Dr Paul Allen

If God promises in  1 Peter 4:14  that the Spirit of glory and of God is going to rest upon you with that much personal, precious helpfulness in the hour of trial, why wouldn’t you want to seek him? Why wouldn’t you want to spend all of your life getting as near to him and as much of him as you possibly can?  https://hopecollege.com And if we add to  1 Peter 4:14 , the wider scope of the Spirit’s work, the enticements get better and better, and more and more. We know from  John 3:5  that it’s the Holy Spirit that causes us to be  born again . “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” We know from  1 Corinthians 12:3 , “No one can say ‘ Jesus is Lord ” except in the Holy Spirit.” We know from  Romans 8:13  that you must put to death the deeds of the body  by the Spirit  or perish. We know from  2 Thessalonians 2:13  that all our e...

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” ( Matthew 6:6 ). In Matthew 6:1 –21, Jesus gives a series of exhortations about the secret life of the believer. He contrasts true belief with Pharisaism .  First, in verses 1–4, He states that our alms-giving is to be done quietly, not publicly.  Second, in verses 5–15, He argues that our prayers are to be done secretly, and not openly. Third, in verse 16–18, He commands that our fasting is to be concealed, not done before men. He closes in verses 19–21 by arguing that in this way we lay up treasures in heaven, rather than on earth. Notice that Jesus makes it plain that we are required to give alms. This means, first of all, a tithe of ten percent of our income to the church. It also means additional giving to those in need, particularly to the poor. Jesus also makes it clear that Christians are to prac...

“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” ( Matthew 5:28 ). As Jesus comments on the implications of the law for kingdom living, He turns from murder to adultery. Many of the Pharisees acted as if only the physical act of adultery was forbidden by the Ten Commandments , and that “everything but” physical adultery was permitted. Jesus pointed to lust in the heart - is also forbidden. I’m sometimes asked by college students how “far” it is all right to go in necking and petting. Jesus answers that question right here. It is not permitted to go any distance at all outside of marriage, because all forms of sexual intimacy, and even lust, are condemned outside of marriage. Some have taken Jesus’ admonitions the wrong way, and have thought that Jesus was saying that lust in the heart is just as bad as fornication and adultery. This is not the case at all. In the Old Testament law, given by the same God ...

1 CORINTHIANS 6:15–20 “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (vv. 19b–20). Since the earliest days of the Christian church , believers have confessed the lordship of Christ . In fact, the first confession of the church was the simple affirmation, “ Jesus is Lord .” Our forefathers in the faith who lived under Roman rule were killed for this confession, for refusing to say that “Caesar is Lord.” Thus, it is not surprising that the Apostles’ Creed , the earliest of the ecumenical creeds, confesses Jesus as our Lord. But what is our reason for calling Him “Lord”?  The Heidelberg Catechism takes up that issue in question and answer 34, using 1 Corinthians 6 passage as a proof text. Our reasons for serving Christ as Lord are similar to the reasons for our comfort stated in answer 1 of the catechism, namely, that we belong to Jesus. He has purchased us; thus, we owe Him our highest allegiance. In 1 Corinthians 6:15–20, Paul uses ...

The word joy appears over and over again in the Scriptures. For instance, the Psalms are filled with references to joy. The psalmists write, "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Ps. 30:5b) and "Shout for joy to God, all the earth" (Ps. 66:1). Likewise, in the New Testament , we read that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22), which means that it is a Christian virtue . Given this biblical emphasis, we need to understand what joy is and pursue it. Sometimes we struggle to grasp the biblical view of joy because of the way it is defined and described in Western culture today. In particular, we often confuse joy with happiness. In the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–11), according to the traditional translations, Jesus said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit.… Blessed are those who mourn.… Blessed are the meek …" (vv. 3–5, emphasis added), and so on. Sometimes, however, translators adopt the modern vernacular and tell us Jesus sai...

Wise Counsel One of the biblical names for Jesus is “ Counselor ” (Isa. 9:6). It reveals His nature and character as One who reveals His will and way through counseling. His name is also “Everlasting Father” and “ Good Shepherd ,” because of pastoral and parental counseling—godly advice from those wiser and more mature than ourselves—is an important way of determining the will of God . Numerous Scriptures confirm the necessity of seeking counsel before making major decisions: “He who listens to counsel is wise.” “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” “Plans go wrong with too few counselors; many counselors bring success.” “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” “Every purpose is established by counsel, and with good advice go to war.” “Don’t go to war without wise guidance; there is safet...

