Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

NEUTRAL on the Doctrine of VPP?

There are some professing Christians, elders and pastors who think that they can be neutral on the doctrine of VPP and that they are right with God! They have never been more wrong in their lives. Hiding behind "I am neutral" is as safe as a man holding a 1 mm thick shield of ice against flames of 1000 degree centigrade approaching him at break neck speed! God will not let such professing believers escape His wrath for failing Him in the defence of God's Word. Let us examine some possible reasons why these "professors" cling on to this notion of "I am neutral" and think that they are safe in God’s eyes. Before we do so, it is important that we are on the same page in our understanding of the doctrine of Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP). There are too many distortions initiated and circulated by the enemies of the Bible and God, whose agenda is to muddy the waters so that undiscerning believers are duped into believing that their attack on the Bible is of God when in reality it is of the evil one. Those who defend the perfect Bible must understand the doctrine of VPP well; otherwise they can do more harm than good when they defend the perfect Bible wrongly. There are enemies of the Bible who are like their master who is a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour! They cannot wait to pounce on the errors made by the defenders of the doctrine of VPP, albeit they may be doing so sincerely but ignorantly.

The doctrine of VPP explained – The doctrine of VPP is always about the Word of God in the original languages that God has inspired. The Bible was inspired by God in the languages of Hebrew and some portions in Aramaic (Daniel 2:4b-7:28; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26) for the Old Testament and Koine Greek for the New Testament. The Word of God was inspired perfectly. The doctrine of inspiration came under attack in the early 1900's. The attackers include arguments such as the mistakes are only in numbers, and in the names of places and people but not in spiritual matters. The salvation doctrine is not affected by these mistakes. These mistakes are minor and constitute only a small percentage of the entire Bible. They also claim to believe in the doctrine of inspiration but a doctrine of inspiration with these alleged errors! Thank God for the fundamentalists whom He raised up in those days who defended the doctrine of inspiration. They believed in the Word of God as being inspired in its entirety and not some parts less or more. There is no such thing as partial inspiration. The Word of God is either inspired or it is not! In order to defend God's perfect Bible and educate the believers, these godly and courageous fundamentalists defended the perfect Bible by coining the term verbal plenary inspiration (VPI). This means that all the words are inspired by God perfectly. The Bible text that supports this doctrine is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV), "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." The attack failed, the fundamentalists prevailed and many churches were strengthened by the grace of God.

Today the attack is also on the perfect Bible. But this time the attack is more deadly. These professing believers include theologians, elders and pastors like in the past; their attack is subtle because they also claim to believe in verbal plenary inspiration. In the same breath, they also believe and teach that they do not believe that God has preserved His inspired Word and therefore the Bible today has mistakes. According to them, "these mistakes are minor and they are found only in numbers, and names of people and places. These mistakes contribute a small percentage of the whole Bible and they do not affect your salvation!" Does their reasoning sound familiar? Borrowing the same acronym used by the fundamentalists, the defenders of the perfect Bible today coined the term "verbal plenary preservation". This is a companion doctrine to the VPI doctrine. The Bible texts to support the VPP doctrine include

Psalm 19:7 (KJV), "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."

Psalm 12:6-7 (KJV), "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

And Matthew 5:17-18 (KJV), "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 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."

There are more verses defending the doctrine of preservation than the doctrine of inspiration. It appears as if our good and omniscient heavenly Father knew that this attack would occur in the last days and prepared His children with numerous verses to defend His truth against this insidious attack! Since the doctrine of VPP is not about a translation but about the perfectly inspired Word of God, every truly born again believer must subscribe to this God honouring doctrine. The Hebrew and Greek Bible that God had inspired and preserved perfectly is the Hebrew and Greek Bible from which the King James Bible was translated from. This Hebrew and Greek Bible is still printed today by the Trinitarian Bible Society. FEBC uses this Bible to teach their students the Hebrew and Greek language.

