Dr Paul Allen

I n the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus, the rich man, suffering in hell, asks Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn his five brothers to save them from hell. His attempt, though not the core teaching of the parable, reveals a general truth, i.e., when a grievous thing strikes us, our natural instinct is to warn others, especially our loved ones, so that they would not suffer the same fate. For one thing, the culture of the rich man — different from ours — tends to encourage such an effort. In that culture, a person does not exist as an independent entity, but as part of a larger group. Within the framework of a shared identity, social obligation always preempts the individual’s self-interests. In the case of the rich man, he is obligated to alert his brothers of an impending terrifying doom. He does so without obsessing with the possibility of being belittled as to why he has landed in the awful spot in the first place. For him, social obligation offsets how...

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar” (Gen. 16:1). The real test of fidelity is not whether we will believe in but whether we will believe God. Anyone can confess that a higher power exists, and in fact, routine surveys indicate the vast majority of people do believe in the existence of a supreme being.  However, precious few believe the God of the Bible will actually do as He says. Too many people do not stake their entire lives on His Word even though He has never been anything other than true to His promises. Even those of us who do live for Him act as if we do not trust Him on occasion. If anyone should have had unwavering confidence in God, it was Abram. After all, the Lord provided for him in Egypt (12:10–20), enabled him to save Lot (14:13–16), and blessed him through Melchizedek (vv. 17–20). And as if this were not enough, Yahweh visibly swore an oath to keep His promise to Abram (chap. 15)....

“Now  return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”  — Genesis 20:7 In the drama of the broader story of Genesis 20, we risk missing something quite significant for biblical theology: Abraham is named a prophet. When Abraham sojourned in Gerar, he pretended for the second time that Sarah was his sister. Not knowing this deception, Abimelek took Sarah to be his wife. Abimelech proclaimed his innocence when God appeared to him in a dream and threatened his life. In response, the Lord directed Abimelek to have Abraham intercede for him “for he is a prophet” (Gen 20:7).  God tells Abimelek something about Abraham in Genesis 20, and what he says has a Christological aspect. Abraham the prophet It is important to remember that Jesus was a prophet. The word “prophet” occurs for the first time when God says to Abimelech,...

The land God promised to Abraham and his descendants is a beautiful mosaic of rocky deserts, green valleys, rolling hills, and snow-capped mountains. These locations are home to familiar and beloved biblical sites frequented by pilgrims touring Israel, like  Capernaum , Mount Tabor, and Jerusalem. However, east of the Galilee and nestled at the base of Mount Hermon in northern Israel is a piece of often overlooked real estate. But it’s one of the most significant places in all of Israel. A dark history Israel’s Golan Heights (biblical Bashan) is a hilly area overlooking the upper Jordan River valley on the west and rising above the  Sea of Galilee . The plateau formed from disintegrated lava that left the soil rich and fertile (Deut 32:13–14; Ezek 27:6), resulting in well-nourished herds. Tucked away in those hills is the ancient city of Tel Dan, which marked the northern border of the biblical kingdom of Israel. It was here that: Abram chased Lot’s cap...

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son ( Hebrew 11:17). Hebrews 11 is a chronicle of people who lived by faith. In each case, we find that faith was not a mere intellectual exercise or mystical feeling, but faith meant loyalty and humble submission to God. Faith issued in fruitful service to God, even in the midst of pain and crisis. One example is that of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac , recorded for us in Genesis 22 . God determined to test Abraham’s faith in terms of his obedience. God told Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah . Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about” (v. 2). We read that Abraham arose “early the next morning” (v. 3). I imagine Abraham could not sleep, and finally got up so that he could get going on this horrible mission. As the account continues...

Leviticus is full of gruesome, bloody rituals performed by priests on behalf of God’s people. Unless you’re a butcher (and maybe even then), the descriptions of the gory mess created by sin and guilt make for uncomfortable reading. Leviticus confronts us with the cost of our sin against God and others. It can be challenging to see past the brutality to redemption. We can find a new perspective on Leviticus by tracing the ideas of guilt and sin throughout the Bible. In the process, we will learn three steps that will allow us to transition Old Testament concepts into modern faith applications—without the need to burn a bull on an altar. www.hopecollege.com Step 1: Get a Sense of the Entire Book and Its Purpose To understand Leviticus, or any Old Testament book, we need to first get a sense of the book as a whole. There is no substitute for reading a biblical book in its entirety. It’s hard work—especially with a book like Leviticus. Yet it helps us understand God’s Word and his w...

We recycle everything these days, including stories. Take Sherlock Holmes, for example. More than 100 years after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the famous detective, his classic tales are still being refashioned into popular movies and TV shows. www.hopecollege.com Biblical authors recycled stories, too, picking up on earlier biblical narratives and using them to express God’s truth. One central event that shows up multiple times in the Bible is the Passover and the Israelites’ subsequent exodus from Egypt . Let’s look at the Passover event in Exodus 12 , and then trace this idea throughout Scripture Step One: Understand the Narrative Context of the Passover Exodus 12 is devoted entirely to the Passover, from the depiction of the actual event to legislation about its future observance. The passage culminates with a powerful statement: “And it was on exactly this day Yahweh brought the Israelites out from the land of Egypt by their divisions” (Exod 12:51 LEB). The UBS A Handbook...

