Dr Paul Allen

The concept of “biblical headship,” or the idea that a man should have ultimate authority over his wife and/or women in the church, is primarily based on interpretations of four key New Testament passages (Icons of Christ, William G. Witt, 121). The one I will deal with in this post is 1 Corinthians 11. Verse 3 of this chapter reads as follows: “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and the head of Christ is God.” At first blush, this passage might clearly seem supportive of the notion of “headship”; however, this understanding depends more on how we as English speakers typically interpret the word “head” rather than an understanding of the Greek word that Paul uses for head here, kephalē, and his intended meaning.  In fact, many modern Biblical scholars argue that “head” in this instance does not connote “authority over” but rather the concept of “source” (128-9). In fact, “head” carries similar nuances of meaning

There is no way out . She knows such bitter, biting thoughts are wrong and shameful, but her friend’s comment cut so deeply. Her mind keeps returning to the moment, reliving the wound. She feebly tries to turn her thoughts elsewhere, but the offence seems to surround her like a fog. And how do you fight a fog? He, too, is well aware that he’s walking down a worthless path. He’s been here before — this thought, leading to that fantasy, producing these seemingly unconquerable desires. Maybe he could have escaped if he had turned around immediately, but he feels he has gone too far. He has plucked and felt the fruit; how can he not now taste it? No way out. Who hasn’t felt the force of these words amid bitterness, lust, or a thousand other temptations? And who hasn’t succumbed to their dark suggestion? If some lies have slain their thousands, this lie has slain its ten thousand. Every Temptation Escapable We are hardly the first to feel trapped, surrounded, and hemmed in by the power of s

How can you know which gift(s) of the Spirit you have? There is a way. Gifts of the Spirit The Apostle Paul has written a lot about spiritual gifts. To begin with, he says that “there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone” (1st Cor 12:4-6), and “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1st Cor 12:7).  The first point is God is the One Who determines which gift is given to each person, and it is not for their own good but for the church’s sake, or “the common good.” Never are gifts given for the believer’s benefit, although it may help them develop spiritually, but they are intended for the Body of Christ.  There are a “variety of activities” and “varieties of service,” but we must remember that it is God “empowers them all in everyone.” He deserves the glory for these gifts (Psalm 115:1), so both the

1 Corinthians 7:3–5 “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does” (V3–4). God’s Word does not frown on the sexual union of man and woman or view it as a necessary evil merely for the sake of procreation. Instead, Scripture tells us that sex is good and even holy when it takes place in the proper context, the one-flesh relationship of husband and wife. Clearly, we are to infer as much from the account of marriage’s institution in Genesis 2:18–25. Today’s passage also affirms the goodness of the sexual relationship between spouses. Paul’s teaching on sex within marriage is extraordinary. He says that husband and wife should give one another their conjugal rights (1 Cor. 7:3). Each has a right to enjoy sex and each has an obligation to help the other enjoy sex as well. Both spouses sh

1 Corinthians 7:1–2 “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ‘It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.’ But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.” First Corinthians, was written in part to respond to a letter that the Corinthian church had sent Paul. This passage makes that clear, for the Apostle begins to address a matter about which the church “wrote” him (1 Cor. 7:1). In so doing, Paul gives vital practical instruction for honourable Christian living. Paul says that he will respond to an argument summarized by the phrase “it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman” (v. 1). Some have contended that this phrase represents Paul’s actual position, that he believed lifelong celibacy was a good thing for all people. However, the whole scope of 1 Corinthians 7 makes that view impossible. The Apostle does state that some advantages attend being unmarried and celib

Ephesians 5:1–6 The audacity of Paul’s statement that believers are to imitate God (TNIV: “follow God’s example”) leads many to write off this verse as an impossible goal. But Paul has a specific focus in mind that he thinks is completely within the believer’s capability. In 4:32, believers are enjoined to forgive each other as God forgave them in Christ . Paul focuses on this attitude of forgiveness in his encouragement that believers become imitators of God. The verb implies continuing behavior repeated so as to become habit.  This sentiment of forgiveness matches the Lord’s Prayer , wherein Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt 6:12). In 1 Cor 4:16, Paul uses the same verb and noun (become imitators), but there he asks the Corinthians to imitate him. The context is the Corinthians’ failure to appreciate Paul’s apostolic authority, and also their disregard of his role as their father in the Lord. In both cases, t

English: Depiction of crucified Jesus Christ at Rural Theological Institute, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) One of the most important subdivisions of theology is Christology, which is the study of the person and work of Christ . Within that field of study, when we want to get at the aspect that is most crucial, the aspect that we may call the “crux” of the matter of Jesus’ person and work, we go immediately to the cross. The wordscrucial and crux both have their root in the Latin word for “cross,” crux, and they have come into the English language with their current meanings because the concept of the cross is at the very center and core of biblical Christianity. In a very real sense, the cross crystallizes the essence of the ministry of Jesus. This was the view of the apostle Paul . In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul made an astonishing statement about the importance of the cross to the entirety of the Christian faith : “And I, brethren,

The Resurrection of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Near the middle of Paul’s great chapter on the resurrection, the apostle pauses to say, “Otherwise [ if there is no resurrection of the dead ], what will those who are baptized for the dead do? [Or, it could be translated, “Why do those who are baptized for the dead do it?”] If the dead are not raised at all, why are they [certain Corinthians ] baptized for them?” “ Baptism for the dead .” The phrase is so obscure and perplexing, the variety of interpretations so numerous, that we must admit from the outset that no one knows what it means. Given the difficulties, some wonder why we should bother to investigate. But “baptism for the dead” matters, both because the false Mormon system places extraordinary importance upon it and because Paul uses it to defend the resurrection of believers. The plain understanding of the text is that some Corinthian Christians were baptized, on behalf of some who had already died, seeking a spir

( Jesus death & resurrection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) From Keith Mathison. Eschatology moves to the foreground in 1 Corinthians 15. Here Paul turns his full attention to the doctrine of the resurrection. The question to which Paul is responding is not stated explicitly until verse 12. Paul informs us there that some of the Corinthians were saying that "there is no resurrection of the dead ." As we examine the text it will become clear that what they were denying was the future bodily resurrection of believers. Paul makes very clear in this chapter how central the doctrine of the resurrection is to the Christian faith . His argument proceeds in two stages. In verses 1–34, he demonstrates the reality of the resurrection of the dead. In verses 35–58, he explains how it is that the bodily resurrection of believers is possible. Paul opens the discussion by reminding the Corinthians of the Gospel that he had preached to them and that they had believed (15:1). In oth