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| The e-flyer |
The ACCUSER (an RB)
and the accused (PRC and associates)
are bed-fellows!
and the accused (PRC and associates)
are bed-fellows!
The sound of "grace" may be ubiquitous
but grace itself remains a mystery!
It is weird when elders denounce the doctrine of their own denomination
and make bedfellows with their accusers.
Whatever has happened?
but grace itself remains a mystery!
It is weird when elders denounce the doctrine of their own denomination
and make bedfellows with their accusers.
Whatever has happened?
=======
Brother WCS of the Sungai Dua Church received the above invitation and told me about it; I requested him to forward the e-flyer to me. This is an unusual flyer in several ways, which explains why I am giving it some attention.
1. I am personally acquainted with the three men mentioned in the flyer.
- Both Paul and Leow, together with Brother CS and I, were among the 9 founding members of a reformed baptist church (SDC) constituted on 1 May 1993. Leow left the church a few years later, followed by Paul and his family a few years later. They were nice people. Later, they became the founding members of the Covenant Grace Church, under the auspices of the Evangelical Reformed Churches (Singapore), which are affiliated with the Protestant Reformed Churches (USA).
- Peter was once a pastor of a Community Church in Johor Bahru; later he became associated with the Reformed Baptist churches in Malaysia. That's when I became acquainted with him. Then he left the CC in JB church and began pastoring the Puchong Grace Church, a supposedly reformed baptist church. (I had preached in both churches.)
2. Later, in a doctrinal controversy during 2003-4, Peter, together with a group of RB churches, demonstrated themselves, theologically, to be no significantly different from typical Arminianism in their doctrine of salvation, despite claiming to be reformed and wearing the RB label.
The theological controversy is summarized here:
https://pruning-deformed-branches.blogspot.my/2008/01/pruning-7-deformed-branches-5-summary.html
One particular doctrine of salvation debated was the relationship between the preaching of the gospel and the divine work of regeneration. They insisted on the necessity of gospel preaching in the divine work of regeneration. As a result, they denounced the pastor of SDC for heretical doctrine.
3. Apparently, the people from the Covenant Grace Church also consider the doctrine "regeneration-is-independent-of-gospel-preaching" as heresy; they whispered it into the ears of Brother CS a few years ago, murmuring and insinuating that SDC is hypercalvinistic.
Now, this is very odd. The founder and great theologian of the PRC, Dr Herman Hoeksema, in his magnum opus Reformed Dogmatics, stated and demonstrated that regeneration, in its strict sense, is indeed independent of gospel preaching or any other such thing. It is directly and immediately by the divine activity of God alone, not mediately through the preaching of the gospel.
Let me refer you to the chapter from Herman Hoeksema's Reformed Dogmatics on Regeneration - https://www.prca.org/articles/regeneration.html
If you are too busy, just read the last three paragraphs.
I'm not sure if the present-day PRCs have moved from the position espoused by their founder. Years ago, it was common for the PRCs to be denounced as hyper by other so-called reformed people. Have they compromised in order to be more popular? I don't know. Judging from what is going around here, it is not a good sign.
Think for a moment:
- If the regeneration of an elect, dead in trespasses and sins, is conditioned upon the preaching of the gospel, then it is necessarily conditioned upon that elect to hear and believe on the same.
- Now work out slowly the necessary implications of this fable which REPUDIATE grace alone in salvation.
What strange bedfellows the sound byte of grace can make!
Disclaimer: this is purely dealing with doctrinal matters, with no interest in personalities. So, if our friends do happen to read this, don't take any offence because none is intended.
==========================
From: Sing Lau
Date: Sun, Oct 8, 2017, at 4:08 PM
Subject: Herman Hoeksema, PRC and Immediate Regeneration
To: Brother CS
Cc: Sungai Dua Church
Dear Brother,
I refer to the chapter from Herman Hoeksema's Reformed Dogmatics on Regeneration. Here is the link: https://www.prca.org/articles/regeneration.html
The 3rd and 2nd last paragraphs of the chapter are pasted here, with my comment in yellow.
[Third last paragraph]
"From all this, it is evident that regeneration is exclusively a work of God, wherein man is strictly passive in the sense that he does not and cannot cooperate in his own rebirth. In that deepest sense regeneration is not even as such a matter of his own experience, seeing that it does not take place within, but below the threshold of his consciousness. It is therefore independent of age and can take place in the smallest infants. We may even take for granted that in the sphere of the covenant of God He usually regenerates His elect children from infancy."
"From all this, it is evident that regeneration is exclusively a work of God, wherein man is strictly passive in the sense that he does not and cannot cooperate in his own rebirth. In that deepest sense regeneration is not even as such a matter of his own experience, seeing that it does not take place within, but below the threshold of his consciousness. It is therefore independent of age and can take place in the smallest infants. We may even take for granted that in the sphere of the covenant of God He usually regenerates His elect children from infancy."
