Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches in the Philippines

28/03/2024

The official website of the Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches in the Philippines

Some knowledge of the historical controversy between Calvinists and Arminians will help us understand the crucial issues raised in this controversy. The following brief summary is for the benefit of those who know little or nothing about it.

05/12/2020

We thank the Lord for His ever enduring love and sustaining grace, remembering His goodness in mightily calling BTRC Batasan (eighteen years ago) out of the dark realm of religious deception and death into the light of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not so much the day or the year but the momentous unveiling of the Gospel of sovereign particular grace in salvation that such great deliverance was wrought on you by God. With your own commemoration observance this Lord’s day culminating the BTRC churches’ commemoration season for this year, we send you our prayers and blessings, “making mention of you in our prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe” (Ephesians 1:16-19).

02/11/2019

Witches, witches everywhere!
How terrible the sight!
Parents, children, with no care
Idols on Satan's night!

This the warning, this the cry,
The ominous refrain,
Accusations, judgments, fly,
Keyboards bear the strain!

It has always been this way,
No dearth of experts find;
But speak of gospel-truth today,
And meet the deaf and blind!

Religionists are very good
Detecting devil, black;
This evil by them's understood;
Discernment, they do lack.

Real bewitchment is not seen
In costumes come at night,
It's not in evil Halloween,
But Satan dressed in white:

Perversions of God's gospel, true,
Allowance of "free will";
Self righteous doctrines, not a few,
Satan's way to kill.

by John Pedersen

21/05/2019

Salvation is a change of gods. It is a change from being a servant of sin, worshipping a god of our own imagination, to being a servant of righteousness, worshipping and serving the true and living God (Rom. 6:17-18).

Salvation involves a change of doctrine, but unless this change of doctrine involves true repentance where we change our minds concerning God, then there is no salvation at all. Many have changed doctrines who have never changed gods.

For example, many have come from being "free-will Arminians" to being "five-point Calvinists," but who still insist they were saved under that system of doctrine that dishonors every attribute of God's redemptive character, casts shame and reproach upon the Person and work of Christ, and leaves room for the sinner to boast.

They have never truly believed the Gospel, and they have never truly repented.

- The Glory of God in the Gospel

21/05/2019

We who believe the Gospel cannot avoid controversy and persecution in this world because all of the foundational truths of genuine Christianity are controversial and offensive to the natural, religious world.

Christ promised suffering and persecution to all his disciples because of this (Matt. 5:10-11; John 15:18-22; 16:1-3).

The Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews 12 that any who are not chastised are "bastards" and not sons, children of God (Heb. 12:6-8). Chastisement in Hebrews 12 has to do with those who suffer for the Gospel.

The point is that any who seek to avoid the persecution of the cross in order to gain the approval of the world are not children of God.

Sinners by nature hate the Gospel because they are led by another spirit to believe in a counterfeit christ and worship and serve a false god. As long as this is the case, and as long as we seek their salvation, we will encounter controversy and persecution.

-The Glory of God in the Gospel

21/05/2019

It was this refusal to compromise God's glory that brought great persecution and reproach upon Christ, as well as the prophets of old, the apostles, and all who truly believe the Gospel.

This persecution comes mainly from the religious world, even our loved ones and neighbors. We are accused of not showing a gracious spirit, of being too narrow and dogmatic, of being uncharitable and offensive, of being heresy-hunters, all of which are not true.

We desire to be liked, respected, and well thought of, but not at the expense of God's glory and Christ's preeminence.

- The Glory of God in the Gospel

27/02/2019

Pop Calvinism

When you say something is “pop” you mean it’s popular, contemporary, accessible, mainstream and perhaps superficial. We speak of pop music, pop culture and pop art. Religion which is supposed to address life’s ultimate questions and the deep issues that are of eternal consequence has had its version most appealing and convenient to the sinful majority when it is relegated to a mere fad or craze. Even that brand of Christianity called ‘Calvinism’ with its declarations of purest standards of Christian orthodoxy falls victim to this evil tendency. Many among those who once embraced the false gospel of “Arminianism” (or, “free-willism”) and were later converted to a certain form of Calvinism consider their newly-found faith as something merely superior to their former belief system. These persons will not admit that the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism is that of saving truth against damning error and therefore an issue itself of heaven-or-hell. They will not let go of their sweet memories of the cherished moments when they were saved (supposedly) under the dynamic appeals of Arminian preaching upon the pretext of sincerity. Then later they will admit to have discovered mounting inconsistencies in the Arminian belief system that makes Calvinism more appealing.

