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EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH
Timothy Tow
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto
you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and
exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).
The title of my message is
“Earnestly Contend for the Faith.” The apostle Jude was writing to the
believers and at first his idea was to talk of the common salvation. That
of course will edify our hearts. But the apostle Jude says, ”When I
desired to do this thing, it was needful for me to exhort you.” He was
constrained by the Holy Spirit that this one thing was very important:
that you should earnestly contend for the faith. The whole epistle is
devoted to this one theme—earnestly contend for the faith. And who are the
examples of those whom we must oppose? Three people are mentioned—Cain,
Balaam and Core. These are rebels who do not obey the faith, who resist
the Lord.
Why should we earnestly
contend for the faith? We need to contend for the faith because there are
so many who are against the Lord, and they are mentioned as follows—false
Christs, false prophets, false apostles, false teachers, false spirits,
false witnesses and false brethren. And we have three synoptic
gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke—warning against false prophets and false
Christs, from the mouth of our Lord Himself, and three epistles, namely,
Jude that we have just read, and 2 Peter and 1 John. But the fact is that
the whole life of Jesus in His ministry of 3½ years was a constant battle
against “this wicked generation.”
What is the wicked
generation? They are the scribes, the Jewish theologians, and the
Pharisees, the high churchmen. They were constantly against Jesus, against
His claim to be one with the Father, He is the Son of God, He is equal to
the Father and that He can forgive sins. Who can forgive sins but God? But
Jesus countered right away, “That you may know that the Son of Man has
power on earth to forgive sins, ‘Rise up and walk.’” He said this to the
paralytic that was brought by four men. And he arose and took up his
bedding and he walked away praising the Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when
He preached the gospel to the multitudes had also to constantly expose the
false prophets in the church. This is the wicked generation. Now we ask
ourselves: Is there such a wicked generation—false Christs, false
prophets, false teachers, in high places today? Exactly the same as in the
Jewish Church, so it is in the Christian church.
Why has the Lord blessed the
Bible-Presbyterian (B-P) Movement? I will tell you my own testimony. I
went to study in America in 1948, January, 54 years ago. One wintry
morning there came a very distinguished gentleman. He was none other than
Dr Carl McIntire who has just been received into glory and his funeral
will be held next Tuesday, March 26, 2002. He told us about the great
danger in the church because they were going to form the World Council of
Churches to extend their influence, which is the Ecumenical Movement. By
now I believe you know what is ecumenical. One inhabited world, one roof
under which all denominations must unite and all the Protestant
denominations will return to Rome. That is the meaning of the Ecumenical
Movement. Dr McIntire called for young men like us to join a counter
movement called the 20th Century Reformation Movement. It is to carry on
the 16th Century Reformation Movement of Martin Luther and to separate
from the Ecumenical Movement. Well, when I went to seminary I had some
idea of Martin Luther. I knew that he was a reformer. My heart was set on
fire. My heart was knit to his heart, like David and Jonathan. I took such
a keen interest in the Reformation Movement that I have been helped by the
grace of God to stand firm to this day. I have taken part in many
oppositions raised by the ICCC (International Council of Christian
Churches) to speak against Romanism, Ecumenism, Neo-evangelicalism,
Charismatism.
But now the battle is
centred on the Bible. Because you suddenly realise that the market is
flooded with well over one hundred new versions during the last 50 years.
These new Bibles so-called depart a great deal from the Received Text upon
which the King James Bible, the Bible that we use, is founded. The Bible
is two and two are four. The Bible has only one answer. The Bible has only
one teaching. That is the reason why we founded the Far Eastern Bible
College (FEBC) exactly 40 years ago, to stand against those who are false
prophets and false teachers. The battle must continue because if FEBC does
not take a strong stand against the erosion of faith we will be toppled.
