Dr Paul Allen

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...

English: An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Version), frontispiece to the 1880 omnibus printing of The Sunday at Home. Scanned at 800 dpi. Français : Illustration du Psaume 23 (version autorisée par le roi Jacques), en frontispice de l'édition omnibus du Sunday at home. Version numérisée à 800 dpi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Joy is the emotion of salvation. We rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory ( 1 Peter 1:8). If you’re a Christian, the Spirit gives you soaring delight in Christ . His beauty and greatness thrill your soul. But quite a few believers struggle to experience joy. Why is that? Some people by nature tend to be sad, and joy is an ongoing challenge. When I read Martyn Lloyd-Jones ’s classic, Spiritual Depression , I was surprised that he mentions temperament or personality as “the first and foremost cause.” He may be right. But there are other reasons. Young moms are often surprised at how tired they are — sleepless and exhausted — and th...

‎Overlaid with pure gold, the table was first created to be used in the Tabernacle to hold the Bread of the Presence , also referred to as the Showbread. An important piece of furniture recreated for use in Solomon’s temple and again for the second temple , the Table of the Showbread may have been one of the Jewish treasures lost to the Romans during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD .  BREAD OF THE PRESENCE (לחם הפנים, lchm hpnym). Twelve loaves of bread arranged in two stacks of six on the Table of the Showbread. The Table of the Showbread was located in the holy place of the tabernacle and temple. Near Yahweh ’s presence. Biblical Relevance The bread of the presence accompanied the “table of the presence” (שׁלחן הפנים, shlchn hpnym; Num 4:7), which were located in the holy place of Israel ’s central sanctuary (1 Sam 21:1–6; 1 Kgs 7:48; 1 Chr 9:32; 2 Chr 2:4; Neh 10:33). The Table of the Showbread appeared behind the veil above the mercy seat (Exod 25:22). The ...

King David in Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord ,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Psalm 32:5 David ’s grief for sin was bitter. Its effects were visible upon his outward frame: “ his bones waxed old ”; “ his moisture was turned into the drought of summer .” No remedy could he find, until he made a full confession before the throne of the heavenly grace. He tells us that for a time he kept silence, and his heart became more and more filled with grief: like a mountain tarn whose outlet is blocked up, his soul was swollen with torrents of sorrow. He fashioned excuses; he endeavored to divert his thoughts, but it was all to no purpose; like a festering sore his anguish gathered, and as he would not use the lancet of confession, his spirit was full of torment, and knew no rest. At last it came to this, that he must return to his God in humble penitence, or di...

Stained glass window of the sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in the former Mosque (Cathedral) of Cordoba, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man,lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven .” At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming !”  Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God , who had given such authority to man. Some believers tend to pursue physical healing as if it is t...

Jesus image (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." ( Hebrews 12:15 ) Bitterness and a bitter spirit should never characterize a person who has experienced the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ . No matter how seriously one may have been wronged, if he has known God 's forgiving grace for his own wrongdoings, he should manifest that same grace in his life toward others, even though they do not merit it (for neither did he merit God's forgiving grace himself). Bitterness is a characteristic of the ungodly "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness" ( Romans 3:14 ). A Christian must never try to rationalize it as "righteous indignation" or to think that certain injustices give him the "right" to be bitter and resentful. "If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and ...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Ye have heard the blasphemy : what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death." ( Mark 14:64 )   There are today many liberal theologians who profess to be Christians , but who argue that Jesus was merely a great man, and that He never claimed deity for Himself. But the Sanhedrin and its high priest had no such doubts, for they had heard it from His own lips.   When the high priest asked him directly: "Art thou the Christ , the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus (who had been silent up to that point in His own defense) answered him plainly. "I am," He said: "and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" ( Mark 14:62 ).   The council immediately voted to condemn Him to death, since blasphemy was considered a capital crime. Two members of the body, Joseph and Nicodemus , had evidently already left, probabl...

Image via Wikipedia "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). I cannot tell you how many times in my teaching career very distraught Christians have come to me to ask about the unpardonable sin and whether they might have committed it. I suspect 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 I c...