My comment:
Since regeneration is exclusively a work of God, preaching is excluded. Folks fall in error because they can't distinguish regeneration from conversion.
Since regeneration is exclusively a work of God, preaching is excluded. Folks fall in error because they can't distinguish regeneration from conversion.
Since a man does not and cannot cooperate, it means the redundancy and irrelevance of the preaching in regeneration. Preaching is much needed in conversion, and preaching requires the cooperation of the hearers, this is something ONLY a regenerated man is CAPABLE OF, as well as MUST do. A child of God must cooperate to hear the truth, understand the truth, and believe the truth, without which there is no conversion.
Regeneration is independent of age, or mental capacity to understand, thus declaring the redundancy and irrelevance of the instrumentality of preaching in regeneration.
[second last paragraph]
The question now is: what is the relation between the calling and regeneration? In a certain sense it may be said indeed that even this regeneration, in the narrowest sense of the word, conceived as the implanting of the new life, is the fruit of the calling of God. But then it is necessary that we carefully define this calling. There is, of course, an immediate calling of God, which precedes all the being of the creature, and through which the creature comes into existence. Thus it is in creation. When God says, "Let there be light," the light comes into existence through that efficacious and almighty calling. He calls the things that are not as if they were.34 And thus it is also in recreation, or in the work of salvation and of regeneration. And when reference is made to this almighty calling of God in the work of regeneration, we have no objection to say that the calling precedes regeneration. However, usually, the reference is to another calling, to the calling through the preaching of the Word. And when one refers to this calling of the preaching, which is usually distinguished as inward and outward calling, it cannot be applied to regeneration in the narrowest sense of the word. And therefore, when we speak of regeneration in this sense, as the work of God through which the very first principle of life is wrought in the heart of the sinner through the Spirit of Christ, it precedes every work of salvation, also that of the calling."
The question now is: what is the relation between the calling and regeneration? In a certain sense it may be said indeed that even this regeneration, in the narrowest sense of the word, conceived as the implanting of the new life, is the fruit of the calling of God. But then it is necessary that we carefully define this calling. There is, of course, an immediate calling of God, which precedes all the being of the creature, and through which the creature comes into existence. Thus it is in creation. When God says, "Let there be light," the light comes into existence through that efficacious and almighty calling. He calls the things that are not as if they were.34 And thus it is also in recreation, or in the work of salvation and of regeneration. And when reference is made to this almighty calling of God in the work of regeneration, we have no objection to say that the calling precedes regeneration. However, usually, the reference is to another calling, to the calling through the preaching of the Word. And when one refers to this calling of the preaching, which is usually distinguished as inward and outward calling, it cannot be applied to regeneration in the narrowest sense of the word. And therefore, when we speak of regeneration in this sense, as the work of God through which the very first principle of life is wrought in the heart of the sinner through the Spirit of Christ, it precedes every work of salvation, also that of the calling."
My comment:
Before regeneration, there is NO EXISTENCE of the new man. Preaching, spiritual activity is intended for those possessing spiritual existence, i.e. those already regenerated, to bring them to the truth of their salvation.
"… it precedes every work of salvation, also that of the calling."
It (i.e. regeneration) precedes every work of temporal salvation, ALSO THAT of the calling - (GOSPEL CALLING). God’s activities have to do with our eternal salvation; man’s activities of preaching has to do with our temporal salvation; God’s activities deal our BEINGS as His children, preachers’ activities deal with the WELLBEING; God’s activities bring His children into BEING, preachers’ activities maintain the WELLBEING of God’s children
That's the neighing from the horse's mouth.
Paul Tan and Leow Sian Beng ought to know better and move beyond reformed shibboleth. May our blessed Lord have mercy on them, Amen.
Just a few thoughts.
sing
============
From: Sing Lau
Date: Tue, Oct 10, 2017 at 12:28 AM
Subject: Fwd: PRC and regeneration
To: Jonathan
Dear Brother Jonathan,
What is the PRC (protestant reformed churches - the Herman Hoeksema group) belief on regeneration - immediate or gospel means?
We are called heretics for holding to the former, by folks associated with the PRCs.
Any help would be much appreciated. Some unpleasant things brewing in Penang.
THANKS.
sing
=========
From: Jonathan
Date: Tue, Oct 10, 2017, at 3:36 AM
Subject: PRC and regeneration
To: Sing Lau
Dear brother Sing,
My first response would be that the PRC holds immediate/monergistic regeneration, and they hold it strongly and explain it well.
I have in my library, Herman Hoeksema’s systematic theology, Reformed Dogmatics.
It clearly states regeneration, conversion, and faith as we believe them in his chapters about regeneration, calling, and saving faith.
Are you familiar with this book and its author:
Search for monergism and monergistic and immediate in this document:
Search for regeneration in this book:
My response here is that any PRC person stating that immediate/monergistic regeneration is heresy is ignorant of their own denomination.
Jonathan
p/s
The PRC also holds eternal justification.
Use this link to search their theological journal with the search box at the top:
