Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) Bible-Presbyterian Church (BPC)

Jan 24, 2017

My letter to the students in Far Eastern Bible College, Singapore.

To the students in Far Eastern Bible College in Singapore,

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.^{^[1]}Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”[2]…..Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.^{^[3]}

Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, thatobserve and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. ^{^[4]}

The Lecturers in Far Eastern Bible College…..many of them were bad examples. They were like a well-known Bible professor of a generation or two ago. In the classroom, he was a brilliant interpreter of the Bible. His influence over his students was almost hypnotic. Few could sit at his feet for long without being inspired by his insights into God’s Word and being persuaded to his point of view. But off campus, he often destroyed what he accomplished in class sessions. His rudeness, especially to persons he perceived to be his social inferiors, embarrassed everyone with him. After a few hours in his company on such occasions, many former disciples could not listen to his Biblical expositions again. He was a good teacher, but such a bad example that he canceled his words by his actions.

This is Jesus’ opinion of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who “sit in Moses’ seat” (as professors authorized to explain the correct meaning and application of Moses’ laws). Jesus’ disciples do well to obey their teaching, but would be ill advised to follow their example. Jesus knows them well. They have already made themselves His enemies. They have sought every opening to criticize and heckle Him. In the end, they look for a way to kill Him.

Yet they seem so respectable. Of course they do, because that is one of their chief goals. Jesus castigates them on at least these counts:

(1) You don’t practice what you preach (3).

(2) Your rules are a burden to sincere people (4).

(3) You put on a good show to win men’s applause (5–7).

(4) You glory in titles and honors (8–12). Jesus’ disciples, on the other hand, are not to seek to be honored with titles like “rabbi” or “father” or even “teacher.” They are to take nothing away from the Father or the Son. They are to remember they are servants, not masters. If there is to be any exalting, God is to do it!

(5) You are keeping people out of the kingdom of God (13). You are hypocrites, pretending to be serving God but really just using your religious role to puff yourselves up. You won’t heed My teaching about the kingdom of God, and you do everything you can to keep others from hearing and obeying. You won’t repent and you won’t let anyone else repent, if you can help it. (Verse 14 is reduced to a footnote in recent versions of the Bible, since it is not found in the most reliable early manuscripts. It is quite in keeping with the rest of Jesus’ denunciations, however. His heart always goes out to widows, who are often helpless to prevent themselves from being taken by unscrupulous profiteers.)

(6) Your converts are worse, not better, than before their conversion (15). As students often surpass the fanaticism of their teachers, so yours invite an even more disastrous judgment than you do.

(7) You complicate even such matters as oath-taking (16–21). We already know Jesus’ opinion concerning oaths: Matthew 5:33–37. The prevailing principle seems to have been to swear by the greater, so the Pharisees thought an oath “by the gold in the temple” would be more binding than swearing by the temple (made of stone) itself. All this does not matter to Jesus, who would do away with the whole system of swearing oaths.

(8) You commendably practice some doctrines—like tithing—while completely ignoring weightier matters like justice, mercy, and faithfulness (22–24). Mint and anise and cummin were garden herbs used in cooking and for certain medicinal purposes. The tithing of herbs was considered the ultimate in religious piety.

(9) You scrupulously observe the external niceties of religion while leaving the inner person unreformed (25–28).

(10) You honor dead prophets but, like true descendants of their murderers, you do as your forefathers did (29–32).

(11) When I send “prophets and wise men and teachers” to you, you will prove yourselves to be as quick to kill as your forefathers killed the prophets who came to them (33–36). The first reference is to Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who was slain in the court of the temple—2 Chronicles 24:20f. The second is to Abel, son of Adam, who was slain by his brother Cain, the first of a long and inglorious line of murderers—Genesis 4:10.^{^[5]}

Beloved students in Far Eastern Bible College,

Remember this, you may have learned a lot from those lecturers, but do not follow their bad example…..!!!

Harsh-sounding language was not unusual in religious debates in first-century Judaism. Words and phrases like blind guides, twice the sons of hell, hypocrites, and brood of vipers were typical expressions in such debates between Jewish religious groups at Jesus’ time. This kind of language was the way a person or a group staked out territory. Ancient listeners would not have heard these words and thought how much the speaker hated the other people. Rather, ancient listeners would have concluded that the speaker firmly believed the other party was wrong, and his or her party was right.^{^[6]}

Yours sincerely,

.......................................

^{^[1]} The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 5:20.

