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Five of the seven men representing their churches that brought the charges. l-r: back row Lam Chin Kaw, Peter Kek, Ho Eng Ghee. front row: James Indran, Andrew Liew, Sing. (Mr Lam, the theological spokesman for these Reformed Baptists, has since gone back to his former Methodist Church.) |
A Summary of the Seven Theological Points Disputed
The ‘Reformed Baptist Fraternal’ boldly designated their views as the ‘Standard Reformed’ view. The following is a comparison of the ‘Standard Reformed’ view of the RBF and the view of one non-conformist Particular Baptist on the seven doctrinal issues raised by the RBF.
‘Standard
reformed’: Effectual calling unto eternal life is by the instrumental means
of gospel preaching. Gospel preaching is the necessary means for God to bestow
spiritual life to His elect.
Author: Effectual calling unto
eternal life is by the immediate life-giving call of the Triune God. Gospel
preaching is not a necessary means for God to bestow spiritual life to His
elect.
‘Standard
reformed’: Repentance and faith secure eternal life. You repent and believe
IN ORDER THAT you may receive eternal life.
Author: Repentance and faith
evidence eternal life. You repent and believe BECAUSE God has effectually
called you to eternal life.
‘Standard
reformed’: The gospel is ‘‘if… then." If you respond, then God will do
something wonderful for you. You must believe in order that you may have
eternal life from God.
Author: The gospel is “because…
therefore.” Because God has done this wonderful thing to you, therefore you
respond. God has bestowed you with eternal life, therefore you believe.
‘Standard
reformed’: Gospel preaching is necessary because it is the instrumental
means for the regeneration of the spiritually dead elect.
Author: Gospel preaching is
necessary because it is the instrumental means for the conversion of the
ignorant, uninformed regenerated elect.
‘Standard
reformed’: Faith secures your justification before God. God justifies when
you believe. By faith, the condemned shall be justified and live.
Author: Faith evidences your
justification by God’s free grace. God justified us when we were enemies. The
justified ones shall live by faith.
‘Standard
reformed’: Irresistible grace is the powerful working of the Spirit in
gospel preaching to bring the spiritually dead elect to conversion.
Author: Irresistible grace is the
powerful working of the triune God to bring the spiritually dead elect to
eternal life.
‘Standard
Reformed’: All the elect will be saved eternally because they will hear and
believe the gospel, and God’s power keeps them in a life of faith and holiness,
and thus all persevere in a life of faith and holiness to the end and shall be
eternally saved.
Author: All the elect shall be
saved eternally because God effectually calls them to eternal life, and God
perseveres to preserve His elect in the state of grace, and they shall remain
in that state of grace and be eternally saved.