The story of Abraham and his “one and only son” Isaac actually foreshadows God the Father’s offering the redemptive sacrifice of the “second Isaac”—his “one and only Son” (John 3:16 NET). Rather than this being forced upon the Son—divine “child abuse,” as Richard Dawkins calls it—the Father is not pitted against the Son. Christ willingly laid down his life and then took it up again (John 10:15, 17–18). God sent his Son into the world (John 3:17) to bear Israel’s and humanity’s curse and alienation on the cross. Yet, God the Son himself came into the world (John 9:39) to save it. With three wills of Father, Son, and Spirit united as one, the Triune God gave his very self to rescue and redeem humankind: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). Abraham’s unquestioning yet difficult obedience to the covenant God not only helped shape and confirm Israel’s identity in Abraham but also provided a context for understanding God’s immense self-giving love in the...

They replied, “We want to perform God ’s works, too. What should we do?” ( John 6:28 ) This question is often asked by people who try to work their way into heaven. It was also asked in various ways by men in the New Testament , and it is vitally important to get the correct answer to such questions there and nowhere else. For example, a rich young ruler once asked Jesus, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor . . . and come, take up the cross, and follow me” ( Mark 10:17 , 21). That is, there is nothing of his own that one can bring to Christ to earn salvation; one must simply be willing to yield himself fully to Christ. A lawyer had asked Jesus the same question, “tempting him.” This time, His answer was, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself” ( Luke 10:27 ). But this stand...

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” ( Matt. 25:13). A day will come when all of humanity will give an account. Each of us will stand before the judgment seat of God , and the book of our lives will be spread open for all to see. God will then make a judgment according to what each person has done. God’s judgment will not be questioned. He shows no partiality, and His judgments are righteous. The standard by which all people will be judged is the perfect law of God. Against the skeptics and the secularists who assert that mankind will not be held accountable for its actions, Jesus told His disciples that one day “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32). God has promised that the Day of Judgment will come. It might be tomorrow or it might be in a thousand years. No one knows. The exact time of Christ ’s return to ...

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses , and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” ( Mark 6:3 ) There is many an individual who has by God ’s grace found the Lord and has had a fruitful ministry in a place far from his hometown where he once lived a lifestyle of which he has now repented. Going home is difficult, for his former companions in sin will be there to oppose and tempt and disbelieve. In the course of His travels, Jesus returned to His birthplace (v. 1), and although He had lived a sinless life in His early years, He was still only one of the local citizens, and this resulted in their prideful opposition and disbelief. “And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?” (v. 2...

When you’re CNN , you publish annual articles suggesting Jesus never existed. It’s what you do.” Every year around March and December, this and other news outlets exhume the long-dead thesis that the New Testament is based on a mythological figure, not a Man who really lived, died, and rose from the grave two-thousand years ago. This year, CNN even republished an article from 2012 at CNN.com. In the piece, entitled, “Decoding Jesus: Separating Man from Myth,” John Blake suggests that Christ ’s historical existence is an open question. CNN featured it at the top of their homepage as part of the push for their new series, “Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery.” Blake quotes the likes of Timothy Freke, author of “Jesus Mysteries” and former Baptist pastor Robert Price, author of “Deconstructing Jesus,” who both claim that the Gospels are forgeries or misunderstood allegories, and that the story of Jesus was copied from legends about pagan deities. “In the age of the Internet and sel...

It is easy for believers to lose sight of how privileged we are to participate in the New Covenant . Giants of the faith such as Abraham , Moses , and David only looked forward to the spiritual blessings that every single Christian receives. For this reason, the New Covenant is fundamentally better than the Old Covenant . The clearest section of scripture that describes this superiority is 2 Corinthians 3 . There Paul lists nine ways the New Covenant is superior to the Old: 1). In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit validates God’s people. In the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirt strove with God’s people, who continually rebelled. But in the New Covenant the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of the individual members of the church, conforming them to the teaching of the Word. While Moses had an uphill battle with the Israelites, comparatively speaking pastors have it easy—our work is done by the Holy Spirit himself. Paul could even refer to the unruly Corinthians as “a letter of Christ,...

An angel prevents the sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham and Isaac, Rembrandt, 1634 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.” ( Genesis 22:6 )   The familiar story of Abraham’s willingness to offer up Isaac his son, in obedience to God ’s command, is rightly cited as a prime example of Abraham’s great faith. It is also a testimony to the remarkable faith of Isaac, for it is recorded twice in  Genesis 22  that “they went both of them together” (see also v. 8).   This emphasis on the fellowship of both father and son in this tremendous act of obedient faith is surely given by divine inspiration for our edification.   Isaac was a grown young man at this time, not a little boy. Isaac soon understood what was happening, yet he willingly carried the wood himself and then submitted to being bound on the altar o...