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14). By the time the author of Hebrews was compelled to write his letter, his original audience was not in good shape. They had received the Gospel , but persecution and other hardships had made them question the validity of Christ ’s claims. They had begun to neglect their own pursuit of maturity and, consequently, had forgotten many of the basics of the Christian faith .  Many of them should have been teachers, but their ignorance made it necessary for them to live on a diet of milk consisting of the basics of the Christian faith instead of on the meat of the Word of God designed for more mature believers (5:12–13). Having seen the characteristics of those who must live on a diet of milk, today we will examine what the author of Hebrews has to say about those who live on solid food in 5:14. He tells us first of all that s...

English: no original description (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) We love to highlight God ’s sovereign control over every detail, when extraordinary deliverances occur. But what about all the many-times rescue from danger is not supplied? Tsunamis, earthquakes, crime incidents, epidemic diseases, political turmoil, car accidents…the list on this sin-cursed planet is unending. Is God still in perfect control in those situations? The Bible’s answer is unequivocally YES! God is never asleep at the wheel of his creation. He never overlooks a detail, misses a beat, or leaves events to chance. He is on his throne, ruling his kingdom with absolute authority. So when “bad things” happen, we need to filter them through the grid of acknowledging that God is not only in control but that he is good. Here are six verses that undeniably demonstrate this biblical teaching: Job 1:21 The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 2:10 Shall we receive good from Go...

“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.” ( Psalm 89:15 )   Many have been the Christians who have joined in singing “We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves; Jesus saves!” Not all have known, however, that this beautiful phrase comes from a great psalm extolling God ’s marvelous works of creation and then His promises of redemption.   “The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. The north and the south thou hast created them” ( Psalm 89:11-12 ). Earlier verses note that “the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD” (v. 5), speaking of the angels, “the sons of the mighty” (v. 6), literally, “the sons of God .” It is exciting to realize that the very first “joyful sound” was heard when God “laid the foundations of the earth.” Then it was that “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” ( Job 38:...

In the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles , fourth verse, we read: “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost , and began to speak,’ etc. This was the fulfilment of Acts 1:5. “Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” One of those mentioned by name as being “filled with the Holy Ghost,’ (Acts 2:4,) or “baptised with the Holy Ghost’ (Acts 1:5), at this time was Peter . Turning over to the fourth chapter, the eight verse, we read: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them,” etc. Here Peter experienced a new filling with the Holy Spirit . Again, in the thirty-first verse of the same chapter, we read: “When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.”  Peter is named as one of this company (verses 19 and 23), so we see that Peter here experienced a third filling with the Holy Spirit. It is evident that it is not sufficient that one be once “baptized with the Holy...

“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?)” ( Ephesians 4:8-9 )   This verse has been controversial but is nonetheless very important. The context is taken from Psalm 68:17-20: “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: . . . Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: . . . our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.”   The psalmist is apparently describing the Lord among His heavenly hosts, riding home as a mighty king returning with the spoils of battle. Evidently this battle prize consisted of His own people who had been held captive in an alien land but who now had been captured from the enemy by the returning King. To do this, the King (none other than the Lord Jesus Himself) “ascended up on high,” leading them to His ...

How can a Christian be certain what books should appear in the New Testament ? When Paul mentioned Scripture to Timothy (“All Scripture is inspired . . .” [2 Timothy 3:16 RSV]), he referred to the Old Testament , but even within the pages of the New Testament, we have indications that Christians had begun to regard the Gospels and Paul’s epistles as somehow special. Peter wrote that Paul’s epistles are sometimes “hard to understand.” Nevertheless, Paul’s wisdom was God given, and Peter chided the “ignorant and unstable” who distort Paul’s words as they distort other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16 RSV). Obviously Peter had begun to realize that Christians had some edifying writings other than the Old Testament works. The Jews had established that some books—what we call the Old Testament—were clearly inspired by God, while others were not. As they faced heresies Christians also began to feel the need to distinguish between those truly inspired writings and the questionable ones. T...

Justin the Philosopher (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The young philosopher walked along the seashore, his mind active, always active, seeking new truths. He had studied the teachings of the Stoics, of Aristotle, and of Pythagoras—now he was following Plato ’s system.  Plato had promised a vision of God to those who delved deeply enough into truth. That is what Justin the philosopher wanted. As he walked, he came across an elderly Christian man. Justin was struck by his dignity and humility. The man quoted from Jewish prophecies, showing that the Christian way was indeed true; Jesus was the true expression of God. That was Justin’s turning point. Poring over those prophetic writings, reading the Gospels and letters of Paul, he became a devoted Christian. For the remaining thirty or so years of his life, he traveled, evangelized, and wrote. He played a crucial role in the church’s developing theology, in its understanding of itself, and the image it presented to the world. ...