^{^[2]} The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 16:6.

^{^[3]} The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 16:12.

^{^[4]} The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 23:3.

^{^[5]} LeRoy Lawson, Matthew: Unlocking the Scriptures for You, Standard Bible Studies (Cincinnati, OH: Standard, 1986), 278–279.

^{^[6]} Roger L. Hahn, Matthew: a Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2007), 270.

Timothy Tow

Only a handful of Bible-Presbyterian old pastors dare to call Timothy Tow Siang Hui as "an old fox," these old pastors were very close to Timothy Tow from the beginning of Far Eastern Bible College, they were all at inner circle of Tow's life, they knew him very well, they were in the beginning good friend.....but Tow betrayed them and hurt their feeling...that is why they called him, "an old fox"

THE WORD OF GOD:

HOW AM I TO LOVE GOD BY LOVING IT?

from Daniel Hyde

Love is a complex thing. Contrary to popular notions, love is not a feeling or an emotion that you can fall into and then fall out of. Love is complex, meaning that love involves many things. Classically speaking, our human faculties are made up of the mind, the will, and the affections. Using these, then, love is rooted in knowledge; love is exercised in willful decision; and love is experienced in the affections. To love someone involves all of this. To love someone means that you also love the things about someone. This is most true of our love for God. We love Him, and that leads us to love everything about Him. One of those things is His Word. To love God is to love his Word. As Psalm 119 says, "Oh how I love your law!" (v. 97).

Because the Word is the means that God uses to speak to us, we need to love it and use it. Let me meditate with you on how.

By My Duty to Read It

I am to love God by loving His Word. Therefore, it is my duty to read it. Just as we give presents because we love someone, and they open it in reciprocal love and gratitude, so too has God shown His love for His people by giving us the gift of His Word. As the psalmist said, "He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules" (Ps. 147:19-20). Show him you love him by reading his Word. Scripture explains that we do this in three ways.

Publicly

We love God by loving His Word read publicly. This was done in the ancient Jewish synagogue, as evidenced by Jesus' entering the synagogue and performing the appointed reading from the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:16-24). This was done in the ancient Christian church, as evidenced by Paul's words (1 Thess. 5:27; Col. 4:16). This continued in the ancient church. For example, Justin Martyr said, "And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits" (First Apology, ch. 67). And Tertullian said, "We assemble to read our sacred writings … with the sacred words we nourish our faith, we animate our hope, we make our confidence more steadfast" (Apology, ch. 39).

As a Family

We love God by loving His Word read as a family, if the Lord provides us with a family. Moses exhorted Israel, saying, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise" (Deut. 6:6-7). This practice of the covenant people was experienced by Timothy: "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings" (2 Tim. 3:14-15). Family Bible reading is necessary to propagate the Christian religion in our children. Studies show the rising generation in American churches leaving those churches; is it any wonder when parents, especially fathers, are not taking the time to read the Word with their children? Ignorance of Scripture leads to ignorance of Christ.

Privately

We love God by loving His Word read privately. Psalm 1 speaks of the singular "man" (v. 1) who is blessed because "his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night" (v. 2). To read the Word and meditate upon the Word as a believer causes one to be like a well-watered and fruitful tree (v. 3). Psalm 119 is also the meditation of an individual believer: "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day" (v. 97, emphasis mine). Meditating on the Word makes one wise (v. 98), makes one godly (v. 101), and gives us a spiritual delight as the Word is "sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (v. 103). This is why one writer said, "To neglect [the reading of the Word] is to despise our own souls, and deprive ourselves of the advantage of God's instituted means of grace." If you love God, it is your duty to read the Word of God.

By My Delight to Receive It

I am to love God by loving His Word. Therefore, it is my delight to receive it. Again, think about receiving a present. The word present is just another way of saying "gift." And what does the word gift mean? It means an act of grace-that a person gives you something not because you deserve it, but because they decided to express their love.

Ten times in the great Psalm 119 we read of the psalmist praising the Lord for receiving the Lord's Word, saying he "delights" in the Word (Ps. 119:14, 16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 77, 92, 143, 174). Why? Because the Word is the living Word of the Lord to us, His people. The psalmist also describes his delight in the Word in comparison to other delightful things. He compares the Word to gold and silver, saying in verse 72, "The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (cf. v. 127). He compares the Word to honey, saying in verse 103, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Elsewhere in Scripture, we read of the Word being compared to other things such as these. The Word is compared to a sword that defends against spiritual enemies (Eph. 6:17). The Word is compared to a lamp that guides us (Ps. 119:105). The Word is compared to milk that nourishes our souls (1 Peter 2:2).

