Dr Paul Allen

The term amen was used in the corporate worship of ancient Israel in two distinct ways. It served first as a response to praise given to God and second as a response to prayer . Those same usages of the term are still in vogue among Christians.  The term itself is rooted in a Semitic word that means “truth,” and the utterance of “amen” is an acknowledgement that the word that has been heard, whether a word of praise, a word of prayer or a sermonic exhortation, is valid, that is, sure and binding.  Even in antiquity, the word amen was used in order to express a pledge to fulfil the terms of a vow. So, this little word is one that is centred on the idea of the truth of God. The truth of God is such a remarkable element of Christian faith that it cannot be overlooked. There are those who think that truth is negotiable or, even worse, divisive, and it, therefore, should not be a matter of passionate concern among believers.  But if we are not concerned about truth, then we ...

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” ( Mark 3:28–29 ). Distraught Christians often ask about the unpardonable sin and whether they might have committed it.   Most believers have asked themselves whether they have done something unforgivable. It is not surprising that many people struggle with this issue because the precise nature of “the unpardonable sin” is difficult to discern and many theories about it have been set forth through church history.  For instance, some people have argued that the unpardonable sin is murder and others have said that it is adultery, because they see the serious consequences that those sins wreak on the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. But neither of those sins is unpardonable. There are two reasons for my assurance.  First, Script...

And all the people said … “Amen!” The “amen corner” has had an important place in the life of the church throughout the ages. However, it is rare to find such a spot among Presbyterians . We are known as God ’s frozen chosen for a reason. It has been said that the Methodists like to shout “Fire,” the Baptists like to shout “Water,” and the Presbyterians like to softly say, “Order, order.” Nevertheless, in spite of the idiosyncrasies of various ecclesiastical persuasions, the function of the word amen far transcends denominational usages in the modern era. The term amen was used in the corporate worship of ancient Israel in two distinct ways. It served first as a response to praise given to God and second as a response to prayer. Those same usages of the term are still in vogue among Christians. The term itself is rooted in a Semitic word that means “truth,” and the utterance of “amen” is an acknowledgment that the word that has been heard, whether a word of praise, a word of ...

I am glad that Paul said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ ” ( 1 Corinthians 11:1). Christ is the Himalayan touchstone — without sin! But Paul shares not only my humanity, but also my  sinful  humanity. Yet oh, what heights of greatness and Godwardness he attained — through suffering! I love him for the Christ he shows me, for the unsearchable riches of truth he opens to me, and for the constellation of his personal excellencies — all the more compelling because of how diverse, even paradoxical, they are. Five Reasons I Love Paul It would take a book to unfold all of them, but here are five reasons, in some detail, why I love Paul, followed by 27 more in the form of nuggets. 1. A massive change came into Paul’s life through his experience on the Damascus road , and turned him from being a killer of Christians into being a lover of Christ and his people. You have heard of my former life in Judaism , how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried t...

Every movement and organization has their sayings. They can be helpful when they are accurate and memorable. But they can also be destructive when they are inaccurate and memorable. Such sayings float around a bit in Christendom . Thus, it behooves us to evaluate things we say against Scripture so that we accurately represent the faith. Oftentimes newer or mis-shepherded Christians will latch onto sayings, get swept down the stream of error, and cause others to do the same. Here are a few such Christian sayings that ought to be buried. 1. “They are a Christian but haven’t made Christ their Lord yet.” Sometimes the idea is phrased in other ways: “They are a believer, but have not yet decided to follow the Lord .” “They prayed the prayer, but do not follow Christ or live out their faith.” Burial of this saying is needed for several reasons. Christ is the absolute, Sovereign Lord whether we have acknowledged it or not (John 13:13, 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 1:8, 4:8, 11, 19:16). He is Lord of...

English: Charles Wesley (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” ( 1 Peter 2:9 ) The fourth verse of Charles Wesley’s great hymn “And Can It Be That I Should Gain?” compares Peter ’s miraculous deliverance from prison with a sinner’s deliverance from bondage to sin. “Peter was sleeping, . . . bound with two chains. . . . And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: . . . And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him . . . follow me” ( Acts 12:6-8 ). Long my imprisoned spirit lay, Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light: My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee. The Bible teaches that before being delivered, “ye were the serva...

Kingdom of Heaven (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The New Testament usage of “kingdom”in reference to human empires & reign (national) or Satan’s empire and reign on earth, God’s universal empire and rule, and general/passing references to “kingdom”, “ Kingdom of God ” or “ Kingdom of Heaven ” in the gospels.  That led to some rather interesting discoveries in various passages of scripture, but the New Testament still has plenty of passages left to explore.  Today, I’ll continue on with the remaining portion of point three. General/passing references to “kingdom”, “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Heaven” outside the gospels Acts 1:3, 6,  8:12 ,  14:22 , 19:8,  20:25 , 28:23, 31; Rom.  14:17 ; 1 Cor.  4:20 , 6:9-10,  15:24 , 50; Gal. 5:20-21; Eph. 5:5; Col.  1:13 ,  4:11 ; 1 Thess.   2:12 ;  2 Thess. 1:5; 2 Tim.4:1, 18; Heb. 1:8;  12:28 ; James 2:5; 2 Peter   1:11 ; Rev.1:6, 9,  5:10 ,...