsay. We are always
careful to guard our motives whenever we judge. It must be done out of
love for Christ and for the truth and for all of God’s people and God’s
work.
Question:
Is it possible that we use faith as an excuse not to do good works and
do what our sinful nature wants? Are good works useless?
Reply:
The doctrine of good works is one of the clearest evidence of
salvation. The good works are not good works in general as defined by
man. These are good works defined by God according to Holy Scriptures.
Good works are very important in every believer’s life. In fact
Christians are saved and have been left behind on earth by the Lord to
do good works to show forth the power of Christ’s salvific work on the
cross to save sinners from sins. Hebrews 13:20-21: “
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his
will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
James 4:15-17: “
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do
this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such
rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and
doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Good works must be found in every believer’s life. It is imperative and
not an option. If he does not do good works he is probably not born
again in Christ. The Holy Spirit who indwells all believers will compel
them to witness for Christ and live a holy life everywhere they go. If
they do not, their conscience will be convicted and their spirits vexed
until they repent and submit to the will of God.
When one says that he has faith and bears no good works, his confession
of faith is worthless to him. For a person who is born again, his
sinful nature is removed and the image of God’s nature is his new
nature in Christ. Upon salvation, he died with Christ and he was
crucified with Christ which means that he died. Which part of the
sinner died when he died with Christ? It was his sinful nature. He now
has a new nature. That is why the Bible describes him as a new
creature.
Galatians 2:20: “
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself
for me.”
2 Corinthians 5:16-17: “
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we
have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him
no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
This new nature in Christ is the reason he is living like Christ so
that by his life of good works, others will see Christ in him and
glorify God. Jesus taught in Matthew 5:16: “
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Question:
A family member is in a charismatic church but has shown a positive
transformation and good testimony for the past 10 years. Does this mean
he is saved despite believing in wrong doctrines?
Reply:
A sinner must be given the gospel that must be according to Holy
Scriptures. Then the Holy Spirit will take this gospel and convict the
sinner’s heart resulting in salvation. The Lord who knows that his
confession is true will then baptize him with the Holy Spirit. A false
gospel will not and has no power to save anyone. God made that
abundantly clear in the warning given in Galatians 1:6-9: “
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into
the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but
there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of
Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him
be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man
preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let
him be accursed.”
Those who preach another gospel are cursed by God. They have no
salvation themselves. They are cursed because they make many think that
they are going to heaven when in fact they are going to hell. This is
the worst deception that a person can do to anyone, for he deceives
them into hell. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: “
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached
unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By
which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for
our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Here God says that the gospel must be according to Scriptures!
An external form of holiness is only a form. The best form of holiness
was from the scribes and Pharisees. Yet their form of holiness, which
was the best of the best in terms of salvation by good Christian works,
was not enough to save them. Jesus said in Matthew 5:20: “
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
A sinner cannot become a child of God by imitation, just as a child
cannot be
considered a part of your family by imitating your children. He has to
be adopted. Salvation is an act of God. Salvation occurs only through
believing in Christ alone and not by imitating Christian holiness.
Charismatic churches today have evolved to the third and final wave
which is the most deceptive of all. The first wave was called
Pentecostalism. The second wave was called Charismatism. The third and
final wave is called neo-Charismatism. Its worship and form of
Christianity is a Christianizing of carnality, and its understanding of
the Bible is that of unbelievers, superficial and erroneous. These
neo-Charismatics, being false teachers, make merchandise of their
members. 2 Peter 2:1-3: “
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and
bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow
their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be
evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned
words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time
lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
The Charismatic movement is a great contributor of deception of the end
time one world harlot church of the Antichrist who will deceive the
world.
If you have friends and family members in the Charismatic movement,
pray for wisdom to speak to them the truth. It is a great spiritual
warfare to help them get out of deception. Pray for the Lord’s mercies
to be upon them.
Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service, Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew Advisory Pastor |