Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

Salvation is of the LORD!

Lamentations 3:26 (KJV) "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."

There is no truth that comforts the heart of sinful man more than this doctrine: that the salvation of all sinners, regardless of how great their sins are, is of the LORD. In the context of the Book of Lamentations, Judah had just been destroyed by the Babylonians as the LORD had prophesied. The reason for the destruction was their sins of un-repentance and repeated idolatry for generations.

As part of the covenant made between the LORD and Judah and Israel, the LORD had every right to put Israel and Judah into exile if they did not repent of their sins. The LORD gave Judah and Israel hundreds of years to repent but Israel kept on rebelling against God in the Promised Land, thus losing their holy witness for Christ to a world that was dying in sin. The LORD had to exile Judah and Israel for they were leading many to hell; they were pointing Gentile nations to idols rather than to Christ. Jeremiah the prophet wrote Lamentations as an eye witness of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon. He acknowledged before God that Judah and Israel deserved to be completely destroyed because of their many sins; yet the LORD was merciful, for Judah and Israel were not totally destroyed and the exile was not permanent but for only 70 years. Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3:22-25 (KJV), "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him." Based upon this context of the LORD's mercies, Jeremiah humbly confessed that salvation is of the LORD. Judah and Israel will return to the Promised Land. Although the salvation here is not about heaven and hell, the application is the same in terms of deliverance. Whether the deliverance is from physical or spiritual bondage, bondage and salvation are always from the LORD in both cases.

The LORD is able to save anyone He chooses to save. This is the great power of God. It is His sovereign will and it is never up to man. If any man were to ask why then did God not save all men? The answer to that question is given by God Himself in Romans 9:15-24 (KJV),
"For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"
This truth is most reassuring for many wonderful reasons.

All can be saved! -- One reason is that there is no sinner whose sins are so heinous that he cannot be saved by the grace of God. The doctrine of total depravity in all mankind means that just because a person has never been to prison, it does mean that in the eyes of God he is not totally depraved, compared to his neighbour who is on death row for multiple murders. God’s spiritual perspective of mankind is not the same as man's perspective. The sons and daughters of Adam are conceived and born in sin. There is no exception. Jesus Christ was not born of the sons of Adam but was born of the virgin Mary. Jesus Christ was born perfect and without sin.

When the gospel of Christ is shared with a sinner, God will take the gospel through the working of the Holy Spirit and bring conviction to the heart of the sinner; the sinner is convicted and turns to Jesus Christ by faith and accepts Him as his Lord and Saviour. This is salvation. The gospel of Christ and the Holy Spirit must come together at the same time for salvation to be effected in the heart of the sinner. Without the gospel or the Holy Spirit's working there is no salvation!

All can be witnessed to – The Bible tells us that the names of all the saints are written in the Book of Life. This knowledge of whose names are written in the Book of Life is known only to God. No man is given this privilege. That is why when an unbeliever who has been attending church regularly, and hears about the doctrine of election, and uses this "knowledge" against God by saying that he cannot believe because God has not elected or chosen him, it is foolishness. No one has seen the Book of Life. For this unbeliever to say that he has not been elected by God implies that he has actually seen the Book of Life! This is not only ridiculous but also extremely arrogant because he is claiming to have been given the privilege as an unbeliever to look into the Book of Life by God when he says that he has not been elected! This distortion of God's truth by this foolish unbeliever thus seals his own outcome and he will soon die in his manifold sins and find himself in hell!

All sinners can and must be witnessed to. As far as the believer who obeys God in the Great Commission is concerned, there is no one who cannot be saved. He must go out and share the gospel to everyone and everywhere without distinction or prejudice. If the person does not want the gospel, then the believer is to walk away. This was what Jesus said to His disciples when He sent them out two by two in Luke 10:1-16 (KJV),

"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me." [Emphasis added]

The rejection of the gospel of Christ is a serious one. Believers must demonstrate the foolishness of the unbeliever's rejection by a gesture of disapproval. When the gospel is shared with a sinner, in essence the kingdom of heaven is brought near to that sinner. All he needs to do is to humble himself and receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour by admitting that he is a sinner bound for death and hell, and to plead with God in earnest repentance and humility, and receive Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. If he does this with his heart he will be saved. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-11 (KJV), "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." He will enter into the kingdom of heaven immediately. However, when he spurns God's love and Christ’s sacrifice, he spurns the kingdom of heaven away, and what is left for such a poor sinner is Hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire.

All believers must go and bring the gospel to all – The Great Commission is Christ’s command to all believers to go and share the gospel to the whole world. This is not a specialised ministry reserved for only the pastor or evangelists which some misguided teachers and pastors have told their followers. This kind of lies will numb the conscience of the followers so that when they do not share the gospel, they do not feel bad and the Holy Spirit will no longer convict them anymore, assuming they are born again in the first place! Churches with such pastors and teachers will die a natural death. The truth that salvation is of the LORD will push every truly born again believer to tell the world about Christ! This is the power of the gospel that saves, as the great apostle Paul aptly and concisely defined in 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 (KJV), "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." [Emphasis added] When the believer goes out into the world, he brings with him the gospel that saves! The sinners around the believer are now brought near the kingdom of God which he was far from. 

