Dr Paul Allen

PRAYING FOR PEOPLE Establishing an accurate definition of what constitutes a miracle is difficult in view of the prevailing influence of Deism among Christians. God is continually and directly in control of everything that occurs! In light of this, several inadequate definitions of miracles need to be rejected. E.g., Some define a miracle as a direct intervention of God into the world. But “intervention … into” implies that God is outside the world and only occasionally intrudes. Some define a miracle as God working in the world apart from means to bring about the desired result. But God often uses “means” or “instruments” in performing the miraculous, as in the case of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. Others define a miracle as God acting contrary to natural law. But this implies there are forces (“ natural laws ”) which operate independently of God, forces or laws that God must violate or override to perform a miracle. God is the author and providential Lord over all nat...

In our relationship with God we are to give him his legal right—namely, all that we have and are. The Christian is to be as a matter of course totally dedicated to God (Rom 12: 1–2) and filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5: 18). For his part God gives to us positionally, as we are in Christ , forgiveness of sins (Eph 1: 7), eternal life (Rom 6: 23), adoption as sons (Gal 4: 5), and the availability of unlimited help and power (Eph 1: 18–19).  Think of how much that means! Moreover, he gives to us experientially, as we are Spirit-filled, the fruit of the Spirit : love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5: 22–23). When this relationship is intact, the product in our lives will be righteousness (Rom 6: 16), and the by-product of righteousness is happiness. Happiness is an elusive thing and will never be found when pursued directly; but it springs into being as one pursues the knowledge of God and his righteousness is realize...

English: Nadab and Abihu consumed by fire from the Lord; illustration from "Figures de la Bible", illustrated by Gerard Hoet (1648-1733), and others, and published by P. de Hondt in The Hague in 1728; image courtesy Bizzell Bible Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Leviticus 16. Leviticus 16 is the central passage describing and explaining the Day of Atonement ritual. Following the death of Aaron ’s sons Nadab and Abihu , (Lev 10), the text focuses on issues of cleanness and uncleanness of the sacred space. Chapter 16 deals with purification of the sanctuary, the high priest (16:1–4), and the people. After the high priest had achieved atonement through sacrificing a bull, he was qualified to serve in the sanctuary. The Day of Atonement ritual required two goats which were used to bring atonement for the people’s sins. The high priest would cast lots to determine which would go to God and which would go to “ Azazel .” He would then...

Observing the Sabbath-closing havdalah ritual in 14th-century Spain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The fourth commandment anticipated rest by prescribing rest, so that one kept the Sabbath by resting. However, the command soon escaped these confines, in part through its role as a sign of the whole law, and in part through the failure of Israel to find rest in the land.  The stress in the prophets on faithfulness as the heart of Sabbath observance was taken up in the NT, but there it was viewed in the light of what Jesus had done. As God ’s perfect human, Jesus lived the Sabbath day for God, releasing his fellow humans from bondage, bringing them into blessing, and at the last entering himself into God’s rest.  Ultimately, as Lord of the Sabbath , Jesus made it possible for others to follow him into that rest. This means that the Christian ’s task is no longer to keep the Sabbath (Jesus has done that already) but to believe in him. In its final setting, then, the ...

Appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene after resurrection, Alexander Ivanov, 1835 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Daniel 7:9–14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” ( v. 13 ). The title Son of Man appears in the New Testament four times outside of the Gospels . It is used for our Savior unambiguously in three places ( Acts 7:56 ; Rev. 1:13 ; 14:14 ), but whether Hebrews 2:6 intends it as a title for Jesus is debatable. Since it is Jesus’ favorite title for Himself, it seems strange that it is not found more often in the apostolic writings. Maybe the original audiences of the epistles did not know the title’s meaning as well as the Gospels’ first readers. As we continue to study the meaning of this title, we must first consider what it does not intend to convey. Popularly speaking, many Christians look at “Son of Man” as a reference to the humanity of Chr...

Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The vision recorded in the seventh chapter of Daniel is central to the book, and understanding it is crucial to grasping the meaning of a number of otherwise obscure passages in the New Testament .  Daniel received this vision in the first year of Belshazzar (v. 1), so it occurred sometime after the events of chapter 4 but before the events of chapter 5.  In the vision, Daniel sees the winds of heaven stirring up the sea (v. 2). From the sea, he witnesses four great beasts arise, each different from the other (v. 3).  The first beast is like a lion with eagles' wings (v. 4). Its wings are removed and it is made to stand on two feet like a man.  The second beast is like a bear (v. 5). It is raised up on one side and has three ribs in its mouth.  The third beast is like a leopard (v. 6), but it has four wings and four heads.  The fourth beast is almost indescribable (v. 7). It is...

Daniel 7:9–14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (v. 13). The title Son of Man appears in the New Testament four times outside of the Gospels . It is used for our Savior unambiguously in three places (Acts 7:56; Rev. 1:13; 14:14), but whether Hebrews 2:6 intends it as a title for Jesus is debatable. Since it is Jesus’ favorite title for Himself, it seems strange that it is not found more often in the apostolic writings. Maybe the original audiences of the epistles did not know the title’s meaning as well as the Gospels’ first readers. As we continue to study the meaning of this title, we must first consider what it does not intend to convey. Popularly speaking, many Christians look at “Son of Man” as a reference to the humanity of Christ. Certainly, Jesus is truly God and truly man, but our Lord’s use of the title, if it refers to the humanity of Jesus,...

  Wikipedia ) If prayer is such a good thing, why does it seem so hard? Of the many reasons for this struggle, most would not come up with the reason given by the prophet Isaiah: “There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities” ( Isa. 64:7 ). According to Isaiah, prayerlessness is evidence of a judgment from God . This is sobering to contemplate. With a few notable exceptions, the North American church is not especially known for its vibrant prayer life. This problem, according to Isaiah, is not going to be fixed by a few more strong exhortations, reading the right books, a new conference on prayer, or even better daily discipline. If the sun were removed from our solar system, the earth would quickly grow dark, cold, and all life would soon stop. We need the sun’s presence to stay alive. In spite of all of our technological progress, we are utterly d...

Image via Wikipedia “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all people, nations and men of every language worshiped him” ( Daniel 7 :13–14). The expression “ Son of Man ” as a title for Jesus Christ occurs about 80 times in the New Testament . Almost without exception it is found on the lips of Jesus Himself. It was His favorite name for Himself. Most Christians naturally think that the expression “Son of Man” refers to the humanity of our Lord , while the expression “Son of God” refers to his Deity. When we look at the Bible, however, we find something else. The Son of Man in Daniel The key passage to understanding the term “Son of Man” is in Daniel 7. There Daniel sees a divine figure coming on the clouds of heaven. This is a reference to the glory cloud of God Himself, the cloud that app...