Dr Paul Allen

The Bible speaks about the law in many places, but particularly through the Ten Commandments . Children must understand that sin is not just an outward act; its roots run deep into the human heart . Because the Ten Commandments are a summary of the law of God , they can usually be used to illustrate our children’s sin problem. For instance, if I witness my daughter teasing her sister, I can show her how her behavior violates the sixth commandment, “ Thou shalt not kill ” ( Ex. 20:13 ). I can say: “When you tease your sister in a hurtful manner, you are breaking the sixth commandment. And God hates all sin. You think this cruel teasing is funny, but God takes it seriously, as a form of hatred, which is the very root of murder. You are breaking His commandment, and that is what sin is.” We must explain to our children how the Holy Spirit uses the law to drive us to the Lord Jesus Christ . We must teach them that the law is like a mirror the Spirit holds in front of us to show us...

English: By Rembrandt. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “We are of God : he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” ( 1 John 4:6 ) Here we are given assurance that we will be able to tell the difference in people by the way they respond to the Word of God. The emphasis is on the believer’s ability to discern a spirit (attitude or character) of truth or error among those to whom we witness. This is important because we are told not to cast “pearls before swine” ( Matthew 7:6 ) and to “shake off the very dust” from our feet against those who will not receive our witness ( Luke 9:5 ). Others disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness when they are really the ministers of Satan ( 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 ). How can we tell which is which? If a pastor embraced the " kenosis" heresy (Christ put aside his entire divinity, and depended solely on the Holy Spirit therfore we can do the i...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul summarized the heart of the gospel, resolving the mystery and paradox of vv. 18–20, and explaining how sinners can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ .  These 15 Gr. words express the doctrines of imputation and substitution like no other single verse. who knew no sin. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God (Luke 23:4, 14, 22, 47; John 8:46; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 1:19; 2:22–24; 3:18; Rev. 5:2–10).  God the Father , using the principle of imputation treated Christ as if He were a sinner though He was not, and had Him die as a substitute to pay the penalty for the sins of those who believe in Him ( Is. 53:4–6; Gal. 3:10–13; 1 Pet. 2:24).  On the cross, He did not become a sinner (as Bill Johnson in Hosting the Presence Page 41 and others suggest), but remained as holy as ever. He was treated as if He were guilty of all the sins ever committed by all who would e...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Bill Johnson in his book "Hosting the Presence" page 40 says: "He set aside His divinity to live as a man....and was completely dependent on the Holy Spirit .....in so doing became a model for us to follow." Bill is referring to Paul statement of Jesus from Philippians 2:7a "but emptied Himself."  The inference is that we are identical with Jesus and totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit and are able to perform the same miracles as Jesus, because we are the same. However, our nature is different. We're saved not fully sanctified, stained by sin, whereas Christ never sinned. Our natures at this point are different. But did Jesus set aside his divinity? This statement needs clarification, because it could infer he stopped being God. I am sure that is not what Bill means. What does the text say? Jesus continued to not cling to His divine prerogatives. Instead, He emptied Himse...

The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau, as in Genesis 33, oil on panel, at the National Galleries of Scotland (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, … bless these boys” ( Genesis 48:15–16). Jacob was dying, and Joseph came to visit him. Jacob told him to bring his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. For Jacob intended to bless them and adopt them as his own sons, on an equal par with Reuben, Simeon, and the rest. Jacob stated that God had appeared to him at Bethel and had blessed him with a promise of seed and land. Jacob intended to pass that blessing on to Joseph’s sons (Gen. 48:3–6). This act showed Jacob’s faith, for Jacob trusted in God’s promise. Even though Jacob would not live to see the land conquered and occupied, he trusted God’s Word. Jacob’s faith was worshiping faith. At the age of 77, he had left the land of promise to spend time with his relatives in Mesopotamia. Isaac was sending him back there to get a wife. On...