All saved by prayer – All believers know that salvation is of the LORD even though they have to bring the message of the gospel and urge all sinners to believe and accept. Yet the One who saves is the LORD. Every stich of the garment of salvation comes from the LORD. This is the mystery of salvation. The Great Commission commands all believers to bring the gospel to the world and to do their best to share and live a holy life. Yet, without God's saving grace the sinner cannot be saved. Thank God that He alone chooses who will be saved and it is never up to man. This is the domain of the all merciful and sovereign God. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy! All believers must pray to the LORD even as they witness, for salvation is always God’s prerogative alone. Whatever the outcome of witnessing, believers will just trust in the LORD to save, always pleading for God's mercy upon the ones they witness to. When salvation takes place, the LORD alone will get the glory and all the praise because believers know that they are only the instrument in the Master's hand. Amen.

Below is a testimony written by Valerie Jane Pereira, daughter of Mr John Pereira whom the LORD called Home to glory on 18 May 2016. In this testimony we see the hand of God at work through so many people. The LORD brought the gospel to Mr Pereira through His appointed channels over a long period of time, and finally in God's time and by His grace and mercy He saved Mr Pereira! Please read the testimony below for your encouragement and hopefully it will spur you on to witness for Christ with renewed zeal, hope and fervency till Christ’s return.

"Today at noon, as I stood by the burial plot, watching numbly the entire burial process- from the lowering of the coffin, to the filling of the grave, to the compacting of the soil, I began to feel strangely calm. I suddenly fully understood and appreciated the acute chain of events over the last 6 months that led to my father’s salvation and baptism.

"Many of you know that my mum has been instrumental in tirelessly and almost relentlessly witnessing to my father over the last 30 years. And many of you have continued to pray committedly for my father’s salvation at Prayer Meetings. These have certainly set the foundation stones for my father’s salvation, for which I am truly grateful. Not many of you, however, know the ‘acute’ events that finally led to his salvation and baptism.
"My father has a long medical history of strokes and resulting vascular dementia. Towards the end of last year, my father had two cardiac arrests, the second whilst recovering in hospital, necessitating CPR and life support. We were advised against further medical intervention but at the sight of a glimmer of hope, we asked the doctors to intervene. At this admission, my father remained in hospital for almost two months.

"It was during this difficult period of time that we were introduced to Elder Tan Nee Keng. My father, being a very gentle person, took to Elder Tan’s gentle yet firm approach immediately. Even amidst acquired delirium and dementia, he was always able to recognise Elder Tan and would wave and smile at him. Needless to say, God sent the right person to witness to my father. He accepted Christ as his Lord and personal saviour. However, my father did not want to be baptised. I now understand why God continued to preserve his life. His life journey was yet to be completed.

"The surgery was a 'success' without any of the complications we were warned about. My father recovered well, relatively, although we knew in our hearts it was only a matter of time as his heart had weakened significantly. During this recovery period, Senior Pastor Dr Tow made a very special visit to my parents’ home to see my father. He played a crucial role in continuing to further witness to my father. Both my father and mother were touched by Senior Pastor Dr Tow’s visit and the Lord must have further opened my father’s heart.

"When my father contracted pneumonia last Tuesday coupled with a heart attack whilst waiting at A and E, my mother knew in her heart of hearts that his time may be up. She called me immediately and I flew back to Singapore. My father’s condition deteriorated very quickly and he was placed on comfort care. Although he was fast becoming very weak, it was obvious my father was aware as to what was happening. Moments in the day, he had tears streaming down the sides of his closed eyes. On Sunday, 15th of May, Rev Quek Suan Yew, Elder Chew Chong Kiat and Brother James Fu came and baptised my father. By God's grace, my father was still able to acknowledge what was going on by nodding his head.

"My father’s condition deteriorated further and on Wednesday (18/5) he passed away at 2.02am. Both my mum and I were by his side when it happened. We saw his struggle the two hours prior to his passing and much as we could not let him go and did not want to let him go, we knew we had to and there was no more reason to keep him on this earth. His journey was now complete. We are comforted by the knowledge and assurance that my father is with the Lord.

"We were blessed with two very special Vigil services and the Home-going service by Preacher Ko Ling Kang and his team, including Brother Eric. His preaching and words were a great source of comfort to not only us but friends and family members. We were completely overwhelmed and touched by the attendance and participation of Senior Pastor Dr Tow, who made the closing prayer, Mrs Quek Suan Yew, Mrs Tan Nee Keng, Elder Chew Chong Kiat and all the church members who came and comforted us, and finally, the Men’s Choir and Church Choir who touched us with their beautiful voices and singing.
"Thank you all so very much."