Dr Paul Allen

How do we distinguish the promptings of the Spirit of grace in His guiding and governing of our lives from the delusions of the spirit of the world and of our own sinful heart? This is a hugely important question if we are to be calm and confident that the spirit with whom we are communing really is the  Holy  Spirit. John Owen suggests four ways in which the Spirit and the serpent are to be distinguished: The leading of the Spirit, he says, is regular, that is, according to the  regulum : the rule of Scripture . The Spirit does not work in us to give us a new rule of life, but to help us understand and apply the rule contained in Scripture. Thus, the fundamental question to ask about any guidance will be: Is this course of action consistent with the Word of God ?  The commands of the Spirit are not grievous . They are in harmony with the Word, and the Word is in harmony with the believer as new creation. The Christian believer consciously submitted to the ...

Samuel_reproving_Saul (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Did Samuel make a mistake? Was Samuel human like everyone else? ( 1 Samuel 9–11; 13; 15-17).  Do you feel for Saul. He started well but finished badly. According to 1 Samuel 9:2, he was “An impressive young man without equal.” After Saul has been briefly introduced, we immediately start into the story of how Saul and Samuel meet. In verse 9, we are given some parenthetical background information. “Before time in Israel ,” it tells us, “when a man went to enquire of God , thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was before time called a Seer.” The picture we have in 1 Samuel 9–10 is of a good and modest man (compare verse 1 of chapter 9 with verse 21 in the same chapter) who has the wisdom to keep his mouth shut (1 Samuel 10:14–16) and the good sense to at least try avoiding the limelight (1 Samuel 10:21–22). But whether he likes it or not, he’s going to be king, and he’ll hav...

English: Elisha raising the Shunammites Son (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) He [ Elisha ] picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan  ( 2 Kings 2:13). When it came time for Elijah to be taken up into heaven, he and his appointed successor, Elisha , were at Gilgal . Elijah suggested that Elisha remain at Gilgal , but Elisha insisted on going along with him to Bethel. At Bethel, Elijah repeated his suggestion that Elisha remain behind, but the servant insisted on accompanying his master to Jericho . At Jericho , Elijah urged Elisha to remain in the city, but Elisha insisted on crossing the Jordan into the wilderness with Elijah. Elisha knew that if he were to succeed Elijah, it was important for the rest of the prophets to see him in the company of the master. Of course, an additional factor was his love for Elijah, and his unwillingness to be parted from him. Elijah asked his servant if he had one last request to make o...

Image via Wikipedia "O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal ; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD." ( Micah 6:5 )   Three New Testament writers have left us sober warnings concerning Balaam. Peter warned against "the way of Balaam"; Jude, against "the error of Balaam"; and John, against "the doctrine of Balaam" ( 2 Peter 2:15 ;  Jude 11 ;  Revelation 2:14 ). God evidently considers these warnings necessary and appropriate for Christians even today. Yet Balaam, in his day, was a genuine prophet (note  2 Peter 2:16 ), possessed great knowledge concerning God, and even received direct revelations from God. What, therefore, were his way, his error, and his doctrine?   "The way of Balaam" was a readiness to prostitute his high spiritual gifts and privileges for "the wages of unrighteousness" ( v. 15 ); being willing to pre...