If you love God, it is your duty to read the Word and your delight to receive it as the very Word of the true and living God.

Grace Bible-Presbyterian Church,

Singapore

This church is one of the good Samaritan among the Bible Presbyterian Churches in Singapore.

FEBC rats

I am watching you!!!

Original Text Is Without Errors, Not the Copies.

As noted in the article Bible, Alleged Errors in, this does not mean that every copy and translation of the Bible is perfect. God breathed out the originals, not the copies, so inerrancy applies to the original text, not to every copy. God in his providence preserved the copies from substantial error. In fact, the degree of accuracy is greater than that of any other book from the ancient world, exceeding 99 percent ^{^[1]}

Do not tell me KJV is perfect.....

^{^[1]} Norman L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 92–93.

Copies of the Autographs (to c. 150)

Most of the New Testament books were written during the second half of the first century. Those manuscripts were written under the direction of the Holy Spirit and were inerrant. They were undoubtedly written on papyrus and have all subsequently been lost. Nevertheless, the autographs of the New Testament were providentially copied and circulated before they became illegible or lost. These copies were made as early as a.d.95. If copying had not begun very soon after the autographs were written, there would be no Bible today because papyrus survives for long periods of time only under exceptional conditions. Just as the autographs were written on papyrus rolls, so the earliest copies were probably written on papyrus rolls. Soon, however, papyrus codices were produced, and parchment and vellum were employed still later. Very few, if any, of the early copies are extant today, for basically the same reasons as indicated with regard to the autographs (see chap. 20).

Although there were many early copies of the autographs, they are not all of the same quality, for as soon as a manuscript was copied misprints began to creep into the text. Some of the early copies were highly accurate and quite expensive, as they were copied by professional scribes. Manuscript copies made by less capable scribes were less expensive, but they were of a generally poorer quality and wider distribution. Still other copies made in this early period were quite poor in quality, as they were often copied by nonprofessionals and were often all that an individual or group could afford to have made. Gordon Fee correctly calls this a “Period of Confusion (to a.d. 400)” and adds that

during the second century in particular, when each NT book was being transmitted independently of the others and when there was wide geographical distribution of these documents with little or no “controls,” such scribal errors proliferated. Once an error was introduced into the text, it was then copied by the next scribe as his “received” text. Sometimes a scribe “corrected” what he thought to be errors and in doing so created errors of his own.^{33^[1]}

majority text maybe corrupted...think about this.

³³ Gordon D. Fee, “The Textual Criticism of the New Testament,” in Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 425.

^{^[1]} Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible, Rev. and expanded. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 445–446.

New Testament Greek

Cremer’s dictionary deals with a problem that has not yet been solved, namely, that of NT Greek.

a. This question was already discussed in the early church.³⁴ When the NTwas becoming known in the Greek world, the educated attached great value to the writing of good Greek. The NT could not compete with the published literary works of the time.³⁵ Celsus compared the sentences of the Bible with Plato and came to the conclusion that everything was better expressed among the Greeks than in the NT (Orig. Cels., VI, 1). The apostles were uncultured tax-gatherers and fishermen who could not measure up to Greek philosophers(I, 62). Similar objections were constantly raised. How did the church respond to them?

Two arguments were used in defense of the Greek of the NT. First, it was said that the apostles deliberately used simple speech to make themselves generally understood. The preacher’s task is not just to win the clever. Out of love for all men he consciously turns as well to the simple and uneducated, to women and children, even to the uncivilised, in order to convert them. Hence the Christian teacher has to use a language which all can understand and which can captivate all.³⁶

The second argument starts with the fact that the apostles themselves were simple people who could not match the skilled speech of the philosophers. Another reason was thus given for the success of primitive Christian preaching. According to Origen, what won people to Christ was not fine speech or oratorical skill, not the art of dialectic or rhetoric, but Christ himself. If Jesus had chosen clever folk to proclaim his teaching, Christianity might have been taken for a philosophical school. But now that uneducated people, fishermen and tax-gatherers, who did not have even the rudiments of learning, have not only spoken to the Jews with shocking boldness about faith in Christ but also preached Jesus successfully to all nations, one has to ask what is the source of the unparalleled power of their words to convince. The only possible conclusion is that a higher than they has been speaking and that he has endowed their words with persuasive force (Orig. Cels., I, 62 [GCS, 2, 113f.]).^{^[1]}

My point is please use simple English to reach out to the unsaved, use NIV please....