Nevertheless, they hold firm in their hearts that they were still saved under Arminian preaching. Calvinism is to them just the more consistent and superior and the more intellectually appealing system. Many then among these breed of so-called ‘Calvinists’ hypocritically if not proudly look down on their less consistent Arminian ‘brothers.’ They embrace what may be called ‘pop-Calvinism," a belief that lends them the feeling that "It's cool to be a Calvinist." It is a popular version of Calvinism suited to the palate of the tolerant and man-pleasing professors of religion. It is a version of Calvinism whose adherents are caught in the habit of associating themselves with popular personalities reputed to be Calvinists and evangelicals, who have been given prestigious place in the halls of church history. They venerate contemporary evangelical bigshots like Michael Horton, John MacArthur, Jr., John Piper, Paul Washer citing quotes from these in their lectures, sermons and writings. They appeal to the authority of celebrated names—either for their writings or the stature that their names impress upon the pages of church history such as the Puritans and the Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon fabricating a sense of doctrinal security in the company of illustrious preachers and theologians. All these while denying the damage inflicted by the campaigns of Arminians like John Wesley and Dwight L. Moody respected by these Calvinists not by the standard of Biblical orthodoxy but by their credentials based on quantifiable achievements. These Calvinists pay lip service to the Synod of Dordt where Arminianism was officially condemned as heresy while remaining indifferent to the militant Arminianism of Wesley.

Genuine Calvinism is first of all Biblical Christianity. It is not popular. It does not style itself a superior and proud version of Christianity compared to Arminianism. It does not treat Arminianism as a mere inferior form of Christianity. True Calvinism views Arminianism as a false gospel upon whose preachers are pronounced the solemn and dreadful curses (anathema) of the Scriptures (Galatians 1:6-9). On the otherhand pop-Calvinism is the extending of the right hand of fellowship with the heresy of Arminianism. In regarding it as a mere inferior form of the gospel, it accepts it and promotes it as the true gospel nonetheless. In such a case pop-Calvinism shares in the wicked deeds of Arminians (2 John 9-11).

Men professing Calvinism must repent of their pop-Calvinist mentality. They must stop being themselves victims of a cult of personality being respecters of men by virtue of their popular stature. Instead, they should rely entirely on the Holy Scriptures as their sole authority in dealing with truth (Acts 17:11). The genuine Calvinist must stand firmly on the absolute message of the Gospel of sovereign particular irresistible grace as much as he should against the lie and false gospel of Arminianism. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness…” (Isaiah 5:20)

26/02/2019

ON PROBATIONARY SALVATION

Evangelists who after leading people to the so-called “sinner’s prayer” wherein they have supposedly accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior usually leave a promise in the form of such a statement like, “If you have prayed this prayer sincerely from your heart you are now born-again… You are now a genuine child of God… You are now saved… You now possess eternal life.” Yet later on as they are taught in the process of discipleship that salvation can be lost after all, they are warned to do their best not to lose their salvation. We realize that it is dishonest of the preacher to conceal the real spiritual standing of the person to whom salvation is promised. If salvation then can truly be lost, the promise should be honestly stated in this form: “Now that you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life you are now CONDITIONALLY born again… You are now PROVISIONALLY a genunie child of God… You are now on PROBATIONARY salvation… You now TEMPORARILY possess ‘eternal’ life.” Ridiculous, isn’t it? But honest, at least.

17/07/2018

Ikaw Ba ay Isang Arminian?
(Filipino Edition)
Isang Pagsusulit

Narito ang ilang pagsubok upang mapatunayan mo kung ikaw ay isang “ARMINIAN”. Huwag kang matakot. Sumubok ka lang. Nagawa ko na rin ito.