The doctrines of verbal plenary inspiration and verbal plenary preservation began at the same time. The moment the first word of the Word of God was inspired, preservation was in effect. Both acts of inspiration and preservation are done by God. God used man to inspire and preserve His perfect Word but it was God alone who did them all. He did them perfectly throughout the ages regardless of the imperfections in man. When inspiration stopped after more than 1,500 years from the time of Moses (whom God inspired to write the Book of Genesis) to the time of John (whom God inspired to write the Book of Revelation), preservation continued on till today. The perfect Word of God was available to all generations of man throughout man's existence from the beginning of time. There was no time on earth when the perfect Word of God was not present! Today, this perfect Word of God has been translated into hundreds of languages because God saved people of all languages and cultures and nations unto Himself through Jesus Christ. These believers need to read and know the Word of God after salvation in order to witness for Christ by living a holy life. Since they do not read Hebrew and Greek, they need the perfect Bible to be translated to their respective language so that they can do the work of Christ. It must be noted that all believers of any language have the foundation of their faith in the perfect Bible, i.e. in the original languages and not in a translation. The reality is that when the first sinner in any language accepts Christ as his Lord and Saviour, other than Hebrew and Greek, he will not have a translation of the Bible in his language yet. But he believes in Christ when the gospel is preached to him. His faith in Christ is based upon the perfect Bible that he cannot read. He waits for the Bible to be translated into his language before he can read God's Word. It does not matter if the translation is only one verse or one book or only the New Testament. His faith is not in a translation but in the perfect Hebrew and Greek Bible. For example, when the first English believer accepted Christ there was no English translation and definitely no King James Bible. His faith was based upon the perfect Hebrew and Greek Bible. This is true of all believers of all languages and culture. That is why the doctrine of VPP is for all believers to defend. Not to do so is to sin against God and Jesus Christ.

These modern attackers of God's Word begin by agreeing with fundamentalists that God has inspired His Word perfectly; but, deceptively, they add that the Bible has mistakes today! They speak with forked tongues. Sadly, many professing believers believe these attackers of the perfect Bible. They follow them like the blind following the blind. How tragic that today's professing believers are not discerning enough to take the side of truth and righteousness! How can any believer not know that the doctrine of the perfect Bible (VPP) is a sound and God honouring doctrine and that believing that the Bible has mistakes (non-VPP) is an anti-God and anti-Christian doctrine? This is beyond human reasoning! Indeed, we wrestle against principalities and not flesh and blood (cf. Ephesians 6:12)!

There are three groups of professing believers concerning this doctrine of VPP. They are: the defenders of the VPP; the deniers of the VPP; and the don't-care about VPP or the neutral.

The neutral position evaluated – Neutrality is not a biblical position when it comes to the doctrine of VPP. Neutrality in this instance is a position of subtle deception to those who adopt it, whether they did so knowingly or unknowingly. It remains a deadly and very dangerous position which believers, especially leaders in God honouring churches, must avoid at all costs. It would be to their peril as well as their congregation's otherwise. How can a professing believer, not to mention a pastor or elder, say "I am neutral" on the issue of whether the Bible is perfect or has mistakes? The result is foolishness to the point of stupidity! When these "neutral" professing Christian leaders are asked by their members whether the Bible (Hebrew and Greek) they claim to believe in is perfect or not, they will have to say they do not know! If they do not know, then why are they in the leadership looking after the flock of Christ whose only faith and foundation is based entirely on the Bible. This is how ludicrous the "neutral" position on the doctrine of VPP, i.e. the perfect Bible, is! Let us evaluate their possible reasoning against the Word of God to see if they can hold any water.

* It has nothing to do with me since I don't use the King James Bible – The doctrine of VPP is not about the KJV as these attackers of the VPP have caricatured. However, there are those who have, in the course of defending the perfect Bible, over-stated their position and referred to the preservation of the Bible with reference to the KJV. This sad and tragic defence of the doctrine of the perfect Bible has done more harm than good in the cause of Christ. Whether deliberately or not, these defenders of the perfect Bible have missed the point; for the inspiration and preservation of the perfect Bible is NEVER about the KJV or any other translation. It is the Bible or Word of God in the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. These errors of the defenders of the perfect Bible have lent legitimate ammunition to the attackers of the perfect Bible in their caricature of the doctrine of VPP.

Nevertheless, we must continue to fight on. Since the attack on the doctrine of VPP is on the perfect Bible in the original languages and the very foundation of all our doctrines and faith, it is every truly born again believer's concern. No born again believer has the right to say that it has nothing to do with him. His Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is under attack when the Word of God is attacked. The written Word of God is Christ's very Word. To attack His Word is to attack the person of Christ. How can the believer, who says that Christ died for him and rose for his justification, not defend His Lord and Master when He is attacked by His enemies?! To be neutral for this reason is unconscionable!

* I am friendly to both camps – These are the men pleasers. They like the praises of man more than the praises of God. To seek after the praises of man is the hallmark of neo-evangelicals. They will say the right things when they speak to a fundamentalist so that the fundamentalist will think that they are on his side and the side of God. The neo-evangelicals will also speak what the attackers of the perfect Bible want to hear so that the latter will think that they are on their side. They will be liked by both sides. They have "no" enemies on earth, for they are accepted by both opposing camps.

