Dr Paul Allen

Jesus is Immanuel, God come to dwell in us, they also underline that He is Christ come to dwell in us.  The wonder of the Christmas message here celebrated is that through faith, Jesus Christ comes to indwell His people. His presence is not merely an event in history but the present experience of every Christian believer. Our understanding of the Christmas message and its life-changing implications will be incomplete unless the wonder of this dawns upon us. While there are perhaps only a dozen passages in the New Testament that emphasize Christ’s indwelling, their teaching raises two questions: (1) In what way does Christ indwell us? (2) What difference does it make to our lives? How does Christ indwell us? The Son of God came to dwell in human flesh for us in order that He might come to dwell in us by His Spirit. This is the meaning of Jesus’ teaching prior to His death: “Remain in Me and I will remain in you.” This is the way to bear much fruit (John 15:4–5). Later in prayer,...

English: Lord Jesus at St Joseph Oratory, Montreal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “For with you is the fountain of life ; in your light do we see light.” Psalm 36:9 No lips can tell the love of Christ to the heart till Jesus himself shall speak within. Descriptions all fall flat and tame unless the Holy Ghost fills them with life and power; till our Immanuel reveals himself within, the soul sees him not. If you would see the sun, would you gather together the common means of illumination, and seek in that way to behold the orb of day? No, the wise man knows that the sun must reveal itself, and only by its own blaze can that mighty lamp be seen. It is so with Christ. “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah !” said he to Peter , “for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.” Purify flesh and blood by any educational process you may select. Elevate mental faculties to the highest degree of intellectual power. Yet none of these can reveal Christ. The Spirit of God must come with power...

Frans Floris - The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Gathering and Protecting Mankind - WGA7949 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Of the many beautiful hymns that have been composed in celebration of the birth of Christ , few in my mind equal the depth of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel . The origins of the Latin version Veni, Emmanuel are obscure. It may have been composed as early as the 8th century. The melody appears to have originated in France in the 15th century. The hymn was translated into English by the Reverend John Mason Neale in the mid 19th century. The English version originally consisted of five verses, which began "Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel." Alernate versions of most of the verses and additional verses were composed later, and one can now find numerous versions of this hymn. While the origins of the hymn and its development over time are interesting matters, they are not the reasons for the hymn's profundity. That rests on the subject matter. The hymn...

Isaiah (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Isaiah; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Prophet Isaiah, Russian icon from first quarter of 18th cen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Isaiah stained glass window at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Charleston, SC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Prophet Isaiah (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The unifying theme of Isaiah 6–12 is the coming Messianic king. Chapters 6 and 12 frame the entire subsection, with chapter 6 telling of the call and cleansing of Isaiah and chapter 12 recording the song of salvation sung by the saved community. The subsection begins with the death of King Uzziah, the embodiment of the Davidic house. Chapters 7–11 then center on the coming of a holy and divine monarch. The two kingships, the divine and the Davidic, will ultimately merge in a Messianic King from the house of David (cf. 7:14; 9:6–7; 11:1–10). The call of Isaiah is narrated in Isaiah 6. The chapter s...