Dr Paul Allen

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the Proverbs tell us, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of the end of all other fears. For us as sons of God, to fear God means to humbly trust Him and helplessly tremble before Him with reverence and awe, love and gratitude (Ps. 147:11; 2 Cor. 7:15; Heb. 12:28). Although most fear is deadly, the fear of the Lord is life. The fears we experience in this life are countless and complex. There are seven deadly fears, yet there are innumerably more that each of us experiences every day of our lives. For it’s not only that we experience fears from things outside of us, but that we experience fears from things within us, as Martin Luther admitted: “I more fear what is within me than what comes from without.” Fear often takes the form of anxiety when we worry about things that might happen to us, but it also takes the form of anxiety when we worry about things that have already happened to us. We fear not only the fiery d...

How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature — A Response to Bart Ehrman  by Michael Bird, Craig Evans, Simon Gathercole, Charles Hill & Chris Tilling . This book released as the same day as the book it refutes. “In his recent book  How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galilee  historian Bart Ehrman explores a claim that resides at the heart of the Christian faith—that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. According to Ehrman, though, this is not what the earliest disciples believed, nor what Jesus claimed about himself. The first response book to this latest challenge to Christianity from Ehrman,  How God Became Jesus  features the work of five internationally recognized biblical scholars. While subjecting his claims to critical scrutiny, they offer a better, historically informed account of why the Galilean preacher from Nazareth came to be hailed as ‘the Lord Jesus Christ.’ Namely, they conte...

The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Acts 20:24 “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course…that I received from the Lord Jesus , to testify to the gospel of the grace of God ” ( v. 24 ). Since Jesus’ proclamation of the Gospel involved telling people that “the kingdom of God is at hand” ( Mark 1:14–15 ), His commissioning of the disciples to preach the same message in Matthew 10:1–15 gives us a chance to consider the Gospel and the church ’s spread of it in missions and evangelism. Let us seek to define the Gospel, which is what evangelism is all about. Our English term gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion, which literally means “good news.” In the secular Greek culture of the first century, one who delivered euangelion might be speaking of the birth of a royal heir, a victory in battle, or news about an electoral victory. The New Testament reclaims the common use of this word and invests ...

Image via Wikipedia "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God ." ( Hebrews 12:1-2 )   The final verse of " A Mighty Fortress Is Our God " describes our tools and comportment while in the battle, and the final victory.   That word above all earthly powers, No thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Thro' Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.   As the King's soldiers, we have God-given abilities and possessions, most notably the indwelling God's Spirit and empowering gifts. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ , he is none of hi...

Image via Wikipedia " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear." ( Psalm 46:1-2 ) Martin Luther's journal entries inform us of his continual battle against evil forces, and that  Psalm 46  was a great comfort to him.  As he meditated on the words of our text, the thrust of a mighty song was born, which openly declared victory in the great battle: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." A mighty fortress is our God , A bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal. The battle to be fought is "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" ( Ephesians 6:12 ). Satan, along with his henchmen, is an ancient foe, ...