Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

 

Final Questions from CPBPC's Church Camp 2016

1) Please elaborate suffering for Christ includes old age/aging.

When a believer is saved, he is able and permitted by God to enter heaven immediately. However, he is left behind by God with a high purpose. That purpose is to be a witness for Christ. As the believer witnesses on earth he is required to suffer for Christ. This suffering would include all the aches and pains that he endures from the time of his salvation to the day he is called home to glory. This suffering is to strengthen his faith in Christ. James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." His witness will become stronger, for when the believer is weak then will he be strong in Christ.

 

Therefore all kinds of suffering including the aches and pains that come with aging belong to this category of suffering for Christ since the believer’s witness for Christ ends only when He takes the believer home.

 

2) Can you explain why when a believer suffers not due to any transgressions, then he is suffering for Christ? Is it also that God is making and moulding him? e.g. losing job, poor health, difficult circumstances at home & places of work?

When the believer is in sin, he will suffering for the sin he has committed. For example, when the believer steals, he will be sent to prison for theft. He is punished for stealing. He is suffering in prison for stealing. When Apostle Paul was sent to prison for preaching the gospel of Christ, he was suffering for Christ. He was sent to prison for preaching the words of Christ. 1 Peter 2:20 "For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."

 

When a believer is suffering for Christ, he is definitely being moulded by God to become more Christ-like. It is also meant to keep His children humble so that they will not sin against Him. This was Apostle Paul’s personal testimony in 2 Corinthians 12:7 "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure."

 

3) Given that Salvation is of the LORD, why should parents be held ‘accountable’ if their children ultimately go astray/ are not saved, like parents who do as much as they can spiritually – 1 stay at home spouse & spiritual parents – as well as parents who may focus less on spiritual parenting?

Salvation is definitely of the LORD but that does not excuse anyone, especially parents, from bringing their children up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Similarly, salvation is of the Lord does not mean that we do not go out and preach the gospel! All believers are to live holy lives and love one another in Christ according to Holy Scriptures to show the world that God loves sinners and sent Christ to die for sinners, especially Christian parents to their children! When Christian parents are wayward and stumble their children, God will hold them responsible for their sin and for stumbling their children! God has given to Christian parents the promise that when they hide God’s Word in the hearts of their children who are brought up in a godly home, they will not depart from the faith. Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Children listen and obey everything that parents teach them from birth. When godly Christian parents pray with and for their children daily, they teach them the Word of God daily, they live holy lives as godly husbands and wives and godly parents, their children will definitely see Christ in their lives just as God promised in the Bible. Is Christ not a wonderful and good Saviour? He definitely is! Children who believe everything parents teach them will want to believe in the wonderful Saviour that they see daily in the lives of mom and dad!

 

But when parents are hypocrites and quarrel and do not forgive one another in the Lord, the children will see a terrible Christ! That is when they will despise Christ and the gospel of Christ!

 

It is the parents’ duty to bring the children up in the fear and nurture of the Lord and not anyone else. But how can a parent bring the child up if the parent is not at home! However, if the parent is home, the parent must be a godly parent. There are many parents who stay home but are wayward because they are not godly and do not pray with and teach the Word of God and the things of God to their children. Staying home is a good start. It is not the duty of the maid or uncle or grandparents but the parent’s duty to bring the child up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Those who do not obey the Word of God are derelict parents and the price they pay is that they will be a bad testimony to their children as they are not around to mould and shape them by teaching them the Word of God. Of course, if parents are not alive, then the grandparents or close relatives can take over this responsibility.

 

4) Does the Bible teach that mothers must stay at home fulltime and not work so that their children do not go astray – as per examples quoted yesterday? There are also cases where the child still did not turn out well. E.g. Cain (murderer) + Abel (righteous) – Eve was a full time mother.

The Bible teaches that a parent is responsible to bring the children up in the fear and nurture of the Lord. It could be either father or mother but in most cases it is the mother. In OT times, the fathers worked in the fields. From the book of Proverbs, we see an example of a working mother who is very good in business as well as looking after the home. But the fact of the matter is that she was home. A parent has to be at home to take care of the spiritual growth and well-being of the child and the most formative years are the early years which start from infancy. It could be a father or a mother but it has to be the parent, unless both parents are dead! The example of Cain, Abel and Eve is a poor choice because there is insufficient evidence to make the said conclusion. Look at the following Bible verses regarding parents and children:-

Proverbs 10:1, "The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother."

Proverbs 13:1, "A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke."

Proverbs 15:5, "A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent."

Proverbs 15:20, "A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother."

Proverbs 17:6, "Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers."

Proverbs 17:21, "He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy."

Proverbs 17:25, "A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him."

Proverbs 19:13, "A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping."

Proverbs 19:14, "House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD."

Proverbs 19:26, "He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach."

Proverbs 22:28, "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set."

Proverbs 23:22, "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old."

Proverbs 23:24-25, "The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice."

 

These few verses from the Book of Proverbs are just a few of many that teach the duty of fathers and mothers to their children and how parents’ testimony will impact them when they grow up! This is how strongly God regards the importance of parental duty in bringing up children. Why would Christian parents want to have children if they are not prepared to stay home to daily bring them up in the nurture of the Lord?

 

5) If one parent must stay at home can that parent be the father? Is that biblical?

It is either parent. The father decides as the head of the Christian home. The role of headship must be maintained in the Christian home.

 

6) How should we interpret Acts 15:20 with regard to eating meat with blood? E.g. medium rare steak, sashimi (raw fish), raw cockle, pork blood in yong tau foo.

