Dr Paul Allen

The Greek word used to refer to the Spirit by John is paraklētos , often translated as Counsellor . It is not used by any other NT author but was widely used before John. Given that the word is capable of several translations, it may be more appropriate to use the transliteration of the Greek ( paraclete ) rather than offer a translation.  Nevertheless, several translations could help define characteristics of the Spirit. Fundamentally, the metaphor is intended to leave the reader awestruck by the comprehensive nature of the conscientious compassion of the Spirit for believers. The term paraklētos is made up of two elements that may provide an insight into its meaning, referring to one who has been called ( kaleō ) alongside ( para ) another. Although the breakdown of a word and its etymology may not necessarily reveal its best translation in a given era or context, it can provide some insight into its meaning.  The word paraklētos was used in various ways in the first cent...

Jesus articulates the amazing truth that it will be to the advantage of the disciples for him to leave them, for then the Spirit will be sent in his place. Although Jesus had been of such great importance to them, he now says that someone is coming who can be of even greater benefit (16:7) to them, and they will be active based on his strength. In 14:12–14, Jesus identifies one of the benefits of the arrival of the Spirit. Jesus promises that the works (erga) that he performed will be achieved to a greater degree by those who believe in him. Such works are best identified as miracles and possibly also ethical acts. It may be appropriate to recognize that anything that fulfils the will of God, as exemplified in the life of Jesus, may be identified thus. However, to suggest that believers will be able to perform greater miraculous works than Jesus, in terms of the dramatic impact they cause, is an unlikely interpretation of the text. Nor is Jesus promising that greater power will be avai...

Most Christians have never heard this story preached from a pulpit. This isn't because the story lacks veracity. This isn't because the story isn't found in Scripture. But because it doesn’t fit the safe, sanitised version of faith we’ve grown comfortable with. After the prophet Elisha died, the Bible says his body was placed in a tomb. No ceremony. No miracle moment. The scene consists solely of bones in the ground. Then something bizarre happens. Raiders are approaching, and a group of men panic while burying another man. In their fear, they throw the corpse into Elisha’s tomb. The body hits Elisha’s bones—and immediately, the dead man comes back to life and stands on his feet (2 Kings 13:20–21). Read that again. A dead man touched the bones of a dead prophet and was resurrected. No prayer. No warning. No explanation. Just power. This wasn’t Elisha doing anything. He was dead. This display wasn’t theatrics. Such an act wasn’t symbolism. The miracle was a raw display of Go...

In everyday Christian language, terms like "hell," "outer darkness," and "the lake of fire" are often used interchangeably to describe the final destiny of those who reject Christ. But while all of these expressions point to the same ultimate reality (eternal separation from God), Scripture itself teaches an important distinction between Hades and the lake of fire. The word "hell" is an older English term used in the King James Version as a broad translation for several different biblical words, including the Greek "Hades," the Hebrew "Sheol," "Gehenna," and the verb "tartarōō" (Tartarus). This broad usage has contributed to a widespread misunderstanding of the nature of biblical punishment in the afterlife. As a result, "hell" has come to represent the final place of eternal punishment, even though biblically speaking, hell (Hades) is not the same as the eternal lake of fire. Because of this, man...

Below is Dick Harfield (Quora) answering the following submitted question:  Is Prophet  Amos  the 'first historically verifiable prophet' in the Bible? There may have been other prophets, all the way back to Abraham, but their existence has not been verified and is increasingly considered unlikely. Based on  Amos  1:1,  Amos  began to prophesy in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel and two years before the earthquake of 760 BCE, making him just a little earlier than the prophet Isaiah. On the face of it, that means that  Amos  may be the first historically verifiable prophet in the Bible. Amos  6:2, which warns the reader to see what the Assyrians had done to the cities of Calneh, Hamath and Gath, provides reason for doubt. Assyria defeated the kingdoms of Calneh and Hamath in 738 BCE, and Gath in 734, much later than the earthquake during the reigns of Uzziah and Joash. Since it wo...

In  Jack Deere 's intriguing book,  Surprised by the Power of the Spirit , he suggests the following hypothetical situation and result: "If you were to lock a brand-new Christian in a room with a  Bible  and tell him to study what the Scriptures have to say about healing and miracles, he would never come out of the room a cessationist." 1   Elsewhere, he writes, Everyone who picked up the Bible, started reading, and concluded that God was still doing signs and wonders and that the gifts of the Holy Spirit had not passed away. The doctrine of cessationism did not originate from a careful study of the Scriptures. The doctrine of cessationism originated in experience.  2 Deere may have a point, but a person reading the Bible and studying miracles and healing may also have several questions about these things. Why do the epistles have little discussion about them? Why does Paul leave people sick ( Phil 2:26-27 ;  1 Tim 5:23 ;  2 Tim 4:20 ...