Eld Lee Kong Sing

The Church Membership Vow

When an individual seeks baptism, transfer or reaffirmation in CPBPC, the individual is required to take the membership vow. The membership vow is made publicly unto God and before the congregation as witnesses. God’s Word teaches us that making a vow unto God is a very serious undertaking and comes with it a very serious warning. Taking a vow unto the Lord, which includes the membership vow, must not be done unadvisedly or carelessly. As under-shepherds of the flock, church leaders are duty bound to remind and caution all who seek baptism, which includes infant baptism, transfer or reaffirmation, to soberly and carefully consider the significance of taking the membership vow before taking it. If one is already a member of CPBPC and has taken the membership vow, then he is exhorted to fulfil it fully as unto the Lord. If making a vow with man, whether it be in business or for personal purposes, and subsequently breaking it and leading one into much trouble even possibly imprisonment, what more a vow made unto the Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, the all-knowing and all-powerful God?

Deuteronomy 23:21–23

[21] When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 

[22] But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

[23] That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

Verse 21 teaches that if a vow is made unto the Lord, the LORD will surely require of it to be kept. Failing to keep it is a sin against the LORD. There are no exceptions by which one may be exempted from keeping the membership vow once it has been made unless one ceases to be a member. For instance, one cannot subsequently say that he didn’t know what he was doing or he made the vow foolishly or in ignorance and did not actually mean to make the vow. Nor can one say that one did not fully understand or misunderstood the contents of the vow when he took it and therefore the vow cannot hold. Nor can one say that he did not realise the seriousness and gravity of taking a vow unto the Lord until now and would not have taken it if he had known. 

Verse 22 teaches it is not a sin to abstain from taking a vow. If one chooses not to make a vow unto the Lord, one need not subject oneself under the obligation of keeping it and sinning against God. One should never feel compelled to take a vow. If one is not prepared to take a vow unto the Lord, he should not do so. 

Understanding the teaching of Deuteronomy 23:21-23, one must recognise the gravity of taking the membership vow which is a vow unto God and the serious consequences of subsequently failing to keep it. Remember the fear of the Lord God. If a believer intends to become a member of CPBPC, we exhort him to do all diligence to prepare himself so that if he should take the membership vow, he may do so rightly, with understanding and not foolishly. 

Firstly, he must fully understand the meaning and significance of taking a vow unto God as taught from God’s Word and the consequences of breaking it. He must approach vow taking with the fear of God in his heart, understanding the weightiness of such an undertaking and his accountability to God upon taking the vow. To break the vow is to shame the Lord Jesus Christ because every professing Christian is a witness for Christ. When he breaks it, he sends a message that Christ also breaks His Word and therefore the Bible cannot be trusted since the Bible is the very Word of God! 

Next, he must carefully examine the content of the membership vow and ensure that he fully understands it and its implications and agrees with it. If he does not agree with what is required in the vow, he must abstain from taking the vow. By not taking the membership vow it means he will not be accorded the privileges of church membership. However, it is far better to not make the vow than to make it unto the Lord and subsequently break it and sin against God. 

For Believer’s Baptism, the candidate must be prepared to make two confessions and three vows:

1. Do you acknowledge before God and his congregation that as a child of Adam, you are a sinner, lost and undone, that apart from the saving grace of the Lord Jesus, you are lost and doomed to Hell?

By answering “yes”, the believer is making a public confession that he is a sinner and accepts the shame that is associated with this fact.  He admits to his guilt in that he has broken God’s commandments both in thought and/or in deed. Furthermore, he acknowledges that only the Lord Jesus Christ is able save him by washing away his sins and making him pure and accepted before a thrice holy God and that without Christ, he is lost and doomed to eternal damnation in hell.  

2. Do you confess the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of the world and your Saviour in particular?

By answering “yes”, the believer publicly confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world and there is none other. In addition, Christ is not only the Saviour of the world but his personal Lord and Saviour. He acknowledges that God, out of His great love and mercy for him, elected him before the foundation of the world and saved him by the sacrificial blood of Christ.   

3. Do you knowingly give up all your sinful habits and promise by God's grace to live unto righteousness according to God's Word?

By answering “yes”, the believer is not promising to live a perfect life because believers indeed cannot until they are glorified. Instead, it is a promise to live a holy life which means to refrain from sinning and to seek to live a righteous life according to God’s Word. If the believer commits a sin and it is pointed out to him, he should be remorseful and quickly come to repentance, seeking to be restored unto God as soon as possible. The individual who made this vow and knowingly lives in sin, refusing to repent even when it is pointed out to him, has broken his vow unto God. 

4. Do you promise to be regular in reading your Bible and in prayer, in the worship service and the support of this church?

By taking this vow, one promises to maintain a healthy spiritual life by continuing to study God’s Word without fail, to attend worship service regularly and support CPBPC in the form of tithes and offerings, service in church and prayer. This includes ensuring he maintains his Quiet Time with God and availing himself to Bible Studies and other means whereby he may faithfully study God’s Word and grow spiritually. 

5. As you are joined to this church, do you promise to keep the purity, peace and unity of this church, meaning to say, you will not disrupt the order of this church by introducing false doctrines, by disobeying regulations and Constitutions or by creating disharmony amongst the members?