Acts 15:20 says, "But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood." The teaching from the Bible is not to eat blood by itself whether cooked or uncooked. Idol worship involves the eating or drinking of blood. Cooked blood in food where the blood is part of the meat is not forbidden because it is impossible to drain every single drop of blood from any animal before consumption. Jehovah Witnesses believe that the eating of blood includes blood transfusion. Therefore they forbid their followers to have blood transfusion even in life threatening emergencies. This is definitely a wrong understanding of Acts 15:20!

 

7) On what grounds are we not supposed to eat meat offered to idols? 1 Cor 8 seems to indicate that we should not do so in order not to stumble brethren. But in the Day 3 message, it was mentioned that the sin has nothing to do with stumbling brethren. Which passage states that the act of eating meat offered to idols is itself a sin?

1 Corinthians 8, 9 and 10 must be understood together regarding the doctrine of food offered to idols.

When eating is permitted – There is only one living and true God and He is the heavenly Father of all true believers. Therefore all idols are false gods. This means that when food is offered to idols it is not actually offered to anyone or anything. The food is still just food. It is not contaminated at all. To acknowledge that the food is altered in anyway because it is offered to an idol is to acknowledge that the idol is a real god. Christians believe that only the food that is offered to the one living and true God is sacred, like the first fruits and tithes offered by God’s people in OT times. Anyone who ate these first fruits and tithes that had been offered to God would have transgressed because the offerings were sacred in the sight of God. He is real. The food had been actually offered to Him just like the tithes and offering of God’s people today. Therefore, if a believer eats food offered to idols unknowingly and then finds out later that the food had been offered to idols, he has not sinned. He does not need to repent. To say that he has sinned is to acknowledge that the idol is a real god. That would be wrong.

When eating is not permitted – When the believer knows that the food has already been offered to idols, he must not eat. The reasons are these:-

· What the believer eats or does not eat will not help him draw nearer to God or cause him to draw away from God;

· The liberty the believer has that permits him to eat must not be abused such that others are stumbled by his action. If believer A who is weak in faith sees believer B eat, and he also eats but he does not eat in faith, he thus sins against God in the process. Believer B who eats and causes the weak believer A to sin has also sinned;

· This sin is also a sin against Christ because the weak brother will now bear a bad testimony due to his eating with a weak faith. The name of Christ is shamed by the sinful action of the weak brother who is now stumbled;

· The liberty of every believer must always be curbed based upon the consideration of others, including unbelievers. He needs to live like a slave to everyone around him in matters that will not affect his walk with God. This is not limited to only food offered to idols but all foods.

· Whether in eating or drinking or other activities, the believer must do all things to the glory of God.

The passage is 1 Corinthians 8 to 10.

 

8) Concerning food offered to idols, can we consume halal food?

Halal food is not the same as food offered to idols whereby the object of idolatry is tangible and made of matter. Therefore, it is not a problem for believers to eat halal food.

 

9) Why is the Holy Spirit referred to as the "seven spirits of God"? Does God have 7 spirits?

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have different titles or names to describe them. These are for the purpose of identifying their ministries. For example, when the God is called the "almighty God", then we see that the next few verses will describe a mighty act of God. This is also true of Satan and believers who have different names. When Satan is called the devil, the emphasis is on his "diabolical slander." When he is called "Satan" the emphasis is that he is the "adversary." In the case of the believer, when he is described as a priest, the emphasis is on his mediatorial role as an intercessor. In the case of the Holy Spirit being described as Seven Spirits, it describes the completeness of His ministry.

 

10) In Rev 3:12, why does Christ have a new name? Why is the name new?

Revelation 3:12 "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." The new name is to highlight the wonderful climax of our salvation. When God saved Jacob God gave him a new name "Israel." God will give to all of us a wonderful new name to signify the apex of our salvation which is to be glorified. What that new name, i.e. new in terms of freshness, is remains to be seen.

 

11) Matt 26:39 – Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: "And he went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will." Question: What does this cup represent or symbolise?

The cup represents Christ’s premature death and not the cross. The problem of understanding the "cup" to refer to the cross would be implying that Christ wanted to change His mind and not go to the cross as the moment of arrest and crucifixion drew nigh. This is a very serious error to even contemplate! Christ knew that He was to go to the cross even before He became man. The Bible speaks of His complete willingness to go to the cross when he became man even to die. Philippians 2:5-8 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Christ would not back down at the last moment. Of course those who interpret the "cup" to refer to the cross would say that this was the human side of Christ that was manifested by his desire to change His mind. But the problem with this explanation is that Christ would then have to be explained throughout His life on earth as "one moment human and another moment God." This poses a serious problem. Christ is always God-Man. He lived and died on the cross always as the God-Man, and not one moment more God and the next more man. Another problem with this view is that Christ’s prayer would not be answered, for He prayed against the Father’s revealed will. Christ knew the Father’s will was to go to the cross. Of course the addition of "not my will but thine" does not excuse Christ for deliberately praying against the Father’s will. Those who hold to this interpretation could be teaching believers to also do the same when they pray. They would say it’s all right to pray against the revealed will of God in the Bible but just add the phrase "not my will but thine." The cup cannot refer to "dying on the cross."

 

The fact that Christ sweated drops of blood during His communion with His heavenly Father reveals to us the depth of His sorrow as the God-Man. As the God-Man, He experienced premature death. The cup here refers to premature death which Christ did not want to happen. He wanted to go the cross to die for man. To die prematurely in the garden before going to the cross would be disastrous! Christ must fulfill Scriptures; He must die on the cross! So Christ prayed, and all His prayers are always answered! He prayed for God to strengthen Him so that He would be able to go to the cross. This prayer of Christ was answered as Hebrews 5:7 reveals, "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." Based upon God’s revelation and the fact that Christ did not change in His mind at the last moment, the "cup" has to refer to "premature death."