Dr Paul Allen

How shall I live my life so as to be found in the slipstream of God’s providence with the fullest knowledge of God, the greatest love of God, and bearing most fruit for the eternal good of other people for the glory of God? Do I look for signs or the word? Slipstream of Providence Do you remember what slipstream is? It’s when you get behind a boat or a car or a bike or an airplane, and you are drawn forward into the direction of the one that you’re following by the very force of the slipstream that, as it were, reaches back and grabs you and pulls you along. So, what we’re asking is, How shall I find myself drew along in the slipstream of God’s all-governing providence in such a way that we know him most fully, we love him most deeply, we bear the most fruit for the eternal good of other people, and all for the glory of God? And I see two possible answers to that question.  First, the wrong one, the unbiblical one: we can live by trying to read the providence of God, as if the hundred

The Bible is considered the best-selling book in history. Estimates say some five billion copies have been sold. It is thought to be the most translated and distributed book in the world. Bibles have been burned, smuggled, and dipped in blood. It’s safe to say that no other book has drawn more comment and controversy than the Bible. The Bible contains a collection of 66 books (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament) originally written in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) over a period of about 1600 years through the instrumentation of some 40 different writes, from around the Mediterranean region. But, what is the Bible exactly? This has been an important question in my life. Permit a brief testimony to explain. Well into my adult life and education, I thought that the Bible was a collection of bizarre, man-made tales with zero bearing on the world today which had been concocted by some hand-wringing, narrow-minded fascists looking to oppress people for personal gain. Throughout,

One of the many statements that the Bible makes concerning itself is that it is a living Word. In Philippians 2:16 Paul calls it the “word of life.” Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and powerful.”  Here in 1 Peter 1:23, it is “the word of God which lives and abides forever.” There are no more significant statements that refer to the Bible than these. It is through this living Word that we are born again and made alive spiritually. And it is through the living Word that we grow up into Christ. The Word of God Is Alive and Produces Life The Word of God is the only thing we know of, apart from the Trinity itself, that is alive in an eternal sense. In the world around us the things we call “living” are really dying. What we call “the land of the living” is probably better called “the land of the dying” because wherever you look, death is doing its work of decay and destruction. In the final analysis, death is the monarch of this world. Against this background of deca

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” ( Luke 21:33 ) The doctrine of plenary verbal inspiration, wrongly considered antiquated by many modern neo-evangelicals, is actually essential to the Christian faith. “All scripture [that is every word written down or inscribed] is given by inspiration [literally ‘breathed in’] of God,” not man ( 2 Timothy 3:16 )! We acknowledge, of course, that problems of transmission and translation exist, but these are relatively trivial in the entire context. We also acknowledge that the process of inspiration may have varied, but the end result is as if the entire Bible had been dictated and transcribed word by word. This is the way Jesus Christ—the Creator, the Living Word, the Author of Scripture—viewed the Scriptures. “The scripture cannot be broken,” He said ( John 10:35 ). “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” ( Matthew 5:18 ). “Then he said unto

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.” ( Psalm 119:1 ) The Hebrew word barak appears over 300 times in the Bible. It basically means to endue or bless with power for success, prosperity, fruitfulness, longevity, and so on. The oft-used Aaronic blessing ( Numbers 6:24-26 ) closes with, “The LORD lift up [turn] his countenance upon [toward] thee, and give thee peace,” and is initiated by the greater upon the lesser. The opening stanza of Psalm 119 identifies the traits of a lifestyle subject to the Word of God and then claims the blessing that comes as the resultof those who “seek him with the whole heart” ( Psalm 119:2 ). The unknown psalmist saturates all 22 stanzas with eight key words describing the intimate role by which inspired Scriptures empower godly behavior. Six are used in this opening testimony and prayer. Those who “walk in the law [torah] of the LORD” and “keep his testimonies” (edah) receive God’s blessing ( Psalm 119:1-2 ). These in

The Reformation principle of  sola Scriptura  has to do with the sufficiency of Scripture as our supreme authority in all spiritual matters.  Sola Scriptura  simply means that all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. It is not a claim that all truth of every kind is found in Scripture.  The most ardent defender of  sola Scriptura  will concede, for example, that Scripture has little or nothing to say about DNA structures, microbiology, the rules of Chinese grammar, or rocket science. This or that "scientific truth," for example, may or may not be actually true, whether or not it can be supported by Scripture—but Scripture is a "more sure Word," standing above all other truth in its authority and certainty. It is "more sure," according to the apostle Peter, than the data we gather firsthand through our senses (2 Peter  1:19 ). Therefore, Scripture is the highest and supreme au