NT New Testament.

³⁴ E. Norden, Die antike Kunstprosa, II⁵ (1958), 521–534; J. Vergote, Art. “Grec biblique” in Dict. Bibl. Suppl., III (1938), 1321–1323.

NT New Testament.

³⁵ “To use a non-Attic word was a very serious literary offense and a work not adorned with figures of speech had no claim to a place in literature; in short, writing well or badly distinguished Greeks and barbarians. A public of this kind could only regard the religious documents of the Christians as monstrosities,” Norden, op. cit., 516f.

NT New Testament.

Orig. Origen, of Alexandria (185–254 a.d.), pupil of Clement of Alexandria, and most learned and fruitful representative of ancient Christian scholarship and culture, ed. by different scholars in Die griech, christl. Schriftsteller der ersten 3 Jahrhunderte, 1899 ff.

Cels. Contra Celsum.

NT New Testament.

³⁶ Orig. Cels., VI, 1 (GCS, 3, 72); Isidore of Pelusium Ep., IV, 67 (MPG, 78, 1124f.).

Cels. Contra Celsum.

^{^[1]} Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 632.

Please test his spirit...

Please test his spirit...The heretic is the one who divides churches because of false teaching, such as "Verbal Plenary Preservation," and he said he is anointed to teach, and there is only one Bible for all mankind, that is KJV, and the rest is satanic....!

Sunday Worship

Call to Worship - Bible-Presbyterian Churches in Singapore

Dear brother and sisters, the Bible tells us in many places that we should not hide our sins from Almighty God our heavenly Father, but confess them from our hearts with humility, sorrow and with a resolve to obey God from now on.

The Confession from Bible-Presbyterian Churches in Singapore.

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the ideas and wishes of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. And we cannot help ourselves.

Sermon

The Lord Prayer, read by the Bible-Presbyterian Churches in Singapore.

Our Father, who art in heaven;

1. Hallowed be thy Name;

2. Thy kingdom come;

3. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth;

4. Give us this day our bread for subsistence;

5. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;

6. And lead us not into temptation;

7. But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

The Grace for Bible-Presbyterian Churches in Singapore

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore. Amen.

BP=Be Proud

Faith

The King James Version Debate: A Plea for Realism

“The King James Version is superior to all modern English translations of the Bible”—so say many popular books and pamphlets. The King James Version Debate is the first book-length refutation of this point of view written for both pastors and laymen. The author concisely explains the science of textual criticism, since the main premise advanced by KJV proponents is the superiority of the Greek text on which it is based.

After showing the problems with this premise, the author refutes the common propositions that:

The KJV is the most accurate translation
It’s the most durable
Its use of the Old English forms (e.g., “thou”) makes it the most reverent
It honors Christ more than other versions
It’s the most easily memorized
It’s the most suitable for public reading

Concluding the book is an appendix in which, on a more technical level, the author answers W. N. Pickering’s The Identity of the New Testament Text, the most formidable defense of the priority of the Byzantine text yet published in our day.

D.A.Carson wrote in this book:

Thesis 3: The Byzantine text-type is demonstrably a secondary text. I am not here arguing for or against a theory that sees the genesis of the Byzantine text as a systematic conflation of other texts, even though some conflation certainly occurred. Rather, I am saying that textual critics who pore over manuscripts (or photographs and transcriptions of them) begin to detect clear signs of secondary influence. For example, harmonization is, indisputably, a secondary process. In general, scribes do not purposely introduce difficulties into the text; they try to resolve them. One might argue that particularly heterodox scribes might well make a text more complicated. However, a heterodox scribe is likely to change the theological content rather than relatively minor historical and geographical details; and in any case the Byzantine tradition does not reflect merely an odd manuscript given to harmonization, but rather the whole tradition. This is especially so in the Synoptic Gospels. In the article to which I have just referred, Fee points out a particular section in which the Byzantine text contains some thirty-eight major harmonizations, as compared with one harmonization in the Alexandrian text.¹¹ Thus prompted, I made some checks myself in other passages and found similar proportions. The only way to circumvent the evidence is to deny that they are harmonizations, or to argue that harmonizations are not secondary; and I find it very difficult to conceive how either of these alternatives can be defended by the person who has spent much time poring over the primary data.

