Dr Paul Allen

Philip the Apostle. The text (in Old Church Slavonic) in the book is: "15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love..." (First Epistle of John). Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos (1774) at Kondopoga. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” ( James 1:18 ) The term “born again” has come into wide use in recent years—too wide and popular, in fact, for many who use it have little comprehension of its meaning. First of all, there can be no real Christian who is not a “ born-again Christian .” Jesus said: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God . . . . Ye must be born again” ( John 3:3 , 7). The Creator of the new birth is the Creator of the universe , as the text declares. He begat us as a kind of first fruits of His creatures

Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane), oil painting by Heinrich Ferdinand Hofmann (Heinrich Hofmann). The original is at the Riverside Church (Riverside Church, New York City). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I want to live my life — what remains of it — in the service of the most ultimate purposes of God . It seems to me that this is how Paul tried to live his life. “It is my eager expectation and hope that . . . Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” ( Philippians   1:20 ). Making much of Christ in life and death was Paul’s ultimate goal, because it is God’s ultimate goal — and Christ’s. Yes, even the ultimate goal of Christ himself is the magnifying of Christ so that the Father would be magnified in him. These were not separate goals — Christ magnified and God magnified. Each happened in the other. Thus Jesus prayed, Father, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. . . . I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you g

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God , an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” ( 2 Corinthians 5:1 ) The blessings we have in Christ are far too many to number, but it is a blessing even to note just a few of those indicated by the words we haveor ye have. First of all, in Christ “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” ( Ephesians 1:7 ). As a result, “being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ” ( Romans 5:1 ). Thus, through such promises, His Word assures us of salvation. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” ( 1 John 5:13 ). Further assurance is given by the witness of the Spirit who indwells our bodies when we believe on Christ. “Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba , Father” ( Romans 8:15 ). T

As the apostle Paul described gospel ministry to be “ God making his appeal through us” ( 2 Corinthians   5:20 ), the truth of Romans 8 to us is as if God himself were speaking directly to us.  They  are  God’s words to us, and we should just listen. Bring our minds and hearts into a “hungry readiness to hear the Lord himself speak kindly and deeply and powerfully to our souls.  In Christ , you are free from eternal condemnation. (Romans 8:1) My Spirit in you will one day give life to your mortal bodies in the resurrection. (Romans  8:10 –11) I executed the penalty for your sin in the crucified flesh of my Son. (Romans 8:3) My Holy Spirit is fulfilling in you the demands of my law summed up in love. (Romans 8:4) My Spirit’s power is the only means by which you can kill your sin. (Romans  8:13 ) My indwelling Spirit is the spirit of adoption, wakening the cry from your heart, “ Abba Father.” (Romans  8:15 ) As my children, you are my heirs and will sha

Pentecostés. Óleo sobre lienzo, 275 × 127 cm. Madrid, Museo del Prado. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) To bring out the same truth in another way, Paul says God sent Jesus (as a Man) to live under the Law in order “to redeem those under law, that we [Jews and Gentiles ] might receive the full rights [adoption] of sons” ( Galatians 4:5).  By “full rights” or “adoption” he means entering into the privileges and responsibilities of sonship. He uses it also of the sonship of Israel (Romans 9:4). Galatians 4:1, 2 indicate that the son and heir of a wealthy family in Paul’s day would be treated as a slave until he became of age.  Then he would receive the adoption, that is, all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that belonged to an adult member of that family. Adoption was also used in the modern sense, so that Gentiles who were not sons of Abraham became true heirs, true sons of God , by faith.  Jesus died, not just to save us from the fires of hell, but to make it p

Martin Luther, author of the text of Christ lag in Todes Banden, and who, with Johann Walter, also wrote the melody (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God . These distinctions can be helpful, but they can also be a little dangerous. When Luther struggled with that, he made this distinction, which has since become somewhat famous: He distinguished between what he called a servile fear and a filial fear. The servile fear is a kind of fear that a prisoner in a torture chamber has for his tormentor, the jailer, or the executioner. It’s that kind of dreadful anxiety in which someone is frightened by the clear and present danger that is represented by another person.  Or it’s the kind of fear that a slave would have at the hands of a malicious master who would come with the whip and torment the slave. Servile refers to a posture of servitude toward a malevolent owner. Luther distinguished between that and