REMEMBERING OUR FOUNDING PASTOR

“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)

The Rev Dr Timothy Tow was the founding father of the Bible-Presbyterian movement in Singapore. He was the founding pastor of Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (1950–2003) and True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (2003–2009), and the founding principal of Far Eastern Bible College (1962–2009). Born in China in 1920, he died in 2009, 88 years old when the Lord took him. He truly lived out his ministry ethos, “There is no retirement in God’s service.” Even in his evening years of physical weakness and ill health, he said, “God wants us to live, not die.” He served the Lord till his last breath. He was true to His Lord’s command, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev 2:10). There is much we can learn from his good example on how to serve the Lord faithfully.

His Example as a Pastor

The Rev Dr Timothy Tow was a faithful preacher of God’s Word. His sermons were always expository in nature. He made sure his congregation understood what the Bible precisely meant with illustrations and testimonies to make his messages relevant and lively. He did not forget to apply the Word to the lives of the people. His sermons were Christ-centred. One common habit of his was to draw the cross at the top right corner of his sermon outline. This he did to remind himself that Christ must always be glorified in his preaching and that the gospel ought to be preached whenever the occasion arises.

In the Bible College the Rev Dr Timothy Tow taught homiletics—the principles and practice of preaching—among other courses. I enjoyed much his homiletics classes. He was always encouraging. He would always have a kind word for the budding student-preacher (unlike one lecturer who took it upon himself to tear students apart after their preaching and leave them utterly demoralised). He would highlight the good points and gently point out shortcomings, giving hope to aspiring preachers of the Bible. He teaches and guides with a pastoral touch.

As a pastor, he made it a point to be available and accessible to anyone who wanted to speak to him. In his church weekly, he would print his phone number with the words “Ring pastor anytime”. Those who wish to see him for prayer or counselling need not call the church office to make an appointment; they could call him directly or see him at his parsonage any time.

Pastor Tow baptising at True Life BPC (2007)

His Example as a Teacher

The Rev Dr Timothy Tow was a good preacher, but he was a better teacher (in my opinion). He was a theological teacher par excellence. He could make hard and complex doctrines easy to understand. He was adept at using anecdotes, illustrations, diagrams, and charts to clarify a doctrine or drive home a theological point. For instance, he would draw a hissing snake in the shape of a question mark, and impress upon his students that Satan speaks with a forked tongue to question, cast doubt and deceive. In his Master of Theology thesis—The Law of Moses and of Jesus (presented to the faculty of Faith Theological Seminary)—he used many diagrams and charts to explain the differences between Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology, and the similarities between the Law of Moses and the Law of Jesus. His excellent thesis was submitted by Faith Seminary to the State Board of Regents as proof of the quality of the school and its students for accreditation. The Seminary got its accreditation.

His many witty sayings in his biblical and theological lectures have stayed with his students for a long time, and have often been quoted and used. Here are some of his sayings, “Self help with God’s help is the best help”, “Perspiration without inspiration is exasperation”, “Learning Hebrew with its intricate pointings makes you a precise man”, “Religion is the key to science”, “Not centralisation but decentralisation is the key to church growth”, “Dispensational theology is like taking a lift up a seven-storey building stopping at every level. Covenant theology is like going up from ground to top floor at one stretch”, “Calvinism is not static but dynamic inasmuch as predestination is not fatalism”, “Calvinism is Paulinism systematised”.

The Rev Dr Timothy Tow was a good teacher because he was a good student. He had great respect for those who taught him and often quoted his teachers Dr John Sung (the great Chinese revivalist of the Asian Awakening), Dr Chia Yu Ming (China’s first theologian), Dr Carl McIntire (founder of Bible-Presbyterianism in USA and the 20^th Century Reformation movement), and Dr J Oliver Buswell (Professor of Theology at Faith Theological Seminary and author of A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion) in his lectures and writings.

There was never a dull moment in his classes.

His Example as a Defender

The Rev Dr Timothy Tow was a disciple of Dr John Sung and Dr Carl McIntire—both earnest contenders for the faith (Jude 3). He together with K C Quek and C T Hsu were known as the “Three Musketeers” in the Separatist Movement in Singapore and Malaya in the 1950s and 60s. As the only theologian in the Bible-Presbyterian (BP) Church in those days, he was undoubtedly the leading “Musketeer”. He saw the deadliness of the liberal and modernistic theology that was introduced by the expatriate clergy who controlled the mainline denominations. He gave these liberals and modernists no face, exposing their denial of the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures and their destructive heresies and ecumenism.

The Rev Dr Timothy Tow also fought the Neo-evangelicals who denied the total inerrancy of Scripture and the doctrine of biblical separation. I personally saw him in action in the BP Pastors’ Conference in Cameron Highlands in 1987 where he warned against the Neo-evangelicalism that was creeping into the BP denomination. He refuted those BP pastors who took a compromising stance towards Charismatism, modern Bible versions and ecumenism. There were BP pastors who did not agree with the founding father’s view of separation and non-cooperation with liberals and compromisers, who said that it was alright to speak in “meaningful ecstatic tongues”, who wanted to replace the KJV with corrupt versions like the NIV, who denied that the Genesis Flood was global, who entertained the idea that the earth could be billions of years old contrary to biblical facts. Although he did his best to defend the faith and steer his denomination back to the old paths, the Neo-evangelical BPs could not be persuaded and the BP Synod eventually split in 1988.

His greatest battle for the Bible was fought in his old age when he called for a 21^st century Reformation to uphold the doctrine of the verbal and plenary preservation of the Scriptures (Ps 12:6–7, Matt 5:18, 24:35) and defend the superiority of the Greek Textus Receptus underlying the KJV over against the corrupt Westcott and Hort Text behind the modern versions. He was steadfast in his faith and his defence of the 100% perfection of the Bible without any mistake despite fierce opposition from members of his own church Session. The incessant attacks in 2002 and 2003 against the perfect preservation and present perfection of Scripture, and his leadership and ministry by men whom he had faithfully taught and lovingly brought up for over five decades were truly heart-breaking for him. But his loyalty was always first and foremost to God and His Word. In order to continue upholding the truth of God’s forever infallible and inerrant words, he resigned from Life BP Church after 53 years of service to start True Life BP Church in 2003.

Pastor Tow leading a Holy Land pilgrimage (1994)

We thank God for the good spiritual and theological heritage the Rev Dr Timothy Tow had left us. He was truly a faithful pastor, teacher and defender of the faith. The good fight of faith continues on. Remember the words of the Lord, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev 2:10). JK

Rev Tow with Mrs Tow at his final Easter service, Labrador Park, 12 April 2009.