Thesis 4: The Alexandrian text-type has better credentials than any other text-type now available. Some of the literature put out by defenders of the TR gives the impression that the great fourth-century uncials, Vaticanus (B) and Sinaiticus (א), are the only exemplars of the Alexandrian text; and therefore, it is argued, the Alexandrian text is itself a product of the fourth century.¹²

This is manifestly untrue, as the more able defenders of the TR have been forced to admit. Not only is the Alexandrian text-type found in some biblical quotations by ante-Nicene fathers, but the text-type is also attested by some of the early version witnesses. More convincing yet, Greek papyri from the second and third centuries have shown up, none of which reflects a Byzantine text and most of which have a mixed Alexandrian/Western text. The famous papyrus p⁷⁵, which dates from about A.D. 200 and is perhaps earlier, is astonishingly close to Vaticanus.¹³ This find definitely proves the early date of the Vaticanus text-type.¹⁴

In addition it has been shown that the Alexandrian text has another point in its favor. Any text-type is either recensional or not recensional. By “recensional” I mean that a text has come into being by conscious revision, editing, or conflation, or by change over a period of time as part of a directed developing process. If this does not explain the genesis of a particular text, ...

Far Eastern Bible College is raising more and more Pharisees

Carey Hardy offers some practical advice for Christians seeking to be biblical parents. Brief excerpts of his 12 steps for raising a Pharisee are provided here, but you can read the full length article by following the link at the end of this summary.

Here are 12 easy steps for raising your children to become Pharisees:

1. Major on external instead of internal issues.
See the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–6). This is majoring on controlling the child’s behavior without using Scripture and prayer to deal with his heart.
2. Exercise excessive control.
This is not balancing discipline with instruction. This is manifested by the creation of TOO MANY rules and restrictions, rules that are POINTLESS, or rules that are HARSH AND TOO STRICT.
3. Overreact to failure.
This includes not allowing the freedom to fail. It’s treating failure as the end of the world. You must see failure as an opportunity for instruction. But many parents live in FEAR of failure—and thus they become excessive controllers. This may be manifested in calling attention to every mistake. It’s a performance-based love…expecting perfection.
4. Be unforgiving and impatient.
A grouchy/irritable parent, frustrated over everything that goes wrong. Instead of a home that is filled with joy, there is an oppressive, negative atmosphere. Sinful choices by your children definitely need to be dealt with. But make sure there is a visible end to the consequences, with the home thus returning to a pleasant atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
5. Elevate preference over biblical principle.
Some parents are prone to emphasize rules that really don’t reflect the Bible at all. Instead, the rules reflect personal preferences.
6. Exercise unnecessary separatism.
This has become a huge problem with many home-schooling families. I believe it’s danger they must watch out for. Frankly, this approach doesn’t work as the parents think it will. Frequent phone calls from parents of older children who are rebelling. And frequent discussions with pastors who are having this problem in their church. As your children grow, they must be involved with other children; this is a testing ground and provides opportunities for training. And your teens must be allowed to be with other teens.
7. Judge others…other families.
This is being judgmental about other families, about things going on in the church; being critical of everything, constantly fault-finding, producing a constant rain of criticism. When you do this in front of children, you’re developing that judgmental spirit in them.
8. Be “belligerent”—a fighter.
Pharisees fight. So, to this parent, every issue is a fighting issue. As the child watches you take on every wrong thing in the church, every example of wrong thinking in others, they learn the lifestyle of a fighter. Thus, they end up learning what to fight against and not necessarily what to fight for.
9. Show favoritism.
By this, I mean showing favoritism toward one child over another child. This teaches a child to want to be only with people who are like you and who meet your standards. Then this can lead to the separatism we discussed earlier.
10. Exercise no humor.
No fun. You need to know how to not take yourself so seriously and how to not take things in this world so seriously at times.
11. Build up their self-esteem.
A “high self-esteem” is not a biblical concept. Nor is the need to learn to love yourself. Emphasis on self-esteem encourages individuals to become like Pharisees; they are encouraged to delve into self, to be focused on self, to build up self.
12. Lack genuine spirituality.
Living hypocritically teaches hypocrisy. You won’t be perfect as a parent, but there must be a level of integrity visible to your children.

