Dr Paul Allen

This article is the first of twelve to serve as an overview of the great “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. In this introductory article, I would like to address the question, “What is faith?” It might seem like this little word, faith, so familiar to every Christian, would be easy to define. It occurs all over the Bible; various forms are used nearly one hundred times in the gospel of John alone. But what is faith? Often, Hebrews 11:1 is cited as a definition of faith. The ESV reads, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Though this might sound like a definition of faith, New Testament scholar J. Gresham Machen is likely correct when he says that Hebrews 11:1 gives us more of a description of faith than a definition of faith.1 In the New Testament, faith is often referred to as the subjective means by which the people of God receive the Word and blessings of God. But it is also used to describe the content of what God has revealed in His Word

The book of Hebrews focuses squarely on Jesus Christ . Theologically speaking, the book is Christocentric . The reason is obvious. The gospel ultimately boils down to three questions: Who is Jesus Christ? What has he done? What is the significance for us? Similar to the way Paul begins his epistle to the Colossians (Col 1:15-20), the author of Hebrews begins by introducing his readers to the person of Christ before teaching them about the work of Christ. These two categories—person and work— help us theologically navigate the richness of the Bible’s Christology.  While it is impossible to divorce Christ’s identity from his actions, dividing Christ’s person and work into individual theological categories helps us better articulate a comprehensive picture of what Scripture teaches us about Jesus. One of the problems Christians have when we talk about Christ is that we often jump straight to the work of Christ before talking about the person of Christ. This is particul

Christians have often been troubled by the question, How do we rightly read the Old Testament? Thankfully, the book of Hebrews provides us with important directions on how to interpret the Old Testament rightly, now that Christ has fulfilled all things. However, the history of theology and the history of the church demonstrate that there are disastrously wrong ways to read the Old Testament. The first major error made in approaching the Old Testament comes down to reading it as if it is a book that does not belong to the church.  This way of reading the Bible assumes that the Old Testament belongs to the Jews, whereas the New Testament belongs to the church. Sometimes the way we describe our congregations can unintentionally lend to this type of understanding. For example, Protestants are very concerned about ordering their church life so that they are legitimately a “New Testament church.”  By this, we mean that we are seeking to follow the ecclesiology modeled in the Ne

Hebrews 1:1–2; 9:26 . The author to the Hebrews begins his homily with the assertion that God’s revelation has taken a major turn in the recent past: while he had spoken to the Israelites and the Jewish people in the past through prophets “at many times and in various ways,” he has now been speaking to his people through his Son (Heb. 1:1 NIV).  The author dates God’s speaking through Jesus his Son as having happened “in these last days” (ep’ eschatou tōn hēmerōn, Heb. 1:2). The demonstrative pronoun (toutōn, “these”) indicates that the last days have begun: “in these days which are the last days.”  The entire period between Jesus’ first coming and the future consummation of God’s purposes constitutes “the last days.” When the author asserts that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, did not have to suffer many times but appeared once for all “to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26 NIV), he relates Jesus’ appearance both to the “foundation the world,” emphasiz

“For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” ( Hebrews 5:13-14 ) The Scriptures are compared in these verses to our daily food—milk and meat. Milk is the necessary food for babies ( 1 Peter 2:2 ), but it becomes grotesque when a baby continues year after year as a baby, still incapable of partaking of anything but milk. This was the case with the Corinthian Christians who were, according to Paul, “babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it” ( 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 ). It was also true for these Hebrew Christians: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again . . . the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” ( Hebrews 5:12 ). Sad