By living in this manner to please man, they have never been more wrong! The Bible makes this very clear in 2 Corinthians 6:15-18 (KJV), "And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 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. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." The One the neo-evangelicals should be most concerned with is not man but God Almighty. He is neither mocked nor deceived by these compromisers. They might be "loved" by both sides but they are hated by God, and God is the only side that matters for eternity! If you are neutral because you want to be liked by man, then beware the wrath of God.

* I just don't want to take a stand as this doctrine is divisive – It is true that there are bad divisions in churches because these divisions are based upon sinful reasons. But the division that is based upon the Truth of Christ is a good kind of division. Truth in and of Christ is always divisive. The gospel of Jesus Christ is by nature divisive. Jesus made this abundantly clear when He taught His disciples this amazing truth in Luke 12:51-53 (KJV), "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." And also in Matthew 10:28-36 (KJV), "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household."

The reason for this division is because the world is in sin and error. When the absolute and perfect Truth of Christ is revealed to sinners, they react in anger and they will resist this truth. It is just like darkness hating light. When light shines, darkness disappears. The Truth of Christ is the spiritual light that shines into the deepest darkness that is in this world and in the souls of man. The world owned by Satan hates it because the Truth of Christ exposes his deceptions and lies. He hates Christ and the Truth of Christ which is the perfect Word of God. Sinners also hate Christ and His Truth because they love darkness. This darkness hides their many sins and iniquities. The Truth of Christ exposes the sinful nature in all sinners. They are convicted of their transgressions against God. Those who repent love it and turn to Christ as their Saviour and Lord. They love the light. However, the ones who reject this light of Christ that shines into their sinful hearts will hate the messenger of this light of Christ. This is how the Truth of Christ always brings division. But this division is good as it exposes errors and separates the children of light from the children of darkness who pretend to be light. That is why the doctrine of VPP is very needful to expose the darkness that resides in the ones who masquerade as believers in every church. Therefore, if your reason for neutrality and for not holding on to the doctrine of VPP is that you do not want to be divisive, be warned; you could very well belong to darkness rather than light! This will be revealed when the Lord returns or when you die. Repent and defend the doctrine of VPP with all your heart now while there is still breath in your nostrils.

* I am scared of being disliked or hated – This final reason is perhaps the most pitiful of all the reasons for being neutral. There are those who run away and hide in churches that do not deal with this issue. They sincerely believe that if they are in an environment of "ignorance", their neutrality will not be real. This is delusion. Once this doctrine is made known to the professing believer, he cannot run and hide. How does he run from himself? The knowledge of the truth is already made known to him and he knows he has to make a decision. If he cares for himself and his "face" and "name" more than for the honour of Christ when the Words of Christ are attacked and he keeps silent, then he is not worthy of Christ. This is what Jesus Christ says to these people in Matthew 10:37-40 (KJV), "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."

Unless the professing believer learns to die to self, he will not stand up for Christ when he needs to do so. The attack on the perfect Bible is such a time when he has to step up and defend God's truth. There are pastors and elders who would defend their "name" at the drop of the hat when it is "smeared", even in the slightest. But when the Word of God is attacked, they keep silent and take the neutral stand. These who profess to know Christ should take heed that Christ does not take this kind of cowardice lightly. Do they not know that believing in their silly names will not bring anyone to heaven? To attack the Word of God is to attack the Name of Christ! If you are neutral because you want to be liked, then check your salvation because you could very well be not born again! You have yet to surrender your life to Christ!

Conclusion – There is no neutrality in the cause of Christ. Jesus taught this in Matthew 12:30 (KJV), "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." All believers are commanded to take sides. This is what fighting God's battle demands. It is every believer's duty to make sure that he chooses the right side and not the side of the Devil. The Bible will always be the only guide to help him make the right decision. The doctrine of the perfect Bible is the doctrine of VPI and VPP. The Bible is perfect because God is perfect. Those who take the neutral stand would have to be unbelievers. Unbelievers could not care less if the Bible is perfect or not because they do not care for Christ and His sacrifice! They do not read the Bible. To be neutral is to be against Christ. Professing Christians who take the neutral stand are worse than those who openly attack the Bible and say that they believe the Bible has mistakes. Those who are neutral and call themselves Christians are attacking the Bible covertly; they are as messengers of light but are wolves in sheep's clothing! Silence in the face of attacks on the perfect Bible is as good as an attack. May God open the eyes of those who say they are believers so that they will know that there is no neutrality in the defence of God's perfect Bible. Either they are for Christ openly defending His perfect Bible or they are against Him. Amen.