1. Naniniwala ka bang naligtas ka noong tanggapin mo si Jesus bilang personal mong panginoon at tagapagligtas? Kung ang sagot mo’y “Oo”, ilagay mo 2 punto.

2. Miyembro ka ba ng simbahan na madalas kayong papuntahin ng pastor sa harapan o di kaya’y pinatataas ang inyong kamay pagkatapos ng sermon? Kung “Oo”, iyong idagdag 1 punto

3. Nakikinig ka ba sa istasyon ng radyo na DZAS? Kung “Oo”, idagdag mo 2 punto.

4. Pinanonood mo ba ang 700 Club Asia? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto

5. Nakikinig ka ba sa palatuntuntunang “Day by Day”? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

6. May grupo ba sa simbahan mo na tinatawag na “WLT” o Worship Leading Team? Kung “Oo” 2 punto

7. Nakasama ka na ba sa isang Prayer Rally o “Jericho March”? Kung “Oo” 1 punto.

8. Inaawit ba ng simbahan mo ang Hill Songs of Australia? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

9. Ginagamit ba ng pastor mo o ng simbahan mo ang salitang “full-gospel”? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

10. Miyembro ka ba ng grupo ng mga simbahan na may “United” sa kanilang pangalan? Kung “Oo”, 1 punto.

11. Naniniwala ka ba na ang Philippine Christian Book Store (PCBS) at The Vine and the Branches ay totoong mga “Christian” booktores? Kung “Oo”, 1 punto.

12. Tinatangkilik mo ba ang alin man o kaya’y lahat ng “Purpose Driven” Series ni Rick Warren? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

13. Pinaiiral ba sa iyong simbahan ang “G-12” discipleship program? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

14. Nakadalo ka na ba sa mga seminar ni Regie Santiago at Joseph Apilado? Kung “Oo”, 1 punto.

15. Binoto mo ba si Eddie Villanueva noong tumakbo siya sa eleksyon? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

16. Naniniwala ka bang pwede mong maiwala at mabawi kahit ilang beses ang iyong kaligtasan? “Kung “Oo”, 3 punto.

17. Miyembro ba ng Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches ang iyong simbahan? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

18. Mayroon bang gustong mag-aral sa iyong simbahan sa Aisan Theological Seminary o kaya’y sa International School of Theology? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto

19. Naniniwala ka bang totoong Cristiano sina Joel Osteen at Joyce Meyers? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

20. Naniniwala ka bang kinakampihan ng Diyos ang mga Cristianong atleta (tulad ni Manny Pacquiao) sa kanilang mga laban? Kung “Oo”, 1 punto.

21. Naniniwala ka ba sa doktrina ng “Common Grace”? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto. Kung hindi mo alam kung ano ito, magbawas ka ng 1 punto, pero malamang ito ang paniniwala mo.

22. Naniniwala ka bang mahal ng Diyos ang lahat ng tao at ibig niyang iligtas silang lahat? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

23. Naniniwala ka ba na sikretong dadagitin o ira-“rapture” ang mga Cristiano bago ang Seven-Year Great Tribulation? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

24. Bumabati ka ba ng “Happy Easter” tuwing pasko ng pagkabuhay at “Merry Christmas” tuwing pasko ng kapanganakan umano ni Jesus? Kung “Oo”, 2 punto.

25. Naiintindihan mo ba kung ano ang “Reformation” at kung ano ang “Reformed”? Kung “Oo”, magdagdag ka ng 2 punto at kung hindi, magbawas ka ng 2 punto.

Kung sumagot ka ng “Oo” sa 5 sa mga tanong na ito, o kaya’y 10 punto sa kalahatan, malamang kaibigan na ikaw ay isang “Arminian”. Pero huwag kang mag-alala. May pag-asa. Maaari ka namang lumabas sa kasinungalingang iyan. Marami nang taong dinanas ang madilim at nakasentro-sa-taong sistema ng “Arminianism”, na nakatagpo ng kalayaan sa isang tunay na simbahang “Reformed”. Tandaan mo: maaari pang malunasan ang kamangmangan sa habag ng Diyos.