http://sbcvoices.com/how-to-raise-a-pharisee-in-12-easy-steps/

The demonic theologians

Whereas the Gospels provide numerous examples of demon possession, the Bible is also clear that a Christian cannot be possessed by an evil spirit. Upon conversion, the Spirit of Christ takes up permanent residence within that individual. 1 John 4:4 assures all the saved that “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Likewise, the presence of the divine nature in any individual is a certain guarantee that no demon can enter.²^{^[1]}

I grew up with regular reminders of the King James verse “avoid the very appearance of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22, KJV). While a better translation would be to avoid every form of evil, the sentiment that a Christian should not dabble with evil is clearly true. The appropriate attitude is not to try to get as close to evil as we are allowed to. The heart of a Christian should not desire evil in the first place.^{^[2]} It was Satan, not demons, who filled Ananias’s heart (Acts 5:3). Nevertheless, he is probably the strongest proof that a believer may be controlled by demons from within, for the same expression is used of the filling of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).^{^[3]} Neither Satan nor demons can ultimately have victory over a believer, though apparently they may dominate or control a believer’s life for a time. A believer may be delivered to Satan “for the destruction of the flesh,” but the spirit will “be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5). Whatever relationship Satan or demons may have to a believer during this life, it cannot be permanent or eternal.^{^[4]} But Paul says we wrestle, or struggle, against the powers of darkness, and that it is a lifelong conflict (Eph. 6:12). Therefore, the believer must be alert (1 Pet. 5:8), be clothed in the armor of God (Eph. 6:13–18), and maintain vigorous physical, mental, and spiritual health (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 10:5; Phil. 4:8).^{^[5]}

Unger (1971, p. 114) summarizes the biblical data regarding manifestations of demonic oppression as blindness and hardness of heart toward the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4), apostasy and doctrinal corruption (1 Tim. 4:1), and indulging in sinful, defiling behavior (2 Peter 2:1–12). Scripture also mentions that demonic oppression can result in physical illness (e.g., Luke 13:10–16).^{^[6]}

Christians debate whether believers can be possessed. A growing number of conservative writers believe that the biblical data do not clearly answer this issue and that therefore we should look to human experience to help us decide it. Many accounts from experienced missionaries around the world and from ministers in the United States who specialize in spiritual warfare ministries assert that possession can occur in believers. In 1952 Unger wrote in Biblical Demonology that he believes Christians cannot be demon possessed. However, he later reported that he received so many letters from missionaries all over the world documenting this kind of occurrence that he came to believe that it does happen (1971, p. 117). Other writers who agree with this conclusion include C. Fred Dickason (chair of the theology department at Moody Bible Institute and author of Demon Possession and the Christian [1987]), Neil T. Anderson (former chair of the practical theology department at Talbot School of Theology and author of The Bondage Breaker[1993]), Mark Bubeck (author of The Adversary [1975] and Overcoming the Adversary[1984]), and Thomas White (director of Frontline Ministries and author of The Believer’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare [1990]). The common means by which this seems to happen is through believers arrogantly attacking demons (cf. Jude 9) or through habitual sin.^{^[7]}

Demons work by lying, deceit, and oppression, and when the opportunity arises they enter the body of a person (Lk 8:30; 22:3), in order to control the individual’s thoughts and actions. Sometimes a distinction is made between demonic oppression and demonic possession; this supposedly differentiates an attack from without and control from within. Although a non-Christian may be said to be “possessed” by a demon, the Christian cannot be so possessed, for he belongs to Christ and his human spirit has been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). Demonic spirits somehow know and acknowledge this seal.^{^[8]}

Satan is the author of the world’s system of thinking and encourages people to develop mistaken beliefs about what goals they need to reach to achieve happiness (e.g., possessions, fame, power, or pleasure). Satan also encourages people to develop mistaken beliefs about how best to reach those goals (e.g., through lying, deception, stealing, or infidelity).We as individuals can incorporate those mistaken beliefs either because we see them modeled in the world system or through mistaken interpretations we make as we grow up in our families. Satan and Satan’s demons work in two ways to accomplish this: indirectly by influencing the world system and directly by suggesting thoughts to us (e.g., 1 Chron. 21:1; Acts 5:3). Satan may also in some way blind us to the error of the mistaken beliefs he has persuaded us to accept (2 Cor. 4:4; James 3:15). These would be the categories labeled as examples of demonic temptation and oppression.^{^[9]}
A theologian may have a demon following him, this is called “demonic,” it is to say the demon whispers into the theologian’s ear with false teachings, and then the theologian believed in its lies, and so the theologian start to teach the lies he heard from the demon, and so he became a false teacher, teaching false doctrine and false teaching. At last he may become a heretic.

