Dr Paul Allen

Joseph with the Infant Jesus (c. 1635), at the Hermitage, in St. Petersburg. Oil on canvas, 126 x 101 cm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A little over a year ago a Pastor in preached a sermon called “ It Works Both Ways .”  In short he paints a picture of a parent who finds his child with a severe head injury after having fallen off of the monkey bars. The parent scoops the child up and heads for the car. As he begins driving, he doesn’t even notice the speed limits and even if he did he wouldn’t obey them, because of his love for his child. Similarly, the pastor says “ God broke the law for love.” God after giving us the law, displayed his love by breaking it. In essence he loved us more than His own love. DID JESUS BREAK HIS FATHERS LAW? There are many problems with this theologically and philosophically but it is not my purpose in this post to detail them. Even a simple reading of a single chapter in the Gospel of Luke would show how meticulous Mary , Joseph and Jesus were...

Author: David King. And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Rev. 21:5). Surely, if this language of the risen, glorified Lord Jesus presupposes anything, in the light of John’s vision in verses 1–4, he intimates the complete renovation of all creation as the preparatory act by which God will consummate His eternal purposes for His people and bring them to their final fruition. This imagery: the new creation, the new Jerusalem , God’s communion with His Bride adorned in wedding garments, His dwelling with men, the end of sorrow, pain, and death — points to future realities awaiting the people of God in the new heavens and new earth . In a word, His work will be to make all things new. But how are we to understand these realities, and what are we to make of them as believers? Moreover, where do we as the people of God fit into the picture of this divine revelation? Whe...

To answer our question from a historical standpoint, we must first determine what facts concerning the fate of Jesus of Nazareth can be credibly established on the basis of the evidence and second consider what the best explanation of those facts is. At least four facts about the fate of the historical Jesus are widely accepted by NT historians today. Fact 1: After His crucifixion, Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in a tomb. This fact is highly significant because it means that the location of Jesus’ tomb was known in Jerusalem to Jews and Christians alike. New Testament scholars have established the fact of Jesus’ entombment on the basis of evidence such as the following:    Jesus’ burial is attested in the information (from before A.D. 36) that was handed on by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5.    The burial story is independently attested in the source material that was used by Mark in writing his Gospel.     Given the understandable ...

What a wonderful promise to recently emancipated slaves travelling through a wilderness, that they would live permanently and safely in their own fertile country; see Lev. 26:5! The word ‘dwell’ or abide, when used in the Bible, has at its root the idea of remaining permanently in a place, see Gen. 29:19, while its antonym (opposite) is to sojourn, as in Genesis 12:10, where we read that Abram had it in mind to stay for a short time only in Egypt. This promise of dwelling follows the Lord’s earlier declaration that, ‘I established also my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan … in which they were sojourners’, Exod. 6:4 JND . Former sojourners were to be dwellers! However, this and the other promises connected with it were conditional, as the Lord had said, ‘if ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them’, Lev. 26:3, ‘I will give you rain … peace … and make you fruitful’, vv. 4, 6, 9, and ‘I will … establish my covenant with you, v. 9. (In fact, the...

Australian one-dollar coin (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Even though tithing is not mandated, there is no call in the New Testament to hoard one’s possessions or to live selfishly. Believers are commanded to support those who proclaim the gospel ( Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 9:6–14; 1 Tim. 5:17–18). Those who are blessed with wealth are to enjoy the good things God has given them, but they are also to be generous to those in need (1 Tim. 6:17–19). The New Testament clearly teaches that wealth is dangerous because it can seduce us so that we stray from the Lord . God is to be our treasure, and hence believers are to give generously and freely. For most believers in the West, that means giving more than a tithe . Still, the tithe itself is not mandated by Scripture, and Scripture is our rule and authority rather than a tradition that requires believers to tithe. Schreiner, T. R. (2010). 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. (B. L. Merkle, Ed.) (p. 221). Grand Rapi...

Duccio di Buoninsegna - Christ Accused by the Pharisees (detail) - WGA06802 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When Christians default to sinful assaults on other believers, the glory of Christ is diminished, the gospel message is muted and fellowship is destroyed. Hugh Hewitt recently challenged a room full of leaders to “expect to get hit from behind.” Anticipate that your most scathing, personal assaults will often come from those you partner with in ministry. Those you learn from, recruit, hire, mentor, lead, and serve. It’s not the attacks from unbelievers in the community or even from believers on the periphery of the ministry. It is assaults from those who have direct access to your heart, who for whatever reason, use their access and knowledge to launch accusations, spread gossip and advance slander. Similar to the volley of war, it is anything but friendly. Seminary can prepare a man for ministry in many ways, but classroom lectures do not warn aspiring pastors to expect false...