My dear readers, 

Questions Posed at CPBPC’s Annual Church Camp (10-15 June 2019) – part 18

Can patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder (a medical condition where a person has multiple distinct personalities) be a Christian? What if one personality believes but another does not?

Reply – “Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder (MPD), is a mental illness characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. This is accompanied by memory gaps beyond what would be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. The personalities alternately show in a person's behavior; presentations, however, are variable. Other problems which often occur in people with DID include borderline personality disorder (BPD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance use disorders, self-harm, or anxiety.

“Some professionals believe the cause to be childhood trauma. In about 90% of cases, there is a history of abuse in childhood, while other cases are linked to experiences of war or health problems during childhood. Genetic factors are also believed to play a role. An alternative hypothesis is that it is a by-product of techniques employed by some therapists, especially those using hypnosis. The diagnosis should not be made if the person's condition is better accounted for by substance abuse, seizures, imaginative play in children, religious practices, or other mental health problems.

“Treatment generally involves supportive care and counselling. The condition usually persists without treatment. It is believed to affect about 1.5% of the general population (based on a small US community sample), and 3% of those admitted to hospitals with mental health problems in Europe and North America. DID is diagnosed about six times more often in females than males. The number of cases increased significantly in the latter half of the 20th century, along with the number of identities claimed by those affected.

“DID is controversial within both psychiatry and the legal system. In court cases, it has been used as a rarely successful form of the insanity defense. It is unclear whether increased rates of the disorder are due to better recognition or to sociocultural factors such as media portrayals. A large proportion of diagnoses are associated with a small number of clinicians, which is consistent with the hypothesis that DID may be therapist-induced. The typical presenting symptoms in different regions of the world may also vary depending on how the disorder is depicted by the media.” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorder]

Perhaps a better question ought to be: Can a patient with a Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) be saved by God? Salvation is of the Lord. He can save anyone. The power to save belongs to Him. When an adult believer confesses his sin and accepts Christ as his Lord and Saviour, the Bible reveals that Jesus Christ will baptize him with the Holy Spirit. All his sins would be washed by the blood of Christ. At the same time, he would be imputed with the righteousness of the law and he becomes a child of God.

In the case of the salvation of a child who dies before the age of accountability, the child cannot confess Christ as his Lord and Saviour. How is a child saved? We know from the Bible that a child can be saved because king David said that upon his death he would “go to the child”. We know that King David was definitely born again in Christ. 2 Samuel 12:19-23 “But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”

Christ saves a child the same way He saves an adult believer. All babies are born with a sinful nature, i.e. they are born sinners, inherited from the first Adam. Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” If a baby dies and at the point when Christ saves him, Christ will impute the righteousness of the law onto the child. His sins would be washed by the blood of Christ like an adult believer. The baby will also be given the Holy Spirit to indwell him and experience the fullness of salvation. Of course the baby will not spend eternity as a baby just like an old man of 100 will not spend eternity looking like an aged 100 year old man. The spirit of the baby and of the 100 year old man is the same. Spirit has no age. Thus when we apply the salvation of babies who die before the age of accountability to those who have conditions like DID, then the latter will also be saved the same way. They are not responsible for their actions like children before the age of accountability.

There are five crowns mentioned in Scripture. Are these crowns with reference to spiritual blessings or physical crowns?

Reply – 1Th 2:19 “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” 2Ti 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Jas 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” 1Pe 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” [Emphases added]

The word “crown” in all five occurrences is the word “Stephen.” It refers to a crown given at the end of a competition. This is not the same as the diadem of a king born to royalty. The crowns in the verses above are given to born again believers in Christ at the end of their lives of service on earth. As the names of these five crowns that imply rejoicing, righteousness, life, glory and incorruption are not descriptions of anything tangible, these crowns are not meant to be understood as literal but figurative, in my opinion. These promised crowns mean that believers who receive them are royalty, which is what Peter revealed that all believers are right now. 1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” [Emphasis added] These crowns will be given, by God’s grace, to all who are truly born again in Christ.

What do the four horses in Zechariah 6 represent?

Reply – The eighth vision describes four charioteers who would head out in all directions to patrol the earth. The two “brass mountains” symbolize the heavenly throne. Out of them would come four horses: - 1^st – red horse; 2^nd – black horse; 3^rd – white horse; and 4^th – grisled and bay horse. These horses represent the four spirits of the heavens which “go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” (cf. 6:5) Both the black and white horses went toward the north country where the people of God were located, namely, Babylon. The grisled and bay horse went toward the south country. The red horse is not mentioned after that introduction. It appears that the 1^st and the 8^th visions are bookends based upon the content of their vision. Both of them have horses. The red horse of the 1^st and the 8^th seems to be related. What it did in 1:7-11 seems to be the same for the other three horses here. Their role was to check the spiritual condition of the people of God and evaluate their spiritual condition. The 8^th vision concludes with good results as the LORD was pleased with what He saw. Zechariah 6:7-8 “And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.” [Emphasis added]

Pandan is so big now. Do you think we should decentralize into branch churches, such as in Punggol, for new couples? Isn't decentralization the B-P way to church growth? Are we becoming a megachurch?

Reply – Pandan is far from becoming a mega church. The word “mega” means “great.” By today’s standards, a mega church has to number into the tens of thousands, at least. Pandan is not even close. It is true that the B-P church has grown by decentralization. But a church ought not to decentralize for the sake of decentralization. Look at the present state of B-P churches. Most of them believe the Bible has mistakes. These churches have become neo-evangelical in their beliefs and practices and have fallen by the way side. It is important that good men, who are theologically trained and are called, are prepared by the Lord before such a step can be contemplated. To start a ministry or a church is easy, but to sustain it for many years is very difficult. Much prayer and seeking of God’s will are required before such a step can even be considered.

If it is God's will and the Lord tarries, decentralization is a good biblical principle to observe.

If someone believes that preservation is in the Textus Receptus, but not specifically in the Scrivener edition e.g. the Stephanus edition, can he serve in our church? Can he teach?

Reply – The Stephanus edition was one of the Greek manuscripts that the KJV translators used as they studied all the Greek texts available to identify the inspired words of the Greek NT for us. It can also be said to be the primary text that they used. “Robert Estienne (known as Stephanus) (1503-1559) edited and printed four editions from 1546 to 1551. His third edition of 1550 was the first to have a critical apparatus, with references to the Complutensian Polyglot and fifteen additional Greek manuscripts. The fourth edition of 1551 had the same Greek text as the third, but was especially noteworthy for its division of the NT books into chapters and verses, a system still in use today. Theodore Beza (1519-1605) published four independent editions from 1565 to1604. His text was essentially a reprinting of Stephanus’ third edition (1550) with minor changes. The third edition of Stephanus (1550) became the standard form of the Greek NT text in England and that of the Elzevirs (1633) on the continent. The Stephanus 1550 text as given in Beza’s edition of 1598 was the main source for translators of the 1611 King James Version of the Bible.” [https://www.theopedia.com/textus-receptus]

The Textus Receptus refers to the entire Greek text underlying the KJV whereas the Stephanus edition is one of many Greek manuscripts, which means that there are differences. It is not be the same as the Textus Receptus.

Therefore when the person who rejects the Textus Receptus, and believes in the Stephanus edition as the inspired and preserved Greek texts, teaches the Word of God, potential problems will soon arise because of these differences. It is therefore not wise to allow this potential disunity to arise in the church. To my knowledge there is no translation of the English Bible that is based upon the Stephanus edition that is in print today.

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew, Pastor