Dr Paul Allen

One of the more surprising truths of the Christian religion is that we don’t know for sure how to pronounce the name of our own God. Good evidence suggests it should be   Yahweh , but good evidence is all God has chosen to leave us—not certainty. There is one thing we do know, though: God’s name is not  Jehovah . That word is a colossal, unrepealable, European mistake. People can get really uptight about the way the name of God gets translated in English Bibles. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, a non-trinitarian religious group, have made it one of their leading distinctive to insist that the best way to translate the Hebrew word יהוה (YHWH) is with the English word  Jehovah . Their custom-made Bible, the New World Translation, uses it over 7,000 times. Even the venerable King James Version uses it seven times. But there are at least two excellent reasons why  Jehovah  should not appear in any English Bible. 1. Jehovah was created by a misunderstanding. First,  Je...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “I, the LORD , have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles ” (Isa. 42:6). The thought of the kingdom of heaven spreading throughout the world, of people from all nations bowing in obedience to the God of Israel , and of a world once hidden in darkness being brought into light by the power of God’s Spirit must have been difficult for the Jewish mind to grasp. Remember, they were a people surrounded by enemi...

English: A Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Svolvær in Lofoten, Norway. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.  The New World Translation This is one of the most common verses of contention between the  Jehovah's Witnesses  and Christians. Their false assumption is that Jesus is not God in flesh but Michael the archangel who became a man.  Therefore, since they deny that  Jesus is divine , they have altered the Bible in John 1:1 so that Jesus is not divine in nature.  The New World Translation has added the word "a" to the verse so it says, " . . . and the Word was  a  god."  The correct translation for this verse is " In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."  This is how it is rendered in the NASB, NIV, KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, etc. The New World translation is incorrect in its translation of this verse for several ...

Lamentations1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” Lamentations 3:24 It is not “The Lord is partly my portion,” nor “The Lord is in my portion.” But he himself makes up the sum total of my soul’s inheritance. Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The Lord is my portion. Not his grace merely, nor his love, nor his covenant, but Jehovah himself. He has chosen us for his portion, and we have chosen him for ours. It is true that the Lord must first choose our inheritance for us, or else we shall never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really called according to the purpose of electing love, we can sing: “Loved of my God for him again With love intense I burn; Chosen of him ere time began, I choose him in return.” The Lord is our all-sufficient portion. God fills himself; and if God is all-sufficient in himself, he must be all-sufficient for us. It is not easy to satisfy man’s ...

Cover of Help My Unbelief “His place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.” Isaiah 33:16 Do you doubt , O Christian , do you doubt as to whether God will fulfill his promise? Shall the fortress of rock be carried by storm? Shall the storehouses of heaven fail? Do you think that your heavenly Father , though he knows that you have need of food and raiment, will yet forget you? When not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father, and the very hairs of your head are all numbered, will you mistrust and doubt him? Perhaps your affliction will continue upon you till you dare to trust your God, and then it shall end. Full many there be who have been tried and sore vexed till at last they have been driven in sheer desperation to exercise faith in God, and the moment of their faith has been the instant of their deliverance; they have seen whether God would keep his promise or not. Oh, I pray you, doubt him no longer! Pleas...

Prayer is the language of Christ “And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight , and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying.’” Acts 9:11 Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven . The moment Saul began to pray the Lord heard him. Here is comfort for the distressed but praying soul. Oftentimes a poor broken-hearted one bends his knee, but can only utter his wailing in the language of sighs and tears; yet that groan has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music; that tear has been caught by God and treasured in the lachrymatory of heaven. “ You put my tears into your bottle, ” implies that they are caught as they flow. The suppliant, whose fears prevent his words, will be well understood by the Most High. He may only look up with misty eye; but “ prayer is the falling of a tear .” Tears are the diamonds of heaven; sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah ’s court, and are numbered with “ the sublimest str...

StJohnsAshfield StainedGlass JohnTheBaptist Paul (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "The Lord our God hath shewed us his glory." Deuteronomy 5:24 God's great design in all his works is the manifestation of his own glory. Any aim less than this were unworthy of himself. But how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we are?  Man's eye is not single, he has ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord.  It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted; and this is the reason why he bringeth his people ofttimes into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when he comes forth to work their deliverance.  He whose life is one even and smooth path, will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he ...

King David in Prayer (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man .” Ecclesiastes 12:13 You can hardly watch a movie, pick up a magazine or novel, or listen to the radio today without hearing or seeing the Lord’s name taken in vain. Even Christians use the phrase “ Oh God! ” in everyday language. As a society, we seem to have lost our reverence for and fear of the Father. Maybe that’s why the Lord plainly instructs us to be careful about speaking His name. In fact, He made it the third of the Ten Commandments : “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God” ( Exodus 20:7 ). Our Father knows that to show disrespect for His name—to allow it to be used as a common curse—is to treat the King of the universe with disdain and vulgarity. Even the angelic beings in His presence say, “ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” ( Revelation 4:8 ). King David understood and respected Jehovah and His mighty power: “You have heard...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church credit: Wikipedia ) "Lead me in thy truth , and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation ; on thee do I wait all the day."  Psalm 25:5 When the believer has begun with trembling feet to walk in the way of the Lord, he asks to be still led onward like a little child upheld by its parent's helping hand, and he craves to be further instructed in the alphabet of truth. Experimental teaching is the burden of this prayer.  David knew much, but he felt his ignorance, and desired to be still in the Lord's school: four times over in two verses he applies for a scholarship in the college of grace. It were well for many professors if instead of following their own devices, and cutting out new paths of thought for themselves, they would enquire for the good old ways of God's own truth, and beseech the Holy Ghost to give them sanctified understandings and teachable spirits.  "For thou art ...

English: By Rembrandt. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” ( Psalm 110:1 ) The 110th Psalm is one of the most significant of the so-called Messianic Psalms, prophesying of Christ a thousand years before He came. Its very first verse should completely settle the question as to whether or not the Old Testament teaches that there is only one person in the Godhead since it recounts an actual conversation between at least two Persons of the Godhead. This first verse is quoted, in whole or in part, at least five times in the New Testament and was even used by Christ Himself ( Matthew 22:41-46 ) to prove His own deity. Two of the Hebrew names for God are used: “ Jehovah said unto Adonai . . . .” The name Jehovah is used again in verses 2-4, and Adonai in verse 5. God, in the person of Adonai, has gone to Earth on a divine mission to save His people but has been repudiated by His enemies...