Rembrandt - Apostle Paul - WGA19120 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” ( 1 Timothy 1:5 ) Much of modern, self-oriented Christian preaching and writing has tended to downgrade biblical “ doctrine ” in favor of an emphasis on “love” and “fulfillment,” the “pursuit of happiness,” “sharing and caring,” and other such sentiments. Some popular religious leaders major on “confident living,” “self-improvement,” “personal success,” and the like. Doctrine is thus downgraded in favor of practice, and “works” are considered more important than the Word. But this type of emphasis places the cart before the horse and can never succeed for very long. “Doctrine” is simply “ teaching ,” and true teaching must come from God ’s infallible Word, whether that teaching relates to great divine truths (creation, atonement, sanctification, etc.) or to the daily Christian walk. As the apostle Paul r

“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” ( 1 Timothy 1:5 ) Much of modern, self-oriented Christian preaching and writing has tended to downgrade biblical “ doctrine ” in favor of an emphasis on “love” and “fulfillment,” the “pursuit of happiness,” “sharing and caring,” and other such sentiments. Some popular religious leaders major on “confident living,” “self-improvement,” “personal success,” and the like. Doctrine is thus downgraded in favor of practice, and “works” are considered more important than the Word. But this type of emphasis places the cart before the horse and can never succeed for very long. “Doctrine” is simply “ teaching ,” and true teaching must come from God ’s infallible Word, whether that teaching relates to great divine truths (creation, atonement, sanctification, etc.) or to the daily Christian walk. As the apostle Paul reminds us, “evil communications corrupt good manners” ( 1 Corint

Rembrandt's Timothy and his grandmother, 1648. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching , for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness , that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." ( 2 Timothy 3:16) After stating that the Bible is God-breathed, Paul spelled out its purpose and value. Scripture, he said, is profitable for several things, including doctrine, reproof, correction,and instruction in righteousness. The value of the Bible lies, first of all, in the fact that it teaches sound doctrine. Though we live in a time when sound teaching is denigrated, the Bible places a high value on it. Much of the New Testament is concerned with doctrine. The teaching ministry is given to the church for building up its people. Paul said, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints fo

St. Louis de Montfort taught that the goal of Marian consecration is "holiness": the gradual sanctification of the soul, so focus turns away from self-love and towards the love of God through Mary. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Sanctification is a fundamentally internal and supernatural work. And so true holiness of heart is not something that we can accomplish directly in ourselves. Instead we learned, secondly, that sanctification is a sovereign work of the Spirit of God . The Scriptures everywhere attribute that work to Him. But while it’s unmistakable that the Spirit is the sovereign agent of sanctification, that fact in no way contradicts the reality that He effects this transformation through the use of means which the believer must appropriate. God has ordained that the Spirit accomplish this glorious work through means. So when Scripture commands us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, it is commanding us to make diligent use of the means the Spir

Gustave Doré, Depiction of Satan, the antagonist of John Milton's Paradise Lost c. 1866 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Jesus , full of the Holy Spirit , returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1–2a). What are the differences between the test that Adam underwent in paradise, and the test Jesus experienced in the wilderness? There are several contrasts we can take note of. First, Adam was tempted in the midst of a beautiful garden, a situation that would reinforce God ’s light and truth to him. Jesus, however, was led into a lonely, dry, bleak, and dark wilderness, an environment not very conducive for being strong in the Spirit. Second, when Adam was faced with Satan ’s temptation, he enjoyed the support and camaraderie of his wife. When Jesus was tempted, it was in a context of solitude. We find it easier to compromise our ethics when we are alone, and when we are unknown to those around us. There

That’s the way so many live, avoiding the things we collectively determine are wrong while affirming the things we determine are right and good. By consequence, our morals are in constant flux, constant transition, as they respond and adapt to the spirit of the age. This is true outside of the church and, sadly, true even within Christian culture . In  The Discipline of Grace  Jerry Bridges challenges us that “if we are going to make progress in the pursuit of holiness , we must aim to live according to the precepts of Scripture —not according to the culture, even the Christian culture, around us.” But we can’t do this if we don’t know what those precepts are and we can’t know what those precepts are unless we are immersed in the Word of God . Says Bridges, To pursue holiness, one of the disciplines we must become skilled in is the development of Bible -based convictions. A conviction is a determinative belief: something you believe so strongly that it affects the way you li

Image via Wikipedia When teaching on the doctrines of election and reprobation, the most common objection I hear is “That’s not fair!” Often, the one raising this objection to these doctrines will go on to argue that God would be unfair to command all people to repent and believe if  He had not chosen them before the foundation of the world.  Based on such reasoning, many people have concluded that the doctrines of election and reprobation are not biblical and, therefore, heretical.  Unfortunately, those who object to these doctrines are not merely contending with John Calvin ; they are contending with the Word of God. Indeed, the doctrines of grace were taught clearly by John Calvin. However, they were also proclaimed boldly by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As a minister, what troubles me is not someone’s general lack of theological aptitude concerning the doctrines of grace; rather, I am troubled by a person’s bold opposition to the very doctrines that provide him with the nece