Dr Paul Allen

 

 

 

  Biblical literature portrays Satan as a powerful adversary operating across multiple dimensions—spiritual, moral, and relational. Satan is depicted as “the ancient serpent” who “leads the whole world astray" ( Rev 12:9–10 ) while his character centres on deception, as “there is no truth in him” and “he is a liar and the father of lies". ( John 8:44 ) Satan’s methods reveal a calculated strategy. He “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" ( 1 Pet 5:8 ), yet he “masquerades as an angel of light" ( 2 Cor 11:14 ), suggesting his deceptions operate through disguise rather than overt force. In the Old Testament, Satan appears as one “roaming throughout the earth” seeking to cause harm, opposing God’s people by inciting disobedience, and accusing the elect before God’s throne. New Testament writers describe him tempting believers to sin, ensnaring the naive, delighting in harming believers, blinding the minds of unbelievers, and masquerading as ...

  In traditional Christian understanding, demons are typically identified as fallen angels 1 , though ancient Judaism and the early church held varying perspectives—some viewing demons as the spirits of the Nephilim, the hybrid offspring of angels and human women mentioned in Genesis 6 1 . From this perspective, Satan and other fallen angels were originally created by God as good beings but chose rebellion and self-assertion 1 . Demons function as personal spiritual beings actively working to advance evil throughout creation 1 . While fundamentally morally ambivalent in broader religious traditions, demons in Christian theology belong primarily to the sphere of evil and exert harmful influence on humans, animals, and nature 2 . The biblical record portrays demons as intelligent agents capable of recognizing Jesus and resisting his authority. In one account, a demon-possessed man lived among tombs, could not be restrained by chains, and would cry out and harm himself ( Mark 5:1–20 )...

The Spirit supports believers against the world (John 16:8, 11) The term ‘world’ ( kosmos ) is used by John more than any other NT writer (105 times, mainly in his Gospel) and with a variety of meanings, including the created planet (John 1:10), humanity (John 8:12) and, most often, humanity in its opposition to Jesus (John 7:7; 15:18; 16:20). In 16:8, 11, he uses the term to describe those who have rejected Jesus.  Despite their unbelief, Jesus reciprocates not by rejecting them but by dying for them (John 1:29; 3:16–17; 4:42). In 16:7–11, Jesus reveals that, when he leaves his followers, the Spirit will undertake the same function of helping people who reject the truth of the gospel to realise the remarkable fact that it is not only true, but that it is good news for them. In particular, the Spirit will convict and convince them of their sin and the fact that Jesus is their saviour. Consider the consternation of the disciples leading up to these statements by Jesus.  In the ...

The Spirit is on our side (John 16:7–8) More significant for believers, who are beginning to experience the malevolent opposition prophesied by Jesus, is John informing them that the Spirit is on their side.  He will transform those who were once convinced that they were right to reject Jesus and the message offered by his followers. The Spirit, who is promised by Jesus as his replacement, will convince those who fought against the gospel that they were wrong to do so.  Where believers have only human intellect, with all its shortcomings, to combat voices of derision, the Spirit has the wisdom of heaven available to him (John 14:26). Where Jesus’ followers only have limited courage to speak confidently to those who dismiss them, the Spirit has divine authority available to him (John 15:26; 16:13).  Whereas Christians have limited knowledge, the Spirit has the ability to always see the truth (John 16:13). While they may be unaware of the innermost feelings and thoughts of ...

  T he Spirit guides believers into truth (John 16:13–15) Although ‘truth’ refers to the intellectual knowledge of truths and moral guidance, the concept also refers to the fact that the Spirit will guide believers in seeking to live in a context of integrity and authenticity.  Our lives are to be reliably supported and directed by the Spirit who is defined by covenant and faithfulness. The Spirit is not just determined to inform believers concerning that which they need to know for their benefit, but also that which best defines the context in which God exists; theirs is a life that is encapsulated by the realities that characterise God, one of the fundamental ones being ‘truth’ or integrity, reliability and honour.  Believers are safe in the knowledge that the one leading them embodies consistency and constancy, dependability and devotion to them, and fidelity and fondness for them. The Spirit is true as well as truth. He leads believers to know and express integrity, a...

Moab is my washbasin.  (Psalm 60:8, NIV) T he Moabites were Israel’s troublesome next-door neighbours. When God’s people got “dirty,” He used the Moabites to clean them up. You say, “What does this have to do with me?” A lot! A pastor I know prayed earnestly for his son, who was on drugs. This man had a very successful church and was in high demand as a speaker all across the nation. But having an “addict” for a son was an embarrassment to him.  So every day he prayed for God to change his boy. One day in prayer, God told him He would not only change his boy, but through this situation He would radically change some things in him, too—things like pride, insecurity, and self-centeredness.  He was more concerned with how his son’s behaviour affected his career than in what it was doing to his son’s own life and future.  David cried, “How can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults” (Psalm 19:12, TLB). Who is your washbasin?...

  Jesus repeats the truth of v. 51c, but now puts it in a conditional form: unless you can eat the flesh of the Son of Man … you have no life in you. Verse 54 puts the same truth positively, Whoever eats my flesh … has eternal life ; and again, Jesus promises to raise such a person up at the last day. In addition to the repetition of a basic theme, several fresh points are added. (1) The one whose flesh is eaten bears the title the Son of Man (cf. notes on 1:51; in this discourse, vv. 27, 62). In one sense, he is simply a man, i.e. someone with flesh and blood; but he is also the one on whom God has set his seal of approval (v. 27), the bread from heaven, the one who descends and then ascends ‘to where he was before’ (v. 62). ‘Son of Man’ is thus a title that speaks of Jesus as the man where God is supremely revealed, and the flesh of this ‘Son of Man’, unlike the flesh of any other, must be eaten if one is to gain eternal life. (2) The words and drink his (my) blood are added ...

DICK HARFIELD'S RESPONSE TO THIS QUESTION Why couldn’t the conversation in John 21:17 have happened in Aramaic, and how does the Greek language change its meaning? Had Jesus asked in Aramaic whether Peter loved him, Peter’s answer that he loved Jesus, also spoken in Aramaic, would have satisfied Jesus each time, because the same verb ( ḥav ) would have been used, regardless of how strong Peter’s love was. Jesus could not have perceived from Peter’s answers that his love was not as strong as he might have desired. Koine Greek allows different nuances, so Jesus asked for sacred love ( agape ) but Peter responded by saying that his love ( philia ) towards Jesus was like the love of a good friend. The gospels were written in Greek for Greek-speaking readers, so the conversation would have seemed natural to people who probably did not even realise that Jesus and Peter could not meaningfully have had this conversation in the local language, Aramaic. When translated into Latin, the Greek ...