Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew

Church Camp Questions 2017

1. Can you explain the apparent clash between human responsibility and the doctrine of election?

Answer – Human responsibility is taught everywhere in the Bible, otherwise sinful man cannot be punished by God. The fact that they are punished by God even on this earth is the clearest teaching that God holds sinful man responsible for his actions. Every man is responsible for his own transgressions. The doctrine of human responsibility reaches into life after death. God will judge all men after they die. These are some verses that clearly teach the doctrine of human responsibility before God. Deuteronomy 24:16 “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” This doctrine, however, does not diminish God’s power and sovereignty.

The doctrine of election is based upon God's sovereignty. It is the best and most comforting doctrine to assure all believers of their salvation, and that they are not an afterthought of God but have been chosen based upon the love and design of a loving and all knowing God. It should greatly humble every believer that he has been saved by God’s grace and mercy alone. God alone decides who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. Whom He wants to save He saves and whom He does not save He will not save. This is His sovereign choice and He answers to no man. God is all wise and all powerful. Man is nothing before Him. These are the Words of God to Job and to all mankind in Job 38:4-11 “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? 9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, 10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, 11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?”

God decides everyone’s destiny. This does not negate man’s responsibility, not even in the slightest. The reason is that man is born in sin and will die in sin if God did not intervene by saving some through the finished work of Christ on Calvary. This is the best passage from the Bible regarding the doctrine of election. Romans 9:14-24 “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 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?” God answers to no man but ever man will answer to Him.

The doctrines of human responsibility and sovereignty of God cannot be reconciled by man. Man’s mind is incapable to reconcile the two. The great Charles Spurgeon summed up man’s dilemma well when he said that these two doctrines are like two parallel lines that will not intersect or meet on earth but they will meet before God's throne of grace and mercy at the end of time. Foolish men have tried to reconcile them and have arrived at the wrong conclusions to their own detriment. Those who reconcile them toward the responsibility of man and diminish the sovereignty of God in the process have arrived at the false teaching that man can lose his own salvation the moment he stops believing in Christ as their Lord and saviour. This belief is called arminianism, named after Jacob Arminius who first came up with this doctrine. Others who reconciled toward the doctrine of God's sovereignty and diminished man’s responsibility have a truncated gospel to preach, like a man who suffers from verbal constipation. They cannot say that God loves sinners, nor can they say that Jesus Christ died for all men. This distortion is known as hyper Calvinism named after the disciples of John Calvin, but not John Calvin himself who was balanced and wise enough not to reconcile the two irreconcilable doctrines.

Christians are just to teach these two doctrines according to the Bible, pleading with all their hearts to all sinners to receive Christ who loved them and died for their sins, and at the same time crying to God in earnest prayer to save them, for salvation is of the LORD.

2. While a Christian is protected from demon possession by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, can he/she still be haunted / hurt by a supernatural being? Also, if a Christian is in proximity to unbelievers who are attempting to use a supernatural object e.g. Ouija board, will they still be protected? If so, does the presence of the Christian protect other non-believers by proximity?

Answer – Yes, Christians are protected by God and cannot be demon possessed. 1 John 4:4-6 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” The Holy Spirit who indwells the believer will never allow any evil spirit to reside inside the child of God. If the meaning of haunted means “mental anguish or torment”, then the answer is yes. When the faith and knowledge of the believer is weak, he can be tormented or hurt by the evil one. The hurt would include physical harm. For example, Job lost his wealth (robbed by evil men) and ten children when they were feasting, and a storm came and the roof of their house collapsed and they died inside (cf. Job 1 & 2). He suffered a grievous skin disease such that he had to sit on ashes to find some relief. Job’s three friends tormented Job by their ill advice. In other words, Satan can use evil men and the forces of nature including diseases to torment and hurt God's people. However, they cannot touch one hair on the head of all of God's children unless God gives him permission. Also, the limit of what Satan can do to a child of God is also restrained by God. God will not allow His children to be tested beyond what He knows they are able to endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Stay away from “friends” who dabble in the occult and dark forces. A child of God would not dabble with evil things. Spiritual forces are real. These are what all believers wrestle against. Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” It is foolishness on the part of a child of God to tempt God in this manner. The believer will always be protected by God. The proximity of the believer will not protect the unbelievers who dabble with black magic or evil forces. However, God does say that the believing spouse will sanctify the unbelieving spouse and the children are holy in the sight of God. This is the doctrine of covenantal blessings for the family because one parent is a child of God. 1 Corinthians 7:14 “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.”

3. What should a Christian’s opinion on dinosaurs be?

Answer – The believer’s understanding of dinosaurs must be based upon the teaching of the Bible like all understanding in his life. The Bible declares that all the animals and birds and fishes were created together with man in six 24 hour days (cf. Genesis 1 & 2). This means that they co-existed. What man sees and interprets of the universe and the earth are based upon a denial and rejection of God as the Creator. Therefore they will never be able to see or understand the truth about creation until they are born again in Christ. God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. What we have is the appearance of age in many areas of creation. God who created the stars in the heavens also created the beams of light that allow man to see these stars even though they might be light years away. Sinful man who rejects God as the all powerful Creator will never be able to see this truth and interpret the evidence of God’s creation correctly. That is how many wrong and false theories of creation like evolution came about. As believers, we have to see the world from God’s perspective, which means that the Bible will be the glasses we wear whenever we interpret this world that our heavenly Father has created.

4. A person who is not aware of their sins is still condemned to hell. Why is this so?

Answer – This is so because all man are conceived and born in sin. They are aware of their sin because they die. Death is the evidence that all man are conceived in sin and are born in sin. Romans 5:12-14 “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: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” Ignorance is no excuse. If ignorance can be a legitimate excuse for wrong doing, then sinful man will hide behind ignorance to sin more and more and with impunity. For example, if a tourist comes to Singapore and vandalises, he cannot argue in court that he is ignorant of the law of Singapore. He will still be punished.

5. If lack of faith is a sin (and by extension worrying about life), does it mean that those who have emotional disorders and prone to worrying (e.g. anxiety / depression) are constantly in sin?

Answer – The following are some verses that teach clearly that without faith it is impossible to please God and anything that is not done in faith is sin. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Romans 14:23 “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” If emotional disorders are caused by lack of faith and trust in God to care for them, then it is a sin. It ought not to be the case of a child of God to fret and worry to the point where he cannot sleep, for God has promised all His beloved children sleep. Psalm 127:2 “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”

To worry is also a sin as it is caused by lack of faith and trust in God to supply all the believer’s needs. If we worry about the safety of our children, it is also due to lack of faith and trust in God to protect and care for them. God is sovereign and He promises us that all things will work together for our good always (cf. Romans 8:28). Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Believers who worry are those who do not completely commit their cares and burdens in life to their heavenly Father. This is often caused by lack of knowledge of who God the Father is. The believers who do not study God's Word are believers who do not know God well. This lacking of the knowledge of God causes them to worry, for how can they trust in One whom they do not know? The solution is to study God's Word and know God better. The more you do the more you will trust and the less you will worry.