In 1947 there was founded in
Los Angeles the Fuller Seminary. It was founded by Charles Fuller, the
preacher of the old-fashioned revival hour. And he had five faculty
members that were true to the Word. But in no time liberalism entered it
and through one man the whole seminary was toppled. Today, Fuller Seminary
is one that appears to be evangelical, but is most diabolical.
Now the battle today is
mainly on the Bible. As I told you there are well over one hundred
versions. The first version that came in to take the place of the King
James Bible which has been reigning supreme for the last 300 years, was
the translation of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) in 1952. The ICCC at
once went to battle and exposed this Bible to be a poisonous one. It
translates “Behold a virgin shall conceive” into “Behold a young woman
shall conceive.” What young woman cannot conceive? Our council took a
strong stand against the RSV and its sale was restricted. But in 1978
there arrived the NIV. It is now sweeping the Christian world. I am very
sure you know what the NIV is, the New International Version. The NIV is
not based on the Textus Receptus on which the King James Bible is based
but is based on the corrupt text of Westcott and Hort. Who are these two
men? They are two Cambridge professors of Greek who spent many years to
manoeuvre the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church agreed with them that
they needed a new translation and so they produced in 1881 the Revised
Version.
When I was a boy, I bought a
Revised Version but the Revised Version attacked point after point our old
Bible. Over 9,900 words are altered, deleted. Out of the Bible, the
equivalent of eight chapters, First and Second Peter, are scissored. Let
me ask you, suppose you have one page torn from your Bible, can you use
it? I will not use that Bible. But when you have torn away 8 chapters and
deleted and changed 9,900 words, all the more you will not have it. As a
result, it died a diseased death. After some years it went out of
publication because the people, true Christians, would not buy a poisonous
Bible.
But now, just as poisonous
as the Revised Version is the NIV. To prove to you the NIV is a very
corrupt Bible, it has “taken out” the passage of the woman taken in
adultery. But I tell you that the story of the woman taken in adultery is
the most magnanimous account of Jesus’ life. The Jews tried to trap Jesus.
To put Him in a place where they say since she is guilty of adultery she
must be stoned to death. But any good lawyer could challenge them, “If she
is taken in adultery what happens to the adulterer, the man? Why don’t you
bring him here?” Jesus is the Son of God. He is God. Can puny man try to
outwit God? Jesus retorted, “Who is without sin, let him cast the first
stone.” Dr John Sung has a very humorous way of illustrating the
situation. From 70 downwards to 15 one by one slunk away like a beaten
dog. When Jesus looked around everyone was gone. Then Jesus forgave the
woman, “Go and sin no more.” Is not that most expressive of the marvellous
grace of God? It strikes at us. Who can say I am pure? A glance of the eye
will cause us to commit adultery in the heart. But NIV “takes out” the
precious Word.
The last 12 verses of Mark
are also “missing” and 1 John 5:7. In the King James Bible, we have three
in heaven who are witnesses—the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost. It is
a most definite statement on the Holy Trinity. Today, the great battle is
on the Bible. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the
common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered
unto the saints.”
I want to apply to your very
excellent magazine—the Bible Witness. Truly it is full of spiritual food.
But I must tell you, the church is very sick. Just like this time I got
sick. I have never been sick for so long. It is terrible. Now I can sympathise with those that are in trouble. And we must realise that we are
in trouble. In the B-P Church today we are the very few who are standing
for the faith. So I told your pastor, “Today I am going to challenge you.
First of all, that when the next Bible Witness comes out, it will have one
special section on defending the faith.” And so I pray that the Lord will
give your church much power by taking a stand for His cause.
Remember Satan has the
ability to change himself 72 times like the monkey god. Knowing his
tactics, let us continue to earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints. Amen.
Message delivered by Rev Dr Timothy Tow, principal
of the Far Eastern Bible College, at the 14th Anniversary
Thanksgiving Service of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church, March 24,
2002.
- Published in
The Burning Bush,
Volume 10 Number
2 (July 2004)
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