Why We Are Bible-Presbyterians


Jeffrey Khoo

In this modern age when Christendom at large has forgotten its biblical, theological and historical roots, the Lord has raised up the Bible-Presbyterian (B-P) Church and other like-minded churches to: (1) preach the pure gospel of Jesus Christ against the false gospels introduced in the last century (e.g. the social gospel and liberation theology of the modernists, and the health-and-wealth gospel of the charismatics); (2) teach the whole counsel of God against those who say that only the gospel is important but not all the inspired words and fundamental doctrines of the Holy Scriptures; (3) defend the Christian Faith by taking a separatist stance against ecumenism which aims to unite the Protestant Church with the Roman Catholic Church, and to confuse truth with error.

By so doing, we fulfil the Great Commission which is the Lord’s first commandment to the Church: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt 28:18–20).

History

As B-Ps, it is important we remember our roots, our history, even the godly men whom the Lord had specially anointed to point us to the right direction according to His Word. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (Heb 13:7). One such man was the Rev Dr Timothy Tow, the founding father of B-Pism in Southeast Asia. He was saved during the great revival of Dr John Sung. Submitting himself to his mother’s vow that he should be a pastor, he went to China for his theological training under China’s first theologian, Dr Chia Yu Ming, and then to Faith Theological Seminary, USA, where he caught the spirit of the 20th Century Reformation Movement from the Rev Dr Carl McIntire, the founder of the Bible Presbyterian denomination in the United States. Upon the completion of his theological studies at Faith, he returned to Singapore in 1950 to become founding pastor of Life B-P Church. In 2003, he resigned from Life B-P Church to found the True Life B-P Church so that he might continue to teach and defend the twin doctrines of Verbal Plenary Inspiration (VPI) and Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP), and the 100% perfection of the Holy Scriptures without any mistake in the original languages on which the King James Version (KJV) is based. The Far Eastern Bible College and other faithful B-P churches remain faithful and true to the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ, earnestly contending for the faith in these last days of rampant unbelief and apostasy, when many have fallen away.

Doctrine

We are B-Ps because we stand foursquare on the absolute and final authority of God’s Written Word—the Holy Scriptures. It must be stressed that we are Bible first, then Presbyterians. Without the Bible, there will be no Presbyterianism, not even Christianity. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3). The Reformed Faith as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith to which the B-P Church subscribes clearly teaches that the final authority of the Christian Faith is none other than the infallible and inerrant Scriptures in the original languages in both the Autographs and Apographs by virtue of their divine inspiration and preservation (Chap I, para VIII).

The Holy Scriptures, fully inspired and fully preserved, are the very foundations of our Christian Faith. As B-Ps, we affirm VPI and VPP. The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Ps 12:6–7). “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt 5:18). “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matt 24:35). Like the Reformation saints, we believe in the sole and supreme authority of the Holy Scriptures (Sola Scriptura) because the Bible was not only divinely inspired in the past, but remains divinely inspired today to the last word, syllable and letter because God has supernaturally preserved His words down through the ages, and by the logic of faith, we identify the divinely authentic and authoritative words to be the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words underlying the KJV. We use and uphold the KJV because it is the most faithful and accurate English translation of the Holy Scriptures we have today.

As Presbyterians, we follow the theology of John Calvin—the great 16th Century Reformer who systematised the Christian Faith in his Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Rev Dr Timothy Tow rightly said, “Calvinism is Paulinism systematised.” We follow Calvin because he followed the Apostle Paul who taught the fundamental doctrines of Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, and Solus Christus. Contrary to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the Bible teaches salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8–9). This is the good news of Jesus Christ which gives us the assurance of salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

As regards the end times, the B-P Church takes the premillennial view that Christ will return to judge the Antichrist and all unbelievers at the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev 24:21), and then rule over the whole world together with His saints for a thousand years (Rev 20:6).

Practice

We are B-Ps because we obey the Lord’s command to be separated from all forms of ungodliness and false teachings. The command of separation is found in 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Not only must we be a separated community of saints so that we might be the salt and light God meant us to be in this sin-plagued and sin-darkened world, we must also “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). We must engage in a prophetic ministry of calling people to repentance, warning them of the spiritual dangers that abound in the world today and from the judgement of God to come when Christ returns.

May the Lord keep us and find us faithful. Amen.


The Truth How We Are Now Become True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church


Rev Timothy Tow    1 August 2004

In Vol. I No. 43 of our Weekly dated 25 July 2004 last week it was reported “The new name of our Church is gazetted True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church”. How have we now become True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church began like this.

At a Faculty Meeting of Far Eastern Bible College Rev Colin Wong and Rev Charles Seet my two Assistant Pastors at Life B-P Church declared they could no longer take the Dean Burgon Oath of swearing allegiance to the Bible to be without mistake to the last syllable and letter. They said they had discovered some mistakes but these did not affect doctrine and were not serious.

Since this College has required absolute allegiance to the Bible since the seventies I gladly let them resign.

In order to protect the good name of FEBC I declared the Bible to be 100% perfect without any mistake.

As the Session of Life B-P Church took their side it turned out I had to resign from the Church to stand for a 100% Perfect Bible without mistake.

In the first week of October 03 the Lord provided us an Auditorium of RELC, situated near to Shangri-La Hotel, and under the name of FEBC we launched out as FEBC Lord’s Day Service at RELC. We took time to apply for registration as Word of Life or alternative True Life.

Since there is a Christian organisation already registered, the authorities let us use True Life and gazetted it as reported 25 July 04 last week.

Doctrine in the belief of a 100% Perfect Bible without any mistake and doctrine of belief in a Bible with some mistakes but not serious since they don’t touch doctrine resulted in our leaving Life B-P Church to start this service since first week of October 03. Now there are 300 worshipping at RELC and we have booked with RELC for another year.

This is the truth how it all started.

* * *

Dean Burgon Oath
I swear in the Name of the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit that I believe "the Bible is none other than the voice of Him that sitteth upon the throne. Every book of it, every chapter of it, every verse of it, every word of it, every syllable of it, every letter of it, is direct utterance of the Most High. The Bible is none other than the Word of God, not some part of it more, some part of it less, but all alike the utterance of Him that sitteth upon the throne, faultless, unerring, supreme." So help me God, AMEN.

Your affectionate pastor
Pastor Timothy Tow

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