From:
sing
Sent: 30 August 2005 12:36
To: Lee, Tang, Loh (Ipoh East Church)
Subject: Re: churchmanship
Brother Lee,
I am glad that you have been chewing on the matter. I hope some progress is
made from where you and I left off the discussion some distant while ago.
I don't know whether Rome was built in a day, but theologically there is
nothing new under the sun. I think we agree on this.
By 'this view' in your question, I take it that you mean 'saving faith is an
evidence of justification (and regeneration and adoption too - since these all
are simultaneous, through logically distinct).
I don't know much history at all. In any case, the 1689 LBCoF is a historical document. So, if my understanding of the CoF is correct and
consistent (he who disagrees please feel free to prove me wrong - I would be
very thankful to be shown my errors), then, historically that body of men holds
to that view. I believe that view was the standard view among the early
particular baptists for quite a long time until it gradually became a minority
view for various reasons - the rise of Arminianism which is naturally popular
even with the true children of God; through misunderstanding from WITHIN and
vicious and sustained caricatures from WITHOUT.
There are those who hold to this view today who have never departed from that
understanding of the 1689 CoF. And there are more and more people from all
places returning to the primitive (Collins: "adjective, of or belonging to
the first or beginning; original") view of the early Particular Baptists. I
believe I am one of them.
I was explaining the problem to brother Loh the last time I was in Ipoh, using
this illustration.
There were 4 Chinese brothers in Shanghai (representing the early Particular
Baptists embracing the truth summarized in the 1689 CoF- of which John Gill was
the great and undisputed representative, even Mr. Spurgeon acknowledged this common
fact). One went to Taiwan, another to Japan and one went to America.
After many years, the three brothers return to Shanghai, and the four brothers
are together again. They began to squabble as to who among them are true
Chinese in values and outlook. The one who went to America became an Arminian
(still speaking the same language but a different gospel); the one to Taiwan
became a 'standard reformed' (retaining old biblical language but with a
different twist of the meaning); he who went to Japan became outright liberal!
The one who went to Taiwan retains lots of 'chinese-ness' in him - he is the
equivalent of a 'standard reformed'. When the four have come together, all of
them claim to be Chinese... but only one of them remains a true original - one
who stays put in Shanghai.
The 'standard reformed' brother back from Taiwan called the brother who has
remained in Shanghai a 'hyper-calvinist' - and the literature of the 'standard
reformed' publishing houses (whether from the Baptist or from the paedo-baptist)
have INDOCTRINATED a whole generation in this falsehood! The brother who turned
Arminian calls the 'standard reformed' brother back from Taiwan a 'hyper-calvinist'. The brother who has who remained in Shanghai can
only sigh with grief - that his three brothers have all departed from their
original beliefs.
I know this is a poor illustration, but it is sufficient to explain the confusion of various groups who claim to hold the beliefs summarized in 1689 CoF, but believe very different things in the fundamental of the faith.
But some former Arminians and some 'standard reformed' people, having realized
the theological roots are abandoning the 'strange' ideas they have picked up
while away from Shanghai, and have returned to the faith of their fathers.
The one who remained in Shanghai is known as Primitive Baptists today.
There are other churches that went astray, have realised their errors, and have
reformed and returned to the original faith of the Particular Baptists. Some
identify themselves with the Primitive Baptists. Others returned to the same
truth but did not bear the name Primitive Baptists. I will give you more of
these later. So, this view of justification is not held by the Primitive
Baptists alone. There are other Baptist churches on both sides of the Atlantic
holding to this primitive biblical teaching.
A few brief thoughts for your consideration.
Pastor Lau
