My dear readers,

Questions Posed at CPBPC’s Annual Church Camp (10-15 June 2019) – part 15

Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)?

Reply – The doctrine of the sovereignty of God is clearly taught in Holy Scriptures. This is seen from cover to cover throughout all the sixty-six books of the Bible. If the scope of the sovereignty of God as Creator of heaven and earth is limited to only “good events” and “good people”, then He cannot be called sovereign. God is sovereign in the absolute sense of the word which means He is in control of all things, good and evil. Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Psalm 76:10 “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” Not a single drop of rain can fall or a ray of sun can shine without God’s permission. This means that all “natural” disasters happen because God permits them to happen. They occur only at the voice of the Creator and no one else! The devil and all his minions and all demonic beings and evil and sinful men cannot lift one finger to do anything or think an evil thought if God does not permit them. This is the absolute sovereignty of God that is revealed to us in Holy Scriptures.

It is important to remember that God is not the cause of any evil. Evil and all its consequences lie with the devil, his demonic beings and all evil men, women and children! These are held accountable for all the evil and wickedness that they have done and deserve to be justly punished by the all holy and righteous omnipotent Creator of heaven and earth! Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a common slave, out of greed and the love of money. Yet through his betrayal, Christ was persecuted and crucified and died for the sins of the world just as God had prophesied the moment man fell into sin in Genesis 3:15. Judas was held accountable for his sinful betrayal and died in his sin and ended up in hell.

Joseph was sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers who envied and hated him. While in slavery Joseph’s master’s wife falsely accused him of attacking her and Joseph was thrown into prison unjustly. His life of slavery and as a prisoner lasted 13 years. But this was the way that the LORD prepared Joseph to become the prime minister of Egypt, making him the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Through his promotion and wisdom, God brought Jacob and his family of 75 into Goshen, Egypt. Egypt became the “womb” to Jacob’s family of 75 souls for the next 430 years and at the end of this period, the people of Israel numbered more than two million. The evil deeds of Joseph’s brothers and Potiphar’s wife were used by God to bring forth a nation! The Bible is replete with such glorious accounts where even the wrath of man will praise God and the remainder of wrath God will restrain!

If we are uncertain about our child’s salvation, and if he decides to marry a non-believer, will it be a sin to attend their wedding?

Reply – The issue here is not whether your child is born again or not, but whether your child calls or considers himself a Christian. If he confesses to be a Christian, he will be evaluated based upon biblical principles. For example, Charismatic pastors are not born again believers and yet we have to expose them and have no fellowship with them; not to do so would be to condone their sinful carnal practices and erroneous teachings. If your child says he is a Christian and decides to marry an unbeliever, he is promoting a union between Christ and Belial. He is saying that Christ and Belial, i.e. the devil, can have fellowship. This is a serious sin. If the parent, who is a Christian, participates during the wedding, like walking the daughter down the aisle, or signs as a witness to the child’s wedding, he will be seen as approving and endorsing the child’s serious sin.

It is sad that such marriages are more common in these last days. Christian parents who do not bring their children up properly will face such issues in the future, if the Lord tarries.

James 5:12 "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath". Does this mean new church members should not swear any oath?

Reply – The complete verse -- James 5:12 “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” James was not against making oaths as the Bible is in favour of believers making oaths. But when oaths are made with no intention of keeping them, then the warning of God in James applies here. This is similar to what Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:33-37. The brethren had been swearing with impunity with no intention of keeping their word and the witness of Christ was ruined by their lies and failure to keep oaths. James’ phrasing was to stop an action in progress. The brethren had been making oaths without keeping them and James told them to stop swearing! When the daily practice of the believer’s speech is always yea, yea and nay, nay, then keeping oaths will become a deep conviction that he will surely keep. When the daily conversation of the person is to tell lies, his oaths will also be easily broken.

Keeping one’s word is one of the most important and visible aspects of a believer’s testimony for Christ. God always keeps His holy Word, so must all of God's children! This is a crucial uncompromising part of every believer’s witness. This is also most impactful as he comes into contact with many people every day. If a believer is known to be a person who cannot keep his word because he is late almost all the time for appointments, his witness will crumble when he tries to share the gospel. How can anyone trust the gospel when it comes from lips that struggle to tell the truth? That is why God says that a child of God who does not keep his word and oaths will be judged by God. This can come in many ways which includes sickness, and loss of job, friends, loved ones, freedom and even his life! Believers are encouraged to make oaths when they go to court and swear on the Bible. They make oaths when they get married. The Christian youth makes an oath when he joins the military. Making oaths is common. The problem in James’ time and today is not keeping them. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” The Bible is never against making vows but is definitely against not keeping vows!

From Matt 5:19, does that mean they that break one of the least commandments and shall teach men so, can also be found in heaven (just that they shall be called the least)?

Reply – The context – Matthew 5:17-19 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 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. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” The Lord Jesus Christ had just explained how one can be a Christian and what it means to be a Christian when He gave the eight beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12. There is a transformation in the believer’s life whereby all areas of his relationships on earth are transformed permanently. His relationships with people (cf. Matthew 7:1-12), with his possessions (cf. Matthew 6:19-34), with God (cf. Matthew 6:1-18) and with God’s Holy Word (cf. Matthew 5:21-48). Before Jesus began to explain the changes to these relationships, He laid the ground rules. Believers are to be the salt and light of the world. By their good works people around them will glorify God as they see Christ in their lives (cf. Matthew 5:16).

Before Jesus corrected the abuse that had been done to the Word of God, He explained the importance of handling and understanding God's Word correctly as God's children. Children of God are able, after salvation, to understand and teach God's Word to others. The perfect Word of God is eternal and will last forever. Therefore the warning was given to not abuse it by breaking it with impunity thus teaching others to do the same. Such an erroneous and sinful regard to God's Word will result in no salvation. A truly born again believer will not despise God's Word this way. At times, he might teach the Word of God wrongly but not deliberately. The moment he is corrected, he will repent and make right by teaching the Word of God correctly.

Matthew 5:19 – John Calvin commented rightly: “Whoever then shall break - Christ here speaks expressly of the commandments of life, or the ten words, which all the children of God ought to take as the rule of their life. He therefore declares, that they are false and deceitful teachers, who do not restrain their disciples within obedience to the law, and that they are unworthy to occupy a place in the Church, who weaken, in the slightest degree, the authority of the law; and, on the other hand, that they are honest and faithful ministers of God, who recommend, both by word and by example, the keeping of the law. The least commandments is an expression used in accommodation to the judgment of men: for though they have not all the same weight, (but, when they are compared together, some are less than others,) yet we are not at liberty to think any thing small, on which the heavenly Legislator has been pleased to issue a command. For what sacrilege is it to treat contemptuously any thing which has proceeded from his sacred mouth? This is to sink his majesty to the rank of creatures. Accordingly, when our Lord calls them little commandments, it is a sort of concession. He shall be called the least - This is an allusion to what he had just said about the commandments: but the meaning is obvious. Those who shall pour contempt on the doctrine of the law, or on a single syllable of it, will be rejected as the lowest of men.”

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew, Pastor