By taking this vow, one promises to keep the peace, harmony and unity of the church by not disrupting the order of the church. Disruption to the church is caused when one introduces false doctrines or when one disobeys the regulations and Constitution of the church or creates disharmony amongst its members by sowing seeds of discord. There are several implications to this vow:

Firstly, by taking this vow, one must fully agree with the doctrinal stand of CPBPC. The doctrines of CPBPC are found in its Constitution. Before one can determine if he agrees with it, one must firstly understand what it means and determine for himself whether what is held is in accordance with God’s Word. If one cannot agree with any part of it, it would be against one’s conscience to obey it and he cannot take the vow. The purpose of the Basic Bible Knowledge (BBK) class is to ensure that candidates are fully taught the doctrines of the church prior to baptism, transfer of membership or affirmation. Every candidate is required to complete all 20 lessons of the BBK. As the candidate undergoes the lessons and has the intention to take the membership vow, he must ensure that he not only understands the doctrinal stand of CPBPC but he must also agree with it. If he cannot understand, he must seek to understand.  If he is unable to understand despite his best efforts, he should not proceed to take the membership vow because he cannot agree to what he cannot understand. To do so is foolishness. If he cannot agree with the doctrinal stand of CPBPC, he must refrain from taking the vow because the vow requires him to agree with the stand.  

Secondly, one must agree with the regulations and Constitution of CPBPC. God’s Word, as found in the Bible, is the final and supreme authority for the conduct of the believer. The basis for the regulations and doctrinal statements found in the Constitution of CPBPC is the Bible. The Constitution is derived from biblical principles and teachings as revealed in God’s Word. Although the Constitution was composed by the hand of man, it cannot be said to be “man-made”. To say it is man-made means it was written based on the ideas of man and the world which are sinful and corrupt and never constant. If a believer says he agrees with the regulations and Constitution of CPBPC it means he has done all due diligence to ensure that he is completely satisfied with every clause and sub-clause of the Constitution and that it is consistent with God’s Word. If upon studying the doctrines of the church and its Constitution one finds that he cannot agree with any clause or sub clause, it means he cannot in good conscience take the vow to obey it. One cannot obey what he does not agree with. Therefore, such an individual should not take the membership vow unto God. 

To have a disagreement does not necessarily make one guilty of causing disunity. One’s views can change with time and he may no longer hold to his initial views when he first became a member. The church cannot force its view upon the individual against his conscience. Under such circumstances, the individual should reconsider his membership now that he finds himself unable to agree with the doctrinal stand of the church. However, it is a different matter when one who is in disagreement with the regulations or Constitution of the church, takes the additional step of causing others to adopt his stand. This is wrong. In so doing, such a person has committed the serious sin of sowing discord among brethren which according to God’s Word in Proverbs 6:16-19 is condemned as an abomination before God. By taking the membership vow, one has promised not to cause disunity or discord so long as he is a member of CPBPC.  If he changes his view down the road, he is still bound by the vow he has taken and should not cause disunity in the church.  

6. Do you promise to obey the leaders whom God has set over this church as well as be subject to their discipline?

In answering “yes”, one is vowing to God to submit to the leaders of the church as God’s anointed. If for any reason the leaders in obeying God’s Word must discipline an unrepentant errant member, the member must not resist the discipline but submit to it. This vow should be taken sincerely and in truth as unto God, not unto man. God knows the hearts of man. 

Some are resistant to the idea of submission to human leaders. The argument is that man is fallible and while they are willing to submit to God, they are not willing to do so to man.  Such an argument forgets the fact that submission to the leaders of the church is in itself required by God in His Word. Hebrews 13:17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” It is in God’s will and appointment for the order and governance of the local church. Submitting to leaders whom God has appointed is in fact required by God (cf. Romans 13:1-7; 1Peter 2:13-15). One must agree with this because the membership vow requires this and thus the candidate must be willing and prepared to submit to its requirements as taught in God’s Word. 

All said, does the membership vow seem grievous or burdensome to you? Do you find it too much to bear? This should not be. The membership vow and its contents are nothing more than the restating of God’s will for believers. The vow is biblical and consistent with what God requires as revealed in His Word. To say it is grievous means God’s Word and will is grievous to you as well. The membership vow is therefore not burdensome but is in fact a means of grace given to us by God to help believers in our walk with God. It is a vow that is pleasing unto God and beneficial to the believer and should be taken with much joy and blessing. It is difficult only to those who plan to disobey. Is the death penalty for the distribution of drugs in Singapore a grievous law? Only to those who plan to break defy and the law. 

In summary, to become a member of CPBPC, one must take the membership vow. The membership vow is taken before God. God’s Word warns us of the gravity of taking such a vow before Him and the consequences of breaking such a vow. If one does not take the membership vow, it is not a sin. If one cannot agree with the requirements of the vow, he need not take the vow. Although church membership and its privileges thus cannot be extended to him, it is better than to take the vow before God knowing he cannot keep it, which is a sin. Because of the seriousness of taking a vow before God, one must then do all that is necessary to ensure that the vow is not taken in ignorance, carelessly or foolishly. If one has already taken the vow of membership before God, he must then be diligent to keep it fully and faithfully remembering that if he breaks it, it is a sin unto him and he must account for it before God. The membership vow is not grievous; instead it is a means of grace that is intended to help the believer grow spiritually. 

To those who are contemplating membership please do so prayerfully, soberly, with understanding, and recognising the seriousness and gravity of what it entails. If one is already a member, be sure to keep the membership vow fully and faithfully as unto the Lord, recognising that failure to do so is a sin unto the Lord. Another passage of the Bible on keeping vows is Ecclesiastes 5:2-6 “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. 4 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?”

May God help us to faithfully keep the vows we have taken before Him. Amen.