² Lewis Sperry Chafer, “Eternal Security: Part 2.” Bibliotheca Sacra. Vol. 106 (Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1949; 2002), 398–399.

^{^[1]} David G. Shackelford, “Demons in the Gospels,” in Holman Christian Standard Bible: Harmony of the Gospels (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 316.

^{^[2]} Kenneth Schenck, 1 & 2 Corinthians: a Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2006), 147–148.

^{^[3]} Charles C. Ryrie, Biblical Answers to Tough Questions (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1991), 94–95.

^{^[4]} Charles C. Ryrie, Biblical Answers to Tough Questions , 95.

^{^[5]} Charles C. Ryrie, 96.

^{^[6]} David G. Benner and Peter C. Hill, eds., Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 327.

^{^[7]} David G. Benner and Peter C. Hill, eds., Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling, Baker Reference Library , 327–328.

^{^[8]} Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 611.

^{^[9]} David G. Benner and Peter C. Hill, eds., 329.

The Purpose in writing this blog

The authors are full-time ordained ministers and preachers in the Bible Presbyterian Church in Singapore. The goal of this blog is to encourage all Bible Presbyterian pastors, elders, and leaders, as well as the flocks they serve, to turn to the Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. To unite under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Accepting our minor differences while focusing on the cross. Being described as one family under God the Father. We are called to be together in our diversity. Pride is the fault of all Bible Presbyterian Churches worldwide. Lust has blinded theologians at Far Eastern Bible College. It is at this heavy, serious, and gloomy moment in our Christian walk, rebuking these pastors and theologians, the remarks in this blog are heavy and severe in order to prompt them to repentance. May God help and bless us.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead; I believe in the Holy Ghost; I believe in the holy catholic church: the communion of saints; The forgiveness of sins; The resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

LUTHER'S MORNING PRAYER

Errors in King James Version

Read Romans 8:26...the KJV has "the Spirit itself..." This is an error; the Holy Spirit is our God, and we must address Him correctly! How may "itself" be used to approach God, the Holy Spirit? "It" is used to address an item or an animal, not a person or God! The KJV translators had insulted the Holy Spirit! However, in another verse, the KJV translators used the term "him" to designate Satan. What an insult to KJV readers! Read Luke 11:18: "...if Satan also be divided against himself..." The KJV uses the phrase "himself..." when addressing Satan! The KJV translator used "it" for the Holy Spirit, but "him" for Satan!!! Mark 3:28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, Mark 3:29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"

One Another

Unity In Diversity for Bible Presbyterian Churches in Singapore Like a peal of bells the word allelon-'one another'-rings through the pages of the New Testament. 'Accept one another' allelon 'Serve one another' allelon 'Wash one another's feet' 'Confess your sins one to another' 'Pray one for another' 'Forbearing one another and forgiving each other' 'Teaching and admonishing one another' 'Comfort one another and build each other up' 'Bear one another's burdens' 'Love one another as I have loved you' Those who have the flow of mutuality in their relationship with each other need not be vocal or exuberant in expressing it.

John Calvin's consent

To new readers, I greet you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, may God grant us good theologians, humble servants of the Lord, and faithful believers in these last days, may God use this blog to call some one for self searching and repentance, and here we are blogging in theological debates. In 1547, Jacques Gruet, he was arrested by Calvin, tortured for a month and beheaded on July 26, 1547.. The civil court condemned him to death and, with Calvin's consent, he was beheaded. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin) John Calvin consented to kill a man for his theological stand, but I rather use strong words to achieve that!

Statement

1. The authors of this blog do not believe that the KJV Bible is the perfect Bible. The KJV has problems and inaccuracies because it is a man-made translation. 2. The inerrant Bible is in the autograph. All subsequent copies of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts have God's Written Word. We have God's written Word preserved in the NIV, KJV, and ESV. 3. There is no such notion as Verbal Plenary Preservation on a single TR Greek Text underlying the KJV, and the authors do not believe that the entire Greek text underlying the KJV Bible, or the TR, is error-free. 4. The authors believe that the Bible was inspired verbally and plenarily preserved in NIV, KJV, ESV, NESB….other faithful Bible versions. 5. The authors recommend NKJV, NIV, ESV, and NLT New Living Translation. 6. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the living Word.