Dr Paul Allen

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” ( Psalm 145:17 ) When Abraham was interceding with God to spare Sodom if even ten “righteous” people were there, he asked: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” ( Genesis 18:25 ). The Hebrew word (mishpat) refers to a formal judgment about right and wrong and is more commonly translated “judgment.” Indeed, the divine Judge will do right and give right judgments in all things, for He “is righteous in all his ways” and “canst not look on iniquity” ( Habakkuk 1:13 ). Ever since Adam disobeyed the Word of God, however, all his descendants have been unrighteous in their ways. God’s righteous judgment has been that “there is none righteous, no, not one” ( Romans3:10 ). Thus, a truly righteous Judge would not only have to consign Sodom to destructive “brimstone and fire from the LORD” ( Genesis 19:24 ) but every one of us as well “into the lake of fire” ( Revelation 20:15 ) forever. But God, being not onl

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church : Wikipedia ) The apostle Paul starts all of his letters with the prayer that “grace and peace” will come to the reader. But he never uses a verb . He never says, “ Grace and peace  be  to you,” or, “Grace and peace  come  to you.” He assumes the verb. Peter makes it explicit. He begins both his letters, “May grace and peace  be multiplied  to you.” Paul would be very happy with this verb. It’s what he means when he says thirteen times, “Grace to you and peace.” The verb behind “be multiplied” is used twelve times in the New Testament and always means “increase” — move from lesser to greater. There are at least seven important implications in these words for our lives. 1. Grace and peace are experienced. Grace and peace are not only the objective status we enjoy before God . They are also the experiential enjoyment of that status. It is gloriously true that God made an  objective  peace between him and us by t

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church h Wikipedia ) “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.” ( John 3:35 )   The gospel of John, in a special sense, emphasizes the love in the divine Trinity of the heavenly Father for the Son. The words “love” and “Father” and “Son” occur more in this book than in any other book of the Bible, and there are at least eight references to this love in John’s gospel .   The first is in our text above, revealin g th at the Father has entrusted the care of the whole creation to the Son whom He loves. He has also shown Him everything in creation: “For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth” ( John 5:20 ).   The Father also loved the Son because of His willingness to die for lost sinners. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again” ( John 10:17 ).   Then in the upper room, as Christ prayed to His Father, it was  

The Nietzsche Archives in Weimar, Germany. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "What goes around, comes around." This American idiom suggests a view of history that has more in common with ancient Greek philosophy than with the Judeo-Christian understanding of history. The grand difference between the ancient view of history and that found in Scripture is the difference between what is called "cyclical" and "linear-progressive." A cyclical view indicates that there was no beginning to the universe and no goal for it; rather, history creates itself and eventually repeats itself—forever. It was this ancient perspective that generated the skepticism that inspired Friedrich Nietzsche 's view of "the myth of eternal recurrence." Over against this view stands the biblical view of linear-progressive history. This understanding does not say that history moves in a steady incline, moving toward some evolutionary climax; rather, it indicates a moveme

Christian hope is focused on the coming of Christ , which may be called his ‘second’ coming (Heb. 9:28). Thus the OT term, ‘the * DAY OF THE LORD ’, which the NT uses for the event of final fulfilment ( 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Thes. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10; cf. ‘the day of God’, 2 Pet. 3:12; ‘the great day of God the Almighty’, Rev. 16:14), is characteristically ‘the day of the Lord Jesus ’ (1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; cf. 1 Cor. 1:8; Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16). The coming of Christ is called his parousia (‘coming’), his apokalypsis (‘revelation’) and his epiphaneia (‘appearing’). The word parousia means ‘presence’ or ‘arrival’, and was used in Hellenistic Greek of the visits of gods and rulers. Christ’s parousia will be a personal coming of the same Jesus of Nazareth who ascended into heaven (Acts 1:11); but it will be a universally evident event (Mt. 24:27), a coming in power and glory (Mt. 24:30), to destroy Antichrist and evil (2 Thes. 2:8), to gather his people, living and dead (Mt. 24:31; 1 Cor. 15

The upper part of The Transfiguration (1520) by Raphael, depicting Christ miraculously discoursing with Moses and Elijah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord . 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins , he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and some

English: Riverside Reformed Presbyterian Church Information Board (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Daniel Doriani’s commentary on James contains an interesting quote. It is my experience that these people often typify cessationists as those who do not believe in supernatural or miraculous healings but this is really not the case. The disagreement really arises over whether or not the spiritual gift of healing is operative in the church today. This quote describes something that happened in a conservative, Reformed , Presbyterian context and something that I think is consistent with cessationist theology (even though cessationists may have some disagreement about what James refers to by anointing a person with oil). Doriani is not the only Reformed Presbyterian who has experienced this kind of blessing. During the autumn when I first studied James in earnest, a friend suffered a viral infection of the heart. While it was not a heart attack, it mimicked many of the symptoms of one.

English: Stained glass window in the nave of St. John's Anglican Church, Ashfield, New South Wales (NSW). This scene depicts Saint James ("S. Jacobus") and Saint John (S. Johannes). The heading scroll reads "I come quickly, even so come Lord Jesus". The inscription on this memorial window reads "In Memoriam George Barton Griffiths, Emily Nanima Griffiths. Erected By Their Sisters 1888." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) James 5:7-12 Be patient , therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord . See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.  8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.  10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  11